I was in line at the local hardware store about to pay for
my propane tank refill when a man behind me said “Did you get your run in
today?” I looked at him with a blank and stunned silence because I did not
recognize him. He laughed and said, “I live on Florence Ave and see you
running all the time.” Mystery solved because I run on that road almost every
day though it was a bit unsettling to know that people are watching as you run past
their house.
A few months later I was in the produce section of the
supermarket looking at the apples when a man said to me “If you are in here
who is running in town?” Once again, I had no idea who he was, and I never
found out.
My running routine is very consistent. I run around my lake
community as well as another local lake community, down main roads, and
sometimes when training for an ultra, I add additional loops to my run. I run
in all types of weather, from the hot humid days of summer to the frigid single
digits of winter. In rain or snow. I like running in the elements and rarely
use my treadmill. Because of this I am a regular sight in the neighborhood. I
probably stand out a bit more because of my mop of gray hair.
Since most of my runs are done around the same time in the
morning I see a lot of the same people on my run. Most of them are walking
their dogs. We are all creatures of habit. For the most part, I do not know
most of their names. We simply exchange a quick “Good Morning” and maybe
a comment about the weather. My runs are familiar because of both
the landscape and the people I see.
While I usually run around the neighborhood sometimes, I
walk. One day after a tough marathon I decided to walk with my wife instead of
running. While walking through parts of my usual running route, though for
a shorter distance, we encountered familiar faces from my runs. After the third person said, “What you’re
not running?” My wife laughed and said “I can’t believe this. How many
people do you know?” Another person, John, stopped his car and rolled down
his window to say hi.
While I mostly run by people once in a while I will stop and
chat with someone, especially if it is someone whose name I know. I
frequently see my friend John, who is also a runner, at the school bus stop
with his grandchildren. Sometimes I see my friend Dan and we run
together for a short time.
Yet there are people who say, “Hi Ray” and I am a bit
taken back because I have no idea what their name is. I don’t think that we
have been introduced to each other. How do they know my name? Did we meet and I
just don’t remember?
Many times, a car drives by me and the driver waves. Are
they just being friendly or do I know them? I now wave at most of the cars. It
is hard to see through a windshield if they are waving but I am getting pretty
good at spotting the hand on the steering wheel rise up. I wave to all the mail
carriers—and with one carrier in particular we share exaggerated smiles and
waves.
A clue that how they know me is through the grapevine. A
fellow runner once stopped me and said “I think you know my son Gray.” I
told him my name. He then said “I told my son that I often see an older
runner out there and he told me ‘that is Ray.’” I did know his son very
well from the lake. I think Gray probably told him about me running the length
of New Jersey. That makes me a little different than other runners.
I may stand out because frankly there really are not that
many runners that I see on my runs especially on weekdays and bad weather days.
Once on a really snowy day I was out there running and one of the people I
always say hi to yelled out “Man nothing stops you!”
I consistently cover 7-10 miles each morning, rarely
repeating any part of my route except for less than a mile, usually in the
opposite direction. So, if someone is commuting to work, I am a regular
sight. If they are walking their dog, I am a regular sight. To the kids and
parents at the various bus stops, I am a regular sight
Most people consider someone a neighbor if they live within
a block or two of your home. I look at the regular people on my run as my neighbors.
This even though they may be miles from my house and even in a different zip
code.
Doing these runs for years in the community makes me feel more in tune with the neighborhood. I see the houses that are sold. Houses with additions being added. Most people have a normal route they may drive through the neighborhood but I serpentine all around so I see the changes almost everywhere.
These runs make me feel connected to the community. After a
run I often come home and in a conversation with my wife say, “I love where
we live.”
