There are many reasons to avoid running in a city: the halting crosswalks, congested sidewalks, and the non-negligible risk of getting hit by a reckless driver–or the flailing arm of an animated pedestrian–to name a few. There are also the jarring sounds of machinery, the harmful smog they produce, and the stench of the discarded (items and sadly people as well).
However, city running also offers something that no other form of running really does: an unsuspecting audience. I naturally shy away from attention, however, great joy can be found in performing for others, especially in a harmless manner.
So when I run in the city I put on a show. My head bobs like I’ve gained deep understanding, my feet hop back and forth like I’m shadowboxing while I wait to cross the street, and I even let my arms sway as if I were at an EDM concert.
It’s inefficient and I look ridiculous, but who cares! You’ll only see these people for a few moments and it’s quite fun to be ridiculous.
And sometimes it feels like these moments are bigger than me. As someone who only discovered the joy of running in their late 20s, I can attest that to an outsider running looks drudgerous (this should be a word) if not outright miserable–indeed, many who run like to amplify this impression in order to look ‘tough’. But when I run in such a joyful and goofy manner, I imagine onlookers warming up to the idea of going for a run themselves. Of course, I’ll never know if my actions result in anyone going for a run, but it is a beautiful thing to think 😊
Happy running!
PS
If you’re not excited by the idea of ‘performing’, there is another reason to run in the city: having an audience often improves performance. This was definitely the case on my first city run in a long time (as well as my experience whenever someone special would come watch me play sports), but if you don’t want to take my word for it, why don’t you give it a try?
PPS
One final benefit of city running is it can be a way to practice flexible decision-making and open-mindedness. There aren’t many decisions to be made when running in most places, but in the city, every red light is an opportunity to pivot and change direction instead of waiting. This subtly reminds us that we don’t always reach our destination without detours or encourages us to give up having a fixed goal altogether—just run! This change in thought patterns may be subtle, but that does not mean it’s not powerful, especially when practiced frequently.