The marathon had been a disaster. We were late getting to the site, and my typical pre-race routine was shot. It was hotter and muggier than it should have been in September, so the trail was miserable from the first mile. On top of that my summer training had suffered due to the heat starting early and not letting up. I hate treadmill running, and road running had been hell. But I wanted that finisher medal. The first half-marathon loop had finished stronger than I thought I could, but the second was going to be the toughest. It always was. And now I had Lisbeth on my mind.
She and I had gone out a couple of times and gone running together quite a bit. We had a strong connection, however I couldn't escape the feeling of being a dirty old man being attracted to a woman 12 years my junior. She was a strong single mother, doing a great job raising her daughter without any help from her ex. She was also beautiful. She had a girl-next-door look to her, long dark hair, and B-cup tits that wanted to be C's. She had wonderful curves, and hips that I wanted to grab every time I found myself running behind her. She also had an ass that was just big enough to be luscious. Watching her run in tights made it hard to concentrate on where I was going. Lisbeth was a beautiful Latina, her skin the color of caramel, with a sweet personality to match. I wanted to make her mine, to take her, dominate her, mate her. I also wanted to care for her, provide for her, and be her man. It was a paradox that paralyzed me. I didn't know how to show her one side of me without scaring her off. I knew she liked strong, assertive men. She also wanted a kind, gentle man. Whichever side she saw first would be a lasting impression for her. Her daughter, Catie, and I got along famously. She was a precocious 5-year-old who loved my playful nature and obviously needed a father figure in her life. What I didn't know earlier was that she wanted all of that. She wanted me to be a father figure for her daughter while also being her provider and guardian, lover and master.
Lisbeth had run the 10K race, so I didn't see her at the turnaround for the second loop. I had hoped to get at least a glimpse. To see her smile would have given me an energy boost to last at least a couple miles. And I needed it. The heat intensified, with the humidity giving up nothing. At mile 15, the sky opened, and buckets fell. I continued to slip and slide down the trail. I do love trail running, but this race had not been fun from the beginning. And all I could think was "Fuck this shit." But I had to keep going...for another 11.2 miles. My pace was too slow. My heart wasn't in it, and I didn't push myself. At the mile 20 aid station, I and three other runners were informed that we had missed the cutoff. Our race was over. Our timing chips were confiscated, and we had two options. We could ride back to the start in the back of the pickup once the aid station was torn down and put away, or we could walk back using the road, which got us to the parking lot in just over two miles. The three of us walked.
Lisbeth saw me coming into the parking lot from the wrong direction. She knew something was wrong and worried that I was injured. Fortunately, it was just my pride. I climbed into the pickup, and we stopped at the park restrooms so could change out of my muddy running gear. It was an hour's drive back to my place, then another 30 minutes for her to drive. We stopped for a quick burger on the way, then made small talk on the drive. Neither of us had obligations for the rest of the day, so we decided we would clean up at my place, then head to the movies.
Once home, Lisbeth went inside to shower while I unloaded the pickup. I wanted to go join her in the shower, but that would have been too forward, or so I thought. Plus, I was more than a little ripe from the run. So, I put away the ice chest and set out my muddy clothes and shoes. Lisbeth was in the guest bathroom, so I went to mine to start cleaning up. I left the bathroom door unlocked, hoping against hope she would surprise me. But I knew better. She wouldn't be that bold. After we were showered and dressed, we chatted about what movie to go see.
"Will you stay awake through a movie?" Lisbeth giggled as she quipped. She knew me. "You look worn out, and you've been beating the hell out of yourself since we left the race."
"I'll be fine." I lied. "Although if you'd like to, we can hang out here and rest a little before we go out."
"I think you need it." Lisbeth was a sweetheart. She genuinely cared for me, and she was so very supportive.
"I just got a new ultra-high-def flat screen in my room. Let's watch it in there, and if I fall asleep, you can escape my snoring to the living room."
