Trail Characters

When I go running 4 times a week or so, (if I’m not on the road) my path usually crosses our local trail. You see we have one of those old rail-road paths that have been paved over giving us a great fitness trail that travels some 30 some odd miles. I personally only run about a mile of it if I am working on hill running or 3.1 miles if I am getting some distance in (3.1 up and back). I really enjoy it. It makes running easy without having to worry about cars, or jumping over curbs or ditches. And to me it is easy to just start running and determine how far I will go based on how I am feeling. Then there are all the people you see on the trail.

If you go running on the trail often enough you see the same people over and over. That is part of the charm of the trail. Since I have been running on the trail for years, I have started naming them and wondering about them based on what I have observed for the 10 or 20 seconds that I see them.

Most notable is the ‘Berry-Picker.’ She is a quite normal looking girl who walks the trial often with her dog (I wonder where he is other days…does she share custody of him or does he just say: “I had a rough night, you go on without me”). The strange thing is, she stops all the time and starts picking berries from the trees and bushes along the trail. While as strange as this seems to me, I have come to get used to seeing it. I am even used to seeing her pop them in her mouth. The thing that has me concerned is when she eats the low lying berries. She is not the only one who walks a dog on the trail.

Then there are ‘Unfriendlies.’ One of the unwritten rules of the trail is to wave, smile, nod or say hello as you pass by someone on the trail. Everyone does it, so it seems very noticeable when you don’t. There is this couple that walks together everyday and has great conversations. They are always talking to each other and smiling, until someone walks by. Then they avert their eyes, look at the ground and frown. It is like they are trying to win a bet by not smiling to anyone, but they do it everyday. I have taken upon myself not to give up at trying. I always say “hello” with as much exuberance as I can muster, I try to get a little familiar, “see you tomorrow,” I even commented when the girl switched her hair from brunet to very light blonde, “I like the hair.” All to no avail; they never even look at me.

There is the ‘Competitor’ who runs about the same time as me and at about the same speed. Because we run similarly we don’t see each other too often, usually we cross paths once. But on those rare occasions when we both start out at about close to the same time we push each other. When I start first, I can usually hear feet pounding behind me the whole way and I work hard to keep up the pace, mostly because I don’t want to get beat by a girl (OK so I admit it…but she is in great shape). Other days when she is first, I do my best to pass her.

I also see ‘Visor Lady’ this little old lady who walks about 4 or 5 miles everyday. She walks faster than most people a quarter her age and she is there rain or shine every day.
There is ‘UT’ guy and his friends. He is one of the friendliest people on the trail. I talk to him just about every time I see him. His kid is getting ready to go to Auburn and during football season we always discuss the games. He owns his own business in a similar profession as mine and we share a few customers. From time to time I pass him a leed (although I’m waiting for him to return the favor).

“Cell Phone Girl” is also pretty regular. Every time she walks she is talking on her cell phone the whole time. I always wonder if the person on the other end is walking too. I guess she likes the idea of walking and catching up on her gossip, but none of her friends live near. There are actually quite a few people talking on their cell while they walk, but none as regular or as animated as her.

There are a lot of others on the trail, some not as regular, some only on certain days. There are the soccer moms in their pushing a jogging stroller. There are the young girls in coordinated spandex work-out cloths that make sure that their pony tail swings perfectly from side-to-side. It’s funny how when they go buy the guys all act like the run is just the warm up for he real exercise, like swimming the English Channel (myself included).

I have been running the trail a little less now a days, because I have been trying to get a little hill training for the Peachtree. I’ve also had to run on treadmills at the hotel when I travel. But even when I run hills I make sure I stop by the trail for a bit, just so I can see my friends.