What I find to be even more annoying are the large training groups that have zero regard for any other runner who might be on the track at the same time. For example, in NYC it's the Central Park Track Club - they will stand in lanes 1-4 waiting for instructions while a solo athlete is trying to do their own workout. It's almost more painful when those who should know better do not.
mobius strip wrote:
What's so special about lane one for 200s or 400s? Doing them on the outside is better for your legs anyway.
If I'm doing long intervals, I politely ask if it's O.K. to use lane one for a half hour or whatever. No one ever gives me a problem.
If there are little kids playig around in random lanes, you may have a real problem. Talk nicely to the parents, and if they give you grief, emphasize that it is for the kid's safety.
Almost no one knows what the hell "track" means, unless they are among the 2% that ever turned out for track (and most of them don't seem to get it, even if they don't have earpieces in.
This.
fat housewives walking and joggers tottering along at 8 min/mile in lane 1 is commonplace in today's society. don't you know they're entitled to it? YOU should get out of the way and YOU should have to be the one to change your workout/lane running in/etc. in fact, YOU are a bad person if you say anything at all to them. actually, i take that all back. tell them to get the &*^% out of your way.
'If you're not first you're last' TM Ricky Bobby
I care less about someone on the inner lane than the 3 across taking up 4 lanes and oblivious to those working out. And someone weaving. 'Hold your damn line'
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
Forget the joggers, most of my high school track team (the sprinters) never seemed to know what "TRACK!" meant. They would be SITTING and stretching in lane 1 while we were trying to run our intervals. Any time we yelled "track," they would either look at us funny or shout "track" back at us mockingly.
Ah yes, the sprinters. Those damn puppy-hating sprinters. Aren't they also responsible for global warming?
Coach D wrote:
If all else fails, get a starting block. I've noticed that blocks seem to identify you as a hardass to the ordinary walkers and joggers, and people can't wait to get out of your lane, probably because they don't want to get run over by a 25 mph train.
But if you do that, it will identify you as a sprinter and we all know what people think about sprinters, especially TXrunnerGirl.
WDC Runner wrote:
This is a good question. Just had a problem last night. I run on a track that sometimes has as many as 100+ people running at the same time. Some people are fast (sub 5 mile repeats) and some are just housewife walkers. No one yells Track because it really would do no good. However, even though lots of these people ran in college, it seems that there isn't a standard understanding even among the faster people as to what's appropriate for direction and lane for warmup, passing during interval work, direction and lane for jog rest and direction and lane for cool down.
Last night I had to yell at a group of women and their male coach three times to WATCH OUT, as they approached us but didn't leave any room for us on the outside of the outer lane. All we really needed was half of the outside lane but they didn't want to yield.
What we need is a set of basic rules to be posted and followed. And for the two coaches to help make sure their athletes follow the rules. Anyone have a good set of rules for track ettiquette?
I haven't seen any collisions over the past five years but it would be a shame for one of the Olympic Trials hopefuls to get injured because he/she or another runner screwed up! (Or for that matter, if anyone - especially me - got hurt because of stupidity.)
You have got to be kidding me! 100 people working out on a track at once? I wouldn't even consider jogging on that nightmare of a track. I thank the taxpayers of my city for putting 4 HS/College tracks within 4 miles of my house. Easy jog to any of them.
Master of Class wrote:
First time: "TRACK!"
Second time: Get uncomfortable close to the individual as you pass them, passing inside of lane one.
Third time: Pile drive the son of a bitch.
Pile driving has always worked for me.
I f***ing hate you bitch get the f*** out of my way you slow f***ing asshole!!!!! usually works.
run the stagger, dont be rude
what to do? wrote:
So, I'm running 200s at MY college track last week (track is closed to public from 2-5 or so for practice, but I had a class that afternoon and had to get it in early). There's a group of 5 guys or so who are all running 400s, and in between they're WALKING about for 200 meters in lane one. They're also not doing this as a group, so there's always someone running or walking where I needed to run. First 200, I speed around them in lane two and don't say anything, hoping they'll get the hint. The second one, I did the same thing, but said "track!" as I did it. No reaction. Kept on in lane one. I gave up and ran the rest of my 200s in lane 2. Question-would it have been appropriate to educate them on track etiquette? I felt it would have been an asshole thing to say to ask them to please run in the outside lane, but at the same time....
What should I do next time?
Agree 100%. Veering out of lane 1 to pass a few slower joggers or walkers each lap will only help to prepare you for racing. And it's better than telling everyone what hot sh-t you are, and that you and you alone deserve lane 1. Frankly, most people on these boards aren't doing intervals that are all that fast anyway. Do you really need to make a big fuss so that you can "fly" around on your 68 second 400s. Really? Because everyone is so impressed by that.
The only exception is where there's a large group of walkers who insist on blocking half the track and who are paying attention to nothing but their conversation. Then, to avoid a crash, ask them nicely to keep your lane clear. Same applies to kids, but direct it to the parent(s).
NYC slummer wrote:
What I find to be even more annoying are the large training groups that have zero regard for any other runner who might be on the track at the same time. For example, in NYC it's the Central Park Track Club - they will stand in lanes 1-4 waiting for instructions while a solo athlete is trying to do their own workout. It's almost more painful when those who should know better do not.
Oh stop with the BS. It's an elite development club for Chrissake, and their coaches and athletes know to keep their out of the way.
Onyang! wrote:
NYC slummer wrote:What I find to be even more annoying are the large training groups that have zero regard for any other runner who might be on the track at the same time. For example, in NYC it's the Central Park Track Club - they will stand in lanes 1-4 waiting for instructions while a solo athlete is trying to do their own workout. It's almost more painful when those who should know better do not.
Oh stop with the BS. It's an elite development club for Chrissake, and their coaches and athletes know to keep their out of the way.
hahaha, yea I worked out at the LES track last summer and my workouts would overlap with theirs a few times. I don't recall ever becoming annoyed at them, they were always pretty aware of me running and would move out of the way if they saw me coming. Pretty considerate from what I remember.
Tell them to run more on concrete and drink more Pabst Blue Ribbon. And do the same yourself.
I still can't get over people on here who think yelling "track" at some random old woman walking will do anything other than confuse her.
Here is an interesting bit of "track" lore:
Yelling "track" did not originate on the 400 meter oval. It originated with the sport of cross country skiing, where the faster skiers yell "track" so the slower skiers would get out of the pre-groomed ski tracks to allow them to pass.
Here is an interesting bit of track lore:
The modern Olympic torch relay was started by Adolf Hitler.
Run your sprints on three different grades of hill (3%, 7% and 11%). Short sprints on the steep ones, longer sprints on the gentle ones. Grass or dirt.
I hate when I go down to the hs track between 10:30 and 12:30 during the kids lunch hours. I pretty much can't win with that they will take up every lane and the infield playing with there frisbees and nerf footballs and snicker as i weave through. Luckily the middle school has a decent rubberized as well and I'll jog the mile up there.
Generally if I know somebody is doing a workout I'm happy to go around them. If somebody is running a hard 200 in a workout I don't think running faster makes somebody more entitled. If you are trying to do 30 second 200s and have to go around somebody you end up running 210m in 31? I don't think that will ruin your workout or next race.
I used to do 400s on a small indoor track at a gym (12 laps to the mile) and people would walk across it without looking or once stretch across the entire thing. Universally saying anything would get their attention and they'd move.