You Gotta Love Runners

I'm having a bad day today.

I've just come home from three weeks on the road and have four days to pack my entire apartment and move to Chicago.  And it appears I will be doing everything solo.

Grrr.

I'm very emotional about leaving San Francisco.  I never thought I would go, but high rent, unsafe living conditions, and the desire to have a better quality of life are making me leave.  It's heartbreaking, but it's the right decision.

So, knowing that today was packing-prep day, I woke up after a bad night of sleep a tad bit cranky.

I live in a VERY bad area of San Francisco.  The noise from the drug dealers and users, music, cars, cops and the occasional gunshot keeps me up most of the night when I'm home--part of the reason I'm moving.  Every time I leave my house, I'm confronted by dangerous people to the point that when I'm home, I rarely leave the apartment.  I've given up on running in the mornings as it isn't safe due to bodies strewn across the sidewalks or human waste piles spotting the path.  And don't get me started about all the bloody needles I have to watch out for.

It's a little chilly outside today, so I threw on a pair of yoga pants, a race shirt and my RnR Savannah Marathon Finisher Jacket.  Yeah, I still wear that jacket everywhere.  It might be my favorite piece of clothing and can make the day brighter sometimes.  But not today.  Today I have to battle The Hood and all of its residents.  Sigh.

So, muttering to myself as I walked through the streets, I was watching where I stepped while constantly being asked for money or drugs or whatever else people beg for all day long.  Drop off donations, pick up supplies, back to my house.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

Definitely getting grumpier after two hours of this.  Back and forth to my apartment, out for another errand, back again. Three miles of walking errands.  Three miles of being harassed and shallow breathing due to the smell of human waste, cigarettes, and marijuana. 

I've hit my breaking point with this city I have loved for 20 years.

I was standing at Market St. and Stockton St. on my way to Target when the light turned red for me.  As I waited for the light to change, I felt someone tap my shoulder and grab my arm.  This is a heavy begging corner for everyone and I've learned to keep my purse tight and my eyes down, so I was quite stunned thinking that the beggars have become so aggressive that they are actually grabbing people now.

I spun around ready for a fight and looked into the eyes of a man about my age.  He was dressed as I was, relaxed clothing, and when he spoke, I heard a bit of a speech impediment, as if he was deaf.

"Excuse me ma'am.  I'm a runner, too!  I wanted to say hi!"

Ummm...what??  I just stood there and stared at him, taking it all in and trying to hear and understand him over the noise of the streetcars, cabs, horns, and regular traffic in a heavily congested intersection.

I couldn't speak.

"I'm running the Berkeley Marathon this weekend.  Last weekend I ran Bakersfield."  He had a grin on his face that could have burned through the thickest San Francisco fog.

I looked down at his hand and he had a race bag from Berkeley in it with his bib and shirt.  I looked back up at his eyes and said, "Good for you!  That's a wonderful race.  I really hope you enjoy it!"

I have no idea if it is a good race or not, I just didn't know what else to say at that moment.

He took a step back, turned and said, "I just wanted to say hello!  I'm a runner, too!"  And then he disappeared into the crowd.

I just stood there completely numb for a minute or two.  And then I welled up. 

Runners.

You can be having the worst day of your life and there will still be someone who will find you, lost in a crowd, miserable as all hell, and they will say something to cheer you up. 

Running is an individual sport, but one that has more of a team connection than anything I have ever known.  We know when another is hurting.  We know when another is soaring through the skies.  We are a family by choice, forged on the agonizing pavement of putting one foot in front of the other, over and over and over until we feel that we will break.  We don't have to have ever met to recognize our brothers and sisters...we just KNOW who we are.

We celebrate the victories, we mourn the losses, but more importantly, we support each other when we need it.

I have no idea who this man today was, and I'm sure I'll never see him again.

But he was there when I needed him.  He KNEW.

And he acted.

I walked the final mile home with a smile on my face.

You gotta love runners....