Never Faster than the Speed of Love

Love RUNS Deep

- Confessions of the love-struck runner

"He keeps telling himself that there's still wind in his sails, an aid station up ahead, and that winning, as in sports, will solve everything. But who's he kidding? I remember the days of rushing home from work on a Friday afternoon. Of thinking what my next surprise would be and smiling myself to sleep. This man in lo...ve is still alive and ten times greater than the man who runs."

"You can try to outrun the sun, go out on one limb, or rise defiantly after every tumble, and they'll call you a champ. But use that same stupid heroism in the name of eros and you got another thing coming. As a theologian, I should know better: "It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." (Zechariah 4:6)

"I don't let myself forget how lucky I am. I get to chase a dream that invigorates me 24/7, that gives me goosebumps on weekends like this when you're so close, you can taste it. I get to put on my shoes and do what I love everyday. I get to train with good friends and race in front of thousands. And best of all, I get ...to love someone in the purest of ways, bullet to the chest, and feel loved in return."

"If life was a parade and you its star performer, I’d be that guy who, like an eager park visitor, reserves his seat in the front row and rolls out the red carpet, tossing petals as you stroll on by. All the while, thinking, lucky me to have called you mine. And so the story's told, that every day he sits on that same o...ld stretch of road, loving her THANKFULLY, until the day he can do so even more perfectly."

"In my sleep, we walked together...in my dreams, we sat and talked. It's one thing to never have seen Giza or stepped inside Europe's sacred cathedrals, but when you've been with the eighth, ninth, tenth...wonder of the world, that's when waking up just plain sucks because nothing will ever compare."


"I'm like a man who sees a door, even the writing on the wall, and stays locked like a sprinter left dead in the blocks. For how does one flee from destiny, and if not fate, then surely did I crown it thusly. Maybe I'm a coward for not stepping out into the light. Maybe I'm selfish for wanting such and such. No, I know, it's that I love her too much."

"It feels like everyone else is playing AAA, minor leaguers next to you, a big-time pro. Like Lebron on a mismatch or a perennial favorite versus a weak field, you stand so head and shoulders above the rest that there's no contest. You are a perfect ten, so beautiful it hurts, and so out of reach that I die a little more each day."

"On January 30 I’ll beat around 19,990 runners to the finish line in Downtown Miami, and yet there’s one, most elusive and desirable, that got away. I keep thinking that if I make a champion of myself I’ll reel you in, but I’m not a hero and would die to finish first . It doesn’t matter what happens on Sunday because I lost the race the moment you called off the chase. I run harder now just to flee the pain. To my girl, breathless and weary, I love thee still."

"It wasn't just the burrito or the fact that it's been months since I've indulged my palate that freely. It was the table for two in the corner, thoughts of you, thoughts of me, dipping our chips in salsa and guacamole. We would plan our day, our lives, whole moons would pass by, and soon Chipotle became a symbol for all time. One love, for here, not to go."

Most one-hit wonders become rich and famous overnight, only later to have their value drop out of sight. But you, my one-hit wonder, my fixed and brightest star, retain the highest ratings on a scale from one to thou. For after you there is no sequel in my heart, only a number that plays on as the undisputed #1 on the charts.


"Maybe the problem is that I don't know how to quit. See, I come from a land of 20mph headwinds and soft, ankle-deep sand. Where oxygen debt makes you stronger and dropping out is fuax pas. So how can I throw in the towel and accept defeat when suffering through bad patches under extreme heat is my peculiar specialty? (Inspired by seagulls and remnant thoughts of thee)

You know that feeling when someone strikes a match in a dark lit room, or beauty causes you to do a double take? All of a sudden I was like, "run, what run?" and all my questions about life and her were succinctly answered. It was as if God himself walked, spoke, and addressed me in person. Such is the power, such is t...he magnificence, of her standing in my presence.

Notice that nobody ever walks away from something you can't replace. Lost causes are abandoned and painful trips cursed, but the the real deal...the holy grail...it compels you, moves you, resucitates you. It moves the finish line closer and throws a tailwind at your back. You want to drop out, but dammit, you're in the lead and losing first, the best that ever was, is of all tragedies the worst.

"On this note I depart: One year later, under a different set of circumstances, the magic is in believing that if I somehow keep burrowing ahead in my crazed, delusional sort of way, that I’ll eventually run into some good fortune and recapture a happy thought or two. Having her by my side only increases that aura of invincibility, win or lose."


I can now safely cross out another item off my bucket list. To combat dehydration on the run, I've gulped down water from beach showers, front lawn sprinklers, and today, for the first time, like a dog face first, from an underground pothole. Now if only I can find a well to quench my soul's thirst.

Brer Rabbit, of Splash Mountain fame, once said: "You can't run away from your troubles, ain't no place that far." Funny, though, because I've never clung to any such illusion. I run "un-abaited to get-you-back" ( timely football reference ) since the only race that matters is the one returning to our designated laughi...ng place, somewhere between overhanging cliffs, knapsacks, and our old cottage shack.

"AhI me dejE caer, en esa nube de fatiga. Desorientado, temaba que en mi prisa te habIa abandonado. Pero de pronto sentI una brisa que me fue llevando hacia ti, y desde entonces no paro de persistir si es que en la distancia ya te vi." (letras mayUsculas llevan acento)

"Cuando me pregunten que hice este verano, dire emocionadamente que viaje a distintos continentes. Uno repleno con jardines de flores, musica de tambores, y tu bendita residencia. El otro despoblado y marcado por tu ausencia. Por lo tanto me quedo cuidadano de la primera."


"The track calls, it beckons me by name, and I respond. Around the bend and up the straight, the body into symphony breaks. The mind races, roaring with excitement, and the heart erupts, teeming with the lover's passion. My soul fixed steadfastly on thee."

"There are world-class times, like the 18:12 I ran today for 5K (tongue in cheek), and then there are solar-eclipsing "times", like those I spend with you."

"What if I told you I'm still on fresh legs? What if I told you that speed is my old friend? And what if I told you that the rest of the best lies just around the bend, with you and me coming out on the winning end." (Inspired by ESPN's 30 for 30 series)

"I want to ride the wind on a spring breeze, turn the corner and always see you there. I want to go faster and further than I've ever gone before, starting and finishing right outside your front door. I want to pump my arms in victory and falling into your arms, say, "you're the only one for me."I want to catch my breath over the long haul, and lose it every time I see you pass by. I want to break the tape and remain unbroken in my devotion to you, as unwavering as the seconds that tick by with precision."

"Maybe I keep running because someday I'll come over the crest of that hill, reach the other side of the rainbow, and find that everything I've ever loved has come to stay in perfect, uninterrupted, and unblemished form."

"Men's Overall CHAMPION of the final edition race - Tower of Terror 13K. A day which seemingly materialized from a long line of miles, trials, and even the best of times. Run with your heart near your ankles and love will see you through."

"Imagine me, and the shock waves I must be feeling, when the regular and preferred course of training is during the midday solar crunch. But despite the disarray, I am not deterred. For you I'll build snow angels on the turf and pick winter evergreens en route for your treasured keepsake."

"For every outward movement, ideally speaking, a return investment is forthcoming. As thou drawest near, I draw still nigher unto thee, unfettered, for complementary are we. In every way, plus one, it is you completing me."

"Lord, make me swift and agile for the task at hand, in gliding over tis' wondrous land. Remembering days of glory past, I sequel to a storybook place, notwithstanding time or pace."

"We all have our reasons, you know. As youngsters, we'd embark on a furious pace and throw caution to the wind, making our bed on the inside of lane one. But at some point the main hunt becomes more important than chasing the runaway rabbit, and the sun begins to rise in a not-so-Neverland. Older is better, I say, especially when you've come here to stay."

"Three things I can't live without: Your garden-variety barnburner of a 5K, a sporting interest, and a love that's divine, in ascending order. Compliments to the Server upstairs for the gift of that irreplaceable one."

"As I stood there, long after the hype had lived up to its billing, in reverence over a finish line that now lay abandoned, this song was heard playing over the soothing night air, and all I could think of was how much I cherished a life of second chances. I might have just as easily been forced to sit this out...I might have just as easily missed out on loving you."

"Coming off a sweet ride, of prayers unforsaken, and perspective weighs in, sending me into a lovely tailspin. Because there's never been a mile to keep me from getting to you."

"It was a podium finish and my girl was there to glorify the bronze with her heart of gold."

"Whether tis nobler, nay, more prudent, to suffer in the unperturbed solitary shades or take upon another whose blade cuts deep and is yet, oh so bittersweet. Therein lies the question, in my best Shakespearean imitation."

"I'd wander breathless through the last desert on Earth just to see you, hear you, and feel you against my skin. The sandy dunes of lost time would soon become an ocean-view paradise."

"This year I’ll be home for Christmas, pretending that 2010 is just the new 2009. The tree is where we left it, the gifts are all I have to give. Because I’m dreaming of a you-and-me Christmas, waking up to find that what I couldn’t, still can’t, but hope to offer you someday, is checked off Santa’s list, dispatched from the workshop, stewing in the kitchen, and well on its way."


The only times I've come dangerously close to breaking the Decalogue's first commandment have been when you are in near proximity. During this season of celebrating the divine incarnate and adoring the baby Jesus, what better time to say, I love you babe, beauty descended and in the flesh.


Like Eugene, I also have a thing for brunettes. This one in particular has me all “Tangled” up, without whom life is a tower-dwelling, light-escaping, hair-pulling fiasco. I’ll be that runaway thief who comes up with an unexpected catch like you, even if it’s all just a fairy tale, even if it’s all just in my head........HAPPY BIRTHDAY!I really miss my best friend. No one says it better than the artist Marco Antonio Solis:“Voy a hacer de cuenta que nunca te fuiste, que has ido de viaje y nada más. Quiero que mi ausencia,sean las grandes alas, con las que tú puedas emprender ese vuelo largo, de tantas escalas...y encontrar yo mi modo de continuar.” I see myself as the spoon that tried to be part of a beautifully matching set. The sweeteners in my life just happen to be the ones inside your kettle. Don’t be mad at me. I understand your code of silence and only did this because June 3 comes just once a year, similar to how a girl like you comes around only once a lifetime.


If life was a parade and you its star performer, I’d be that guy who, like an eager park visitor, reserves his seat in the front row and rolls out the red carpet, tossing petals as you stroll on by. All the while, thinking, lucky me to have called you mine. And so the story's told, that every day he sits on that same old stretch of road, loving her THANKFULLY, until the day he can do so even more perfectly.

If I were to walk away prematurely like a man with little patience and frivolous attachment, the guilt would last a lifetime. But that is not the case. I have taken a heroic stance and raised a glass of good will, for which even the most well-cultivated faith demands a bit of sanctuary. Which is why I've never been so afraid of quitting and yet so reluctant to keep going down this path.