Romantic Cheeseball Runner Right Here

Posted: August 10, 2011 at 4:00 pm

Hey, hey, hey FFF friends! I’m feeling good and spunky so let’s get this post going.

You would think I have some serious good news to report with that chipper greeting, but I don’t. Not really anyways. Today has trucked along like many other Wednesdays. I woke up at the ripe hour of 5:30 am to have my usual hour of morning time before needing to get dressed and out the door for my run. Quick pause – why does 5:30 am seem soooo much earlier than my normal 6:00 am wake up call? It felt like I lost two hours of sleep rather than thirty minutes. And yes, I know some of you crazy people (that I love dearly!) wake up at insane hours like 4:15 am. You crazy. Crazy crazy crazy!

Well. So much for a quick pause, huh? I would say sorry…but I just type and things like that happen. It’s natural. Anywaaaayyyyssss….

This morning I drove to the running path with a smile on my face ready to take on a five mile tempo run. My plan called for a one mile warm-up, three miles at an 8:20-8:25 tempo pace, then a one mile cool down. My legs took until mile four to catch up, but I’m still very pleased with the run. 🙂

  • Mile 1 = 9:43
  • Mile 2 = 8:39
  • Mile 3 = 8:38
  • Mile 4 = 8:19
  • Mile 5 = 9:04

image

Interesting that my pace doesn’t look that different over the course of the run, but it sure felt different. And boy can you tell it takes me a couple minutes to find a steady pace at the beginning. Up down up down. Ha! Please excuse my running dweebism. I’m queen of the tangents apparently today.

After that the day looked pretty normal. I had some breakfast. I played with the kids. I tried to sneak in a few emails to catch up on. I put away dishes. And then, suddenly, something hit me out of the blue. I didn’t want to just coast through the day taking the precious people in my life for granted. Namely, Peter. I love trying to sneak in little spontaneous surprises for him and it saddened me that the last time I could remember was bringing him hot cocoa by surprise back in December! For shame, Tina!

So I pulled out some paper and jotted him a little love letter right then and there.

Then, packed the kids in the car and drove out to his work to slip it under his windshield wipers for him to stumble across when he gets out of work.

Little gestures like that make my day and I know he will appreciate it as well.

Peter and I certainly put forth the effort to show each other our love and support on a regular basis, but there’s just something about simple surprises that goes a long way in my book. It goes above and beyond and, in my opinion, keeps the spark more alive by lessening the opportunity to take each other for granted. Sometimes I have to remind myself that relationships take work and we shouldn’t just coast on through, even if they run well without the extra steps. I need to do these things more often! Heck, it will probably brighten my day even more than it will his because I’m a romantic cheeseball.

Now, I gotta get going. A typical Wednesday day has now become a typical Wednesday afternoon/night. Busy busy busy!

  • What time of the morning is that breaking point of being too stinking early?
  • What small gestures mean the most to you from a loved one?

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49 Comments to “Romantic Cheeseball Runner Right Here”
  1. Sadly I have a really hard time getting up before 6a, period! It feels like torture. That’s why I workout in the afternoons 🙂

  2. Jess says:

    I LOVE this. Scott and I try very hard to make a concerted effort to always make one another feel special and loved, doing those “just because” things like leaving love letters for the other one to find. SO sweet that you and Peter do the same. I love it! So important in a marriage to keep that spark alive, no matter how long you’re married – 5 days or 5 years, 15 years or 50!

  3. I’m no good before 7:00 am!! Eek!

    I love when my husband does little things for me like puts toll money in my car when he knows I am driving in the city. He knows I always forget little details like that and takes care of them for me! So thoughtful!

  4. Such a cute idea! Now you got me thinking about when the last time I did something like that for husband and guess what?…I can’t remember! Ugh, I think that means it’s been too long! Thanks for the reminder. “I didn’t want to just coast through the day taking the precious people in my life for granted”.<–love this!

  5. Lisa says:

    That’s really sweet. I do stuff like that for my boyfriend a lot. Leave him little sticky notes with a drawing or words on it where he’ll find it. 🙂

  6. Awww, I love that you left Peter a love note! That is such a cute and spontaneous idea and the best part is that it came from the heart! I’m sure he’ll love it Tina! 🙂

  7. I agree – 5:30 somehow sounds so much more painful that say 6. The only reason I’ve been up and at it at 5:30 this summer is to beat the heat. And sometimes it really takes me a good 2 miles to hit a groove. I read somewhere once that the first 15 minutes of a run are a shock to the system. I concur!

  8. SO CUTE! My husband and I used to write cute notes to each other on post-its but now that I think about it, it hasn’t happened in ages. Maybe i”ll slip him one today.

  9. Samantha says:

    I feel the same way about waking up at 5:30 vs 6am…it feels so much earlier! And those people who wake up at 4:30 are cray cray, fo sho! 😉 Either way, it looks like you had a great run! What plan are you using (I’m searching for a marathon plan that will tell me time goals like you just demonstrated)

    And now I’m off to leave my bf a little love note!

    • Tina says:

      I’m using the smartcoach through Runners World online. I love it! It has a good mix of easy runs, tempo, long runs, etc. 🙂

  10. I usually can’t get out of bed until 5am. Our puppy was waking us up for a while at 4:30 or 4:45am and I just couldn’t even move.

    I think the gesture you did was really cute! I’ve only done that once for my husband years ago. I drove to his work and left him a card and a Starbucks pumpkin cookie for him to find! If I remember correctly, I was so pleased with leaving his goodies I called him and spilled the beans about something waiting for him on his car! : )

  11. I love that you wrote that note and brought it to his work. So sweet- I really admire couples that make an effort to show that they still love each other amidst all the craziness of kids, work and life. My favorite gesture is just a random “I love you” for no reason. We get so used to saying it in habit at bedtime, at the end of phone conversations, etc, that sometimes I think we forget how much it can mean to just say it out of the blue!

    Anything before 5 is a no-go for me. I can do 5:15 on a pretty regular basis, but I’m not so sure about those 4:15-ers, either 😉

  12. Love this, Tina!! Despite only being married 2 months, it’s even easy for me to forget to show Josh just how grateful I am for him on a regular basis. Little reminders like these are wonderful! I love when he does these sort of things for me, and need to make a concentrated effort to do the same for him every month or so!

  13. Kat says:

    awww, this is so cute! my hubby brings me home giant bunches of kale 🙂 the little things definitely brighten up your relationship, and it’s so sweet that you & Peter still find ways to be romantic (I am pseudo-afraid that after the baby, that will all go out the window! and right now, I just feel pudgy – that weird, before-you-really-show pregnant phase, so there’s not much romance! just food, lol)

    • Tina says:

      I hate that pudgy phase! And while it is easy to get in the mom/dad/baby routine the romance can still stay alive. Having at least one date night a month and doing little things together helps us.

  14. Waking up early is awesome. I set my alarm for 4:36 am this morning so that I could do my 12-mile run, foam roll, stretch, and ice before an 8:30 am meeting. When I ran past people just heading out at 6 am, I said ‘HA! I’m 7 miles in!”

    I think anything before 4 am is just too much. THAT would be crazy. After 4 am is reasonable.

  15. Suzanne says:

    Tina my dear, you are a babydoll

  16. I think that is so sweet!! Relationships do take work, and so many people dont put enough in. I think its wonderful that you two do. Its the little things that really make the difference.

  17. That is so incredibly sweet and I’m sure it’s going to mean so much to him. Ahhh!
    It is easy to just coast by and take things for granted that they’ll always be the same, but like a plant that isn’t watered regularly, a relationship can shrivel before we notice it’s happening. I love surprising my husband and get way more out of it than when it happens in reverse.

  18. allison says:

    Yea, i’d love to wake up at 5:30!! i get up at 4 am monday-friday and get to work at the gym by 4;45! I would totally not be getting up that early if i wasn’t being paid!!!!

  19. Too cute – I love that stuff – it’s so important to keep doing those things and make the effort. The other day my husband took one of those write a message on the wrapper rice crispy treats and hid it in my purse – so hours later when I was out with my friends I found it – Glen (heart)’s Corey was all it said – but it was perfect! xoxo from Trinidad

  20. That is definitely something to celebrate! I did 5 in 54 and was so happy! Of course I am post surgery but still…

  21. Aww love the little note 🙂 so cute. Anthing before 7am is WAY to stinking early for me..

  22. Robyn says:

    J and I leave little SHMILY notes for eachother, sometimes an I Love You e-mail.

    S – see
    H – how
    M – much
    I
    L – love
    Y – you

  23. I think that’s SO unbelievably sweet of you to do. I think it’s the little things that matter most in a relationship 🙂 I also love that you write a circle instead of a heart. seriously, you’re the cutest!!

  24. We’re romantic cheeseballs, too!! It just wouldn’t work any other way for me 🙂 SO cute that you wrote him a love note — those are the best! I might have to do the same for my love tomorrow.

    We’ve been taking walks in the mornings lately, and it’s been SUCH a wonderful way to start the day. Just 30 minutes and it feels so great to be get in a nice walk n talk first thing in the morning!

    Hope you have a great day, Tina!! 🙂

  25. Aww, so sweet! I need to do things like that for Ryan more often…we spend so much time together that I think sometimes we can take each other for granted.

  26. That is so sweet!
    It’s amazing how such seemingly small gestures can just make a loved one’s day 🙂
    Thanks for the reminder, Tina!

  27. I love this, so sweet! I too love to do little romantic gestures for my hubby and he will do some for me in his own way. And no matter what, we always make it a point to kiss each other hello and goodbye and say “I love you” before we say goodbye or goodnight…no matter how many years go by, we will always do these small gestures with one another 🙂

    Our normal wake up hour is 4:30/5am so anything before that time would be way too stinking early for me!

  28. Nice job on the run, Tina!
    That was SO sweet of you 🙂

  29. Haha, I woke at 5:30 yesterday instead of my usual 6am wake up time and I know what you mean… how can half an hour make such a difference? Even the night before, I kept psyching myself out by thinking that I had better fall asleep fast because I’d be losing thirty minutes of sleep in the morning… like it was such a big deal lol.

  30. 🙂 I’m that crazy lady. And you would totally do it too if you had to!!

    I love the little note for Peter. I’m sure that made his day. John and I don’t do little cute surprises for each other enough! Although he brought me flowers just because last week. I think it’s my turn!

  31. Love the note! So cute! I love when Lee does little things that I know are just for me. We recently had an argument over the dishes and how he just stacks them on the counter and I’m expected to take care of them. A couple of days after that, I came home and he had dishes in the dishwasher and apologized for not knowing wha to do with the stuff that couldn’t go in there. It was so cute because I know he was just trying to do a little bit to help me! 😀

  32. Any time before 5am is just so early! Don’t get me wrong, 5:30 is early too, but if the hour has 4 in it, I feel that I should still be sleeping!

    For me, little things like my husband picking up my favorite desert at the grocery, or even taking the time to pour me a cup of coffee in the morning makes me smile. It truly is the little things in life 🙂

  33. That is SO SO cute!
    &I agree, anytime before 5 am is just WAYYYY to early!!! I cringe at even the thought of being up at 4:50! eesh. I couldn’t do it. lol

  34. Great run, Tina! I think anything before 6 AM is super early (heck anything before 8) BUT I always felt so accomplished when I got an early morning run in. Nice little trade off!

    What a cute gesture for your hubby! It’s nice to do small little things for your loved ones just to let them know you are thinking of them. Brian brought me daisies after work yesterday just because- he’s such a sweetie 🙂

  35. Anything before 5 becomes rediculous for me! I work part time at a fitness center and when I have to open, I get up at 4:30. I end up feeling like a zombie for the entire day….like today for instance!

    I love the little things about my relationship like a sweet text “good morning” or just a cuddle on the couch while the Braves are on TV.

  36. I’m sorry but that is SO sweet!! And one thing I HAVE learned? Relationships take a lot, a lot, of work.

  37. Khushboo says:

    You’re not cheesy, that was SO sweet and I’m sure it meant the world to Peter! it’s so easy to even take friendships for granted, thanks for reminding me to take the time out and let those who mean the world to me know just that!

  38. Every weekday I get up at 5:30, as I start working at 7:00. And I hate it. During June and July it’s a bit easier, as the sun is already up, too, but these days it’s still dark when my alarm goes off. I’m just not a morning person.
    My man and I also leave each other short notes sometimes. Occasionally he’s out of town for a few days, and I miss him so much and I’m so happy when he’s back home. After four years we still act like a brand new couple, holding hands all the time and such.

  39. […] you heard the Switchfoot song “This Is Your Life”? While listening during my tempo run yesterday, something about these little lines got the wheels turning in my head. this is your […]

  40. Kelly says:

    That is so sweet! Keith leaves me love notes all around the house. He sticks them on post it notes and then sticks them in random places. I might not find one for a month but and there is a steady stream of them. I find at least 2-3 a week. And they are always really simple and usually only have one sentence like “I love you.” Or “you’re beautiful.” Getting those notes makes my day. He is such a great man and while I don’t leave him love notes around the house like that I do buy him cards out of the blue and pay attention to the things he says. If he mentions particularily liking something (a meal, a tv show, an item) I will usually try to incoporate that into his week. Marriage does take work and yet it is the kind of work that you don’t dread everyday, the kind of work that matters and the kind of work that makes you feel like a million bucks when you do it right.

  41. Krit says:

    Now you have to share if Peter was surprised and enjoyed his note!

  42. I LOVE being a runner! I don’t think I ever went through the phase where I didn’t think I was a runner, but I have to keep reminding myself that it IS part of who I am, regardless if I am able to run right now or not! I love the word “fartlek”. My husband, the cross country coach + comm arts teacher, always corrects me – I say it fart-lick, when it’s supposed to be fart-lek, like it’s spelled. (And it’s just throwing in surges of speed, no rhyme or reason to it… just pick something out ahead and run fast til you hit that point and repeat as much or as little as you want. I like more structure than that, so they’re not my favorite workouts…)

  43. What a sweet idea, Tina!! I love it! I’m sure Peter did too!

  44. A few weeks ago I tweeted about wanting a passion iced tea and sure enough my boyfriend surprised me with one!

    it’s the ltitle gestures, absolutely, that i am so thankful for and appreciative of!

  45. I leave my husband notes all of the time. The latest was on his brown lunch sack. I took a bite out of the sandwich I made him (because I had the munchies at midnight) and wrote on the bag, “love bites sometimes”. I knew he’d laugh and shake his head at the same time.

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