50 Miles of Gratitude: (6) My Boyfriend!

….and My Story Runs On….

My boyfriend, my BBE (Best Boyfriend Ever), my running widower, Greg, Gregorio (that’s what my Italian parents call him 😉 )….whatever we call him, he is one of the biggest reasons I am able to do what I do.

Greg doesn’t “allow” me to run, he wants me to be as happy as possible in whatever I do. He knows that running makes me happy so he says “go out and run!”. Smart guy, right?! If I’m happy, then guess who else is going to benefit from that?? No brainer if you ask me but it wasn’t that way for either of us in past relationships…

Long story really short, I met Greg in a Toastmasters meeting (have been a Toastmaster for 12 years and plan on it for life) over 4 years ago. He was visiting from OH but was open to moving as he just got divorced. I even wrote a speech about how we met but that’s for another time. He moved here and we’ve been together ever since.

We had both been in long relationships and didn’t want to repeat some of the mistakes we had….so we talked…a lot….Seriously the best relationship I’ve ever been in. When you are gone about 20 hours a week running, you need to have someone who is supportive and encouraging rather than someone who will make you feel bad for doing the things you love to do (been there, done that). Of course, we talk about it and I make sure we have quality time together but one of the first things I told him was “just don’t suck the happiness out of my life.”. We support each other in both our endeavors, knowing that when we are doing the things we love to do, the other person is going to benefit just as much if not more.

I cannot say enough here without embarrassing the man but he truly is the best thing that’s happened to me. Not only because he doesn’t keep me from running when I want/need to but so many more reasons. I’ve come home after long training runs and my laundry is done. He will come and volunteer for 5-8 hours at a race and then give me the race credits since he won’t use them (he says it’s a great way to give back but also spend time with me when volunteering). He cooks and has meals prepared for me when I get back from a training run. He helps me every single week at Running for Brews and is always OK getting silly with me (see pics below)

He’s been to several of my big finish lines but this time, my first 50 miler, he was my Crew. It was his first time but between Elaine and Brad (her husband who has done all of this before) he was amazing! You wouldn’t think being crew for a runner would be a big deal but trust me, it is. First we had a meeting to talk about the various aid stations and when we would be getting there (all guestimates until I could text him on the day of the race of our whereabouts), then I had to label and make sure he knew what foods to bring me at which aid station. He drove us from Phoenix to Flagstaff and then to Page so I could rest my legs and mentally prepare. He woke up at 4:30am on race day to take me to the start line. He waited hours just to see me for 5 minutes at a time at aid stations. He was always there with a big smile on his face, happy to see me. I told him he was the first person I wanted to hug once I reached the finish line. He wasn’t, but that’s another blog post and funny story. He was the 2nd though!

I love that he totally gets me and never once does he discourage me from doing another crazy race or going on another crazy running adventure.

Words cannot describe how grateful I am for all his support and being my best friend!