Year 2, Week 13 Wrapup

I went up to Utah on Wednesday, so did most of my running up there this week.

On Thursday, I ran outside. My phone said it was 30 degrees out; a bank sign I passed said 35. It was the coldest weather I've ever run in, but I'm sure it was downright balmy for those of my friends used to colder weather. I had originally planned to do 5 miles at tempo pace, but after the first mile, I gave up on that idea really quick. I was running on the Provo River trail, so I was unfamiliar with the terrain, it was icy in patches, there were uneven spots in the trail from roots, the altitude is higher than I'm used to, etc. Also, I had had a huge lunch, so I had to poo, and I had to pee. All of this combined to make me think the tempo pace was a bad idea. About halfway through the run, I got to Will's Pit Stop where I decided to take a pit stop of my own. I ended up in the bathroom for twenty minutes, completely laying waste to that bathroom (which was kind of appropriate, since I had gone in to literally lay waste in that bathroom).

After Will's, I had to warm up again, which sucked, but I felt much better, so I did another mile at tempo pace. There were lots of people out running when I was, and it was really easy to tell the good ones from the neophytes. The neophytes were bundled up head to toe in their heaviest winter clothes, while the very best runners were in just shorts and a singlet. I had shorts and a short sleeve shirt, but I did have gloves and ear warmers, so I fell somewhere in between.

Here's one thing I noticed about running in Provo: When I run in Tucson and pass another runner, about 1/3 of the time, they'll actually wave or grunt or something to acknowledge me. If I wave or say something first, the other runner will return the greeting nearly 100% of the time. Of all the people that I passed in Provo, not a single one greeted me in any way. Most of the time, I would attempt to wave and say hi first, and not a single runner returned my greeting. In fact, the only person who greeted me at all was a homeless dude camping by the river who shouted "Morning!" at me as I ran past at 3:00 in the afternoon.

I thought this was really weird. Now, understand that I'm usually not a big fan of social interaction. I would prefer to walk through life under no obligation to acknowledge or communicate with anyone that might cross my path. However, I do try to acknowledge fellow runners the same way I always wave to another motorcylist when I'm on my motorcycle. It's a show of solidarity and fellowship. So, I think it's strange that Utahns, who love to make a show of their superiority in matters of morals and friendliness, would be so consistently inconsiderate.

On Friday and Saturday, I went to the Smith Fieldhouse with Tyler to run laps there. It was pretty boring, but a lot less cold than running outside. I noticed while I was there that BYU has really seemed to relax their admission standards, admitting many more students who never learned how to read. Or at least I assume that's the problem, because even though the track has about 100 giant signs posted saying "Walkers to the right, runners to the left", every lap is like an obstacle course weaving in and out of fat coeds with blaring iPods, aged faculty who are shuffling, and packs of young moms with baby strollers.