Hello!
I got the pleasure tonight to run with a certain member of our running group. Considering the sensitive information I am about to reveal about him, I shall not call him by his real name. For our purposes here, I shall call him "Union Jack Shoes", since that will definitely keep anyone from knowing his real identity.
Anyone Union Jack and I just happened to both be late to running group. Me, because I had to go by the vet before they closed to get cat food before my cat drove my mom insane, and him because of traffic. Let me say now: this is the last time I will be arriving late and, consequently, running one-on-one with Union Jack Shoes.
My schedule said, "2-3 miles easy." But "easy" for Union Jack is my dot pace. Actually, he was really great. He tried soo hard to slow it down for me and he tried to be pleasant for my sake. I can empathize with the pain one must go through to pull back for a slower runner, so, not only did I feel guilty as we raced down state street in the heat, I also felt tired, grumpy, and out of breath. As a result, our conversation was stilted, one-sided, and it switched topics a lot. Here is my version of how our conversation went. Union Jack was really trying to get me involved, but I was working a little hard and was a little too grumpy to respond the way he wanted:
UJ: You know, I haven't run a marathon for twelve years.
Me: Uhuh
UJ: I've run halves and stuff but no marathon.
Me: Yup
UJ: So, you teach high school?
Me: Yeah. ELL.
UJ: Oh. And school starts on Monday?
Me: Last Monday
UJ: Oh, Richland Washington schools start this Monday.
Me: Okay
UJ: My ex-wife is borderline psychotic.
Me: Really? Huh.
UJ: I hope the t-shirts and the singlets and the rest of our gear is in.
Me: Yeah.
UJ: You know? My girlfriend and I have been together for three years.
Me: Uhuh
UJ: She lives in Missouri.
Me: Oh.
Union: My girlfriend wants to run a marathon.
Me: Oh. Okay.
Union: There's another girl who wants me to help train for a marathon, too. But she lives in Seattle. And we only really dated for like two weeks.
Me: How 'bout that.
That's pretty much how it went. He really did try, and it was really sweet, but it was still rough.
My body is feeling good though. I think I'm back to 100% and having a tough time admitting it because we have so many fast runners in the group now that I'm feeling really slow.
Then, I went to the foreign language teachers beginning-of-the-year party and loaded up on excellent food and delectable sweets. Loved it.
:) Night!
Liz
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3 comments:
Liz, Aren't you glad you came to the group and got your run out of the way anyway? My guess is that Union Jack was just trying to entertain you during your run, keeping your mind focused on other things other than the heat and running pains.... and trying to make conversation with you. You should ask Coach Dave about what he thinks?
Also, Liz, keep in mind the group dynamics change all the time. The average woman runs at your pace, so surely there will be more joining us! So hang in there and try not to compare yourself to other runners. Remember, you are doing this for YOU!
LMAO. Too funny. I will try my best not to torture you any further.By the way, my ex-wife really IS psycho.
Cheers !
Union Jack
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