Am I even allowed to write “SEX” on a blog about running? Hmm. Not sure about that one, but I promise you I can tie it all together.
My dear friend and former client, Ashley C, sent a package my way last week. I’m certain it was in hopes of cheering me up during this hip-broken-miserable-without-a-run period of awfulness, and God knows I needed it! Inside of the package was a very thoughtful and sweet card, and behind that, a book titled “FOR WOMEN ONLY”. The title alone had me ready and willing to drop everything, and do some serious reading. I thumbed through the first few pages, and before I knew it I was halfway through the book!
The author, Shaunti Feldhahn, is a Christian female who took on [what must have been] one heck of a challenge of digging deep into the inner thoughts of men. (You can read more about the book, and the extensive research Shaunti did to write it, at www.shaunti.com)
Anyway, back to tying all of this together! A portion of the book is dedicated to her findings that men have a never-ending flow of sexual thoughts, images, and…errr.. cravings, pretty much ALL DAY EVERY DAY. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating? (OR maybe I’m not!) Shaunti refers to this as a man’s “mental rolodex”. She writes that a man has an entire stockpile of current and past sexual imagery and encounters that pop up on a regular basis in his brain throughout the day.
So, I’m sorry, but this seriously cracked me up! I’ve always been aware that guys “think about it nonstop”. But I mean, all the time? Really?! I grabbed hubs, Dan, and made him confess to this mental rolodex thing.
Dan started chuckling, and got all red in the face, “Come on, Ash. It’s nothing!”
…Busted!….
“You dirty little thing you!”, I started teasing him relentlessly about it all.
This quickly put him on the defense. He started trying to help me understand by turning the tables. “Don’t act like the same thing doesn’t go on in your head, Ashley!”
*cricket chirp*
“Yeah. Umm. It doesn’t.”
I mean, I’ve got needs and all! What girl doesn’t? But, I’m not being constantly mentally bombarded by thoughts of guys in speedos, or dreams of washboard stomachs. That seems so strange to me!
Dan tried every thing he could think of to help me understand this foreign concept. Nothing was working until he dropped this quick line…
“Running! It’s like RUNNING to you.”
Dang… Hit the nail right on the head, didn’t he?
He proceeded to relate the whole thought process to me in a more athlete-friendly way, and it all started to make sense.
“You are always thinking about running!! I bet you daydream about it nonstop. Like if you’re bored, or hungry, or whatever, you probably daydream about the trails you like to run.”
(Crap. He’s so right.)
“I bet if a song you listen to while you run fast comes on the radio, it sets off the running thoughts and images. And when you get dressed in the morning, you probably think about running clothes, and that you feel better in them, and then you imagine yourself running. When you go to sleep, I know you dream about it. It’s all you talk about. You salivate over the latest minimalist shoes in magazines. You read race results all day. They’re like your dirty pictures! I bet it’s safe to say it’s on your mind for the majority of the day.”
(Oh my gosh. I’m as bad as a dirty old man!)
“Okay, Dan, you got me! But that’s not as embarrassing as thinking about sex all day.”
“It’s not the exact same thing, no. But you understand better, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I guess. But, hey, wait! Does this mean I like running more than sex? Not possible!”
Dan shook his head and laughed.
And that is when I realized something: Basically, half of the entire population dreams about sex all day. Does half of the population dream about running all day?
It’s okay. No one needs to answer that!
I already know…
I’m the weird one.
Ughh. How embarrassing!
I need a good run so bad.
Ha! So.. Big thanks to Ashley C for sending a book my way that encouraged Daniel and I to dig into each others’ brains. It was fun, and it definitely cheered me up. And check out Shaunti’s book, it was a great read.
Okay, so back to my mental Rolodex. First up? 100 miles of trail running. Oh…yes, please. 🙂
ASHRUNS100s 