Hill sprints

How do you you keep the romance alive after being together for so many years?

Yesterday, I invited Dan on a date....to run hill sprints after work. He said yes even though he had already exercised that morning!

"Well, it's not often you invite me on an exercise date," he told me.

It was a hot and humid evening, still in the 80's, when we ventured out of our apartment and jogged to the nice big hill on E 91st St. Did you know that Dan refuses to run with his glasses so he can't see anything? I make fun of him every time.

When I invite Dan to workout with me, I am just looking for the camaraderie. But Dan always wants to be my coach: "Pick up your knees. Take longer strides. Be tough." He makes fun of my funky running form. I know I look dumb when I run, and I don't want him to tell me what to do, so I tell him so.

This hill seems impossibly long, and taking me about 50-60 seconds to sprint up it. We got into a pattern where I would start first and usually about halfway up, right around the time I feel like I am going to die, I can hear this little paddle of feet and see Dan breeze by me. Once he even turned around and flashed a smile. It took him 35-40 seconds to get up the hill. Even though it made me jealous, I am very happy that my man is more fit than me. I think it would be lame if he wasn't. Plus, he looked so nice and athletic and handsome running ahead of me.

I ran up and down 6 times; he did 8 times. And then we jogged home, and I made us spicy chicken sandwiches and sliced up watermelon for dinner.

If that's not true love, then I don't know what is.