Been running competitively since 1957. Since then, there has always been a code amongst athletes about the inner lanes. Many an athlete has ended up on their ass until they learned to be vigilant and/or respectful of those doing difficult workouts.
Unfortunately, the code does not extend to non-athletes and you take your chances with the public being on the track at the same time you want to do something 'timed' [both workout and rest].
runbrandonrun wrote:
I do find that 99% of the time the best way to handle people on the track that are walking or even slow jogging in lane 1 is to politely say to them that I am doing a workout and I don't want to scare them or crash into them when I'm doing my workout in lane 1. Most people respond positively to this and say thank you. I also have a funny story on a new track I had never on the other day. I asked someone which lane was the 400 meter lane and he replied that every lane was a quarter mile all the way around.
If you think that's funny ,you don't belong in lane 1.
I am a sprinter and I do block start workouts to about 50-60 meters. I always choose a far outside lane since I'm blasting out top speed with my head down and I won't see you until I run into you. We have a lot of walkers on our track and I will always say (smiling, friendly), "I'm in lane 7, want to make sure I don't interfere with your walk!" and they ar usually very nice and say sure. But there is always some group of stupid azzwipes who like to walk 3 and 4 people across and veer into my lane. Scared the pee out of one of them by barreling right by her, almost elbowed her. Would you believe she bitched me out? Amazing. Track etiquette is in short supply.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cszYEp9yuawUCI XC wrote:
My weirdest on-track experience: During a steeplechase race in college, as I was coming off the first turn of lap 5, a hammer--the hammer-throw kind--hit the track near the curb right next to me. Its handle actually whipped under my left foot, and the hammer bounced and slid along beside me for about 15 yards. I started yelling at the world in general, "Hey! Hey! Did you SEE that?!" and then I had to deal with the next hurdle. Almost as weird: after I finished I didn't even remember the hammer for a bit, and then I did, and I absorbed it more thoroughly and thought, "If I'd been one second slower I might have just been killed in the middle of a race."
It's cool to be all laid back about it, but I generally agree with the OP.
A track is for running. It's not for walking, driving vans on, leaving shit all over, skateboarding, or abusing in any other way.
I run trail 80% or more of the time, but sometimes I like a focused workout on the track without cars, rocks, mountain bikes, or whatever other distraction is possible in those venues.
It's okay to not appreciate inconsiderate DB's who don't know what the hell they are doing in life and don't use a track for running. It's also okay to have reasonable expectations of people.
Traffic going south wrote:
I am a sprinter and I do block start workouts to about 50-60 meters. I always choose a far outside lane since I'm blasting out top speed with my head down and I won't see you until I run into you. We have a lot of walkers on our track and I will always say (smiling, friendly), "I'm in lane 7, want to make sure I don't interfere with your walk!" and they ar usually very nice and say sure. But there is always some group of stupid azzwipes who like to walk 3 and 4 people across and veer into my lane. Scared the pee out of one of them by barreling right by her, almost elbowed her. Would you believe she bitched me out? Amazing. Track etiquette is in short supply.
Your situation is far more difficult than any distance runner's. Head down, all-out sprint? Someone could break your leg (or their own skull) if they got in your lane. At least as a distance runner, you can usually see the problem coming ahead of time and go around it.
ERRR wrote:
Unfortunately, the code does not extend to non-athletes...
That's the way I see it. I think if you are an athlete growing up (regardless of the sport) you learn basic etiquette and how to conduct yourself. I played baseball, basketball, golf, etc, as a kid and while I got into running late in my life and am painfully slow, the stuff I learned playing other sports meant I made sure that I paid attention to how you are supposed to line up at races and how things work at a local track. I definitely have a lot of respect for the guys and gals who work hard at their craft, so I try to stay out of everyone's way. Beyond that is't just common courtesy.
I've played golf since I was 11 years old. The first thing my dad taught me was to be ready to play when it is your turn, let faster people through, take care of the course (fix ball marks/rake traps/etc) and it is something I have always done religiously. I find a lot of people who took up the game young or took it up after playing other sports seriously do the same thing. The "I am Tiger Woods" people don't.
hate the track wrote:
Running at the track sucks anyway you slice it. Hit a trail or some quiet path somewhere and just do a fartlek instead.
this
why even bother to get on the track besides races? there is nothing magical about running on rubber topped concrete
I've played golf since I was 11 years old. The first thing my dad taught me was to be ready to play when it is your turn, let faster people through, take care of the course (fix ball marks/rake traps/etc) and it is something I have always done religiously. I find a lot of people who took up the game young or took it up after playing other sports seriously do the same thing. The "I am Tiger Woods" people don't.
This reminds me that I had to take a golf etiquette class BEFORE I was allowed to play at our local golf course.
Think of this same thing in terms of golf. If you were out on a Sunday enjoying a nice round of golf with your buddies (and using proper etiquette) and you saw a bunch of guys ahead or behind you running over the joint, tearing up the greens, leaving the pins out, etc, etc, you sure as hell would tell them to knock it off and follow the rules.
Don't the same rules apply here?
golf... rules... etiquette
Congratulations! You all sound like a bunch of dorks!
Just run baby!
Right, if you're mentally strong enough then this sort of thing never phases you. You recognize the situation, adapt, and roll on, not giving it any further thought. Athletes are there to get the job done, wannabes look around for problems and excuses so they can play the victim card and blame others.
Run the track like a pool. Everyone pay a few bucks to employ a college kid or two to sit in one of those high chairs and blow a whistle every time breaks the rules.
Hardset nipples where do you draw the line between a "problem" and being "mentally strong" and just wanting to run fast on a track because that is what the sport is about?
A puddle in lane one?
A shoe in lane one?
Ice?
A Snake?
A dog?
A bench?
A small child?
An adult?
A door to a truck?
A marching band?
A herd of sheep?
A tiger?
A liger?
For me it starts becoming a problem somewhere around snake or dog and I need to do something because I'm risking injury and slowing down to avoid something that shouldn't be on a track. You seem to be happy to progress to door to a truck. Would you accept a marching band or the ultimate - a liger?
You really need my input to figure this out? You just lumped yourself in with the mentally weak with your kiddie nonsense.
hardset nipples wrote:
Right, if you're mentally strong enough then this sort of thing never phases you. You recognize the situation, adapt, and roll on, not giving it any further thought. Athletes are there to get the job done, wannabes look around for problems and excuses so they can play the victim card and blame others.
Its more than just mentally able to stave disruptions off; its also about public responsibility. Even if some disruptive behaviour on the track does not directly affect yr training session, its still necessary for you to speak up or take action to eradicate poor track etiquette. You owe it to the ignorant/callous/selfish people to set them on the proper course as a fellow user of the facility.
Its like when u r driving yr car to work on a one way street and suddenly u see another vehicle moving in the opposite direction with total disregard. Are u primarily concerned about whether u will be late for work due to that dangerous driver? Or is the greater concern about SAFETY?
If u see people abusing track etiquette and choose to look the other way, regardless of whether u r directly affected or not, YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM. That is what apathy does to society: it condones harmful/inconsiderate behaviour for expediency's sake. You are allowing danger and disruption continued and unbridled free access to a public facility, emphasis on PUBLIC meaning the track is a SHARED facility and so every one's actions must take into consideration the rights and privileges of others, and for this is happen a recognisable CODE OF BEHAVIOUR HAS TO BE ENFORCED AND OBSERVED BY ALL USERS.
If, as athletes, we r just there to "get the job done" and close one eye to poor behaviour, what does that say about us then? That athletes are totally self-centred, self-absorbed and couldn't care less about others as long as THEIR training can go on? Besides, how long can u put off disruptive behaviour at the track? Will u wait till the big one hits, when u r physically injured by a ball of bicycle or chit-chatter, before u take action?
As runners, we owe it both to ourselves and to the sport, as well as the general safety of others, to put our foot down on lousy track etiqette.
You can argue that if a track is overcrowded just head out for fartlek, or run on a measured road/trail. Altho those r feasible, but one must remember that the track is there PRIMARILY for runners to do fast training using an accurately measured course. Its there in the first place so that u don't have to measure someplace out yourself! If anyone shd be heading out of the track due to overcrowding, it shd be those people who repeatedly violate proper track etiquette, and not the runners themselves! This is not victim mentality and deferring blame, but fully justified behaviour!
I suspect runners who do not confront when needed are just purely intimidated. You need to put yr foot down. This does not mean being rude or using abusive language or threats, but to firmly yet respectfully address the issue to the disruptors, letting them know how one is to conduct themselves when using a track. If the proper authorities will not do it, then we have to! To accuse runners of being whiners on this issue is to totally miss the whole point.
hardset nipples wrote:
Right, if you're mentally strong enough then this sort of thing never phases you. You recognize the situation, adapt, and roll on, not giving it any further thought. Athletes are there to get the job done, wannabes look around for problems and excuses so they can play the victim card and blame others.
You have this all backwards. I've been accused of being self-serious and/or anal on this thread. You know what? Those attributes are exactly why I occasionally win races. Because I'm hellbent on getting results. I don't allow pickup truck doors or boot campers or your mom to stop me. But when they try to get in my way due to their heads being up their asses, I like to blow off some steam.
Don't think that I haven't noticed Thomas Pain setting the world on fire with his racing.
People who are focused enough have no steam built-up from anything except that which originates within.
foomiler: summarize.
hardset nipples wrote:
People who are focused enough have no steam built-up from anything except that which originates within.
I have no idea what you mean by this
That's why we have to pay to step into most tracks in Portugal though I am completely against it.
hardset nipples wrote:
People who are focused enough have no steam built-up from anything except that which originates within.
Thomas Pain wrote:I have no idea what you mean by this
Shocking. Don't worry your pretty little head about it, go on back to sticking your nose in that Jose Quervo training equation guide.