Wave Runner Psychology

But not everyone waves. Recently, I've been doing a little informal survey to see if the wavers vs. non-wavers fall into definable categories. To level the field, I started waving at everybody I passed to see who waved back or otherwise acknowledged my existence. Here are my findings so far:

Wavers

• Anyone over 50
• Couples over 30
• Men running by themselves (especially if they're duffers)
• Women in groups of three or more
• Large groups of hikers
• People with dogs

Non-Wavers

• Young women by themselves
• Young couples
• Two women together
• Hard-core runners

I have my little theories about the non-wavers. I think a lot of young women are very guarded about any type of outreach (even from another woman). The young couples are usually too busy mooning over each other to notice my wave, and the women are usually too busy talking. The hard-core runners wave back sometimes, but a lot of them don't, even if I see them over and over. Are they concentrating with complete focus on their next victory? Is the strain of training to perfection so great it shuts out all other sensory input? Do I look too much like a non-serious runner to be in their stringy, anorexic, 20-mile-long-run club?

I'm going to keep running and keep waving, and see if I can refine my results over time. If anyone has insights into wave runner psychology, drop me a note.