It Was 20 Years Ago Today…#FirstDate

It was 20 years ago today…

…that this man and I went on our first date.

Yes, it’s true. While we met at the Tram Road Race on April 6, 1996, and he first called me the next day, which happened to be Easter, our first date wasn’t until two days later, where he had a chance to “burn” the raffle prize that he had won at the race, dinner for two at the Sheraton in Palm Springs. That was 20 years ago. And Alan and I have basically been together ever since.

Here are some memories from over the years.

One week after our first date, Alan was headed off to Boston where he ran the 100th running of the Boston Marathon. A little early for the new girlfriend to go along, but I did get frequent updates. Not from the race, of course, that was pre-social media, cell phones, and race selfies, which was good, since he finished in 3:08, something he would not have done if he’d been stopping for photo ops.

I did not know this Alan. I just like the photo. Around 20 years old.

 

So many of our memories revolve around running and racing. Here are a few.

The finish line of my first marathon. We ran for the Leukemia Society (which Alan did for about 10 years in a row).

The first time we ran the Paris Marathon. That year we ran for Fred’s Team (hence the ugly orange singlets).

My first San Francisco marathon. Sitting in the foggy cold on the far side of the Golden Gate Bridge waiting for the start of the race.

Both times we ran the Paris Marathon we carried disposable cameras (remember those?). The spectators thought we were nuts but we had to have this picture at around mile 20.

Another Honolulu Marathon (after my first, we ran it another five times).

Jumping forward to 2014, this is about mile five of the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego. Couldn’t resist posing in front of the Padres ballpark.

By that kiss, we were celebrating that we’d made it through what was my 36th and Alan’s 66th marathon!

 

 

 

 

If you’ve ever done a race in the Palm Springs area, there is a good chance that Alan was the one behind the mic. This was at the Desert Triathlon a couple years ago.

And then there are the animals

If you know us, or read my blog, you know that animals are an important part of our life. We have adopted so many dogs over the years, and Alan takes care of the feral cats in the neighborhood. We are so fortunate that this is another thing we agree on. When one of us brings home another stray dog, the other just shakes their head and smiles.

Our love of animals goes beyond just dogs and cats though to embrace all living creatures. When I decided years ago that I wanted to become vegetarian, Alan agreed without hesitation that it was something we should both do.

 

 

 

And the grandchildren

In 2010, Alan received the phone call that would change his life. With that call, he discovered that not only did he have a son that he had never known existed, he also had twin grandsons (who were five at the time).

 

We added more grandchildren from my side of the family in 2012 when Samuel was born. Three years later, Emma came along.

So here we are, two people who are very different, yet so much the same. We complement each other in all the important ways.

Alan and I were married three years after we met at the same place that we met, the Tram Road Race. Since it involved running up a mountain before the ceremony, we received (then and now) some press attention. We were even featured on an ESPN running show!

 

Thanks for sharing this little walk down memory lane with us. As Alan says to me, and I say right back to him, I’d do it all over again. Here’s to another 20 years!

 

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