Cochran Shoals Saturday morning observations...

This morning I was able to make three interesting observations while out for a five mile run to cap off twelve on the week. Incidentally, that's two miles over the minimum needed for the University of Delaware study, so I am grinning. With an extra turn through our apartment complex's parking lots from our doorstep out to Cochran Shoals 5K loop and back is exactly five miles. There are plenty of fun surfaces to feel from the smoothest blacktop, sand, Bermuda grass, and packed topsoil to pea gravel and even #3 crushed stone. So that was the information on the setting. Next my three observations;
[*]A distinguished gentleman with approximately 2 to 2.5 times my life experience looked at me as we passed and said, "Okay, you're tough."; I just smiled, but in my mind I was thinking that his feet likely had more toughness (aka calluses) than mine. Then I thought about his tone. It was as if he were implying that running barefoot were some sort of pride issue for me. That was a funny concept for me to process because prima facie I would think the so-called cultural norm would not assign any level of importance or pride to one who was not meeting the herd's self defined minimal standard.
[*]As I came up on three guys who appeared to be about my age, so giving them a rough span of five years either way between 25 and 35 years old, I couldn't help overhearing them talk about their walk. Key in on the big word at the end. That's right they were walking. There is nothing wrong with walking, but keep that in mind. They did not hear or see me coming which was evident by their surprise and silence as they started to whisper to one another about my bare feet when I was about 10 yards ahead of them. At about 20 yards they started to make the old children playing Cowboys and Indians hand patting over the open mouth noise. My thought was, "You guys are walking and I am running." "Running, walking"...
[*]When I am out on a run my standard practice has been to say hello or good morning to those not wearing headphones. I admit that does selectively ignore a growing percentage of those I encounter. Nevertheless, what I noted today was that those people that had clearly noticed my bare feet wouldn't return my greeting. On the other hand, the people who didn't replied very pleasantly. I thought that was interesting.
Well those were my three observations on my run this morning. I'm going to pay attention to the third to see if it is a trend. Maybe when I am there next someone will point out that I 'forgot' my shoes so I can retort that I remembered my shorts.

Gracia y paz,

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