Tag Archives: Heck

17

Posted on by

David&Chris

I never wanted to get married! Ever! Even as a child and young adult I found the institution of marriage so “old school”, something so mundane I did not want any part of it. In fact I still did not want to get married on December 1st, 1994.

Yet! Seventeen years ago today I woke up, went for a 6 mile run, took a shower, put on a pair of white jeans and black hiking boots, went down to the Santa Clara Superior Court House and tied the knot!

My mom was stunned into silence when I called her after the fact, . Believe me when I say that this had only happened a couple of times that I remember, one of which was the time I blacked out from alcohol poisoning in High School. Her only daughter, heck, her only child, had gotten married without her even knowing! In jeans! She eventually got over it and both her and my dad welcomed David into their lives as if he was their own son (the son my mother had hoped for when she was pregnant with me!).

17 years have passed since that day I threw out all of my resolve to never be a wife. I never looked back! To say that my change of heart was the right decision is an understatement. Although I had known for quite some time that David was the man I would spend the rest of my life with, license or not, I could not ask for a better husband. It has certainly not been all champagne and chocolate covered strawberries over here but we both realized early on that compared to what we had been through before we finally made our relationship official, nothing could tear us apart. Absolutely nothing! In fact every challenge has only brought us closer. Of course it also helps that David has the patience of a saint, is more driven than any other person I know and as hard a worker. His undying optimism has helped us weather many a storms, and so has his amazing ability to always work through any challenge that might be thrown his way. From the first day we moved in together David has always put me and our relationship first, has supported my need for running freedom, and accepted my weird attitude towards food and eating dinner as late as possible. He also buys me soy tea lattes and caramel frappuccinos whenever I want one or the other. We have had some incredibly good times together and I cannot wait for the adventures our future may hold.

Looking back on that day 17 years ago I quickly realized that this was really the only way I was ever going to go through with a “wedding”. David was game to do whatever I wanted, big or small, and the way it turned out was truly my day, including the reception dinner at TGIF (hey, it was good back then!).

At least my jeans were white!

In honor of our 17 years together here are 17 reasons why I love him:

*for his undying optimism even in the toughest of times

*for his love for Nelson

*and understanding how much I grief for this dog

*for always replying “not as hot as my lovely as my wife” when asked if a female celebrity is pretty or hot

*for his ability to fix everything and anything

*for his uncanny ability to budget

*for the fact that he can finish my sentences and often has the same thoughts than me at the same time

*for his impeccable work ethic

*for always looking out for others

*for always coming to my races and supporting me and my running buddies even though he is not a runner

*for his sense of direction

*for always making me feel save

*for the way he makes all of our friends feel welcome

*for always looking for ways to improve our lifes

*for not being afraid of new adventures and change

*for making me love him so much I would happily leave everything behind to travel with him in a Winnebago

*for making me laugh

Happy Anniversary, G1! I am looking forward to making forever last a lifetime!

Today’s Running Tip: Commit to a training schedule!

By committing to a training schedule and telling your friends, family, and especially your running buddies about it you will easily reach your running and racing goals for the year ahead.

Soul Mates

Posted on by

Recently, Heather, yes, the Heather as in Armstrong, who writes at dooce (have you heard of it? What? No? You should definitely check it out!) posted a different kind of “Meme” on her blog. I am a Meme Virgin when it comes to this blog of mine, but since dooce.com was the very first blog I ever read (talk about setting standards high from the get go!!!) I felt I should partake in this extravaganza of revealed privacy. Heck, why not!? I might as well. It is only the Internets after all. 

What are your middle names?
Hubby’s middle name is Charles. I, on the other hand, do not have one. My parents were expecting a boy child and had a name all picked out. When I appeared on the scene without the all important penis the shock was so great that mom and dad could barely come up with a first name, let alone a middle one. And then my dad went ahead an misspelled my fist name when he registered me. Yeah, it was a good start!

How long have you been together?
“Officially” (I think I mentioned before that it is complicated) we have been together for 16 years, married for 14.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We had known each other for six years when we “officially” started dating and moved in together (by ourselves).

Who asked whom out?
Neither of us had to. It was mutual.

How old are each of you?
I am 41, Hubby is 50 (almost 51). I have known him for more than half my life!!!

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Given the fact that I am an only child we see Hubby’s siblings more. They live in North Wales and London however so we do not get to see them all that often. But when we do, it is HUGE!!! We do see my sister-in-law more than Hubby’s brother and since we have always gotten alone really well I truly feel I gained a sister when I married into Hubby’s family.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
I think we left the situation that caused the most stress in our lives behind a long time ago. We had been through a lot of emotional turmoil before we moved in together, which has really helped put things into perspective. 

Did you go to the same school?
No. Hubby went through is formative years in Great Britain, I went through them in Germany.

Are you from the same home town?
No. We don’t even come from the same country!

Who is smarter?
Hubby is far smarter than I am when it comes to business, money matters and anything that has to do with technology. His knowledge is uncanny! He is also the computer whiz in this household who can build and fix anything. It never ceases to amaze me. I, on the other hand, have no business sense whatsoever, but I can retain an enormous amount of information and remember every detail. Where Hubby’s mind is analytical, mine works photographically and I actually do not have to understand something in order to remember it.

Who is the most sensitive?
I am definitely more sensitive to subtle mood changes, but Hubby has the jealousy factor down.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We like to go to the Yard House on a Saturday night and eat at the bar. I guess you could call us regulars!

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Rome (I had to look up whether Berlin or Venice were farther).

Who has the craziest exes?
Without a doubt Hubby gets the trophy for this one! I bet he could compete with you on the crazy scale of exes!!! 

Who has the worst temper?
I have been known to fly off the handle. Hubby on the other hand is one of the most even tempered humans I know. That does not mean he cannot lose his shit, and I have seen it (see exes!!!) but overall he has it together and it takes an awful lot to provoke him.

Who does the cooking?
I do. And I hate it. But I guess that is a small price to pay for my domestic bliss  :O)

Who is the neat-freak?
I definitely have an OCD streak when it comes to tidiness. But!!! I don’t expect anyone else to clean up after themselves. Since it bothers me more I happily take care of it.

Who is more stubborn?
That’s definitely me. Maybe it’s the only child syndrome. Although I have to say that it helped during the years before we moved in together.

Who hogs the bed?
I tend to wake up completely starfished with sheets all wrapped tight around me!!!

Who wakes up earlier?
Usually I do. I guess years of getting long runs in before work in an actual office, in an actual work place, and 6am group runs on foggy Saturdays are hard to overcome.

Where was your first date?
We never really went on a first date. We did like to go out late at night and grocery shop!

Who is more jealous?
Hubby!

How long did it take to get serious?
I think deep down we were always serious but it took us a while to admit it openly and not fight it any longer.

Who eats more?
Hubby has the better appetite. I have never been a great eater and my appetite gets suppressed by exercise which is a constant battle especially when I am training for a marathon (like I am at the moment).

Who does the laundry?
I do, but unlike cooking I love the whole process of doing laundry, so I don’t mind at all. Now if only someone could hire me a chef!

Who’s better with the computer?
Hubby, HANDS DOWN!!! He used to fix all of our friends’ and neighbors’ computers until we realized one day that he was spending more time next door than at home. And not because the neighbor was hot.

Who drives when you are together?
I think I can count on one hand how many times I have driven the car when we are together. We both love driving but it just one of those unsaid facts that Hubby always takes the wheel. That’s OK with me as it gives me free time for power naps. Or maybe it’s the fact that I am undoubtable the world’s most patient passenger. No word of criticism will ever make it over my lips when we are driving and I have been known to keep my mouth shut even if I know that we are taking the wrong turn and will be lost after driving in the wrong direction for an hour. Life is such an adventure!

 

Today’s Running Tip: Get support from you spouse!

Even if your spouse or significant other does not share your passion for running he or she can always support you from the side lines. Have him or her come out to your races and cheer you on from the side line or greet you at the finish. You will feel so much better with the moral boost from your loved one.

Take it and (Stretch) Run Thursday

Posted on by

It’s Thursday! Which means over in the Runner’s Lounge a new subject is being discussed and blogged about. This week’s theme is “The Great Stretch“. I must admit that stretching is not something I do on a daily basis. I know, I know, it should be part of my daily routine, like slipping on running shoes, BUT… unlike running miles on end I find stretching incredibly boring. Because of the boredom that sets in by even thinking about it, stretching is usually banned to the grayest chambers of my brain. And of course this means I hardly ever think about it… This is the main reason I started to take a weekly Yoga class. And I absolutely love it. It is that one day a week when my running shoes get a break and I concentrate on stretching every fiber of my being. It feels good, people! There are days when I am less flexible and more off balance than others but I never get bored and always have a good time, even when the view is less desirable.

There are many stretch poses I like but for me as runner my favorite is the Janu Sirsasana or Head-to-Knee Pose.

 

This pose is a great stretch to lengthen you hamstrings, which can be notoriously tight in runners. 

I also like Baddha Konasana or Cobbler’s Pose which opens up the hip and groin areas, another sore spot for running yogis.

 

And last but not list I like to get all twisted up in a Ardha Matsyendrasana or Spinal Twist pose:

Now that we are all warmed up we shall move on to Dwi Pada Sirsasana (whatever the heck that means). Maybe next time!

 

Today’s Running Tip: STRETCH!

Stretching is a great way to relief muscle tension and flush lactic acid out of your muscles. If you stretch on a regular basis your muscles will lengthen over time which will increase your range of motion and lengthen your stride. It is recommended that you stretch only after you have warmed up as stretching cold muscles can lead to tears and injuries.