Running Ambassadors

I like to run by myself from time to time, and I also like to run with others.  Both have their advantages.

The solitude of running alone is a welcome escape for many of us.  We can think or pray, we can look around us at the beauty of surely one of the most beautiful places on earth to live and run.  I cannot tell you how many times, especially when I was working in my stressful job years ago, when I went out for a run in one state of mind and returned in a completely different one, restored and refreshed, energized, as if I had indeed been "re-created."  Tension dissolves, and difficult problems seem to resolve themselves.  Surely most runners have experienced this magical feeling, especially when we run alone, and aside from the physical benefits, isn't it really why most of us continue to run?   

At the same time, I love the camaraderie of running with a group, or even with only one or two other runners.  I have had some long and deep conversations with my spouse, or with a close friend over the course of many miles.   And I have greatly enjoyed the laughter and back-and-forth banter, the puns and the jokes, the political humor (never very serious) that spring from running with a larger group.  I vividly remember running down Smallwood Avenue several years ago, separated for some reason from the main group which was running down Harris Drive (one block south), and I could hear loud laughter and talking and shouting, the happy buzz of conversation, only one block away:  the wonderful sound of a group of runners absolutely having fun together.

Our running club is a friendly one with a presence on the internet as well as on the street most mornings.  Many visitors find our website and e-mail me, interested in finding a good route or hooking up with other runners to help with a long run for an upcoming marathon.  Our Saturday morning long run this morning was a good example.  First of all, a young woman had e-mailed me on Friday:  “I found your contact info through the Highlands Runners website. I am in town for a week and wanted to see if there were any areas you could recommend that would be good for running with a jogging stroller. Sidewalks or pathways are ideal so that I can keep the little one safe. Are there any specific areas nearby that you would recommend?”  So of course I told her about the “Patty Cake” route, designed several years ago by Morris Williams for Patty Campbell when her twins (now teen-agers) were in a stroller, and I invited her to run with us the following morning.  Jen turned out to be a charming young woman from Toronto, Canada, and she and her sweet little passenger Charlotte thoroughly enjoyed running with us (she quickly took the lead, stroller and all).   On the second loop, when she passed me, she told me how much she enjoyed meeting all of us and running in such a beautiful place.

Later in the same run, three or four of us met a runner going in the opposite direction and asked him to join us as we often do.  "Come run with us!" I will call out.  (We don't know any strangers out on the road!)  The runner took a U-turn, told us his name was Charles, and ended up running several miles with us.  Turns out we had run in some of the same races, and he and Morris knew some of the same runners in Atlanta.  This afternoon he e-mailed me and said, “Thank you for your hospitality on the run this morning. It is a great group of people. I look forward to running again next time I am in Highlands.”  Visiting runners are invariably interesting and friendly, and I have met a lot of very interesting people out on the road.  It is a rewarding experience to be ambassadors of good will - Running Ambassadors.