Waveless

I noticed this on my last couple of runs but today I remembered to include it in a post. My last three runs I've seen several other runners and walkers out, and I'm the type of guy who gives a courtesy wave or a "Good evening" as I pass by. In all I've probably seen over a dozen people on these outings and maybe one person out of the whole lot has returned the courtesy. And one lady who wheezed out a hello in a startled kind of way, like she was surprised that another human being would acknowledge her existence.

I get it that some people don't like to wave or say hello. Sometimes I get in that mood, too. For instance, I don't acknowledge bikers. Sorry, but you're on the road and I'm on the sidewalk. And I think you look funny in your bright spandex and kooky helmet. You probably think I look hilarious in the throes of my six-mile death shuffle. But we're in different universes. Runners inhabit my world. It just seems weird that all of a sudden every runner I see is Mr. or Mrs. Unfriendly. What are the odds? Is it me?

You can tell I'm in training for real now. Otherwise I would have stayed in or run on the treadmill. Instead I headed out in 91 degree heat to run hills. I made the plan for the next 3+ months and I stacked the front end of it with hill runs. I've read that hills are a good method for building up strength and I certainly need that after messing around since the half-marathon in April. I ran up the back of the neighborhood, which I hadn't run in quite awhile. There are a few new houses but otherwise the hills remain. Then I ran down to 96th Street, over to Flintlock, and past the future library. I walked about three minutes up the biggest hill on the way back, but otherwise I hit the hills pretty good. A big storm was moving in from the north and passing us by to the east, which provided some cloud cover. Not a lot, but enough to make the run bearable. And I was smart enough to have my water bottle ready to go, all frozen-like. The 6 miles seemed longer than it was, but that's just because I hadn't run that route in months. Now that I have a plan I'm serious. At least as serious as a person like me can be.