Three Things Thursday - January 22

Another week has flown by! Having running back in my schedule is making the days go even faster, since I can't just loaf around on the couch all day every day (wouldn't that be nice, though?). I think Faramir is still adjusting to the change and wondering where I keep disappearing to. Don't worry, I've been making it up to him with lots of extra snuggles.

We have been hit with some nasty weather the last few days. It's comfortable out (mid-20s to 30s), but we keep getting just enough snow each day to keep the roads a mess. It feels silly to contemplate running inside when there's really no actual accumulation to speak of, but it's an icy, slushy sufferfest out there at the moment. Hopefully whoever is in charge of the running path will hop to it today and have it cleared for my tempo run tonight.

Ramblings aside, here are three things from my week so far:

1. I've realized I have a strange relationship with work.

All the way through college, a huge part of my identity was tied to my grades and doing well in school. It didn't matter what else happened, a B on a single assignment could send me into a tailspin for days. (Not the most healthy, I'll be the first to admit).

But I'm coming to realize I sort of have an inverse relationship with work. I obviously still work hard and strive to be the best employee I can, but no matter what happens at work, I can change my mood by working out or by talking to someone I'm close with.

I noticed this when yesterday I was asked to name something I had done at work that made me proud. I would certainly say there are things I've achieved at work that make me feel accomplished, but I don't think proud is interchangeable in this case. I'm not trying to sell myself short or be self-deprecating, I honestly just don't associate pride with work.

To be clear - I do really like my job and love my team, so I'm not some miserable grouch or anything at the office. I would even say my work is fulfilling - I get to use my brain and impact the financials. But I guess that question made me reflect that I get 95% of my validation from outside work. I'm not sure if this is normal, but it's very freeing to realize my self-esteem is not directly linked to a performance judged by others anymore.

2. Runners can be surprisingly vitriolic about hair.

I have very fine hair (to the point even hair stylists can't braid it), and I keep it pretty short - so that I can keep up my zero maintenance hair routine, because ain't nobody got time for that. The only real way for me to keep my hair up while I work out is pigtails.

I realize they make me look like I'm 12, but I get mistaken for being 12 no matter what I do, so no real loss there. Sometimes I will joke about them in good fun with people I know, because I realize a grown woman wearing pigtails is a bit humorous.

This is the best picture I could find of myself from the back.

I was shocked at my first marathon when two older women (maybe in their 50s?) made some really rude comments about how "stupid" my pigtails looked when I passed them. I don't know if they thought I couldn't hear them through my headphones, but I was still taken aback. I didn't feel bad at all, I was just so surprised that the way I had styled my own hair was so offensive to two people who had never seen me before.

It was pretty interesting to me then, when Zelle posted a hair tutorial for pigtails, that the comments blew up with people talking about stupid pigtails are. (Zelle's own Facebook post even admitted they looked silly....) Yes, they're sort of juvenile, but short hair doesn't give you much to work with. I'm curious as to why people seem mortally offended by the thought someone might wear pigtails for a run. I though runners were supposed to be welcoming!

3. Weddings make me normal people go crazy.

Okay, I know I'm in the minority here, but I don't really care for weddings. (If I had my way, I would elope!) I realize I can be an event scrooge and that I'm probably biased by the way too extravagant weddings I've had to attend, as well as the holidays I've lost. (RIP, two Memorial Day weekends.)

(I've been criticized before about being too open about my hatred of weddings, but I prefer to own it rather than silently stew. If weddings are your thing, awesome, I'm not trying to burst your bubble - I just don't want to be sucked into it!)

Sometimes I think I've made progress in my wedding hatred and upgraded it to ambivalence, until something horrid occurs, and I realize I'm right back where I started. The latest is someone I know deciding to have her wedding New Year's Eve. As someone who always try to be conscientious of how others feel, I can't imagine ruining two entire holidays for hundreds of people. Maybe I have some deeper issues I should work through, but my reaction to this news was immediate and visceral, even though it doesn't directly affect me.

I realize two of these three things have nothing to do with running, but I had to get these ramblings out somehow! Hopefully I can turn in a solid tempo run later and a great long run Saturday and have more news to report Monday.

What do you do with your hair while running?
Do you ever feel proud of things you do at work?