Running with a smile.

Now that the majority of my runs seem to be taking place in the evening rather than pre-dawn I tend to see a lot more people out and about.

Last night for example as I looped around the Down's there were quite a number of large groups gathering or just setting off for their group runs. There were also still a number of dog walkers out and the occasional office worker returning from having put in an extra hour or so, but they all (with the exception of a friendly elderly couple) had one thing in common....they all blanked my 'good evening'!

Have things gotten so bad that it's no longer acceptable to great a fellow runner or pedestrian with a friendly salutation? Some could be forgiven as they were obviously engaged in iPodery, but (and this is aimed at the runners mostly) are they feeling so grumpy that a simple hello or even a grunt of acknowledgement is out of the question?

It did make me wonder if some of them have sort of missed the point a little.

No matter how bonkers you might think it, running is fun!

Yes it may be occasionally (okay for me at the moment its mostly!) uncomfortable, but even a rubbish run in battering rain makes you feel alive, aware of your surroundings and gives you some time out to get things organised in your head.

It was suggested last night that all this time and effort I'm putting into running could be focused onto something 'more productive' such as finishing the work on my flat. But this again misses the point. If I'm taking time out to run, it makes the time between runs more effective and more importantly it makes me happy.

Last year was one of the worst years I've had in a long time and although not getting any running in wasn't the cause, I'm positive that it contributed to me not feeling better about the things happening around me.

This year I'm running every day and I'm also running with a smile. So if you encounter a tired but happy fluorescent clad plodder that surprises you with a hello, think happy thoughts and holler back!