HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to me and CMB!  16 years ago today, my Ironman and I were a couple of non-endurance kids in our 20s tying the knot.  We were so young, idealistic about life, naive about what marriage entailed, and couldn’t fathom the possibility of not being together forever.  So on a perfect fall morning in Massachusetts we officially began our journey together, the reason for this complete leap of faith in to the future being we’re-all-in love.

When broken down, maintaining a strong long-term relationship is not unlike training for a marathon.   To readers who have not been with one other person for 10 plus years (a definition I found somewhere but forgot exactly where) or trained to run 26.2 miles, this may sound like a big stretch.  But I have done, and am doing, both and believe this somewhat unorthodox comparison to be true.  Few people are honest about the harsh realities of preparing for a marathon, just as they are hesitant to share the truth about the amount of hard work that goes into marriage.  Neither of these endeavors are easy, nor should they be.  Both marriage and marathon training require constant attention, unwavering commitment and  relentless nurturing.  Sometimes your paths diverge or you slam head(s) first in to a wall blocking the road, but strong relationships (and athletes) are ever changing and are able to survive these challenges by becoming tougher than ever.  Being married for 16 years has been an exercise in hope, trust and resilience much like the past 16 weeks of training-  there are periods of time when you somehow keep standing up and moving forward, but what you really feel like doing is sitting down and stopping.  And if you’re lucky enough to be sharing this experience with someone equally tenacious and devoted, you just might find that 16 years later not only are you still in we’re-all-in love, but also that you really, really like each other (just as I’m sure I still have some positive emotions surrounding running) and the individuals/couple you’ve become.

Happy Anniversary to my #1 fan!  Here’s to living, loving and looking as fierce in another 10.2 years.  I love you, CMB.