Random People Racing Me

Happens to me every day in Lumpini park or Chatuchak park in Bangkok, and also at the National Stadium. There is ALWAYS someone who tries to keep the pace, no matter if I am doing 10 minutes a mile or 5 minutes a mile. If I am having a bad day, they sometimes speed up to pass me, as if it's a great achievement to pass someone doing 8 minutes a mile; who cares. The roads, tracks and trails are there for all, and if they want to run with you, just let them. As long as they don't interfere, I don't care, and neither should you.

Consider it a compliment that someone wants to run with you. Maybe the guy who wants to run with you is lonely and needs someone to run with. Humans were meant to run with each other.

Jason

If you are new to DC, and this is happening in the Dupont Circle area, have someone explain the demographics of the neighborhood to you.

Otherwise, just hammer him already. Punks.

not a racer wrote:

let him pas you up and run in a different direction to get him even more pissed off

this!

:(

Why not just ask him"What is it exactly that you are trying to prove with this....?"

How about, "I charge $10 per mile, in advance." ?

strike up a conversation next time to see what he after

Never fails,Guaranteed.Ask him if God has entered his life.Scares every one off.

dean,

I agree that you should just drop someone when they do that -- although like you said, maybe you're not in shape to do that right now? You could just slow down so that he's right next to you and just tell him you're just doing a training run and not really into racing, or you could just turn back the other way if it wouldn't mess up your run too much.

Back in my days living on Stanford's campus when I was my fittest, I used to do a once-a-week 6 miler with the last two miles of it at 5k race pace (and actually it was faster because it was a stretch that was decently downhill -- man that was a fun run). This Stanford student woman noticed me running a couple times and then jumped on her bike and pretty much rode right beside me for the last two miles. She did this twice. The first time I thought it was just odd. The second time when I finished, I asked her why she was doing that. Fortunately she never did it again. I made sure both times to not finish anywhere near where I actually lived. She probably just wanted a piece of Flagpole, but who knows. She had a look of "you're not so fast -- I can keep up with you on a bike". I always wear my wedding ring, so who knows what that was about.

Some people are just competitive and think any training run is a race. JEH -- just in case you are reading this, no response from you is necessary.

ask him what his name is

Did it happen on the CCT? Usually happens to me about once a week, and just like you said, it is never a serious/fast runner - its always some goofball that is in all out sprint at 7:00 pace.

I never feel comfortable when it happens, because the person never says anything and I don't know what their true intentions are. I usually try not to pick up the pace too much because I don't want to turn an easy run into something harder...I just keep going at whatever pace I'm going at, and they will drop off in a fairly short period of time.

Dean-

Did you have the incident you described on Sunday (Jan 7) about 1 mile north of Meadowbrook Stables?

Consider this:

The other day, I was running in DC on my lunch break. I was doing about 7 miles at 6:30 pace. It was not a workout, just some junk mileage to get my legs going for the evening's workout.

Some guy is ahead of me, looks like a decent runner, and I am coming up on him fairly quickly. I hadn't thought twice about it, or really even noticed, until what happened next.

We get to a spot on path where we need to look for cars before passing, so we have to stop. We arrive to this spot around the same time b/c it is the place where I happened to catch up to him.

He turns around, sees me and just takes off like a madman when the cars were gone. I kind of chuckled and continue to run, but then he starts slowing down and I can tell he is hurting. I don't really want to pass him at this point because it is kind of awkward. Obviously I have to, and right as I am going by, he stops to tie his shoe. I never altered my pace once during this whole ordeal.

Kind of funny story from the other perspective, I guess.

He probably thought I was just a slouch, looking to race too. All I was trying to do was pass his slow ass without looking like a jerk.

I ran sub 2:30 late 2006, so while I am not really that great, I am not a slouch.

Maybe it was you that I passed.

Ahhhhhhh wrote:

Consider this:

The other day, I was running in DC on my lunch break. I was doing about 7 miles at 6:30 pace. It was not a workout, just some junk mileage to get my legs going for the evening's workout.

Wow, we are all really impressed that your "junk mileage" is done at 6:30 pace and it was "not a workout".

You must be really good, thank you so much for sharing your elite insights.

gfvr wrote:

Wow, we are all really impressed that your "junk mileage" is done at 6:30 pace and it was "not a workout".

You must be really good, thank you so much for sharing your elite insights.

WTF are you talking about? I get taken to school on about every workout I run with my group here.

I know it is all relative, but 6:30 pace isn't very fast.

My point is that I was running a decent pace, but not working out.

Ahhhhhhh wrote:

gfvr wrote:

Wow, we are all really impressed that your "junk mileage" is done at 6:30 pace and it was "not a workout".

You must be really good, thank you so much for sharing your elite insights.

WTF are you talking about? I get taken to school on about every workout I run with my group here.

I know it is all relative, but 6:30 pace isn't very fast.

My point is that I was running a decent pace, but not working out.

The more you speak, the more you look like a fool.

Anyone who thinks 6:30 pace is fast has no business calling themselves a runner.

I was pretty much thinking what Trail run says here. You ever think about sticking out your hand to the guy and saying, "Hi, I'm Dean"? Maybe you found a running partner.

Track dude,

It has happened on the CCT. In fact, that's where it usually happens. The main bike paths are rife with this disturbing activity.

Flagpole,

I loved the story. I'm definitely in shape to drop these people, as is anyone capable of running between 6-7 minute miles on a training run. The problem is that dropping them makes me feel petty and irritated because I let some goon change my pace. To be honest, after running at a reasonably competitive level, it's depressing to be dropping dudes wearing camelbacks and GU belts. Do you know what I mean?

Flat-hill Runner22,

Unfortunately, it didn't happen to me this Sunday. However, I run there all the time! I was hoping that one of the perps would be on the board, however... did you race someone that day? Perhaps you are one of the culprits! Do you have a bushy beard, North Face shoes, and long Michigan State shorts? Do you?!?