On a bright winter afternoon, Cedric Givens, at 60, bounces down the steps of his house on Eighth Street NE, turns around on the sidewalk and begins running backward. He eventually turns onto H Street and heads west, passing trendy new eateries and bars, still running backward, but now on the street. Then he crosses over the H Street Bridge, continues past a slew of new construction projects and reaches what’s left of Chinatown. By the time he gets to Seventh and H in Northwest, Givens is in the middle of the street. He is also spinning in circles. Hopping up and down. Shouting.

“Woot! Woot! Woot! All right! All right!”

Along the sidewalk and in the passing cars and trucks, the reactions are mixed to the sight of this backward-jogging, hooting and hollering man wearing wraparound sunglasses, a gray sweatshirt, red mittens, black running tights and sparkling white New Balance sneakers.