Track Etiquette: What is it with people?

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  • Thomas Pain
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 8:54am CDT
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    I posted about this topic a few weeks ago because some "boot campers" had sat down in lanes 1-8 and blocked the track. We had a lively discussion here with many defensive responses.

    Anyhow, I just wanted to post another story. I returned to the track last Saturday to do 4 x (200, 200, 800). No boot campers in sight (yeah!). Well, a bunch of benches were blocking lane 1 on the track. They use these during hs football games. With lots of walkers in lanes 2-8, I decided to move the benches out of the way and onto the infield.

    As I'm moving the benches, a parks dept. employee drives his pickup truck ON THE TRACK to ask me to return the benches when I'm done because they don't have the manpower for that type of work. I said "no problem". He seemed irritated and drove away.

    As I start the Daniels R-pace workout, the truck drives back onto the track and parks in lanes 2-4. He opens the driver side door, blocking lane 1, and jumps out of the truck and walks off. As I came 'round the track, I wasn't about to veer off to lane 5 so I simply slammed his door shut as I came by. You should have seen the look on his face. But Jesus H. Christ can I please get one single workout done without dealing with this type of crap?!?!?!?!
  • Luv2Run
    registered
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 10:29am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    I thought for sure that the parks guy was going to tell you to return the benches because they did not want runners in lane 1 to reduce damage to the track. (Hopefully folks see the potential irony in that).
  • Benson St. Wales
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 10:45am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    You are cursed! Ha ha, how frustrating! Yesterday at my local track it was some weird version of "opposite" day, as literally 3 different people (not walking together) were walking in the opposite direction on the track. One was this older lady walking right on the line b/w 1 & 2. Another was this dude with his shirt off who was just going back and forth in the "sun section" of the track, trying to get a tan!
  • Thomas Pain
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 10:48am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    They drive all over the track in pickup trucks and golf carts all the time. There are usually people on bicycles riding around the track too. This track has "soft" spots and collects water here and there. Go figure.
  • want2runfast
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 10:48am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    You sound like an ass. How is this crap? Is a few extra meters in a further out lane going to ruin your workout? You can always adjust your times, unless you are way too anal retentive about that stuff.
  • radiostar
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 10:53am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    Was doing my workout yesterday on the local chip running trail. A guy had set up a chair in the middle of the trail and was fishing. First pass I simply glared and moved on; second pass I hurdled the chair (unfortunately he wasn't in it at the time). Didn't make a bigger scene because I had additional passes to make and he was with a group.
  • old schooler
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 10:59am CDT
    re: want2runfast
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    It's crap because they, like you I suspect, are inconsiderate jerks. Oh, did I mention that you're a jerk?
  • kicker
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 11:12am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    Run on the road. Measure your interval distances out there and move on.
  • seoul track
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 11:26am CDT
    re: kicker
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    The track in my neighborhood has literally 1,000 people on it every night. It's obnoxious. Half the people are walking backwards and random soccer balls constantly fly across the track and hit people. It's chaos.
  • largus brainus
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 11:45am CDT
    re: want2runfast
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    want2runfast wrote:

    Is a few extra meters in a further out lane going to ruin your workout? You can always adjust your times, unless you are way too anal retentive about that stuff.
    Actually, yes it does ruin my workout. It's hard enough for me to get my ass through 800m at repetition pace let alone without a pickup truck blocking lanes 1-4. If I swing out to lane 5 and end up 2 seconds slow, can I attribute the entire 2 seconds to the delay? It's too complicated to figure out. And the whole goddamned point of a track workout is to learn and control pace. I can't learn pace if my times are all f%$^ed up. My other workouts are threshold pace and much longer distances and I do them on the roads and I don't care as much about being a few seconds off here and there. Because a few seconds off over 4 miles is no big deal but over 800m it's a big difference. Can I just have 2 minutes of unobstructed running on 3 feet of track for crying out loud? Aaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhh!!!!!!
  • largus brainus
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 11:45am CDT
    re: largus brainus
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    Wrong handle. I am Thomas Pain, too. Outed!
  • want2runfast
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 11:54am CDT
    re: largus brainus
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    If you are that poor at judging paces, then you certainly aren't fast enough to warrant being so upset about such a small thing.
  • Thomas Pain
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 11:57am CDT
    re: want2runfast
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    Well then why bother trying to get better. What's the point.
  • hate the track
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 11:58am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    Running at the track sucks anyway you slice it. Hit a trail or some quiet path somewhere and just do a fartlek instead.
  • Benson St. Wales
    9 years ago 10/25/2010 12:05pm CDT
    re: seoul track
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    seoul track wrote:

    The track in my neighborhood has literally 1,000 people on it every night. It's obnoxious. Half the people are walking backwards and random soccer balls constantly fly across the track and hit people. It's chaos.

    The worst track experience I've had so far...my usual track was closed, so I went to another HS down the road I've never run at before. They have a really nice sports turf field and rubber track, but when I got there (Sunday morning) there was some sort of rec. league soccer game going on. It was so chaotic - there was a concession stand set up on the edge, so outside lanes were toast, the benches for the teams were set up in lane 1, and there was some sort of weird carpet running from the concession stand to infield! On top of all this, there were 50 kids of the players kicking soccer balls all over the track. Then, finally, they had set up massive trash cans in lanes 4-5 for all the water/sports drink bottles, but they were overflowing, so there were bottles and plastic caps littering the entire final stretch of the track! They probably had a permit to use the field and track, so I can't really complain too much...but it was so stressful. In hindsight I should have just scrapped the workout when I saw the conditions, but I had my mind set on it.
  • Thomas Pain
    9 years ago 10/26/2010 9:37am CDT
    re: Benson St. Wales
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    I once got hit by a pole vaulter's pole during a 5000m in college. I saw it coming, so I was able to duck somewhat, and the blow was more across my clothes than anything. But that was certainly unexpected. Indoor tracks are dangerous places to be during meets. Especially if throws are going on.
  • WhitePony
    registered
    9 years ago 10/26/2010 9:54am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    So the driver's door was open which would mean that you had to run into the infield and backhand shut the door?
  • Thomas Pain
    9 years ago 10/26/2010 10:05am CDT
    re: WhitePony
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    I didn't step on the infield...I turned my body sideways to squeeze by, and as I did this, I shut the car door.
  • WhitePony
    registered
    9 years ago 10/26/2010 10:12am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    You are highly skilled, I would have fallen flat on my face if I attempted to do that while running at R-pace.
  • VO2 Max
    9 years ago 10/26/2010 10:42am CDT
    re: Thomas Pain
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    You used "Daniels R-pace," you must be some kind of cool insider with that lingo.