Words With Wall Street

After running 8 miles on Saturday, Sunday was determined to be an easy day at the gym. I haven't made many appearances there lately, mainly due to some setbacks with running and the need to train for the Vegas half outside. So anyways, I get to the gym and wall street guy smiles at me, and I smile back. He goes "I haven't seen you lately!" and I go "oh, well I'm training for my next half marathon, so spending a lot of time running outside." And he goes "oh my god, you are unbelieveable! I have no excuse.."* and we both laughed and I moved on to my elliptical. Where, even though I had planned to do only three easy miles, I did four instead. Because I'm unbelievable.

Today while doing my 3.1 outside in the crisp 32 degree weather, I saw a deer. He ran up nemesis hill on the other side of the street (he beat me, in case you are wondering), and then went up the hill and disappeared. It was nice, although I spent a few worried moments thinking he was going to run into the road and get clobbered by some poor commuter. 

I'm due for a rest day, but since I am leaving for Texas for a work thing for the next three days, I am trying to be more pro-active since when I get together with my peers, debauchery always seems to ensue, which interferes with my running. So I went this morning in an effort to ensure  that the debauchery (and the election coverage, which I will surely stay up until 2AM watching if I can manage it) won't totally ruin my week. Wish me luck on that.

*I was thinking about this on this morning's jog, because it is not unusual for me to get rather defensive or bitchy when people talk to me at the gym, but this incident made me realize that I just know good and well the difference between genuine admiration and camaraderie (which is what was being expressed by wall street guy) and amused condescension, disbelieving chit chat, or "let's all admire the fat girl exercising" talk making me their teachable moment, which is what passes for much other gym conversation I have, which is what leads to the defensiveness. So, I am hereby ditching any self doubt about other people's motivations or being hard on myself for being bitchy or defensive. I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE and when people are being nice to me, I am in return perfectly nice and pleasant to them.