Sunday, March 1, 2015

The Run-by

I ran 10.6 miles on Saturday at the State University of New York, Old Westbury campus.  One loop on the campus' main ring road is four miles.  If you venture off to the Empire State College campus, you can add another two miles of beautiful horse country.  I like to do the six mile loop, followed by the four.  The campus is a popular venue for cyclists and runners who like to incorporate hills into their training.  There weren't too many others out there at 2:30pm on a Saturday afternoon.  I did encounter one cyclist riding in the opposite direction as me (because I was running against traffic and he was riding with it)...four times.  The first time we passed each other, we waved and smiled politely.  The second time it was just a nod and a smile.  The third time, just a smile.  The fourth time was, "Enough already.  I'm sick of you."

Generally, I'm very friendly when I see other runners in my neighborhood, a common occurrence.  There are a lot of runners in my town and it's nice to acknowledge their efforts when we're pounding the pavement together.  Sometimes I know them, sometimes they're familiar faces without names, or other times they're complete strangers.  I don't usually repeat loops, so it is rare that I will see the same runner more than once on a particular run.  Most runners return the wave, but sometimes there are those who are in "the Zone" and don't want to be interrupted by niceties.  Seeing the same person twice is kind of fun.  It's like, "Hey you!  You're doing a long workout!  Cool!  Me too."  Seeing him a third time is like, "Yup, we're still at it."  A fourth time?  "Is this the only street you know or what?!"

How do you handle the "run-by"?  Are you a social moron like myself who sometimes feels awkward in these situations?  Do you wave or do you ignore?


Sunday (2/22/15) - 6 miles
Monday (2/23/15) - 7.54 miles
Wednesday (2/25/15) -7.54 miles
Thursday (2/26/15) - 6.4 miles
Saturday ( 2/28/15) - 10.61 miles

Total Mileage - 38.1 miles (so close to 40....!)

Posted by at

11 comments:

  1. The Emerging RunnerMarch 2, 2015 at 4:22 AM

    It's true, the first encounter is usually fun - "Yep, we're doing this!" The second time it's funny, "Oh, you again!" After that, minimal acknowledgement. I often see the same people running in my neighborhood. I try to be friendly, but I'll admit that I never acknowledge runners who run with traffic to their back. I don't want to associate with people that stupid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She Is Out RunningMarch 2, 2015 at 8:15 AM

      You're very judgmental. He or she might be Australian. You know, everything is backwards down there because it's America upside down.

      Delete
    2. The Emerging RunnerMarch 2, 2015 at 12:53 PM

      If that's the case, they should rename my neighborhood "Little Australia." Also, it is Australian to run practically in the middle of the street?

      Delete
    3. She Is Out RunningMarch 2, 2015 at 1:27 PM

      "Running practically in the middle of the street" is Australian for beer.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 2, 2015 at 9:20 AM

    I always acknowledge another runner with a waive or a hand gesture of some sort, and sometimes I offer a high five. And I frequently make hand gestures at drivers too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She Is Out RunningMarch 2, 2015 at 10:05 AM

      I don't so much hand gesture at the drivers as I give them the "Are you a f*cking f*#k for brains?" look. I have a patent on that look.

      Delete
    2. The Emerging RunnerMarch 2, 2015 at 12:56 PM

      I'm sure it's been very effective in changing their behavior.

      Delete
    3. AnonymousMarch 2, 2015 at 1:48 PM

      The selfishness, aggressiveness and stupidity of drivers never ceases to amaze me. Even before I became a runner, i would always slow down and give a runner, a cyclist, a walker or a person walking his or her dog extra room not simply as a matter of courtesy, but as a defensive driving technique. But now that I'm a runner, I have learned that I am in the minority as people routinely fly right by at full speed without giving an inch. What the hell is wrong with people?

      Delete
    4. She Is Out RunningMarch 2, 2015 at 2:28 PM

      Agreed. There have more times than I would like to count where I thought to myself, "This is how I die."

      Delete
    5. The Emerging RunnerMarch 2, 2015 at 4:02 PM

      There is no word for die in the Australian language.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMarch 7, 2015 at 11:37 PM

    You people are hilarious.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)