Running Etiquette

Yesterday was a nice relaxing 4th on the Sowell family boat, anchoring on the Potomac with a perfect view of the Washington Monument, the 14th Street Bridge, and FIREWORKS! And delicious gluten free cupcakes and cookies thanks to my fellow glutenologist Kelly... perhaps you had to have been there ;)

But that's not what this post is about. I came up with the idea for this post during my morning run before getting on the boat. It occurred to me that running etiquette in Northern Virginia and Farmville are different. And then add China to the list and, well, you'll see...

Running Etiquette: Farmville
1. Thou shalt wave and greet everything that moves. This includes vehicles of all types, coming from any direction (unless you are within the three or so blocks of 'downtown'), as well as every person that gets a visual on you, whether they look sketchy or not.
2. Thou shalt run onto the shoulder when facing an oncoming car, not because there is no room on the road but because the driver has not grasped the concept of moving to the middle even though there are no lines or other traffic to be seen.

Running Etiquette: Northern Virginia
1. Thou shalt wave or greet other pedestrians, or if in a crowded place only other runners. Do not wave at vehicles unless you specifically know the driver. If someone looks sketchy, ignore them.
2. Thou shalt run onto the shoulder when facing oncoming traffic because there is always traffic coming from the other direction as well and they can't move over. This is usually not a problem though because of the infrastructure of sidewalks and bike paths.

Running Etiquette: China
1. Thou shalt look straight ahead and ignore all manner of person and traffic. This is best achieved as a foreigner by wearing sunglasses and head phones. Then you don't look open to conversation and they don't see that you're looking around and you will be able to accomplish your run.
2. Thou shalt force all manner of traffic to conform to you. Do not change your trajectory or speed to avoid a vehicle. This will cause them to hit you because it is expected for you to ignore them even if they are blaring their horn. The horn is a warning that they are coming in your general direction, not a demand to get out of the way. This is only not true if it is a bus. Then you move.




**I will be adding to this list later. But for now I must digress...