Look What My Fiancee Can Do! (Read 2192 times)

A little non-self bragging: My lovely lady is not yet a runner. Emphasis on yet. She does run, just about every day, in fact. But I don't call her a runner yet, because she's not quite to that stage where she runs just to run. She runs, of course, to get (and stay) skinny. She's not yet at the dorky "hang out on message boards/obsess over shiny colored running log graphs" stage that is a requirement to be a real runner. But she's getting there. I should probably be worried. But I'd like to brag about her a bit, to the only nutballs that might understand. Hope you don't mind. First, the girl has now dropped THIRTY pounds in six months. She looks, well, hot. Smokin', in fact. Yowza. And she didn't really need to lose it in the first place, in my biased view. But ... wow. You'll have to take my word for it. (You can see her pretty face in my profile, though). But her running is almost as impressive. Six months ago, eventhough she's a decade younger than yours truly, the girl would huff and puff running around the block. She couldn't actually RUN a mile, even if she was on her way to a sale on purses. Which is saying a lot, if you knew her. When she started trying to run, she could only go about a minute. Actually, at first it was all walking, I think. All of it on the treadmill in the guestroom (yawn!). But slowly ... she started getting into it. Liking it more. We started running together on Sundays ... first 3 miles, then 4, now 5-6. Yeah, it's slow. Really slow. I do occassionally fall asleep it's so slow. But she keeps plugging along. (She doesn't know it yet, but she's running the half marathon while I run the full CMM in April.) So last May, she ran her first real race. A local 5-K we ran togther. It was hot as hell ... and her official time was 38:29. Pretty slow. A couple months ago, she timed herself on the treadmill. 36:50. Still pretty slow. This morning, as I was sipping my morning cuppa joe and watching the local news, I heard her hop on the treadmill, as usual. After a while, I noticed that the pounding was louder than normal ... the girl was flying. Pretty cool to listen to. She did the whole 5-k without a break. And ran it in a not half bad 33:51. I'm so proud. I just wanted to brag. Ignore me. Carry on.

Good for her!! And, even as a woman, I can say...she is beautiful!! As for being slow...someone has to keep us company at the back of the pack! Send congratulations her way. Better yet, tell her to get her butt on the board & be excited about colored graphs & discussions about chafing & toe pain!!

Ditto all of that! And I think she's pretty fast for someone just running on a treadmill...just imagine the damage she'd do in a race right now! Go, girlfriend! k

Girl power! Woot! Did I just say that?

Yes. Yes you did. And don't you wish you didn't?

All your non-self bragging is getting me worried. Are you alright? I've met many beginners through my club. The way I see it, if both of her feet were in the air at the same time, she's a runner, regardless of pace. Be nice to her because one day she'll kick your butt! Girl power! Woot! Did I just say that?

You know, for a guy, MC, you're alright. Jake, you seem to be a little confused on the difference between the internet and running. Let me help. Running involves feet and physical effort. Internet involves computers and no physical effort. Does that help? If your "lovely lady" ever calls herself a runner, you can bet your hairy simian behind that she's a runner. Until then, since she runs... she's still a runner. Regardless of what you call her. And if she ever wanders into this forum, you're in soooo much trouble!

Nope. I stand by my definition. Some people run as a means to an end; I can't call them runners. No matter how fast or how far or how often they run. A lot of them actually hate it - but like what it does. For them, if there was a better way to reach their goal, they'd quit in a heartbeat. If they're running only to lose weight, or to pick up chicks, or cuz they dig t-shirts and medals ... and if they'd stop if there was another way to acheive those goals ... they at least get quotes around the word. "Runners" versus runners. Meanwhile, runners - by my definition - run even when they shouldn't, maybe even when it's downright bad for them. Real runners would keep going even if they found out it was fattening. (Okay, maybe not). (And I take it back about running cuz chicks dig it ... that's a perfectly honorable and valid reason. Duh.) Simple test for meeting my definition, and you can see the results on dozens of threads right here: Suppose you're injured. Your back, your knees, whatever. It hurts to run. In fact, you really probably shouldn't. There are other ways to exercise. So ... what do you do? A non-running "runner" follows the good advice. Looks for a different way to exercise. Takes a couple weeks off. Maybe decides they like swimming or yoga. Or watching Oprah and eating Ho-Hos. Maybe they'll run again someday. But what does a runner do in that situation? Immediately tries to figure out how to go running anyway. Two broken legs? Well, I'll just stretch a little, take an extra GU, maybe insert a few walk breaks. Legs ripped of by a bear? Well, I'll lay off the hill work for a couple weeks and work on my base. Nuclear war breaksout? The first question - what's the best hydration strategy for running through the fallout? Runners. Frickin' runners, in fact. And they're all over this place. More threads than I can count where the first and last question is - how do I get back to running? Seriously. How many threads follow this pattern: "Hey, it's perpetually dark outside .... or there is a local pack of man-eating pit bulls ... or I've got a collapsed lung .... now, how do go running?" ---------------------------------------------- As for my better half ... I'm not yet convinced that if they came out with a pill to keep you skinny, that she'd keep running. Thus, she doesn't get the label. Yet. And I don't think she'd use it on herself. Yet. But she *is* on the treadmill right now. She did bring up (on her own) yesterday running the CMM half in April. She's the one insisting we sign up for a 5-miler on Thanksgiving morning. So there may be hope for her. (Or no hope, depending on how you look at it.) It may already be too late. Poor thing. I guess there's an easy test. I'll just tell her the treadmills broken and see how she takes it. If things get really ugly, if I catch her checking the weather reports to see if she can run outside (or ignoring the weather reports cuz it doesn't matter), or if she insists we immediately buy a new treadmill, or if she just gets really grumpy and beats me up because she can't run .... she shall officially be named a runner. And she does know about this place ... and knows I was bragging about her. So if she shows up, be nice and say hi.

Now I have 15-20#s to lose and I KNOW it ain't muscle, 'cause my jeans are tighter than they were last Spring.

Maybe it's butt muscle? Run enough hills and you'll make J. Lo jealous ...

Immediately tries to figure out how to go running anyway. Two broken legs? Well, I'll just stretch a little, take an extra GU, maybe insert a few walk breaks. Legs ripped of by a bear? Well, I'll lay off the hill work for a couple weeks and work on my base. Nuclear war breaksout? The first question - what's the best hydration strategy for running through the fallout?

You're a riot! LOL!!!

True, painfully true...literally! And if they come out with the skinny pill, I'll be all over it AND I'll keep running. I run because I love it, not because I lose weight. For that matter, before my 25K in May, when I was running lots of miles, I gained lots of weight & I haven't lost or gained any with increasing or decreasing miles. Frustrating! And zoom could rival J. Lo!!