Do you stop to visit friends mid-run?

 Gotta run!

 Picture this. You’re running along outdoors, clocking your miles, when you see a friend or neighbor, beckoning you to come near. Or maybe you encounter someone you know on the trail. Do you run on past him or her, or do you stop to visit for a few minutes? 

For me, it depends on several factors. Here’s a dozen possible considerations, on-the-fly. (I'm just being honest here.) Maybe you can think of more questions you’d ask yourself right about then.

• Am I trying to beat incoming weather?
• Am I sneaking in a run during a scheduling crunch?
• Am I meaning to contact this person anyway?
• Am I just starting my run?
• Am I overdue for a deadline?
• Am I pretty sure this person will want an extended conversation?
• Am I nearly done with this run?
• Am I struggling with this run for some reason?
• Am I eager to connect with this person?
• Am I clocking an important training run?
• Am I gearing up for a tough race?
• Am I running to keep up with my training buddies?

 I guess the point is that there’s no hard-and-fast rule that a runner has to stop and chat, when a simple hand-wave can suffice for now. It’s always possible to follow up later with a call or a text or a social-networking message.

 

If you do stop to socialize, do you pause your activity tracker?

I wish I’d remember to pause and restart my Garmin, every time this happens. (It’s especially tricky in colder weather, when we tend to wear several layers of sleeves, along with mittens or gloves.)

 

To jabber or to jog? It’s always a judgment call.

Maybe sometimes it’s important to pause and enjoy the journey, greeting a friend along the way. But sometimes we just have to send a wave and keep on going.

 

Related Items:

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• Marathon training: Ignoring the naysayers is a challenge.
• Maybe it's time for a dog trail etiquette refresher course.
• Sorry, neighbor. But your dog's gotta stay away from runners.
• The best fellow runners inspire the rest of us.

 

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