Diaries I Read:
I really need to stop writing about people from work; I�ve been getting pretty brazen with some of the things I�ve been disclosing here, which I always feel is a bit risky. But I can�t help it. I have to tell you just a couple more things.
Today Queen is out sick with �my� stomach flu. First thing as I walked in this morning I was greeted by Princess (our resident invalid) who told me the news and stating that she thought it was �bull$h1t.� I really had to struggle not to laugh because a) I�m fairly confident that Queen doesn�t have the stomach flu and b) of Princess�s audacity to slam anyone for being or claiming to be sick. That girl has racked up more sick days and doctor�s visits than the rest of our department combined.
Also, Brit (my other co-worker) was still out today with the stomach flu that I gave her. She even called me for advice on what she should eat so as not to upset her stomach further.
THEN, this afternoon Princess returned from a doctor�s appointment (see, I�m not exaggerating about her) and came to tell me about it. Apparently, she went to the doctor to see about pain in her wrists (she�s supposedly had carpal tunnel syndrome for years, of course). After examinations and X-rays, the doctor determined that the reason for the pain in her wrists is � are you ready for this? � that she has two extra ribs that are putting pressure on a nerve that goes down her arms. I�m dead serious. And so was she. That�s really what this doctor told her. I�m not saying she�s lying, I�m just saying that there really appears to be no end to Princess�s infirmities. And even though she acted very disturbed by this news and the fact that she was going to have to have these extra two ribs surgically removed (still serious!), I know that inside she actually derives great joy at the thought of an extended period of time off from work in addition to several days of leaving early due to her very serious condition.
Oh, and get this. Last Friday apparently she approached our manager and informed him that she had visited H.R. and they had told her that, since she had to make her doctor�s appointment for Saturday, she was allowed to leave work early. Have you ever heard of anything like that? It�s the most ridiculous thing I�ve ever heard. Nevertheless, I guess there�s no arguing with H.R., and she left at 2:30. That girl really has nerve.
*****
OK, that�s all the work gossip for today. I�ve decided to tell you all the story of my running group. Brace yourselves.
It all started back in January 2001 when I signed up for a marathon training course through the city. Initially, there were about 30 people in the class. I have to admit that I was secretly hoping to meet a hot male runner and make him fall in love with me, so I was a little disappointed to see that there were only about three men in the group. The only one who was even slightly attractive was wearing a wedding ring. Oh well.
At first I was a little shy to talk to the other people in the group, but before long I started meeting various people and beginning to get to know them. The first people I talked to were Pacer (nicknames used to protect the innocent), a fellow ex-gymnast and single gal, and J-Boy, the aforementioned guy with a wedding ring. We started talking on our first long run, which was six miles. Six miles felt like 60 back then. We all agreed that it was impossible to imagine being able to run 26.
Throughout the six months that we trained for the marathon, some people dropped out and others didn�t really train with the group. But there was a core group of about 12 of us that was always there. When you spend that much time with people, as you do when you�re running 30-40 miles per week, you start to develop very unique relationships. We did. For instance, we all had our nicknames � mine was the very charming �Barn Door� because of my tendency to make a break for it during the last leg of our runs. We also developed traditions such as pumping our arms and yelling �Woo woo!� whenever we ran over the bridge that went over the train tracks; or waving at the cars as we went across the freeway bridge and cheering when we received honks and waves in return; or touching the three rocks or light post or telephone box that marked our halfway, turnaround point. We named the different sections of our runs, such as �train hill� (because it went up and over the train tracks); �hamster hill� (because it was long and steep and you felt like a hamster on a wheel, running and running and going nowhere); and �torture trail� and �the garden path� (the same part of the run that is uphill and hard going one way but downhill and pleasant going the other way). On one Saturday long run, a group of about five of us painfully finished the last mile of the run singing �I Will Survive� and inviting many curious looks from dog-walkers and other joggers.
The group really stuck together � here are some of the people who ran:
� Little Engine that Could, an overweight woman who was much slower than everyone else and had to do her runs all by herself but stuck with it anyway
� Stella � a 40-something woman who was initially embarrassed to wear shorts but finally did, so we all determined that she had gotten �her groove back�
� Gazelle � a tiny, leggy blonde lady who looked like she was 18 but was 30-something and newly divorced with three young kids
� Lady Liberty � Stella�s younger sister, who towered above the rest of us
� Tripper � a workaholic who managed to trip several times, once on a trail run where she ended up with two very swollen, bloody knees and had to miss a race
� Pacer � my single friend who had a knack for keeping us at a good pace for the long runs and races
� J-Boy � the only man of the group
� Tall M � a stay-at-home mom who ended up (unknowingly) running the marathon while pregnant
There were others I�m forgetting, but you get the picture.
Anyway, all of us ended up finishing the marathon. We all started out together but knew we wouldn�t finish together. The pack split several times as some slowed down and other picked up the pace. J-Boy and I ended up finishing together, ahead of the rest of the group (because we�re studs). But everyone did it. Everyone also claimed that they were going to continue running after the marathon.
Needless to say, everyone didn�t keep running. Some people showed up for a couple of weeks afterward, but within a month or so the group was down to me, Pacer, Tripper, and J-Boy. But then we added a couple of members. One was K-Boy, J-Boy�s twin brother.
The other was B. Remember how I said I�d been hoping to meet a handsome runner and make him fall in love with me? Well, as it turns out, I did. B was in the marathon training group that had started a few months ahead of us, and everyone in his group dropped out except him. So our coach introduced him to our group. He immediately caught my attention. The first night I really talked to him, Pacer was there too. At first, I thought he was interested in her. He wasn�t. Anyway, we started dating, and by the time I ran the marathon we were officially in love.
So our group dwindled down to four but then increased to six. About a year later, J-Boy�s wife also joined the group (she had been pregnant with their third child when the running group started out). So we were up to seven. And that�s pretty much been the group ever since.
When I signed up to run a marathon and joined this group of people, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that these people would become the cherished friends they are. We�ve been through so much together. They�ve been with me and B since the beginning � from teasing me about my new boyfriend �Beeeee-eeee� to exclaiming about my brand-new engagement ring to our wedding day. They�ve been with me as I moved from my parents� house to B�s house and as B and I bought our new home. On September 11 (before we could even comprehend the magnitude of what was happening), I was in the car listening to the radio as the twin towers fell, on my way to meet J-Boy, K-Boy, and Pacer for a morning run. As we ran, we talked about the events in shock and disbelief. The next day, J-Boy�s baby was born. We�ve been through Tripper moving to a new home and her boyfriend losing his father. Now she and said boyfriend are engaged to get married in October. Pacer lost her job and was unemployed for several months. We cried with her during those difficult times and celebrated with her when she finally found a new job. J-Boy has changed jobs twice. K-Boy has traveled around the globe.
And the night of B�s accident, they came to the hospital to be with us, without my even asking. In fact, I had only called J-Boy to let them know B and I wouldn�t be running the next day, and I was actually hoping to be able to just leave a message without speaking to anyone. I tried to be as brief as possible when telling them what had happened. I got off the phone, and five minutes later J-Boy had already called everyone and he, Tripper, and K-Boy were on their way to the hospital.
Friends like that are hard to find.
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004