Awkward encounters

Here's a social experiment, next time you go running, or riding, or even just walking, say hello to the people you pass, and see how many of them respond, or even acknowledge you.

Most likely almost no one will return the greeting. This bothers me, especially when I am running and see someone else who is running, I make a concerted effort to say hello and smile at them. I am almost always met with a funny look, or they just keep looking ahead and pretend I'm not there. Has our society become so self-conscious and uptight that it isn't acceptable to be friendly?

I think this is especially strange behavior between two people that are running, but maybe I'm the only one that thinks there is some kind of bond, a mutual understanding of how miserable running can be at times, and an understanding of how no matter how miserable, we always feel better after a run.

Call me crazy, but I'm going to keep saying hi and smiling at people like an idiot. Join me if you dare.

Sundays

Sunday is a bittersweet day of the week.

The bad part is that it marks the end of the weekend, and the return to work and class.

But Sunday has a lot of good parts too. You get to sleep in, and then you wake up wherever you ended up the night before. Then you and your friends go to a diner for breakfast looking very disheveled and most likely not smelling all that great, wearing the same clothes you wore out saturday night. You order something delicious at the diner and recap the ridiculous things that happened the night before. (Expect a full post about breakfast at diners soon, as it might be my favorite thing ever.) After the diner you go home and digest for a while and try to piece your life back together a little before the long run. With any luck the trails are dry and the sun is shining, as you run farther than most people can fathom. You get back to your house tired, dirty, smelling even worse than before, but satisfied and happy in a sort of semi-comatose way. After a good sunday like that you might just have the strength and patience to make it through another week without losing your whole entire mind.