The Runnerhood

You’ve heard of the brotherhoods of such and such, I’m sure.  It’s where a group of people with common interests bond together and make each other feel welcomed and part of something bigger than just themselves.  I’ve experienced this feeling in my career in law enforcement.  I’ve experienced it while riding on the back of the motorcycle of guys I’ve dated (they extend their arms and 2 fingers as they pass each other in greeting).  But, I’ve never experienced it on a more personal level that had to do with just me specifically.  That is, until recently.  And it’s a phenomenon of the specific activity of OUTDOOR running because, frankly, who are you going to pass while running on a treadmill.  As I run my local hike and bike trail three times a week, I pass other runners going in the direction opposite of me.  Usually, as we pass one another, we wave in greeting to each other.  I love this and have dubbed it “The Runnerhood.”  The best instance of this was I was running along at my 10-ish-minute mile pace and another, more seasoned and faster runner than myself passed me.  As he passed me, he gave me the thumbs up.  That felt fantastic!  It felt like he knew I was fairly new to running and that I needed someone to acknowledge my efforts and tell me I was doing a good job.  I was on cloud nine all day that day because of that simple little thumbs up.  And actually, if I can confess something, I still hold onto that little thumbs up when I need a little lift while I’m running to tell myself that I’m doing a good job and that I can keep on keeping on and finish the run I started.