Running along the bay with the locals

Still in California, and what's a lonesome runner to do? Well, if she is proactive, she'll use the website recommended by Runner's World to find a local running club--a particularly good choice if said runner also happens to be horrible with directions and worried about getting lost...as I am.

After having gotten in touch with Ted from the Mid-Peninsula Running Club, my plans were set--meet the group at Ryder Park in San Mateo, only about a ten-minute drive from my hotel in Redwood City.

I got up early and trucked on over--finding myself about 30 minutes early. Luckily, this gave me time to check out the local scenery. The park, along the San Francisco Bay, offered a truly lovely vista--long sweeps of blue-gray water, tall and windswept grasses, dirt paths and sidewalks winding through the latter. I took the opportunity to snap a few quick photos before the running club members arrived at 9:00 a.m.


By the time the 7 or 8 members from the club arrived, the sun had inched higher into the sky and become glaringly hot. I settled in with Frances, a 50-something who'd run Boston this year also. Frances was tiny and tireless, trotting out the miles while spitting out recommendations of her favorite eateries in Chinatown. In an interesting quirk of coincidence, she also was familiar with a ESL series I'm just finishing up with at work. Not to mention, unfailingly patient with my obvious struggles in the heat. :) We churned out a slow 6 miles, and though I am sure Frances could have run much faster, she hung tight with me for a lovely chat.

I am always astonished when faced with the kindness of strangers--and runners have a unique camaraderie. There is something in the miles that makes a mockery of the concept of "strangers"--when you are with another runner, even one you've never run with before, you find yourself noticing the commonalities--Frances, like me, had turned to running post an ended relationship, after a failed attempt at jazzercise. (Well, not the jazzercise for me, but a failed relationship was part of the beginning of running for me as well.) Frances, like me, views her weekly runs as a de-stressor, as an enjoyable break from the rest of life.


As a whole, this running club and its members, were fantastic--both friendly and welcoming. Should I find myself back in the area, I plan to contact them again, and catch up on all the miles that will have passed. Until then--thank you for an enjoyable run, good company, and for showing me a beautiful place to enjoy both in.