I found a piece of yellowing paper inside an old tome gathering dust in the annuls of my local library. It contains some handwritten notes, which I marked in italics. As I didn’t have a dime for the copy machine, I’ve copied it below to the best of my abilities.

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The runner’s widow, or widower, is a person who losses a spouse to the invigorating sport yeah, right. Try boring known as running. The athlete in question exercises regularly, and for long periods of time, so the remaining adult in the house feels as if his or her loved one has passed on, never to be seen or heard from again. that’s me

Signs of being a widow/-er
How do you know if you are a runner’s widow/-er? Answer the following questions:

  • Does the spouse say, “I’m going out for a quick workout,” and return three or more hours later?
  • Does the spouse plan vacations around running activities, such as a race or scenic workout routes?
  • Do you have “compression” shorts and running shoes stored in your vehicle?
  • Does your spouse complain about shin splints or split times?
  • Does your spouse choose to work out when the family is together for the first time in forever?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you may be a runner’s widow/-er.

How to cope
Suddenly finding yourself alone can be a trying experience, even for those in the strongest relationships. DUH Usually, being a running widow/-er ebbs and flows with the athlete’s training season.
For example, if the athlete is training for a spring marathon, the alone time will start in winter and increase as the race nears.
Some couples report that the “runner’s widow” experience ends once the target race concludes. There are also those that report an increase in alone time after a race. I don’t want it to be this way forever! This can be attributed to the fact that the athlete had caught the “running bug,” and had decided to more fully devote him or herself to the sport.
To cope a widow/-er must be ever vigilant in keeping the emotions of jealousy and anger in check. harder to say than to do. Do you think we’re robots?
The athlete spouse is preparing to complete a major goal in his or her life. The end result of the person crossing that finish line will help solidify your family. It’s a temporary pain for a long-term gain.
Spending time on training will enable the athlete to safety return into the family fold once the goal has been reached.
There are ways to make it less stressful on the home-bound spouse.

Ways to make it …

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Well that’s it — the page is torn after that. I think the next part was about making being a runner’s widow/-er a family affair or less of a widow-like experience. I guess I’ll have to search the library a bit more. When I find the rest of the page, I’ll share it with you.