Sunday, May 6, 2007

One milestone at a time...

Today my husband finished his second marathon in less than five months. He ran his first in Florida in January, and today he completed his second in California.

His running and my writing make for an interesting balancing act in our household. I watch him run 6 days a week for months to prepare for a marathon, including 10-32 km runs every Sunday morning. It takes time away from our family, but it's important to him. He often watches me write straight through most weekends, late into the night, and almost always taking time away from our family, but it's important to me.

He ran his 1st marathon in 3 hours and 51 minutes. Today, he finished in 3 hours and 41 minutes. Better yet, this time he qualified for the Boston marathon, which he'll now run in 2008. I'm not a runner any more than he's a novelist, but when he phoned today, I was as proud of him as I know he is of me when Fedex delivers a nice shiny book from one of my publishers.

17 comments:

ORION said...

Yeah Holly's Husband!!!
I get tired just hearing about him running.
Novelists and Marathoners.
It takes the same determination to finish.
It takes the same perseverance.
The same dedication.
You guys make a great pair!

Mia King said...

Holly, I love that you celebrate and share your husband's successes! And a marathon is a big one - holy smokes. Please offer my congrats as well - it's a huge achievement!

Anonymous said...

Two marathons in five months?
*head shake*
Reaches for a cold beer
Rolls over on the couch
Snaps up remote
Turns on telly.
Thinks, "Not ever gonna be moi!"

Anissa said...

That's awesome, Holly! Give him my congrats, especially on the Boston qualification. How huge is that?!

Heidi the Hick said...

I totally understand that feeling of pride and accomplishment for your spouse!!!

We get to take some credit too. It's a partnership no matter what we're doing.

And I agree with Pat...writing a novel kind of feels like running a marathon sometimes.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm. I have trouble huffing my way ten blocks in a power walk for my morning latte. *red faced*
Makes me rethink my health.
Honestly.
Hats off to your hubby!

Anonymous said...

Tell him CONGRATS from an old friend of yours from A-town.
That reall is something.

Trish Ryan said...

Good for both of you! I agree with Mia, it's cool to hear about couples celebrating each other and cheering each other on - good stuff!

Larramie said...

How terrific, especially the qualification for Boston! My early best wishes.

Actually, Holly, you and your husband both run marathons; you simply do yours sitting down. ;o)
And that's why you can balance...um, that and a lot of respect for each other.

Melissa Amateis said...

How neat! I love how you both have such deep interests that are wholly separate from your relationship, but that you can celebrate those interests together.

John Robison said...

My friend Matt, who you met when he was watching the girls ar Penera on my blog, is an Iron Man kind of guy.

He has a blog here, too
http://mattyserrantthoughts.blogspot.com/

He does the whole deal, running, biking, and swimming.

Anonymous said...

Oooh, runners! Great butts! Congrats marathon man (and his wife!)

Holly Kennedy said...

Orion, I wish I had his energy. I pour so much into my writing and then... I'm zapped! Gotta fix that problem and make friends with my treadmill :)

Mia, I'll pass your thoughts along. Very sweet.

Wordman17 -- you kill me.

Anissa - Boston has been his dream for a long time. For him, it's comparable to me hitting a bestseller list.

Heidi -- Yup, writing a novel IS like running a marathon. At least it FEELS like I'm running and always out of breath!

Holly Kennedy said...

Kyla-dale -- Ooooh, I relate!

Old A-town friend, thanks for popping by!

Trish and Larramie, thanks for commenting. I totally agree.

Melissa, it seems to work well for us. I think it's great that we both have different interests. Two writers in one house? Can't imagine...

Holly Kennedy said...

John, I'll check out his blog. Thanks for letting me know. 'Iron people' amaze me AND make me feel like a SLOTH!!

Kim, you're hilarious!

Anonymous said...

Wow. I think that's more running than I've done in my whole life!

16 hours at a computer can feel like a marathon at times though...

Lynne Griffin and Amy MacKinnon said...

One of my life goals, along with finishing the Bible and saving a life, is to run a marathon. Please tell your husband congratulations and thatI'm in awe of his skills. And if he wants to post some advice for a novice interested in preparing for a marathon, I'm all ears.

Amy