“Could we ever go on vacation without running a marathon?”  That was the question Handsome Husband asked me yesterday evening when I was surfing the internet looking for marathons by the ocean in July.

My first thought was, “Ummm, no. Why would we do that?” Then I started to feel a little guilty. You see, running is MY passion, not really his.  He tells me he runs purely to get the necessary exercise, but I don’t really believe him, after all, what’s not to love? You can do it anywhere, anytime, with very little equipment. You can do it with other people or on your own, you can go fast, slow or any combination you like. You can compete against others, or against yourself. I could go on and on..

These past couple of years we have visited some amazing places all through running. We’ve been to Nashville, Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Pasadena, and many more. These are trips we might not have taken, and experiences we might have missed if we hadn’t signed up to race.  Possibly my favourite memory is running down the Extra Terrestrial Highway in Nevada, in the middle of the night, with my honey and our teenage son. It was a truly magical experience with a full moon and many, many shooting stars, finishing in the town of Rachel, with breakfast at the Little Ale’inn.

(Posing for a picture after the race. HH had to carry the camera too! See www.calicoracing.com  for this race)

So thank you honey, for indulging and encouraging my passion.  I really do appreciate every time you’ve selflessly agreed to our race fees, flights, hotel bills, expo shopping sprees, and even more than that, thank you for running the miles with me, cooking supper when I’m too tired after long run days, knowing my favourite flavours of GU and Nuun, calming my pre-race jitters, oh, and pretending not to be grossed out by my toenails!

And now, back to the vacation planning…

(Getting ready for Rock n Roll Chicago, the morning after Muddy Buddy race!)