Last year my husband and I were having dinner over at another couple's house. We hadn't seen them in a while so after our initial 'hellos' we jumped right in by catching each other up on all of our recent goings on. We got through the standard stuff (ie. work, kids, vacations) pretty quickly. Everyone was good, healthy, happy, no major complaints, yada yada. Eventually, the subject got around to running. Both of them know I run a lot, but neither of them are very into it and my husband only runs when chased, so when the topic came up I did my best to keep it short and sweet. Don't get me wrong, I love talking about running, but only when the person on the other end of the conversation feels the same way. Otherwise, I am fully aware that it can be a real drag, much like any other topic, if I go into too much detail. In so many words, I told her that I was in the process of training for my 7th marathon and still really enjoying it. "Oh, Really?" she said. You're still doing that? Still living the dream?" This was followed by a smile and a little chuckle. As you can imagine, I wasn't sure how to respond to this comment. I think I said something like, "um, yea. I guess I am." But, what I was thinking was what the hell? Did she think that I should be hanging up my running shoes now that I'm getting older and slowing down? Or was it that I clearly have no chance at getting anywhere as a runner so why am I still out there pounding the pavement? By her expression alone I could sense that what she really wanted to ask was, "don't you have better things to do with your time?" I could have dove in and given her the 50 some odd reasons that I continue to run and race. But what was the point, really? I let her know that I did sometimes feel a bit crazy for continuously chasing the dream, but that said I was still having a grand old time and until that came to an end, I was going to keep at it. And then I changed the subject. I have thought about that conversation many times since then. And every time I approach, yet another marathon, I tend to replay it in my mind. From the outside, I guess it may seem a bit strange to keep at it as a 39 year old mom of 2 with a shit ton of other stuff going on. The training takes up a lot of time. I'm tired a lot. And I don't always get the results I'm hoping for after 4-5 months of training. Which is a long freakin' time. So, yes, I'm still crazy, obsessed, bonkers, whatever you may call it. But, I'm also driven, passionate and hungry for more. Put them together and you never know what might happen. I guess I'm still hoping to find out. So, yeah. I am livin' the dream, dammit. Me and all the other mad hatters out there who are doing the same thing. Hats off. To all of us!
Ready to run. Again.
Listen to this:
10,000 Emerald Pools - BØRNS
Right there with ya, lady. Crazy as shit. And loving every minute of it. I'll keep riding the crazy train with you. ��
ReplyDeleteMy kids go to school very local and we all live within 2 miles of each other. That being said I drop my kids off early (unlike me they like being early) and I hit the pavement. I often see many fellow moms heading home after dropping off their kids. I get beeps and honks and waves. But mostly I get looks of crazy. And I am known as the runner mom....People reference my running daily and seeing me and the temperature and the hour of the day. But I think they are jealous. Jealous of the drive and passion and somewhat jealous of the ease. We make it look pretty darn easy even when it's sucking the life out of us. So I am with you and everyone else. Maybe we ARE bonkers. Or maybe we just have discovered a secret that most people don't know. Or maybe, just maybe we are some of the few lucky enough to live the dream! Keep running Becca. Because that's what makes us who we are! xo Ann Simonetti Harlow
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