Up’s and Down’s….

This weekend had its up’s and down’s, which is an inevitable part of life, relationships, running, etc.

Running was the big positive from the weekend. We headed out to Fredericksburg right after work on Friday and got there just in time for a good pasta dinner at the Italian restaurant we discovered when we were out there last time to run. Wiped out from the busy week, I crashed pretty early once we checked into our hotel. We met up with our group at Enchanted Rock on Saturday morning, with folks running various distances. The weather was fairly chilly when we started, but I quickly shed my top layer a couple of miles into the run. It turned out to be good running weather as the day went on. I ran the first loop with Charlene because we had both decided that we weren’t going up and over the rock when we got to that point. When we reached that point, she said this is where the girls part from the women. I did it last time we were out there, was terrified, and had nothing to prove by doing it again. However, the alternate way that we ended up going turned out to be scary in its own right. I was one of the few who opted to run a full second loop so I ran that one by myself. I enjoyed the solitude and had a good run overall. Afterwards, K and I had lunch at a German restaurant in town before heading back to Austin. I also had a good solo run yesterday afternoon on the Greenbelt - with temps in the upper 70’s it was hard to believe it was February 1st. There were so many people out there enjoying the great weather. I had to step off the trail several times to allow mountain bikers through. But, all in all, it was just good to be out there running.

Now for the negative. Overall, K and I have a fantastic relationship. We enjoy each other so much. However, we continue to argue about household chores and responsibilities. I’ve blogged about this many times before, but I feel like I am stuck in a 1950’s marriage when it comes to the division of labor in our marriage…except, oh wait, I have a career and support myself. K is not the provider for the family and I will not be put into the role of doing it all. It is absolutely infuriating. We both grew up in households in which our fathers were the providers and not around very much, while our mothers took care of the house and the kids. Nothing wrong with that model at all, but it just does not apply to us. Given the fact that we both have successful careers and each earn a respectable paycheck, I can’t understand why a more egalitarian model of running the house isn’t in order for us? This is further complicated by our personality styles – I’m a nurturer and K enjoys being taken care of. So, it’s a perfect setup for me to do more and him to take more. Enough ranting (for now at least). The precipitant for last night’s argument (the second within a week about this though) was that I am trying my hand at cooking and baking right now. So, this weekend I made a Death by Chocolate cake, Country French Bread, and Lasagne. Everything turned out incredibly yummy. Obviously though, this required use of a lot of dishes to prepare everything, which K was not happy about since he was responsible for cleaning up. He sure seemed to like eating all the good food I made though…