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Connecting with San Marcans after decades of running around town

Running & Fitness
Saturday, October 16, 2021

It has been a few years since I have backed off on my running and moved on to more walking. And I have been writing this column for a number of years so my name and an old photo makes me somewhat recognizable around town. It seems that all that running is about the one thing that when I talk to people the comment from them is, “I recognize you from seeing you running around town all the time.” I can remember when I did my long runs training for a marathon I would run out to Hunter and back, then head out to the Holiday Inn and along the access road down to C. M. Allen near the Little League ball fields and then around the Square and on home. It measured about 22 miles. I never thought much about it until I was talking to a person and they had seen me out on Hunter Road, then later while they were shopping downtown, and later while getting gas they see me running along the access road. They were curious enough to ask me how far I ran and were amazed to see me at so many different locations during the day just running down the roads. I guess I never thought much about how other people look at runners. I have to admit that seeing a runner around town is a somewhat unusual sight for a non-runner. And then to see a runner at several locations is a little bit beyond their comprehension. It doesn’t take long for a runner to be recognized by quite a few people over time. 

Then when they see you in a store, at a party, on the street, or at lunch somewhere and instantly have a long-lost friend to talk with. They will have seen you many times and know you quite well. You have never seen them before and almost panic with the thought that you should know this person on a first-name basis because they know you so well. You start a conversation with the hope that they say something that will help you remember why you are supposed to know them. They know you because you run by their business several times a week or on a street in their neighborhood. I wondered how many runners notice all the different people they pass when they are out on a run and remember them when you see them again. The runner is one person to see and know but the spectators are many and, for the most part, do not stand out.

It becomes even more difficult to recognize a person when they pass you in a car. They honk their horn and stick an arm out the window for a wave. This is okay if you recognize the person’s car. It gets tougher when you are out on a country road, your eyes are looking down looking for pennies embedded in the asphalt and you hear a honk, see the wave, can’t see a person because of tinted windows and it is only a very quick glance. If the car is one of those low sports cars it is even more difficult to see inside. The recognition game is pretty much in favor of the passing person, or the person standing inside his or her business, as you go running by. 

The best thing about this meeting a person that you do not know, but they know you, is that you are now face-to-face with them and, after some conversation, you learn something about them. Then the next time you run by their business and they wave to you, you now know who they are and can give a friendly wave back. For the car or pick-up person passing you, there is a good chance they will roll down the side window and you can see who it is next time. Once again you can give them a friendly wave and continue running down the road 

I am not saying running is one of the best ways to meet other people to become friends with but it does have some advantages. One advantage is that you will always have a topic of conversation because they know you as a runner and it is always a good starting point. Once the conversation lengthens other topics may come up as you get to know what their interests are and who else they may know. If you are feeling a little isolated from people and want to get to know a few more individuals you might try the activity of running. And one of the best ways is to enter a local race and mingle with the crowd after the race. The conversation is almost always about the run they have just completed and most runners are very open to having another person comment on the run. Next time you see them at another run they are now old running friends. Since a hard run has some suffering involved it makes conversation with other runners that also suffered an easy thing to do. Run happy and meet people.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666