Jogging in Hemet

I am a runner. No, wait. Let me clarify that. I am a jogger. Runners might be offended if I claimed their title. I jog for my health and for a brief escape from the young children at home. (Although a good book in the bathroom can aid in both of those endeavors as well.) Runners run for masochistic reasons, usually involving insanely long races.

My brother is one of those runners. Sometimes I run/jog with him near his home in Orange County. For those of you not aware, there is a difference between Orange County and a place like, say, Hemet. When I jog there (or run if I am with my brother), I am never alone. Last weekend over the course of a four mile trot in the O.C., I encountered three other joggers, one “runner” (he had a water bottle, a fancy watch, and an iPod), three cyclists, and four dog walkers. When I run at home, I usually encounter a loose dog and a pack of teenagers waiting to catch their pre-dawn bus to school.

To be honest, when I jog at home, I get lonely. A few weeks ago I was visiting some friends in Kentucky. When I ran there, every single driver that passed by me waved. When I run here, no one waves. Occasionally I get a smile if I happen to be pushing my incredibly cute daughter in her jogging stroller, but for the most part, I am ignored by drivers. I was never alone in Kentucky, although at times I thought I would slip off the incredibly narrow shoulders of the roadways and tumble into the deep grassy ditch below. (The ditches are actually designed to catch the rain water and run it off to the appropriate locations, go figure.) But, even if I did fall, I was sure a friendly motorist would stop and help me back up onto my feet. I’m not so sure of that here.

So why is the culture for us joggers so difficult in the Valley? Is it because it is too hot or too cold? It is certainly not the high elevation or excessive snow. Maybe we don’t get the waves from motorists because no one expects to see us. We joggers need to unify and make our presence known. Maybe if drivers expected to see us, they would have their hands ready for a wave at a moment’s notice.

For those of you still looking to make a New Year’s resolution, let me encourage you to join me in my quest to make Hemet a haven for joggers. First of all, it is good for you. We all know that. Even if you don’t want to jog, you can at least walk. Secondly, I need jogging friends to cheer me on to me as I huff and puff my way down the street. I can’t keep this up alone. Third, wouldn’t it be great if someone from Kentucky came here and after returning home and said to his neighbor, “Those Californians are so nice to each other.”? (Hey! I heard you mumble, “Yeah,right.”) And of course, the last reason to jog: You could be just like those (you fill in the blank with your own adjective) people in Orange County.