Running Towards Change

Apologies for the radio silence.  As I’ve actually been following through with my Peachtree training, boot camps, and spending my weekends job hunting, I haven’t had the mental fortitude to write what I fear will turn into a lengthy blog post.  My mother says I should write shorter posts more often.  I said I would write more often if I thought I had more readers.  She said I’d have more readers if I wrote more often. #KarylBoydfortheWin

Training for the Peachtree is going extremely well.  As I’ve said previously, when it comes to fitness, I need accountability.  It’s why I’ve stuck with my boot camp instructor for almost two years and why I feel like I’m having success with this running program so far. 

I’d forgotten how much I really liked running.  I’d forgotten the thrill of pushing yourself just 30 more seconds because the right song is on (in my case “Enter Sandman” or “Since U Been Gone”) and you want the running portion of your run/walk to time out with the music.  I even briefly enjoyed the shin twinges because it was proof I was working my legs. Of course, it was also proof I’m going to need some road running shoes and The Stick, but progress is progress.

I like the running and the accountability so much, I’m actually giving serious consideration to training for the Atlanta Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving Day since I’m going to be in town this year.  I should do it for no other reason than the blog fodder and my readers’ amusement.

As for my dating life... Suffice it to say if this blog were solely about my victories in dating, it’d be like a series of tragic Hemingway-esque six-word stories.  I bit the bullet and joined eHarmony, as I’d previously been underwhelmed with what Match.com had been sending me (however, they also sent the ex-boyfriend of one of my roommates as a potential match—he and I had a good laugh about it).

Here are some of the potential matches eHarmony has sent to me thus far:

o   The guy whose wife hacked his account to inform the world he was still married. 

o   The guy whose wedding ring was visible in most of his photos. I get that he could be separated and just really likes those pictures, but come on—if you’re joining a dating website and don’t have pictures that don’t include your wedding ring, take some!)

o   Guys who can’t spell or punctuate.  This is a pet peeve of mine as an English major and for the fact that I view dating websites as job hunting for a relationship.  Whether for a job or a date, it just seems advisable to put your best foot forward.

o   Guys who don’t know whether or not they have children.  Profiles are set up so you can see the most important info on the first page of the bio (as you can see from mine) and they have icons of the most common deal breakers.  I’ve gotten no less than a dozen guys whose icons state they have no children but in their written bios they talk about how their kids are the most important things in their lives. 

o   The total wackadoo a.k.a. Buffalo Bill.  If it didn’t seem cruel and embarrassing, I’d post pictures because this guy had to be seen to be believed.  The crazy eyes and the creepy micromanaging had me on level-orange alert, fearing he’d want to make a robe of skin.

Obviously the most demoralizing part of all these types of folks is that if eHarmony is sending them to me, what does that say about my psychological profile?  It hasn’t been all bad.  I’ve gotten quite a few promising matches that aren’t hard on the eyes, so hopefully once I step up my own game with a variety of better pictures, I’ll have some more entertaining stories.