The Season Ain't Over

It's been a week now since the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and I think everything is starting to sink in. Phew! What an amazing weekend for Canadian running eh? This week has been a bit of a blur, and I was not really sure how to put it all down in writing. So, sticking to the format I used post Moscow, I'll give you all a lil' play by play of things.

Of course it had been in the back of my mind since Worlds that I wanted to do a Fall marathon, but it's one thing to have a quick thoughts about something... it's a whole different ball game when that "something" is running another marathon. I had been in contact with Alan Brookes off and on about the idea of running Toronto, but did not want to make any decisions until I was certain my body (and mind) were ready to conquer the distance. Thankfully, Alan was more than accommodating and let me wait until the last minute to make up my mind. I think he, and probably a lot of those that are close to me knew what my decision was going to be, I just needed to be sure of it.

http://runningmagazine.ca/lanni-marchant-to-run-stwm/#comments 

Once I was officially announced as part of the elite field, then things started to move quickly. My travel was booked, I answered a few questions for interviews, and I attended the race expo and media event.

Practicing our stare down

Here are some links to the interviews:

http://o.canada.com/sports/lanni-marchant-and-krista-duchene-part-of-canadian-marathoning-boom/

http://runningmagazine.ca/10-questions-lanni-marchant/

I arrived in Toronto the Thursday before the race, went for a short shake out run and then met up with my friend Lyndsay for dinner. It was just what I needed, a relaxed, hilarious conversation and a good beer.  The perfect reminder that I was there to have fun. I got back to my hotel room and got to catch up with my roommate for the weekend, Natasha. I was able to again see Ron O'Hare for some treatment on my quad and calves and got to hang out with another top notch physio Chris Napier as we drove around to check out the course.

The rest of the weekend leading up to the race was pretty standard, lots of carbs, lots of water, lots of laying around. Maybe a little bit of scaring Natasha with all of our marathon horror stories at dinner. Natasha and I did our best to keep ourselves entertained, which included decorating our bottles forthe aid stations. I must give credit where credit is due and thank Rejean Chiasson for his tips on how to make grabbing our bottles easier. He uses pipe-cleaners, but since we weren't near any craft stores Natasha and I went with flexible drinking straws.

Ok, so we may have taken Rejean's concept and upped the girly quality a tad

My standard lunch box bottles a lil' jazzed up

Krista and I had chatted during the weekend about what pace we were looking for, and we were lucky to have Rejean back to pace the event (Last year he helped pace Krista to her awesome finish in tough conditions). We also were fortunate to have a second pacer, Josephat Ongeri, added to the mix the night before. I was pretty low key with my expectations for the race and pace, telling both Krista and Rejean that I'd be evaluating how I felt each 10k and that my feelings wouldn't be hurt if Krista decided to make a move that was quicker than I felt I was ready for.

And now the fun part... RACE DAY!

Pre Race:
I felt a little full when I woke up, but really relaxed. Natasha and I did our usual putzing around as we got ready and kept our spirits up.  It was a bit brisk outside, but we all knew it was going to be some pretty amazepants race weather. We got to the race venue, dropped off our junk and a group of us headed out for a short warm up. We went down to the start line with the last of our warm ups on and started our stride outs and other pre-race routines that are likely more to control our nerves than anything. I saw my sisters and Mom on the side of the start line, danced a little bit to the music while standing beside Krista and Rejean... Man, I hope I can always feel that relaxed at the start line.

The first 10k:
Off the start, I still felt like my stomach was off but I did my best not to let it worry me. I made a point to grab both my bottles and drink the fluids that were in them. We were a bit quick through our first 10k split (hoping for 35 min even and coming through just under that), but I felt strong and relaxed. I had a few panicked moments where my left quad was feeling a little sore and tight, but reminded myself that it had felt like that in workouts and at the 10k champs and I was able to manage it then.
Much like Rotterdam, we had a good sized group of guys... running behind us... and it got a little congested coming in for our aid tables, but it was so early in the race it wasn't worth getting worked up about and our pacers did an excellent job of keeping the other runners aware of our moves.

When you're "thissss big" please look out for smaller "Lanni sized" beings

10k - 20k:
My quad had settled down by this point, but my hamstring had started to pull right under my butt bone on my left side. Whew... marathons are interesting. Again, it's not something that hadn't flared up in previous training runs, so I just focused my attention on staying relaxed and behind Rejean and Krista. The half marathoners split off during this portion which helped reduce some of the traffic.  I saw my Mom and sisters right around 18 or 19k and they were cheering like crazy which put a huge smile on my face. That's right Lanni, this is supposed to be fun.

My guts still were feeling quite gross, and I was starting to have to spit up a bit during the run... and then of course, I suck at spitting and running so I'd start to choke a little... pretty I know. I was still grabbing my bottles, but was not as concerned with getting it all in. Something is better than nothing... at least that's what I was telling myself.

We were still a bit quick through this 10k portion, but as everyone knows the first half of the course runs a bit quick, and I aside from a few niggles I was feeling very relaxed effort wise. 

20k - 30k:
This part of the race was mostly uneventful. Rejean and Josephat Ongeri brought us through the half way point in 1:13, quick, but as mentioned not anything I was worried about. My legs were feeling great, and my guts had started to settle. I was still grabbing my bottles, but started passing them up to Josephat to drink since Rejean was not available to share his bottles. I'm pretty sure it was just the three of us through most of this portion. We had caught a few of the other ladies who had gone out ahead of us, and were still maintaining sub 35 min 10k pace pretty easily.

30k - 40k:
This is where the race began. Josephat brought us through 30k right around 1:44, and then at 31k said "Ok, I stop now". And just like that, it was just Krista and I, and Dan Way on the lead bike. This is where I started to look at my watch a bit more and noticed that our 1km splits were starting to slow a little bit. I had evaluated my body at each 10k portion and never felt like I was working beyond my capacity, so I figured I could afford to put in a bit of effort and get those 1km splits back down to 3:29/3:30. I also knew that for each kilometer that clicked by with Krista and I running side by side, it was one less kilometer I had available to try and put in a gap and protect myself if my left calf decided it was done.
Talk about running scared. I had pulled away from Krista over the next few kilometers, but it wasn't like I dropped her like a bad habit. I knew she was there and moving along quite quick still. I just kept my focus on enjoying the experience. When I'd see some of the other elites on an out and back portion I'd cheer and I'd let myself get excited when I'd pass through a large crowd of spectators. My guts were feeling pretty good by now and I was still grabbing my bottles, but would just swish my mouth and then toss them. 
The strangest thing about this portion of the race and through until the finish was that my left forearm started to cramp on me. Oh, hello marathon... you are one crazy ride. It was about 35km when my arm started to contort into the claw, and about 37km when my left calf finally decided it had had enough.
My mantra the entire weekend was to stay relaxed and enjoy the race... yah, ok, that's all fine and dandy until your left side starts to cramp and contort Lanni. I did my best not to panic. I knew that I had a really great race going and that I just had to keep moving forward. I relaxed and instead of focusing on my calf, focused on keeping my forearm in check.
I hit the 40k split and knew that I was going to make it... it was just a matter of keeping my legs moving forward.

The Final 2.2 km:

Talk about a distinct difference from the last 2.2km in Moscow. I hit the 41km marker and that's when I finally knew that I had it. The crowds were amazing and all I could do was start to smile. I saw the 800m countdown and really started to get excited. I came around the final bend and could see the race clock and felt like I was going to lose my mind. I realized I could potentially break 2:28 and I tried... having one awkward step right before the finish because of my stupid calf. Some have me at 2:27:59... others at 2:28. Maybe someday I'll try to sort out the difference... but right now I am still riding the high of the entire weekend.

Just a small portion of my amazing support system

I hope to never forget how excited and amazing crossing that finish line was. My family was there, Krista came in soon after me... it was amazing. It has taken a full week for my brain to catch up. A huge PB, a new Canadian Record, and yes, a nice hefty chunk of change that helps with that pesky law school debt.  
I have definitely taken this week to reflect and celebrate... so very happy that Moscow wasn't the end of my season!

Post race burger

Making my mother proud with my beer drinking

Recovery week never tasted so good!

Here are some articles and links:

 

http://www.gomocs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209290795&DB_OEM_ID=17700

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/10/20/lanni-marchant-toronto-waterfront-marathon_n_4132386.html

http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/4166336-canadian-women-s-marathon-record-finally-falls-after-28-years/

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/10/21/lanni-marchant-breaks-28-year-old-canadian-womens-record-at-toronto-waterfront-marathon/

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2013/10/lanni-marchant-sets-new-canadian-national-record-womens-marathon-runs-22800-toronto/

http://globalnews.ca/news/913380/lanni-marchant-sets-new-canadian-record-at-toronto-marathon/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/canadian-records-toppled-at-toronto-marathon-1.2127392

http://athleticsillustrated.com/editorial/lanni-marchant-is-not-done-yet-kenya-commonwealth-games-and-chiba-ekiden-next/

My Take Aways:

Natasha is an animal! 2:35 marathon debut?! Holy heck! All of our Canadian ladies are doing big things.
Rob Watson and Eric Gillis know how to get work done!
My left calf is a jerk
Having the "quote of the day" on let's run is totally rad
We have some of the most talented physios in Canada... no matter what province I'm in or how mangled I've made my body, they are always able to put me back together
Alan Brookes and the CRS crew are machines.
I have a very fond relationship with IPAs

Fitness Friday

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16625

Ok, so it's again time for some core, strength, and stability work! This week I chose to reacquaint myself with the strength routine from Coach Jay Johnson. During law school I was usually pretty good about coming in from a run and jumping right into these exercises. Maybe it was because my laptop was usually already out from homework, or it served as a good distraction while I waited for my dinner to finish cooking... but since I have been living my new double life, I have fallen off the wagon.
Rollerblading has shown me how weak my hips, bum, and lower back have become, so I opted to do "Part 1" of the general strength exercises.

First, of course, I foam rolled:

Then I set into the exercises:

Plank, Side Plank, Supine, Side Plank - x20 seconds each

Clams - x10 each side

Lateral Leg raise - Neutral x4, Toe Out x4, Toe In x4 - switch sides

Donkey Kicks - x10 each side

Donkey Whip - x5 each side

Fire Hydrant - x10 each side

Knee Circles - Forward x10, Backwards x10 - switch sides

Hurdle Trailing Forward - x10 each side

Hurdle Trailing Backward - x10 each side

Lateral Leg Swing - x10 each side

Linear Leg Swing - Straight knee x10, bent leg x10 - switch sides

I did this workout after rollerblading along the Silver Comet Trail, so my hips were pretty tired by the end of it... the goal will be to work up to going through it 2-3x after several of my easy evening runs each week.
I finished up my core strength by throwing on the Ab Ripper X video from P90x and called it a day!

Back to the Basics

http://www.cupcakedujour.ca/2012/07/work-out-wednesday.html
 

Now that I am back settled down here in the South it is time to plan what I am going to do for the near future, and well, the next few years as I put running on the front burner for the first time in my life. Let me just say that this would be a lot easier to do if I was not mending an injury, and carrying the weight of my legal education on my shoulders.
For now, it is simple... maintain my fitness and figure out the best plan of action... luckily I have just picked up a sponsor (www.marathonguide.com) and I am chatting with a law firm later this week.
Maintaining my fitness while I rehab my foot brought me back to my college days... the days of crutching to the pool and aqua-jogging in circles were not things of my past I ever wished to re-visit... but here I am.
When I was still in Vancouver, B.C., with my sis I was able to get in a few pool workouts and was able to have her join me for one... of course, she insisted on matching outfits ;D (I posted the link to her workout blog above).
Getting back to my cross-training roots has also linked me back up with the C.O.W.S (Chattanooga Open Water Swimmers), which I am not only excited about for fitness and training purposes but also because they are some of the most amazing people I have met!
 

                                                          First swim back with the COWS

I first started swimming with the COWS in 2010 when I was down in Chattanooga for an internship... I met up with them a few times last summer, but never really got into the routine of going every week as studying for the bar and then starting a new job proved to be too much to juggle.
Luckily, this year it seems like I can pick up where I left off in 2010 and start hitting the TN river for some swims... and plan on doing so even during my marathon build up.

They Said No

After the smoke of our blazing fast Rotterdam races cleared and we submitted our petition to be named to the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team, we received our first "No". Are we surprised? Not really. Are we frustrated? Very. Are we going to walk away? Never.

Birthday Surprises: Post Rotterdam wrap-up

Well... I guess my trip to Kenya was a successful venture eh?! 2:31:50 for 5th place at the Rotterdam Marathon! I must say I am very happy with that and will call it my birthday treat to myself.
I must say that leading into the race, knowing that Krista DuChene was in amazing shape after her Around the Bay finish, I really thought we'd have two women under the Olympic A standard for Canada... well, we were close... fingers crossed we were close enough for it to count.
http://runningmagazine.ca/2012/04/sections/news/crm-podcast-10-rotterdam-success/
What a trip these last few days has been! Definitely has had its highs, and well... some pretty World shattering lows for me.
I flew out for Rotterdam on April 11th... my birthday! I figured my trip to Rotterdam would be the start of an awesome adventure, and well, maybe set my life on a brand new path... boy, did I get that second part right. Just as I was finishing packing and getting ready to start my journey I received an email. No need to go into the details of it, other than to say that it caught me completely off guard and still has my head spinning. Ladies and gentleman, I am returning to Chattanooga as one of the fastest Canadian female marathoners ever... and joining the ranks of the unemployed. And for those of you doing a double take... yes, it happened in an email.
So now, whether by choice or by default... I am a runner. I must give myself a little pat on the back for putting my lawyer related woes on the shelf while lining up to race... heck, if I'm going to be told I'm distracted by running, I'd better be able to shut out the rest of the World and RUN!
Though I'm a little freaked out about what these next few steps in life are going to be and where they are going to take me, I am excited to start on a new journey. Those of you who know me well know that I have always had a plan; a path that I set out on and stuck to until my 28th birthday... we all know how bumpy that path has been this last year... I'm thinking it's time to enjoy the ride and see where I end up.
Luckily, I have some great friends... in the South, in East Lansing, and back home that I know have my back and are ready to help me make those first few steps into the unknown.

New Year... New View

Confidence: belief in own abilities: self assurance or a belief in your ability to succeed

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH:

Conceited: (1) too proud: having or showing an excessively high opinion of your own qualities or abilities (2) creatively witty: imaginative, fanciful, witty, or ingenious ( archaic )
Synonyms: self-important, proud, vain, smug, arrogant, high and mighty, superior, stuck-up, snobbish, self-satisfied, big-headed, narcissistic
Antonyms: modest

So a year has gone by since I started this blog, and it would seem that "New Beginnings" was more than an appropriate title for my first entry. I have started and re-started several times in the last 12 months... now I think it's time to hit the re-set button altogether.

I am happy to report that my hip has finally decided to let me run again, which means the training trip to Kenya is still on! I am very excited to see what I can accomplish putting my running on the top of my list for the first time ever! I am also ready to see if I can shake the 130-140lb monkey I've had on my back this year... hmm... I'm starting to sense a trend... or maybe I just have an affinity for monkeys? Monkeys, hobbits, frogs... oh my!

2011 was definitely an interesting year for me as I finished up law school, moved to the south, studied for and passed the bar, started work in the real world... and oh yeah... decided to run a marathon... twice! I really just thought I'd knock out that whole marathon thing to say I had done one before entering the real world.... now I'm going off to Kenya to see if I can actually become a marathoner... weird.

Needless to say, I am uncertain of where this year will take me... but I'm excited to start it off with such a huge adventure. 

Running Through Injury

From the elite Olympians to the weekend warrior, we all have had to do it at some point.  We all have downed some Advil, wrapped our knees and ankles in tape; heck some of us have even used crutches up to the start line of our race, all just to make it to the end of our season.  We all arise each morning, waiting for that day when those first few steps out of bed will be pain free.

There is one injury that cannot be masked by pain killers and ice packs.  There is one injury that we cannot predict how long it will take to heal… A broken heart.  It’s funny how we runners are all totally game to talk about our injured past, but our throats close up and our words run dry when it comes to the topic of love and running. 

There’s a quiet hush that spreads over a dinner table of runners when the end of a relationship is brought up.  It’s like we all know that silent, lonely pain.  That unlike the hobbling we all do after a hard workout, or during those first few steps in the morning, a bruised, battered, and broken heart is sometimes enough to keep us from running that hard workout, or make getting out of bed in the morning nearly impossible.

Falling in love is like running in the snow.  You can get swept up off your feet… which puts you in the perfect position to fall flat on your bum. Only the bruise on your bottom will likely heal quicker than the bruise on your heart.

There are some runners who use their broken heart to fuel their fire.  They commit to putting their head down and running hard mile after hard mile, until life feels normal… livable… again.  There are those of us that run away to training camps… pack up our running lives and bring the shell of ourselves to a new place to train.  Sometimes tricking ourselves into thinking that the open wound in our chest has scabbed over and we are once again whole.

Everyone deals with a broken heart at some point in their life, and it’s not that I’m trying to say that we runners are special or that the “common” person’s pain doesn’t measure up against what we feel when a relationship ends.  It’s just that it is different for a runner.  Everything we do is pre-planned and calculated.  We learn over the years how to read our bodies.  We know what workouts will make us stronger, and what we need to do in order to avoid injury.  And when injury happens, we can snap into healing mode to try and fix it.  We know what doctors to go see, what exercises to do… we know how to come back from an injury smarter… stronger… with the ability to prevent that pain again.  You cannot apply the same prescription to a crushed heart.

Healing a broken heart is foreign to us.  There is no cast or walking boot that we can put our heart in for six weeks and come out healed, ready to slowly start tacking on the miles again.  Instead we are forced to run through this injury.

We runners are different.  We willingly push our bodies to the limit and then line up the next day to do it all over again.  We like structure.  We like being in control of our body, so that we can feel somewhat in control of our destiny.  We are used to the battle with our mind when the miles get tough and our muscles start to fatigue.  No amount of training can prepare us for the battle with our heart. 

There is no training program for us to follow that will help us get to the finish line in love, no plan to help us recover from love gone wrong.

Unlike non-runners, when a relationship ends we are immediately stuck straddling two worlds.  We’d like to stay in bed for days or drink beer after beer after beer or heck, even go out dancing just to prove we are still hot to trot.  But we can’t.  No matter how much our heart hurts or how heavy our chest feels, those miles aren’t going to run themselves… we don’t get to crawl into a dark hole, our running logs must be complete.  Sure, if we could time our break-ups we’d all pick them to happen at the end of our season, after that big race when you are on a runner’s high and when you’ve probably pre-planned a little beer drinking.  Unfortunately, like any injury you can’t predict when this one will strike.

Relationships for runners are an investment.  Our personalities are such that we don’t enter into anything lightly, so when it ends it stings that much more.  We are left with hundreds and thousands of miles where our brains have nothing to do but dwell and remember. 

We are runners.  We are strong and often admired for our perseverance.  Unfortunately this means that our competitive drive, our desire to conquer, our refusal to admit defeat will get the better of us, and we will pick at the scab of our wounded heart longer than others.  We will spend a few extra miles trying to understand how we could possibly be seen as cold or lacking compassion?

After enough running with a heavy heart we all slowly learn how to deal with this injury.  Our mileage runs return to their usual mindless wander, and we start to feel that lift again under our soles when we line up to race.  We come back stronger;  maybe not all that smarter (some of us still have a few frogs left to date), but back to our true form… of course always remembering that our truest significant other was there the entire time … running with us through our injury.

My Zoolander Appearance

So I’m only a few weeks away from Chicago and things seem like they are going pretty well… training wise anyways.  Last weekend I raced in the Canadian 10k Road Race Championships and took fourth behind Megan, Dayna, and Malindi.  No complaints here!

I felt like it had been forever since I had raced, and it felt great to get the cobwebs out.  I had a bit of tummy turmoil to deal with the two weeks leading into the race, but was able to take care of it before lining up to race on Saturday.  Not quite the best prep for a race I have had mentally, but some things just end up being out of our control eh?

I was pretty happy with how the race went out, aside from having to dodge a pack of men who decided to position themselves between the lead three women and Natasha and myself.  We went through 5k fairly quick, and then things got a little bit more hilly and quite full of turns. Needless to say that I felt a lot like Zoolander in the second half of the race… “I can’t turn left.”  I do think my training these last few months has made me pretty strong but I am definitely lacking that pep in my legs to take off and go on a course that zig-zags through the zoo. 

I did have a lot of fun rooming with my Chiba roommate again, Natasha, and got to meet a lot of the B.C. team.  They were a great bunch to do my shake out run with.  Si Si was able to make it for my race, and warmed up with Natasha and me, mouth full of chocolate and all! What a riot!

After the race, Si Si and I headed back down to London to see the fam for a bit… Holy geeze is my nephew Madden getting big!  Then we headed on to Michigan so I could see some law school buddies and she could go hang out with the boy (side note… if you have to pick between the puppy and the boy… always pick the puppy).  It was nice to throw back some beers and be done with the stresses that were weighing on me these last few weeks.  Now to just keep pressing forward until Chicago! “Just keep swimming” … err… I mean running ;).

I think I am adjusting to my double life as a runner and lawyer.  To be perfectly frank, life here in Chattanooga isn't exactly how I pictured it during my last year of school, and it certainly isn't always how I want it.  But unlike some, I'm not going to dwell on it with stubborn anger.  Time to dig in and run!

As a side note, I received a lot of feedback on my last blog about my on again off again relationship with my boyfriend, Mr. Running.  I’m glad that so many of you understood where I was coming from! If we can’t laugh about our twisted relationship with running, then why even bother doing it?

The Perfect Imperfect Boyfriend

Ok, so this is my return to blogging after a long hiatus. I really did mean to blog after the Ottawa Marathon, and then again after the Bar exam, and well, there is not a good excuse. Yes, I have been pretty busy, and those of you who know me well know that I basically live out my car right now, so I will rely on the excuse of pure exhaustion. Perhaps exhaustion and the total upheaval of moving down here, paired with not having things go quite as expected on all fronts… Right, Lanni Lesson – things never turn out as expected.

Anyways, since my marathon debut and writing the Bar, I have started working full time at Davis & Hoss, and kicked up my training again for the Chicago Marathon in October… eek… The 4:30am wake up to drive into town for my interval workouts and long runs was pretty painful to start, but I think I am slowly adjusting.

This morning I set out on top of Signal Mountain for another long long run, and by mile 15 parts of my body started to remind me that it was not the biggest fan of today’s activities. This kinda got my mind wandering, and I questioned “what keeps bringing me back to running”? After all of the hurt, the frustrations, the questioning of whether I should start dating rollerblading, I keep coming back for more. Am I a masochist? Do I like playing the victim? NO! I have come to the conclusion that my relationship with running is not at all like casual dating… running and I are in a very committed long term relationship.

Many of you have heard me previously refer to running as my boyfriend (http://www.ottawasun.com/2011/05/29/marchant-off-and-running ), and like any relationship, it has had some ups and downs. There have been times where I am so frustrated with running that I feel like hot venom is running through my veins. I have cussed running out. I have told running to hit the road and never come back. But, he never really takes my anger and frustration to heart. He knows that deep down I really do love running, that I have put my heart and soul into making things work between us, and most importantly, he understands me.  Yes… there is definitely love in our relationship… and it works both ways.

Running does not judge me or my family for how we grew up, and he does not question my morals or values. He has never turned his nose up at me (hmm… maybe when I forget to air out my shoes).

Running did not give me silent treatment because I allowed myself to get angry with the World for a day. Instead, running sat back and let me vent. I got out all my frustrations without being questioned on them or being told that my feelings were invalid. After a good venting, running was still there, asking if I was up for another 8 mile date the next day. Running will not stand by and let me just sit there and lick my wounds either.

Running lets me burp.

Running has never disappeared on me or ignored me after I have called him out for hurting my feelings. He never forgets me or overbooks his schedule. Yes, we sometimes need our space from each other… but I never have to go hunting him down, and I am not always the first to extend an olive branch after we have a fight.

Running like most boys, does not always get it. We have our differences... I admit that I have my days where I am just a pill to deal with. And man, do I give running huge props for putting up with me during those “off” days.

Running has never given up on me. He accepts my apologies when I make a mistake and get frustrated over something small. By no means is running my “biotch”; He barks back at me when necessary. But never any hits below the belt. I pull my own weight in our relationship. I listen to running when he tells me that he’s frustrated or mad at me. I let him vent (aka, take out his frustration on my shins, my pelvis, and my hip) and then come back and see if he still wants to chill later.

 Running understands that I have a mad crush on dancing.

Do not get me wrong. Running is not always the perfect boyfriend. But none of us are perfect. And I’ll be damned… running accepts that. I pity the fool who doesn’t.