Megan’s Birthday is coming. She is also on Team World Vision and training for the KC Half Marathon (TWV brings clean drinking water to Africa.). So I have been in search of the perfect running gifts. I discovered View Sports activewear – their shirts have sweat activated technology. Words show up on the shirt when you sweat! It is a perfect gift. One that I couldn’t help but buy for Meg… unfortunately, it is a perfect gift for me.

As I search for birthday gifts, I am also in search of running shoes. This seemed an easy task. While it took me awhile to learn how to tie shoes (velcro is a blessing when your kindergarten teacher refuses to help), after 37 years I thought I knew which shoes were right for me. But soon I was learning all about pronation and running style. Then I was analyzing the wear patterns on our shoes. It seems my current pair of shoes were built for someone else. So were Meg’s… I bought her those too.

There is so much I do not know. But of course I want to know everything. So last month, for our anniversary, I purchased fitness watches for me and Meg. The watch provides our speed and distance and marks our route like a google map. It monitors our heart rate and altitude changes.  A huge supply of information – which I love. As I excitedly scrolled through all the details and revealed the moment by moment pace tracking to Meg… I realized she might be happiest that I found her watch in blue rather than my plain black.

Which brings me back to birthday gifts. I am still going to buy Meg a shirt with sweat activated technology. But more importantly I need to find a gift she desires. I am pretty the gift that fits won’t involve technology or sweat…

As we continue to train for the half-marthon, there are a lot of details our watches do not display. When I ran this morning it could not tell me why legs hurt more – after a rest day – than they have before. The watch also tells me a lot of things I already know – for instance, I can’t keep pace going up the hill at the back of our neighborhood.

But I keep climbing the hill. And really that is the key to training. And I also think the key to love. Keep trying and working at it together. Meg may have to work a little harder (she has to love me!), but at least now she will have a sweaty shirt that reminds her “don’t quit”.

Which is the gift she gives to me.