I think I finally get it. I finally understand what makes a running partner so sacred, why it is a bond to be treasured and cherished. At first I used to think it was because you had someone to hold you accountable. What decent person could stay in bed after the alarm goes off knowing there is a living, breathing person, in running shorts no less, waiting for her down the street? I figured the main purpose of a running partner was to get you out the door, even on days you don't want to run, and to make sure you stick to your training schedule, come hell or high water.
Oh, but a good RP is so much more. You see, after a certain number of miles the facade starts to chip away. The facade that we all have in public; the mask that keeps us smiling when we're seething or saying "That's a lovely color for you" when we really mean "Dear God, that dress makes you look like a cow." I mean, a person can only be polite for so long before some nugget of jaded sarcasm escapes. And once there's a chink in the armour--look out, baby. When RP announced today "I'm about to say something that you never thought you'd hear me say and something I would never utter aloud to another human being," I couldn't help but let out an excited whoop! So this is what it's really about, I thought. The true benefit of a running partner: not only are you stripped to your core physically as you log mile after mile but there's an emotional rawness and honesty that comes with it as well. And, honey, when your RP is a gal like mine, that emotional aspect can be a hoot!
By the way, I'm taking her words to my grave so don't even bother to ask.
Today's Miles: 6
Total Miles: 60
1 comment:
There is a saying that goes something along the lines of "a secret is of absolutely no value if you cannot share it with at least one other person" who would also have to swear "to God and country, and may my mother's memory be nothing but s**t if I ever tell that secret to another living soul". Therefore, in the interest of giving you the absolutle best parental unit a daughter could ever want or hope to have, I will humble myself in the mrorrow and allow you to divulge that secret to your father on Father's Day! And the good thing about sharing that secret with your father on Father's Day is the memory of his mother already is s**t, Yugo girl! I've got your secret, right here!!
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