Jogger tried to not let me pass him on my run today

Last fall I had done a real hard workout the day before, and went out to go for a real easy 60 min run very slow. My legs were trashed and was just planning to move my legs slow and not worry about the time or pace of the run...I've also vowed to never get passed by someone in this city I live in. I got about 6 minutes in and was struggling pretty hard when one a kid from one of the universities in the area came up on my shoulder decked out in all of his college gear and you could tell was a typical college frosh. He gave me the dirtiest look since I was running so slow on the trail.. When he went by me I ran about 5 min pace for maybe 1200 meters and he was long gone. Moral of the story.... you can always run reasonably fast if you have to!

NYC jogger turned runner wrote:

Here in Central Park, NYC, we are thinking about restricting joggers from using the main trails before 7 a.m. on weekdays which is when the real runners run. We have gathered 57 signatures for our petition to the City so far and it's only been two months. The plan is to get to 50K signatures by the summer and after that, we runners can train without getting annoyed by the hobby joggers.

This is a fantastic post.

Obviously a joke but subtle enough for some to take offense to it.

57 signatures out of 50K is much funnier than 50 out of 50K.

Nice detail to make it look more like a real number.

I can see the sign now at each entrancee to Central Park:

"No joggers 4 am - 7 am, Mon - Fri

You must be a certified runner to enter the park"

Once, while running on Hope Street in Providence from Lippitt Park towards Brown, I caught up to a kid running pretty strong. He would not let me pass him - I surged, then he surged, and without really talking about it we soon got into a pretty decent contest. He wasn't a small-framed runner either, but a decently big guy with a most inefficient stride. Anyway, I couldn't drop him and we ended up really tearing it up until we got to the campus. Before turning off to head to his dorm, the kid told me he rowed crew and asked me if I was, like, a runner. I told him that I had recently run a marathon in a time that I was psyched about but that wouldn't cause a ripple on these boards. He lit up and said, "Wow. A real runner! Cool." or something like that. Anyway, he was stoked to have pushed and been pushed by someone he considered a formidable athlete. I had fun, he was thrilled, I got a little workout in on a day that I hadn't planned one, and we both experienced, spontaneously, a big part of what sport is about: smashing antlers. Nobody was there to cheer us and nothing was on the line but our own will to win.

I guess what I'm saying is that there are times when you can just embrace someone else's willingness to push themselves. I also appreciate that running can serve a number of purposes, including giving the runner some much-needed space and time alone, but I suspect that your solitude is only rarely interrupted by another runner. When it is, maybe that's your cue to celebrate the collaborative aspect of running. Lord knows, there's enough folks out there who hate your stupid shorts, inane t-shirts, and unimpressive physique - even some other runners/joggers. Next time, maybe just run with the guy or gal and see if you can become friends and mutually helpful competitors.

toro wrote:

NYC jogger turned runner wrote:

Here in Central Park, NYC, we are thinking about restricting joggers from using the main trails before 7 a.m. on weekdays which is when the real runners run. We have gathered 57 signatures for our petition to the City so far and it's only been two months. The plan is to get to 50K signatures by the summer and after that, we runners can train without getting annoyed by the hobby joggers.

This is a fantastic post.

Obviously a joke but subtle enough for some to take offense to it.

57 signatures out of 50K is much funnier than 50 out of 50K.

Nice detail to make it look more like a real number.

I can see the sign now at each entrancee to Central Park:

"No joggers 4 am - 7 am, Mon - Fri

You must be a certified runner to enter the park"

I can just see it--radar checks for speed. Cop stops someone doing 7:30 pace. "All right, jogger, pull over and let me see your certificate."

Of course, this certifying process could get complicated. Would there be qualifying times for open men, open women, masters' men, masters' women--and in what event? Mile? 5k? 10k? ... on up to marathon? (I assume the course would be USATF sanctioned.)

Once the time standards were determined, certainly, there would be threads on LR complaining about the easy standards for women.

TKTKTK wrote:

and we both experienced, spontaneously, a big part of what sport is about: smashing antlers. Nobody was there to cheer us and nothing was on the line but our own will to win.

Thanks for this.

Words like this are the reason I come back here all the time.

Excellent post!

Once a runner, now a jogger wrote:

What aren't you getting and what does Wejo running 7 minute pace have to do with my point about the All-American. He developed a training program that worked for him and did his easy running at sub 6 pace. A young runner on the team would try to impress by running with him on both of their easy days. I am sure you don't think a 16 minute 5k runner should be doing all of his easy running at sub 6 pace. So since the person wouldn't listen to sound training principles (which you don't seem to understand) and run easy on his easy days, he was taught a lesson. All in good fun and every single kid learned about recovery days and that any halfway decent college run CAN run his easy run at sub 6 pace, but most of them shouldn't. GET IT?

The point of your story was that the All-American on your team was an egotistical ass that liked to "put younger runners in their place." Yes, I get it.

Lance, you miss the point completely. We all have thoughts of saying something, or racing, or whatever. The point is that the OP doesn't have the maturity to do this. Like you say, "know thyself". Don't care what any others do. Race the races, not the training.

It could be that the "jogger" is merely someone who realizes that it is easier to run with someone than alone, so he used the other guy to help his pace for a little while. Then you decided to make it a competition instead of being the help that the guy was looking for.

Wow, I am always amazed at the lack of comprehension on this board. You honestly still don't get it and that is your response? I am not sure how I can explain it to you in any simpler terms, but I will try. First of all, the All-American was far from an egotistical ass and he never put a younger runner in their place, he helped them to become better runners. Have you ever been around college freshman. Many of them are pretty clueless and don't always listen to good advice. They want to train as hard as they possibly can, but don't always understand basic training principles (which it appears you don't as well). So if a kid is trying to be a hotshot and rest up for the easy days so he can run harder than he should be and say he ran with an All-American, but suck in the races, that is okay with you? Sometimes telling someone something over and over again doesn't always work. The All-American example was just a fun story I gave of how the young runner was taught a little about training since deep down he knew he shouldn't be taking it easy in the quality workouts and running too hard on the easy days. It worked to perfection every time and they got the message and became better runners for it.

By the way, Once a Runner has a similar story with the new freshman Nubbins.

This is what happens when two hobby joggers meet on the trail.

please seek help immediately, you suffered an episode of road rage - yes you, not him.

I finally understand, both the All-American and yourself are egotistical asses. Glad you helped me figure that out.

WhitePony wrote:

I finally understand, both the All-American and yourself are egotistical asses. Glad you helped me figure that out.

Your insecurity is showing. I gave a nice story about how our team helped to get younger runners to understand how important it is to take your easy days easy. That is a concept most people understand. We showed them in an unconventional and fun way that ended up getting the point across much better than just simply telling them did. Now you come on here without having been there, not knowing what type of person the All-American was, not really understanding why we did what we did and you start calling people names. I always get a kick out of someone who is too simple to understand something and then they need to resort to name calling. How could you possibly know the All-American was an egotistical ass? That's right, you wouldn't be able to know because you weren't there and don't really know the exact situation.

Word of advice for the future. When something is too hard for you to understand, try to ask questions that might help you to better understand something. Definitely would be a better response than the grade school name calling that seems to appeal to you. Have a great day.

I never let some pass me without a fight. It is a mindset that makes you a better runner. No lie, I once was running out and back on Kelly Drive in Philly, started at the Art Museum and went out to Falls Bridge (4.2 miles). I get to the half way mark and stop for 30 seconds to stretch when I see a runner headed in the same direction I will be running and he is about 50 meters away and will need to cross the intersection. I immediately take off running close to 6:55 pace, after about a mile, I glance back and see he is within 20 meters....I drop down to 6:30 and the race is on....I continue to glance back and he gets as close as my shoulder and attempts to say something...i had head phones on but could not hear him....I drop to 6:15 and with about 1 mile to go and gap him by 20 meters again....in my mind the second he passed me, I would stopped running.......he never got clsoe again and I stopped at the Art Museum and he hobbled pass and gave me the finger.....i mouthed the words "loser"....

One of my favorite runs ever....

Once a runner, now a jogger wrote:

I always get a kick out of someone who is too simple to understand something and then they need to resort to name calling.

Oh the irony...

ertft wrote:

NYC jogger turned runner wrote:

Here in Central Park, NYC, we are thinking about restricting joggers from using the main trails before 7 a.m. on weekdays which is when the real runners run. We have gathered 57 signatures for our petition to the City so far and it's only been two months. The plan is to get to 50K signatures by the summer and after that, we runners can train without getting annoyed by the hobby joggers.

Did you ever think that, except for the other 56 losers who signed, everyone in New York thinks you are an incredible, no life douchebag?

My, my, oh dear, you have an over-hyper-inflated view of how the city views running. Umm, no, not everyone in New York knows or cares about running. Most would rather that turn the trails into paved streets for the cars to drive on so that the congestion can be eased

lol. this is more in the spirit of the thread. the rest of you who think the OP is a jerk are obviously slow hobbyjoggers who have a chip on their shoulders about not even being able to hang on easy runs.

chinocochino wrote:

Sorry that happened; I don't get it either. Its possible that he was just about to start a faster set, but its unlikely that he would start just as you passed him.

How can you say that it is unlikely that he would start just as he was passed? It's just as likely he would start then as any other time.