Yet another reason why I run: running gives me a connection to people with whom I'd otherwise have nothing in common. Running is a unique activity, and those who run are bonded in an indirect but powerful way.
A perfect example in my life is my next door neighbor. In the six years that we've lived within four feet of each other, we've had only the most trite of conversations, usually about the weather or the Cardinals. Since I've begun running, however, we've had countless discussions about running and and related topics. We are both morning runners, too, so I often see him out on the road mid-run. He's training for a fall marathon whose course winds through our neighborhood and has tried to convince me to join the half-marathon, but I don't think this is the right time for me to take on such a significant distance.
Through Facebook, I've become good friends with many former classmates through running. We may have talked a bit when we were in school together, but we've become much better friends as adults because we are all runners. We are bonded through sweat, hard work, and determination in a way that non-runners don't quite understand.
