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Milton, Ontario, Canada

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Comradery of Runners

I ran 5k (outside, started around 20:35, ran the entire thing, took about 33 mins) last night and noticed something.

Runners love to see other runners, well running.

I realize that this is a pretty bold statement for me to make and assumes that I consider myself a runner; however the truth is in the smiling!

Of course, you must understand my community. Milton is a smaller suburb of Toronto at the very western end of the GTA. It is a growing bedroom community (for the most part) and it is filled with young couples settling down as they grown their families and fulfill their dreams. It is also at the foot of the Niagara Escarpment which allows for all kinds of outdoor activities. Drive along any 2-lane road on a Saturday or Sunday in Milton and you will notice the plethora of road bikers and many, many yakima bike racks on cars. The community is active and this extends to recreational runners.

As I ran my normal 5k route last night, I passed half a dozen other runners. We all nodded and smiled. There is an inherent feeling of, Oh, you’re out here too! Good! when seeing others push themselves as you are.

That is another thing I love about runners: inclusion. It doesn’t matter is you’re a beginner or a Boston Marathoner, the running community is full of welcoming souls who all encourage you to… become a better runner. From advice to understanding (everyone hits a wall, no water what distance they run) the people I’ve found since beginning this running journey have all been wonderful.

Who knew that a bit of exercise would improve my view on people in general?

1 comment:

  1. The running community is one of my favourite things about the sport. I love the nods, waves, smiles and hellos. I crossed paths with one guy last weekend and he said "Have a good one!" which totally made my day.

    Runners rock.

    (Nice 5K, btw!)

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