Beep Beep

Yesterday I actually really really wanted to run. And the temperature was just perfect! I was a little chilly the whole time, with a light breeze. I also decided to shake things up a bit and not do my straight out-and-back run. I ran up to one of the main streets by where I work and totally had the intention of turning left, heading up to Angel/Islington, which is where I usually run. When I got up to the street though I thought, 'hey, why don't I check out where my hotel is?' so I turned right.

It always amazes me in big cities how one block is all blighted and gross, but just two blocks away is where the really really rich live. I mean, that is sort of an exaggeration of what I saw, but I went from youth-hostel-land, to posh-urban-yuppie-land. No trash on the streets! No creepy internet cafés or hole-in-the-wall "restaurants" called things like STAR burger. I am now really really looking forward to moving into Holborn and AWAY from King's Cross even more.

Anyway, one thing that HAS been annoying me on every single one of my runs (come on, you knew I couldn't be all sunny skies, I have been so negative about running lately) are the people on the street. A lot of them crowd the sidewalks, walking, no SAUNTERING five across and not moving when they hear someone behind them...which, I originally thought was just because they couldn't hear me, but come on! I can hear people behind me when I am running and I have my ipod playing! So then I have to either WALK behind them until traffic clears, or go around them if traffic is clear. They never do move for me. The worst though, are the people who are walking TOWARDS me. They SEE me, and they see that if they continue walking the way they are, side by side, that I will have no other option than to stop completely and let them pass. Not because I am a runner, who is taking up some weird amount of space, but because I am a person who occupies some width on the sidewalk. To make it worse, they look at me defiantly, like I am doing something wrong.

OK, OK, so there were actually 3 people last night who moved to the side when they saw me coming. For that I am grateful.

Bill says that this is probably why people only run in the park. At first I agreed, but then I was like, wait, I saw at least 6 runners on runs last night, and I always see runners on my runs. I remember them because they always run with backpacks (I think they actually run to and from work.) Oh well, I guess that is just something I will have to deal with. I can't bear to run in the parks by me because they are so small I would just end up doing a million loops for 30 minutes, which is unbearable. :)