yet another one for the ladies
godluvsatrier
Posts: 199
in General Chat
okay girls,
bit of a serious one here. has anyone ever had problems training outdoors? in my brief one and a half seasons in triathlon i have been pushed off bike by drunken loon, shouted at a million ties from cars, been tooted at by vans (which i kinda ignore and am not so bothered about) but worryingly have also had cars slow down on purpose as they drive past and if its a quiet street or there just happens to be very little traffic around it has started making me quite jumpy to be running (more than cycling) out in the fresh air. i do use a treadmill but its just not the same.
the other day a taxi slowed down in front of me as i was coming to a crossing and then totally stopped in front of me so i had to run around the front of it to cross. the driver wasnt waiting for anyone as sped off afterwards, and there was no traffic.no reason for him to do it. does this sort of stuff ever bother anyone else and has anyone got a way to deal with it!? Like i say i can handle shouts and beeps from cars but it does make me jumpy when you get them kerb crawling! i really dont want to confine myself to a treadmill
xx
bit of a serious one here. has anyone ever had problems training outdoors? in my brief one and a half seasons in triathlon i have been pushed off bike by drunken loon, shouted at a million ties from cars, been tooted at by vans (which i kinda ignore and am not so bothered about) but worryingly have also had cars slow down on purpose as they drive past and if its a quiet street or there just happens to be very little traffic around it has started making me quite jumpy to be running (more than cycling) out in the fresh air. i do use a treadmill but its just not the same.
the other day a taxi slowed down in front of me as i was coming to a crossing and then totally stopped in front of me so i had to run around the front of it to cross. the driver wasnt waiting for anyone as sped off afterwards, and there was no traffic.no reason for him to do it. does this sort of stuff ever bother anyone else and has anyone got a way to deal with it!? Like i say i can handle shouts and beeps from cars but it does make me jumpy when you get them kerb crawling! i really dont want to confine myself to a treadmill
xx
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Comments
A bit creepy though.
speed dial 1 on my mobile is 999 - even if out of range of signal will still send a signal
ensure everyone knows where I'm going and when I intend to be back
stick to lighted areas - in my dreams can't remember the last time I saw a street light on one of my runs
record car numbers that curb crawl on your text and then have a discussion with your local bobbie
go take some classes for extraction manoeuvres rather than self defense - for my sins I'm a brown belt in karate and some of those skills for getting out of situations rather than kicking the s**t out of someone helps to make you feel more confident so you look more confident which in turn puts off the b*****ds[:D]
godluvsatrier - I am a bloke and i still get the local Chavs slowing down cutting me up on the bike and beeping the horn and shouting when I am running. Its just an unfortunate part of living in modern times - its usually just because they are bored and have nothing better to do.
When out on a run once I saw the same chavmobile driving 3 times down a side road - he was trying to bait me but you just have to ignore it - as said above make sure that someone know were you are going and for how long - take your mobile - and change your route often, even if its only reversing your route. Keep your wits about you and don't use an MP3 player when running.
I joined a running club, this allows me to I feel safer running in a group and you still get the odd n*bhead who thinks he can outrun you ( well 40 of us!) but they soon get bored.
Believe me, when the dark looong nites came in, my running came to an end cos I was worried ( and wouldnt) run alone. Besides which, nutters are about during the day too. See if you can joing a local club and train with them, its so comforting running in a group that will wait for you if you are slower than them, but at the same time who are actually decent people with a likeminded hobby.
It has brought my running on no end also.
good luck chick and remember that most of the losers who give us stick for wanting stay fit and not be lardies at home watching telly are just jealous and wish they could do. be a little smug about that :-)
Good luck with it.
and meakie - i lov the idea of running club. again i hadnt really though it for safety before and never got round to it but have searched on google and found one near me that trai twice a week, that only leaves one session to do alone and i can use tread for that. fantastic advice, thank you everyone.
x
oh and cantdoitbutwilltri - i wish it was because of wobbly bits but im quite skinny and not overly endowed in that area so its certainly not boobs they're ogling!! [:)]
But, GLaT, you are not alone: a friend of mine has even been spat on as she perfectly innocently made her way along the pavement (fortunately, nothing worse). It seems to be more of a problem in cities though. It's absolutely nothing to do with you, but everything to do with them (you even get some of the "ooh a woman, point and giggle" type attitude on this forum, I've noticed).
For personal safety although I'm more worried about having a heart attack, or breaking a leg), I always let someone know my route (I actually have a print out of a map pinned to the noticeboard, as the missus has trouble taking my complex geographical and topological descriptions in [:)], and I always give an idea of how long I expect to be. If running, I don't like to carry too much - but take some ID (I keep meaning to get a nice SoS bracelet/dog tag type thing, but haven't got around to it). For the Bike, because you are more likely to break down, I take a phone and a small amount of cash if I'm going to be further than a walk/run from home. Again, I make sure I've told someone my route, and stick to it.
If it's any consolation, I would feel nervous about running through a city - I tend to stick to main routes, well lit etc. when I'm away from home.
A club / training buddy sounds like a great idea.
I am trying to get a group going from my workplace for novice/fun runners & so far have no takers, despite having several women ask recently about doing the lung run/marie curie run/race for life etc.
Sad to say as mentioned above us chaps get abuse too, when cycling 2 seems to be the optimum number for abuse, aggressive driving, horn sounding etc, less when on my own & even less when 3 or more running I try to avoid kids leaving school times, failed miserably last night when tripped up by a sodding dalmation.
@ godluvsatrier. Don't let it put you off. One thing that might help is to always against the flow of traffic. That way cars can't really kerb crawl up behind you or at least are separated somewhat by the rest of the road and there's actually less time for them to act...
A baseball bat is too good for these pathetic losers.
Out running fortunately I have so far had no hassle, and I've been running on and off for a few years. I run mostly on busy streets with wide pavements near home and I see quite a few other runners usually, which is reassuring.
How so?
My advice i feel still stands, a women got killed in Queens park here, and worst of all people knew it was happening and done nothing (they heard the screams). She was beaten to death. She had a knife she woulda had a much better chance. She might have got in trouble for it but tbh whats better? Judged by 12 or carried by 6?
Comanighttrain: I sincerely hope that you live in very much another part of the country to me. Seriously - carrying a knife?? Beating someone up? Are you for real?
As for the topic: Although I do run alone and am aware of the risks, I have generally felt pretty safe in my area. Very good reminder, however, to be very aware of your situation as you run. Some excellent ideas here that I will take on board, like taking ID and leaving a run route out for DH.
blurredgirl
Comanighttrain: I sincerely hope that you live in very much another part of the country to me. Seriously - carrying a knife?? Beating someone up? Are you for real?
As for the topic: Although I do run alone and am aware of the risks, I have generally felt pretty safe in my area. Very good reminder, however, to be very aware of your situation as you run. Some excellent ideas here that I will take on board, like taking ID and leaving a run route out for DH.
blurredgirl
[/quote]
Oh come on im not a bad guy! Just lived in a rough part of town for a while.
Im just saying if its you or them, is it not better them?
That's fantastic! It isn't like that where I am, that said i haven't had much trouble running, there are the odd comedian who thinks it funny to run along side for a few minutes, until I invited them along for the remaining 10 miles if they really wanted, by the end of the road he was crumpled up barely breathing and i carried on with a bit of a laugh as i went. His mates found that funny too.
I don't think that I would want to run if i felt i had to carry a knife - i'd be too worried about cutting myself reaching for my water bottle or something, which, is unfortuantly more likely than not to happen to me.
The best defence is thinking ahead and avoiding the situation - stick to well-lit populated areas, run during daylight if at all possible (yes, whackos out during the daytime too, but less likely that no-one else will be), know your route and tell others about it when you go out, carry a phone with you to call for help if you need it. If you're in a particularly seedy area, join a running club or just find a training buddy - any hooligan is a lot less likely to start something for real if there are two (or more) of you.
Unfortunately this won't stop casual shouted abuse or make the nobs think any more about anyone other than themselves and getting their jollies harassing people, but these are some good strategies for avoiding the more serious types of trouble.
I am a country boy and now live in small town in the heart of somerset, I have only once been abused while training and they will never do it again I shouted really loudly back.
I have been told that i look slightly agressive when cycling or running so it seems most peoiple just get out of the way.
It does sadden me to hear that we are bing singled out for abuse just because we have something in our lives other than CHAVTASTIC bordom!
If I saw it happening to a fellow runner/cyclist i would have to interject. It really is wrong!!!!!!
I was not actually intimidated by them, as on my way past I clocked that they appeared very young, quiet and just chilling out. I was on a loop of 2 round a big pond and so I had to go round again (well, didn't have to but it didn't seem enough of a threat to disrupt my run). Second time round the same thing happened, but this time I high-fived him back. His palm-slap was deliberately gentle to not put me off my stride, and he and his mates cheered me on as if I was leading a major race. Loved it.
Admittedly this is not a rough part of town, I was very close to good housing and the kids were clearly not trouble. But just sometimes something nice like that can happen that restores your faith in people.
blurredgirl
but i have definitely decided to join the running club - thats the most sensible solution and may even aid my fitness and get me running better.
on the bike note, those green boxes for bikes at traffic lights really pee off drivers who dont understad them! on my ride home from wor today i was in one and the landrover behind,e made a point of cutting me up and giving me the finger. jeesh..... never mind though - tris worth it!!!
hope everyone keeps safe and sound!!! xx
They gave chase and he proceeding to stay an annoying 5m in front for the next 90 minutes. They sprinted, then ran, they walked, whatever, but he was always just in front, pissing them off.
I laughed my nuts off when he told me. He must have nearly had them all dying. It was funny right up until I thought of all the times I've tripped, stumbled or even picked up a cramp or injury when running. They could've killed him.
And just so all the ladies know, harrassment happens to blokes too. I've hads the usual 'Oi, Lance' shouting from cars, been spat at, had the Chavs beeping their horns at the last second to scare me off. Even had one white-van come close enough to chuck the remains of his takeaway at me, hitting me with his door mirror in the process. Credit to the local bobbies that one particularly tenacious WPC got proper annoyed about it and make the bloke's life hell for about 4 months, even though she knew there was no chance of a prosecution (no witnesses, other then me).
Oh, I live in the burbs, about 15mins from Southampton and about 5 mins from some proper green bits. There are idiots everywhere.
Ijust ignore the a***holes
on reflection i should post this to conehead..
i do feel sorry for you girls though i must say
[;)]
From what Dave says it was mainly him walking backwards in front of them saying 'Come on then!'... can you imagine the chavvy frustration every time they tried to catch him? I'd usually leave them alone myself but he had already been jumped and hit, so was clearly in the mood for chav-baiting.
On another note, I've had the "Oi, fancy a race" shouted many times from the road-side gang of oiks. The situation is easily defused by saying "No chance, mate, I'm knackered!" which gets a laugh and makes the problem go away.
Actually, the biggest problem I face when running is inconsiderate dog owners. When I'm not side-stepping 'dog eggs' left in the middle of the footpaths round here - I mean how disgusting is that? - I'm dodging badly controlled dogs. My most recent I am afraid ended up with me asking four times for a dog owner to keep their animal under control after it bit my ankle, elbow and hand while jumping up and scratching my leg. I got a load of verbal from the owner.... "Don't be so wet, he's just saying hello" etc while I ended up losing the plot and swearing, which I'm not proud of: "Keep your f'ing dog under control!". I went home with a bruised achilles and some nasty infected scratches on my leg. Nice.
Seriously, all the advice about leaving a route plan, telling somebody where you are going and going out with mates is good advice. Sorry to say that advice is doubly important for the ladies. Also, remember you are fitter than 99.999% of the tossers out there. If it all goes wrong then change your plan to a tempo session and up the pace for a few minutes...
*Edit*. Speling mistooks needed fixign.