The Inside of the Track

Will and I are running together to train for the 10K we are doing on Thanksgiving morning. It's the first time we have ever worked out TOGETHER on an ongoing basis. As I look back over the course of our almost 10 year relationship, I think about the playful competitiveness that's always been a part of us. We've teased about who scored higher on the SAT (remember, we did start dating in high school...); we've teased about whether TCU or UTA is the better school (we even went to the TCU/UTA basketball game on our second anniversary...TCU won by the way!); and we've teased about whose way is the right way to solve most any problem (as we usually take different approaches). But it seems like lately we're finding that there's value in one another's way. And that we rely on one another more than we ever would have admitted before.

When we train, we run on the track at the Cedar Hill Recreation Center. It takes 13 laps to make one mile. Of course, in running, like most everything else, we have different approaches. I am usually full of energy at the start. I like to take off at a good pace--then I hit a wall and have to slow down. Will on the other hand starts out slowly and builds up speed as he goes. Though we have our differences in style, we choose to run together, pushing one another when one of us feels weak or wants to quit. Because I like to start with some speed, I usually start on the outer most lane. Though running on the inner lane of the track may be more of a mental advantage somehow it seems to keep us moving. When I hit my wall, Will crosses over pushing me to the inside of the track. Then I work to keep my pace up with his. Later, after breaking through my wall I catch a second wind. Somehow it's about this time Will hits his wall. Without ever having to talk about it, we switch back, with Will taking the inside of the track. Normally as we finish our run, Will always has the energy to pick up speed for our final lap. And it always takes everything I have to keep up. Yet we usually finish beside one another stride for stride.

I was thinking about all of this as we ran tonight. And thinking about how much Will keeps me going and encourages me when I struggle or am weak. Not just in working out, but in our life and our marriage. Though in the past I used to consider our differences as a hindrance, with maturity I realize how much those differences are what I love and appreciate about him. I certainly hope that I do for him what he does for me when I struggle. I am so lucky to have him as a partner, choosing to run by my side--even if he isn't such a TCU fan. ;)