Really? I wave, nod, smile or say hi all the time to all runners, and riders even.

I wonder if it's the "oh god I said 'morning' and now he's following me..." thoughts that some women, esp solo women runners, have. I have had a few guys turn around to run with me post-hello, but it usually ends unpleasantly (for them mwahahaha), and it doesn't stop me from being polite and sociable to almost all runners.

Hmmm...

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I rarely (if ever... hmmm....) acknowledge anyone on my runs. I'm too busy... you know, running. That said, I only run around my city and I know everyone here. I usually just get "in the zone" and put the blinders up. Many times people have told me they've yelled my name and/or honked and I've totally missed it. I only find out after when they call me and tell me.

Last night was different (my first run in 3 weeks after being sick). Some asshole decided to tell me to "pick up the pace". This guy was clearly a non-exerciser, based on his huge gut, and probably a smoker, based on his raspy voice. He DID get acknowledged... a big F YOU!

If I'm in a new area etc, I'll probably give a small smile, but not much more. I'm usually not feeling too friendly when I'm running ;)

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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

but still, I mean, we're either on a sidewalk with other people around, or in a park with a lot of other runners/walkers/... if somebody is a creep they'd be a creep whether or not you acknowledge them or not, you can't live your life in fear all the time (like some gals I know that will NOT run in a park PERIOD if alone 'just in case something happened')

If at all I have to say that I've gotten more waves back from female runners in isolated/long trails (maybe because the 'more serious' runner crowd tends to be nicer?) the times where I end up running where there are a lot of beginner runners seems to be the times where waves back are pretty much non-existent (if not worse, just the other day a group of gals outright chuckled/laughed at me right after I crossed them, gee, thanks, didn't realize I was back in junior high all of a sudden)

I can say that at one point in my life I was so focused on triathlon/running that a bomb could have exploded next to me (in training or a race) while running/riding and I wouldn't have noticed. I simply was in my zone and refused to allow anything/anyone to break my concentration. It wasn't until my lack of acknowledgement was actually pointed out by someone that I even realized I was ignoring everyone. So, I tried to lighten up, but still was a bit self absorbed at the time and didn't want to be bothered.

Now....I'm waving, smiling, talking, to anyone and everyone in my path. What I've found from my experience is that runners/cyclists are actually friendly. I am finding however (when running along our river path) that it's the old people, groups of ladies, or male/female that are pretty much non-sociable. I smile, wave or shout out a pleasantry and am completely ignored. No response - not a smile, hand gesture, and most don't even look up. Guess the old adage is true "you reap what you sow". ;)

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Life is Short...Run Long

Marco, women are advised to look men directly in the eye and give off a "don't mess with me" vibe when they are running alone. Because they don't want to be messed with. I came upon a dude pleasuring himself behind a tree one day and know other women who have had weird experiences with flashers etc. It doesn't take much to make a woman less friendly.

I was out riding my bike one day alone and smiled and said hi to a dude out riding by himself. He hung on to me for the next 20 miles trying to chat me up and then wanted my email address even though I spoke about my husband several times.

I'm a friendly person and will chat with all sorts of people but there are some clueless types out there that make you want to keep to yourself. If you can get the creeps in order then I bet all sorts of gals would smile at you.

I always wave and say hi to people when i am out running biking or whatever. Unless they give off a creepy vibe. Then I ignore them and pick up my running speed.

I don't think it's that women runners don't acknowledge male runners, I think women runners don't acknowledge other runners period. I try to always smile/wave/say hi, and women often ignore me (I'm always like 'WHAT? I don't smell....well....maybe a bit') but men usually will respond.

Now, if you want to know why I ignored the guy who chirped 'HI SUNSHINE!' at me this morning while I was running to work....

I'm always on the treadmill and will kind of wave or say hi to other people in the gym. Small town so we all know each other.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I'm the opposite - the chick who gets agitated when I don't get acknowledged back. Seriously? Are you THAT fantastic of an athlete that you can't say hi to the cute chick that just said hi? I do understand being in the zone or in my case totally zoning out though and just not noticing. I'm trained to notice something that can be identified about everyone though, so I'm a bit more engaging than passive.

I think in many cases it can be the chick being a bit worried about safety, but also intimidated by the athlete. I pass many people and I always feel bad if they look down or away like they're shy or intimidated...I'm hardly Lance, and if I say hi or wave - wave back damnit.

I don't care if you're a guy or a girl, if you were THAT good that you couldn't be nice, you wouldn't be riding/running where I am.

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AW

I'll usually nod if I pass someone who waves. If I'm alone, I never smile or say hi for same reasons as trailbait. Far too many creeps and losers out there.

I do pretty much the same thing, quick nod and see how the react unless I am alone and they look like a physical threat in any way then I look at them then intentionally look away. Let them know I know they are there and not give them a chance to engage me.

That doesn't really happen much to me though. I tend to run in less populated areas where I've seen the others on the trail before. I wave at everyone in my neighborhood but sometimes they don't wave back which I find odd.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Marco,like it or not,in todays world we men are guilty until proven otherwise.It doesn't matter how nice or harmless you are,you are a male and therefore a potential wifebeating,child-molesting,loser sleezebag. One day,you will find that will change and you will suddenly be deemed acceptable by some secret set of rules known only to females.

.

It's because they're creeped out by your blatant hitting on them. Cut out the "Your chest is getting huge my man" smalltalk and you might get on better :-)

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"Here's how you run a marathon. Step 1: You start running. Step 2: There is no step 2." - Barney (How I Met Your Mother)

I say "hey" to everyone I pass, innie or outie.

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mmm-mmm-Momo Charms
Handmade beverage charms, jewelry, and miscellanea
http://momocharms.wordpress.com

I do most of my running with a group but on my solo morning runs most of the people I see are men. I smile and nod but generally don't get much response back - might be something to do with it being 6am. And me being beamingly happy to be out at that hour - not everyone likes a morning person!

I did find that in the weeks following Wendy Ladner-Baudrey's death in Pacific Spirit Park that I was suspicious of any men I saw when I was running in the trails, even if I was with a group. I'm not usually like that but I'd see some guy walking alone in the woods and immediately wonder why he was there, weird to have your perspective on the world warped like that.

Khai hasn't been in that park for a while now. You should be safe ;)

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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

Before I moved (recently) I was running in a nice area that had lots of other runners out there alla time. At first, I would wave at other runners, but none EVER acknowledged me. Maybe they were scared of my dog. Regardless, after a winter of running most days through the same areas, I started getting waved at not by other runners but by drivers used to seeing me, the school crossing guards (who took to stopping traffic for me just like they did for the kids) and I'd greet them all and thank them as best I could depending on how hard I was running. Only two runners waved at me in 6 months time. One was a fellow I knew from the dog park that ran at different times who waved at me during HIS run but my dog walk, the other a neighbor also known from the dog park that was on a group run I wasn't able to attend. Our running paths crossed and he and I yelled our hello's as we passed.

I just concluded runners on teh street weren't interested in other runners and took to ignoring them.


Running on trail, on the other hand, has always been different. I've never lacked a wave, hello or nod from someone running trail, especially when I'm running trail. Heck, last night three trail runners nodded or waved while going the other direction when I was just taking the dog for a walk. Running on the "riverwalk path" thingy just down the road though... no smile, wave, nod, etc from other runners once again.

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There is no justice, there is only me. -- Death

If I'm running or riding I acknowledge anyone riding or running.

It seems like I get less response when it's across disciplines (I'm riding and say hi to a runner or vice versa).

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Come crawling faster

I guess all men are taking a beating for the creeps out there.

But Marco has a point. It is pretty well exclusively women runners that behave this way. Women cyclists and XC skiers always wave back. Perhaps it is less likely that a creep goes through the effort of getting a $4000 bike and all the fast gear, or actually skis 15K into the woods out from the nearest car, so the guys on skis and bikes must be legit non creeps (cause it really would be crazy for a creep to do a 30K ski loop in minus 15 where the chances of dying from frostibite are likely higher than encountering other people....). Whereas, any creep can throw on some running shoes and head to the local park....

Dev

Bang on. When I'm on the bike, I never feel threatened by male cyclists.... just by the idiots in trucks who slow down to have a look.

Nordic skiing... have never felt threatened, now that I think about it.

The creeps don't even have to run in the park. Just sit on a bench and wait for us to come along, if they are so inclined to attack us.

I still think the odds of a creep being behind a bush, or sitting on a bench, or just walking around looking shifty are a million times higher than them going out to buy running shoes, running clothes and training to be able to run at a decent pace... I can totally see the 'appearing tough/not waving' to the bush/bench/shifty-walking crowd, but seriously, the odds of a fellow runner being out to 'get you' are a lot lower IMHO than the odds of somebody running you over while you cross at the next set of lights.

Actually, with patient use of online auction sites and a little resourcefulness, it's quite possible to spend far less money on a decent bike for stalking female cyclists.

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Over 4.5 years bike crash free.

I had a creep follow me on my lunch time run at Burnaby Lake today. I was trying to just be my polite self and just gave the wave, well he decided to run with me and ask a gazillion questions (where do you work, what is your name, etc.) before rambling on about how he used to run with his x-GF and how nice it was to run with someone again...

Had to fake a cramp ("Oh, I'm going to walk a bit now, you keep going, have a nice day..."), then ran the other direction back to the office.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

meh! OTOH I was running in Burnaby Lake on Sun and a few people I crossed did wave, funny our experiences differed... during the week I run at Deer Lake, and I am soo hating the run back up to Kingsway, I guess that's a good way to force me to do hills!

On the other hand, though, maybe this guy was used to talk a lot while running? the way you're describing it seems more like he was really happy to have somebody to run with (even if temporarily) and so couldn't contain himself, still I guess he didn't get the signals that maybe you preferred to be left alone...