So to be honest, when Raquel voiced her interest in training with me for the next marathon I admit that I was a bit apprehensive. Now, I'm sure most runners would scoff at my hesitation, because they would love their significant others to show the same enthusiasm for their passion. Well, don't get me wrong because I certainly am excited that we may have another activity to share together. But, running has always been a solo activity for me. It's my mechanism for escaping the world; where I temporarily only have to worry about myself. Batman has the Batcave, Superman has the Fortress of Solitude, and I have running.
In addition, I feel like we have imaginary lines drawn to designate separate areas of expertise between us. For instance:
Surfrunner: music / Raquel: sports
Surfrunner: cooking for a big crowd / Raquel: cooking for two
Surfrunner: driving / Raquel: fixing the car
Surfrunner: surfing, running / Raquel: climbing, volleyball
Anyway, I'm sure you see my point. I'm not saying that we can never venture into the other person's world, because we each are more than happy to share. But, I wasn't ready to transform my demarcated Running territory into a union of our Venn Diagram.
Then again, Batman did allow other people into the Batcave, like Robin and Alfred, his butler. So I'm willing to give it a try and keep an open mind. We haven't started running together yet, but I am gearing her, as well as myself, up for a joint run relatively soon. As expected, it's taking her less time to ramp up to my current running level than I originally needed. In any case, there is nothing like a little healthy competition to give my training a boost, right? What do you think Internet? Am I being weirdly territorial about running or have you folks felt something similar?
About Me
- Jennica Goo
- I'm a Hardware Design Engineer quickly transitioning to the wonderful world of Software Engineering via Hack Reactor. Hack Reactor is a 12-week intensive immersion program that teaches full-stack software development with Javascript, databases, and HTML/CSS. This blog will chronicle my journey as I tackle new technical frontiers.
3 comments:
I know what you mean about running. It's not that it cannot be done, but it is more fun when you are either very equally paired in ability ... or when you're better than your partner and can feel smug about that. :) Dave, being a dude, has better speed but I think I have more long-term stamina.
Heh, that's funny. Cause, i think that's the same split for me and Raquel. She's better at speed and I'm better at long distance. So, this is what I predict for the half-marathon: She'll smoke me within the first couple of miles, then I'll finish the race after she gives up and goes to Jamba Juice.
I definitely know what you're saying about having a "territory" within your relationship. And I know I've also heard you say for years that running is your "you" time. But this might be a fun experiment in sharing/bonding. I say it's great that you're trying it! And if you guys decide you would rather do other things together, then that's ok too--nothing's written in stone.
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