consideration, respect... common sense...

I had a convo today with a friend about running... she's in the speedy wave for the St. Paddy's day run... she has long legs, and can run, fast.  Me,  i'm in the green wave, 'cause I'm not fast, and I have short legs :)   However... she said 'no way,  you wanna be in the first wave because you don't have to pass people'.  She has a point,  but again,  I'm slow.  I don't mind passing people,  and I know that I'm slow,  and I don't wanna be in anyone's way,  so at the start,  I usually angle over to the side of the road and have those long legged speedsters go !  

That being said,  people get in my way too.  And some people are just not bright.  Stroller people that stop IN THE MIDDLE of the road,  people who bend over to tie their shoes IN THE MIDDLE of the road,  groups of people running together (that's a good thing.. the more the merrier) ... but don't RUN FIVE ACROSS and block the road for others,  and my personal fav,  must you TALK ON YOUR CELL while you are running ?  sheesh.... 

So I found this article and it cracked me up !

How do you tell a fellow runner that he's, well, doing it wrong?

This is not an academic question. It occurred to me early Saturday morning, while I was out walking the dog. We saw three guys, probably in their mid-40's, running down a nearby street. They were dressed in huge cotton sweats and baggy pants, and shuffled along, chatting.

Good for you, I thought. Keep it up, guys.

But here's the thing: They were jogging three abreast, an arm's length apart... in the mathematical center of the street.

And here's the other thing: They were headed straight for a steep, blind hill.

I found myself walking in their direction, for a better view, to see whether they would wise up and choose a side before they crested the hill. Surely, even if these guys were total newbies, some primitive instinct for self-preservation would kick in, and guide them subconsciously toward a curb. Wouldn't it?

As it turned out, it would not.

I cringed, waiting for a UPS truck to barrel over the hill and cream them, as the three shuffled along, in the middle of the road, up and over. For all I know, they ran this way for the duration of their run. Maybe they eventually merged onto I-78 and headed west in the center lane.

I kid. But still. I mean, it's great that these guys are out there. But I really felt as if they were putting their lives on the line, taking a hill in the middle of the street like that.

Should I have spoken up? I didn't, and now I wish I had. But what would I have said, without sounding like a scold or a busybody? "Hey, guys, you're gonna get killed if you keep that up?" And what was I supposed to do, shout it at them? (They were a good 200 or 300 meters away at this point.) Run to catch them? Send the dog, Lassie-style, to warn them?

At this point, it is academic, and I assume they each made it home in one piece. But I think next time I see something like this, when someone's risking life or limb, I'll speak up. Even if I sound like a scold.

Now, about those huge cotton sweats...