Hi folks,

I need to apologize to a woman that I passed near the north end of Willamette Park on Saturday during the 25k. I don't know who you are, but I was yelling "on your left" very loudly, and startled you enough that you stepped off the trail to the right and stopped. I had no intention whatsoever to startle you so badly. I'm sorry.

As an explanation (not an excuse) it happened because there was a runner behind you with headphones on. She was weaving right and left on the trail, not holding a steady line. My running partner and I wanted to pass her safely. There was plenty of room for us to pass if she would have held a straight course. But she did not hear us as we said "on your left," so we increased our voices, until the point that I was shouting quite loudly. So you see, it had nothing to do with you, the woman who pulled off the side of the trail. I was yelling to get the attention of the woman behind you wearing headphones.

After we passed the woman with headphones on, I waved to her. She pulled an ear piece out of one ear and said, "What?" Her music was so loud she could not hear me shouting at her from 10' behind her. Good thing I wasn't a car. She never would have known what hit her.

Ok, I admit it. This is not just an apology. If you wear headphones while running, please be safe about it. Keep the volume turned down so that you can hear traffic and "on your left" spoken at a reasonable decibel level. Some runners use only one ear piece, which is a great idea for being able to hear.

Sorry for shouting - and thanks to everyone for being safe out there.
Eric

Nice post, Eric and a great reminder. If you have to listen to music to get you through a run, and at that loud of a volume... you'll never here what you body is trying to tell you.

Thanks for the post Eric! I, for one, prefer to be startled instead of mowed over. Someone could really get hurt when passing/being passed without warning. i.e. elbow to the ribs, knocked off balance, tripping, etc.

At this point, we're all running in a group, so it shouldn't be a giant surprise that someone would be coming up "on your left." I'm happy to make more room for any (uh-hum, green) runner that is whizzing past me. Most often, folks will thank a runner for announcing "on your left."

My 2 cents, for what its worth.

Hmmm, does our forum have a LIKE button?

Thanks for the post, Eric!

Eric,

I'm likely the lone runner with the iPod who took the brunt of your "screaming" during a particularly difficult run, for me.

Personally, I believe you should be apologizing to two women.

To be clear, we were on a narrow (6+ feet wide, to be generous) stretch of curving, uneven paved path. Hardly "plenty of room" for three runners. Let's face it, this wouldn't be an issue if there were ample room for you to pass, would it?

Nevertheless, I was having a very difficult time at that juncture in the run - wondering how in the hell I would muster the strength to even finish. I was in pain both emotionally and physically (likely from having ran the Sauvie Island half the week prior), and being lost in my head while listening to music was all I could do to not lay down there on that path and cry! "Weaving right and left" is a gross exageration; I was barely moving at that point. I heard something that frankly startled me and quickly pulled my left ear bud, and just as you and your partner blew by on my left, you yelled "I've been screaming on your left!!!!" I did not respond "what?" - my response was "I'm so sorry." Your memory doesn't serve you well, sir.

"Good thing I wasn't a car..." You aren't a car. I wasn't running on or near a road where I could get "hit" by a car. I was slowly running on a narrow path. I was merely an inconvenience to you and your partner at that moment.

Eric, I likely paid the same registration fee you did to join PortlandFit. I don't know your motivation for coming out early on Saturday mornings to tax your mind and body, and frankily don't care. I will tell you that I certainly didn't join a group to get angrily yelled at by other members.

I have a demanding life and have gone through some recent personal challenges that quite possibly nearly defeated me. Yet, I do something positive for myself. I choose to wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays, tie my laces, take a deep breath and ask my body to do what sometimes feels like the impossible, like that morning.

Our brief exchange on that path made me feel like crap for the rest of the day, and asking myself why I even bother with this! Please consider that.



Julieanna Finegan

Julieanna,

This whole thread is about awareness as it relates to safety. Faster runners aren't better than anyone else.
Passing Runners should be given the right of way...but need to realize they don't have it until it is given.
If you're not aware enough to give it, it creates an unsafe, unpleasant environment.
Also, if you're not aware, you're not able to protect, communicate to other nearby runners... "Bike back, Runner back"
If Eric is yelling and yelling he's probably frustrated because normal courtesy, communication didn't work.
He's tired and hurting too. Would you want someone slower weaving in front of you oblivious to your presence to the point where you felt you had to yell to create a safer environment? Would you want to make someone feel as bad as you did when you got yelled at or made people jump out of the way scared?


I feel like crying all of the time on my runs. Benchmarks rarely go well for me. It's been 7 years with PFIT and I'm still praying/waiting for the day when a pedi-cab pulls up next to me mid-run and says "Hey I need someone to drink all these cold beers in the back seat before I get in trouble....where you headed sir....fresh towel?" Still no luck.

Regardless of how I feel it's never justification for not being safe. I realized that I sucked running with music so it's best if I only use in on tracks and treadmills. I looooove running with music.

When those long runs go dark, I've found solace in finding another person. I see if I can talk them into running with me for a bit. (Misery loves company) Maybe they can talk me through it. I've yet to find a song better than a running buddy gracious enough to put their day on hold to help you through a tough spot.

Learning this made me a better passer. TOny's 2-step to sharing the roads.
Step 1. Look for people behind you.
I'm constantly looking over left and right shoulder when ever I change my line. To see if anyone is behind me, if so...how close? I even do this before the curves at track.
Step 2. I try to take a patient approach or simply avoid situations best I can. When approaching slower runners I try to make them aware of my presence w/o with subtle methods. Make a noise, comment on scenery, ask a question. These are the aware runners. Unaware runners take more effort and patience... I can be telling them to please move over, their friends can be telling them to move over...and they're not moving over... "WHAT?" these are to the people that are deep in conversation and oblivious they're blocking the whole path. Headphone runners are usually more independent and don't have friends to signal. The 1 earphone is good for that so your left side, left ear is open.

Can you please stay to the right? Those bikers are crazy...;-)

Being in pain isn't a license to be ignorant. Being frustrated or inconvenienced isn't a license to yell at other runners.
Next time, when you're hurting, look for me. I'll run with you or Pull off and walk to song, then go 1 head phone when you start running again.
Find someone to distract you. It will take some practice but it's worth it.

Tony

Hi Julieanna,

I do apologize. First, for not remembering that you apologized, and second, because of how you felt after the experience. It was never my goal to make you feel bad. I wanted simply to make you aware that you couldn't hear anything but your music - which is dangerous. Had I not been in pain, had I also not been struggling to complete the run, had I not been low on blood sugar, I'm sure I would have had the composure to raise the issue in a polite manner.

To address other issues...

I agree, I'm not a car. But if you couldn't hear me "screaming," as you put it, how could you hear a car, let alone a bicycle? Our run was on trail, road, parking lots, sidewalks - lots of opportunities to interact, perhaps dangerously, with other people in cars, on bikes, skateboards, roller blades, carrying dragon boats, running, you name it. It's good for one to have full awareness of their surroundings.

Many runners do not run in a straight line. It's more of an oscillating 'S'-curve. You were moving left-and-right-and back on the trail. While we may disagree on the use of the word 'weaving,' your path was not paralleling the edge of the trail. This is easy to change - one only need be aware of where they are in relation to the side of the path, and they'll track along it nicely. Being predictable in one's movement helps one be safer on the trail. Or street.

Trail sharing and in particular, passing, can be difficult issues. Some people are startled by any warning, and I feel bad when they jump when I say 'on your left.' Other people are startled if I pass without giving any warning. I've spoken with a number of runners about this to try to figure out a good protocol. The only thing I've been able to figure out is that there is no one way to pass everyone that will keep everyone happy. So I do my best to be polite, but most importantly, to pass safely. In some cases, politeness is sacrificed for the physical well being of everyone involved.

Again, I'm sorry this was a bad experience for you. I'd hate for you to quit running because of it. I appreciate your feedback, and have learned from it!

Happy Trails,
Eric