O Hai … I'z a Runnr

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I am working from home today and tomorrow, because of the holidays, which meant I got to sleep in a little today and take a nice long run when I got up. My goal today was to run 6 miles straight, to see if this weekend’s run was just a fluke. And guess what? I DID IT! 6 miles straight, at a tortoise pace of about 9:40/mile. I wanted to quit around the 4-mile mark, but I decided to take it 5 minutes at a time. If I could make it 5 minutes more, I could quit — but every time I made it to the next mark, I wanted to keep going! I plotted out a route ahead of time that would take me pretty far from home, so even if I ended up walking partway, I would still get a good workout in.

<a href=”http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/fl/orlando/537103125776″>12/24/2008 Route</a><br/><a href=”http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/fl/orlando”>Find more Runs in Orlando, Florida</a>
And, since I do my best thinking during workouts (because if I think about what I’m doing, I’ll quit), I had a funny flashback to my childhood.

When my brother and I were kids, my dad would drive us CRAZY by waving at everyone he saw from the car. He’d be in the driver’s seat, heading through the neighborhood, and he’d wave to everyone who was walking, working on the yard, washing a car — it didn’t matter who it was, or if he knew them (he usually didn’t), he’d wave. We called him the mayor of the neighborhood, and my brother and I were usually mortified.

(Look, President-elect Obama does it too!)

So today, when I caught myself waving to everyone I came across on my run, I had a lightbulb moment. It’s a sign that, “Hey, you’re in the community, too? Nice to see you! I know we don’t know each other, and will probably never stop and chat, but you’re out and I’m out and that makes us friends.”

And the neat thing is, you don’t even have to be a runner to do the runner’s wave. I waved to (and got waves back from) runners, cyclists, walkers, and even some drivers who were stopped at stoplights as I crossed.

So, dad, I get it now! It’s a move that takes no extra time, very little effort, and has a pretty big payback — a sense of community.

My blogging buddies and I offer you all a big virtual wave, and a hope for happy holidays! (Check out my other blog here, to see my Grownup Christmas Wish List.)