When Harry Met Sally and They Raced into the Sunset
Is it Really Love or Just Hormones and Neurotransmitters?
We all know and appreciate the positive energy that seems to emanate from the finish line of races. The emotional triumph over pain and exhaustion, having pushed to our maximum effort, creates a tangible electrical charge in the air. Those endogenous opioids, endorphins, streaming out keep us all coming back. With so much positivity in the air, it’s easy to see how runners often are in relationships with other runners. In homage to the month of love, I reached out to several of my running couple friends to ask the question, “What was the very first thing you thought when you saw each other?”
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at Their Killer Workouts
I had in mind to recreate the couples’ interviews woven throughout the movie When Harry Met Sally. Talia and Michael met in a boot-camp style fitness class in Florida. This couple came to mind when I started this process because I remember running laps around the soccer complex super early in the morning, and seeing these people flipping tires, sprinting with sleds, and performing other incredible feats with terrifying looking equipment. I met them at a running store I worked at later and let them know how much respect I had for them!
When asked my question, “What was the very first thing you thought when you saw each other?” Talia responded, “…the first things I remember thinking about him was that he was real fast and looked hot when running.” I couldn’t argue with that considering all of the athletes on those early mornings looked like they were ready to start their careers as stunt people! Michael answered, “I thought there is just another pretty girl who is out of my league but likes to do the same stuff as me. What did I know lol.”
He Did It. He Brought Sexy Back.
Michael and Sarah, two professional runners, were my next victims (excuse me, very agreeable and happy participants). I met these talented runners at a training center for Olympic-hopeful distance runners. Sarah replied, “The first time I saw Michael, he was in the middle of the stupidest race I’ve ever seen. At indoor track nationals, I was standing on the sidelines when a super cute guy with a blonde faux-hawk took the lead way too early, and way too hard. We all watched the inevitable as the entire field slowly gained on him, swallowed him up and spit him out, dead last.
And then, against all odds, on the very last lap, this rockstar of a runner clawed his way back up to the front, pulled out a sprint finish and WON. It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” As you can tell, Sarah Crouch has quite a way with words and is an accomplished author. Check out her book, Middletide: A Novel, and keep an eye on her burgeoning writing career! Michael didn’t disappoint with his response, “That’s a good question. Honestly, my very first reaction seeing Sarah was being surprised how fit she looked, which is silly considering she’s a runner. But honestly, it was love at first sight, we both knew there was something special there. Now, 15 years, two kids and thousands of miles later, things are starting to get pretty serious.”
When Choosing a College, Why Not Multitask?
I met my next running couple, Amanda and Ryan, at university, where we ran together. Being sprinters and other track and field event all-stars, I was always baffled at their speed since I was a distance girl! When asked, “What was the very first thing you thought when you saw each other?” Amanda responded, “Ok my thought was, ‘Oooo he’s cute! I hope he commits!’” Ryan gave me some more context about the “where” by adding, “I was on my visit to King, and I remember this cute little blond talking to my mom.”
Fake It ‘til You Make It
Another running couple I bugged to death was Carrie and Eric. I ran with Carrie at university also, in both cross-country and track and field. I reached out to her thinking that Eric was also a keen runner, but she let me know, “Eric actually doesn’t like to run. He has a weird running form lol. He did run with me a few times when we were dating. I now realize he must have really loved me or either really wanted to make a good impression because it would be impossible to get him to run with me now haha.” You’ve got to give Eric some credit for trying, even if running was not his forte.
Carrie continued, “We met 14 years ago so I don’t remember my exact thoughts but I do remember how I felt which I guess is similar. I remember having butterflies and thinking he was easy to talk to. I did think he was handsome. Also randomly I remember I thought his cologne smelled really good. He still wears the same kind for special occasions lol. We met online and talked for about two weeks before we met in person.” She was a trooper and asked Eric for me and reported, “He’s a guy of few words but I asked him the question and he said, ‘Wow, she’s pretty’ lol.” Eric is obviously a man of action and has no time for lengthy soliloquies.
Running Magnetism or Do Opposites Attract?
While I was excited by my assignment and thought it would be easy to track down running couples, it was actually more challenging than I anticipated! This made me think that perhaps the “runners’ lifestyle,” which can to many seem rigid and full of emotional ups and downs, equates into runners being attracted to people who simply feel like home. When you’re out trudging through the mud and sleet, that person who may not totally get it, may have completely separate interests than your own, is often the yin to your yang to keep you balanced.
Endorphins are great, but maybe the steadiness of a non-runner who keeps you balanced isn’t so bad either. Maybe your partner is an avid cyclist who keeps you company on long runs. Perhaps that person is a fantastic cook who has brunch waiting for you after a hard session. Like me, maybe it’s your cats who sleep all over your body to speed up your recovery (no sad cat-lady jokes please, they will only make me adopt more cats).
Love Your Running Again
February is a great time to reflect on love. Running is a passionate sport, and we all know that passion is not always positive. Maybe your running passion burned you a little and you need some help getting back to the love component. Why not change your relationship with running by getting a Maximum Mileage coach? If you want to fall in love with running again, check us out so we can help you rekindle that running love.
