Track vs. Sidewalk

Other than a couple of times on the beaches of Malaysia and India, and those times I was chasing the trains in Sydney, yesterday was my first time running since I left home in 2003.

I'm taking it slow, I only ran for 2 minutes at a time and then walked for 2 minutes. My right shin began to hurt after the first 90 seconds or so, but I adjusted my stride and was ok by the end.

I went to my old route, along a gravel/dirt path in Fish Creek Park, its always so peaceful and raw down there. You hardly see anyone around and think to yourself why the hell not? Why wouldn't you want to be here? The best part is though, that when you do see someone else, whether it be cycling, roller blading, running, walking, etc, they will always, always give you some sort of acknowledgement. At times its a confident "Hello!" or a "How's it going?", then you often get the simple gesture of either a wave or a head nod, both always accompanied by a smile. My favorite one is the one that comes from the out of breath runner, in their attempt to say hi it comes out as a short, yet long sigh, that doesn't even really sound like 'hi' but more like an airy "Haaaaai".

Whichever one I receive I always reciprocate with a chosen gesture of my own. It can differ.

What is it about the running/walking track that makes people so friendly? Because we all have this 'fitness' thing in common? Perhaps because we all look so desperate and pathetic trying to get fit that we could use a nice little pick me up? I'm not completely sure what it is, but I'm glad that it happens. Why can't it be like that while you're walking through the city, or downtown more specifically? What's the difference between the two settings?

I've never had a gym membership, but I wonder if I were to be running along the track inside of a large place like the 'Talisman Center' would people still say hi to me as they passed?