Morning vs. Afternoon Runners

While I was training for the marathon, I ran in the mornings.  I did this for two reasons: first, I'm a morning person, and I like to start my day off with a run.  Second, I wanted to avoid the summer heat.  So, I ran in the mornings.  Lately, though, I've been running when I get home in the afternoon.  It doesn't get light until about 7:45 now, and I've been getting to the U earlier, so I've squeezed out my morning run.  Should be no big deal, right?  Sunshiny afternoons and a good way to wind down the day—just like cross country practice.  Well, I don't enjoy running in the afternoons for one major reason:

Afternoon runners aren't nearly as friendly as morning runners.

I'm a waver.  It's a gesture from one runner to another that we acknowledge each other's trials and tribulations and that point in time.  It's a simple wave.  Sometimes it's accompanied by a "good morning" or a "keep it up".  80% of morning runners return the gesture.  In the afternoon, only about 10% wave back.  And since there are considerably more runners in the afternoon than the morning, I look like some sea mammal whose flipper is going into spasm constantly because I keep waving for seemingly no reason.  I'm not sure of the reason for this phenomenon, but I posit that it has something to do with the passive-aggressive nature of all Minnesotans.  They're nice enough to be outside with other humans, but when it comes to interacting, they're much too busy.