The Runner's Wave

So, hubs had his first career win....the Tri Club Aquathlon last week on Thursday night. I was so completely impressed with both his run and swim times. More than that, I was thrilled he got to experience his first "first" because I know how hard he is on himself. He subscribes to that school of thought that dictates "second place is the first loser". I don't think I am quite that hard on myself, perhaps because I know I cannot compete anywhere near his class of athletes. The fact remains that he is amazing and I love watching him perform. One little part of me is always jealous and ancy, as I juggle the kids and chase them on the sand. But, the truth is, I am not near the athlete he is, so it is nice for me to let him have the limelight and win!

I have been running extra miles to prepare for the 50K we have settled on. It is kind of a bummer, we discovered, that the race is sandwiched in between Kindergarten orientation and the first day of school for our little girl. The weekend will not be as leisurely for running a death march in the hot sun as we had hoped. Anyway, I ran 9 miles this morning to start with the group and then added 5 more miles on my own. I felt good. Not as good as when I ran Friday morning for 2 hours, or even yesterday, pushing 2 kids in the jogger for 45 minutes. But, I felt reasonably good.

One thing I couldn't help but ponder was the lack of the runner's wave. That is, I was out a little later than my usual 3:30 am wake up call (we started at 6am), so I saw many more people out on the road. There were tons of runners doing the same out and back route I was running and I couldn't help but realize not all of them were particularly friendly. It kind of bothered me. How could such fellow runners not aknowlege each other? Espicially when I would see some of them twice, once out and once back? This observation seemed to hold true consistently with women more than men. One woman running alone seemed the least likely to return a smile. Two women running together seemed a bit more likely to return the sentiment. One man running solo was a little more inclined to say hello. 2 or more men running together were the most friendly. I am not kidding. Try this experiement and see. Overall, however, there was a resounding non-response from the population at large.

It totally befuddle me that so many people would not simply give a nod, a half wave or (gasp) a "Good Morning" when we are out doing the same thing. Cranking or plodding, clipping or crusing, where is the common courtesy? I was amazed. I am used to running without passing people in the dark. It seems a solitary sport at 4 am, no doubt. But in broad daylight at almost 8 am, the lack of gestures seemed unforgivable. I guess it has been far too long since I have been out in civilization with other running strangers. Is the world becoming more and more guarded? Are we all simply too focused, too busy to extend a kind word to others who are in the same beloved sport? It rattled me a little, I must admit, that time after time I raised a hand and a smile, and those gestures were returned by a downward glance or a blank stare. So many people coming my way would quickly look away. Was I running naked? These people were almost embarrased to look my direction. I suddenly felt as though I were in LA again. This was the predicatable response when I would run up North, as a general rule, in the land of self-absorption and austentatiousness. But here in San Diego, are we not more civilized than that?

Runners of the world, kindly raise your hand. Cherish your sport and aknowledge others who do the same. Do not contribute to the pollution of rudeness and aloofness. Rise above and raise a kind word to the runner coming your way. Get out of your own head for the moment and maybe be brazen enough to throw out a "nice pace" or "good job". Can that really be a bad thing?