Elisabet Barnes pops on the screen and we skip past her two wins at the
Marathon des Sables stage race, her races elsewhere in Morocco and Costa Rica, her earlier careers as a management consultant and running store co-owner, and her concurrent career as a run coach.
“There is something called the five love languages. It’s not particularly scientific, but it’s based on someone’s 30 years of seeing couples in therapy, and there are five ways of expressing and receiving love. I really encourage everyone to Google it and take the quiz, and do that with your partner. You might give her chocolates or roses for Valentine’s Day, but maybe she just wants you to empty the dishwasher,” Barnes said of her advice for this upcoming holiday that celebrates love. “Don’t assume you know and use it as an opportunity understand each other better.” My immediate thought is to do all of it–chocolate, roses, and empty the dishwasher–but days later I’m still wondering if that’s how it works.