Track Etiquette: What is it with people?

VO2 Max wrote:

You used "Daniels R-pace," you must be some kind of cool insider with that lingo.

I am pretty cool. No argument here. I'm part of this cool club of people who read the same book. It's a secret book.

It's a book for wannabe toolbags who don't have much of a clue, about either running or irony. But then from the first post on this thread we all could tell that you're ridiculously self-serious.

You realize they probably paid for their time to use the facilities. You're the free loader yet you have the nerve to complain that the conditions didn't suit your needs. This is why people get annoyed with runners.

darn freeloaders wrote:

You realize they probably paid for their time to use the facilities. You're the free loader yet you have the nerve to complain that the conditions didn't suit your needs. This is why people get annoyed with runners.

Yup, and the OP is a whiny dork.

VO2 Max wrote:

It's a book for wannabe toolbags who don't have much of a clue, about either running or irony. But then from the first post on this thread we all could tell that you're ridiculously self-serious.

You're right. It's obvious that I take myself seriously if I expect a public track to be available to runners.

darn freeloaders wrote:

You realize they probably paid for their time to use the facilities. You're the free loader yet you have the nerve to complain that the conditions didn't suit your needs. This is why people get annoyed with runners.

YES...hence me saying so. It doesn't negate how one can feel about the situation and I didn't complain to them due to my understanding, which I explained by saying I should have just not bothered. And yes, based on the above from you, I do realize why ppl get annoyed with runners, thanks.

Thomas Pain wrote:

It's obvious that I take myself seriously if I expect a public track to be available to runners.

They're not public tracks, they're school district tracks that happen to often be open to the public yet are used for whatever purpose the school district sees fit. Hobbyjoggers who take themselves way too seriously notwithstanding.

High School tracks are not public property, they are the property of the local Board of Education which are funded by taxpower money. Just because your taxes help pay for it does not mean you have free use of it. Don't take yourself too seriously, you'll wind up sounding like a cyclist

You have to be trolling:

"As I start the Daniels R-pace workout..."

Who the hell writes like that?

You know, maybe you aren't a troll. It's hilarious how many posts on here inject crazy specifics that are in no way related to the story.

Like, "I was running down a trail and saw a dog. (I have a 15:47 5k xc pr set on a rainy day on a hilly course) The dog wasn't moving....."

Ahhhh, my first post since I was banned months ago.

Last Sunday I was running with the family on the track. We over bred a little so we look like a lot more than we really are. Anyway, we're the only ones there when a guy shows up and starts throwing a ball to his dog on the football field. He has some kind of thrower that launched the tennis ball, diagonally, about a 120 yards in the air - really quite impressive.

Anyway, me and the boys finish a couple of two lappers and my youngest wants to run for a touchdown on the football field. We walk over to the other side of the field so that we don't get in the way of the thrower. We then lined up on one end zone and sprinted to the other side. During the sprint I can hear the guy yelling something but I just assume that he is cheering on my kid in hopes that he would beat me (he didn't).

When we finish he is still yelling something but I don't know why. Finally I hear him say, "Quit acting like you own the whole damn place!"

I can’t believe what I’m hearing so I yell back at him (he's across the field), "Are you yelling at me?" And he now is mumbling something and I'm like, "No, no, no, if you've got something to say, say it to my face!"

He yells something again and then quickly gathers his dog and starts heading for his car. I’m now pretty pissed but I’m not sure why and run over to intercept him at his car. I’m now in his face saying, “Explain to me why you are yelling at me and my kid.” Nothing from him but a sarcastic smirk. I confront him a couple more times and nothing. I let him get into his car, I was blocking his access, he starts it up and as he begins to pull out of the lot he cracks his window and starts to say something but I cut him off and yell, “STFU you pussy!”

Certainly not my finest moment and I’m still not sure why it bothered me so much but there was no way in hell I was going to let him get the last word in.

As I rejoin my family my wife gives me an earful about setting a bad example, putting myself in harms way and using foul language at a decibel high enough for the kids to hear. Yes dear I know but that guy will certainly think twice before yelling at someone rocking the CS compression shocks.

Few years ago I went down to my old high school track to do an interval workout. AS I am warming up an elderly asian couple walks onto the track and begins a slow walk holding hands in lane 1 & 2.

Once I start I come flying by them and narrowly miss them to try and give them an idea that I need lane 1.

Next time around I call out "lane 1!" Nothing.

During my rest lap I catch up to them and very politely ask them if they can walk in lane 2 & 3 and that I won't be too long. (The track actually has a sign that says "no walking in lane 1 and slower runners please stay to the outer lanes")

So I, again, politely remind them of the sign and how it is basically track etiquette to not walk in lane 1, similar to driving too slow in the fast lane on the highway.

This guy starts yelling at me accusing me targeting them because their Asian! And telling me that what I am doing is picking on them and trying to cause some sort of racial issue. I was BLOWN AWAY!!!

He just would not move. Each time around I made sure to brush past their shoulders and give them a little bump.

Wow...

This particular track is in a public park, not a school. The park is owned by the local County Parks Dept. Keep in mind, the incident occurred during hours that are designated for public use. So I don't think I'm asking much here. I may be a whiny dork, but you haters are totally flat out wrong about this. You can go ahead and dislike me, but it doesn't make you right.

Thomas Pain wrote:

This particular track is in a public park, not a school. The park is owned by the local County Parks Dept. Keep in mind, the incident occurred during hours that are designated for public use. So I don't think I'm asking much here. I may be a whiny dork, but you haters are totally flat out wrong about this. You can go ahead and dislike me, but it doesn't make you right.

Dude, how f-ing hard is it to go to or call the parks and rec office and see what they have to say about the situation?

I don't understand what you are after here. You want validation that people are idiots? Yes, people are idiots. People that walk the wrong way in lane 1 of a track are idiots. Happy now? That's all you wanted?

Pick up the phone and solve the problem.

this is a clinic on how to troll.

stitch wrote:

this is a clinic on how to troll.

I know...I called him out for trolling many posts ago...he's so good he's got me second guessing if he's a troll or not.

Bravo.

Surprise! wrote:

You have to be trolling:

"As I start the Daniels R-pace workout..."

Who the hell writes like that?

You know, maybe you aren't a troll. It's hilarious how many posts on here inject crazy specifics that are in no way related to the story.

Like, "I was running down a trail and saw a dog. (I have a 15:47 5k xc pr set on a rainy day on a hilly course) The dog wasn't moving....."

I was all set to agree with you but when you think about it, that's actually somewhat relevant. Daniels R-pace stuff is very short and very fast and being off by a second or two makes much more of a difference than it does, in say, an threshold paced workout. And with the faster paced, having to swerve to avoid obstacles is all that much harder.

LetsAvoidObstacles wrote:

I was all set to agree with you but when you think about it, that's actually somewhat relevant. Daniels R-pace stuff is very short and very fast and being off by a second or two makes much more of a difference than it does, in say, an threshold paced workout. And with the faster paced, having to swerve to avoid obstacles is all that much harder.

I guarantee you that if you're doing some 27 second 200m repeats and on one of them you have to slow down and swerve to the side a bit, and only run it in 30 seconds, you have done absolutely nothing that will change your performance in upcoming races.

If it happens numerous times during the workout, you should choose a less crowded place to do the workout regardless of whether or not you think someone should have more courtesy.

If you're that anal about your workout times and truly believe your season is ruined because you had to step off the track briefly because some idiot wandered into lane 1, then just do another repeat.

I've been all set to do a track workout and had a bunch of soccer people show up and throw their shit in lane 1. Did I freak out and wonder how I was ever going to continue my season after this travesty? No, I went for a run in the woods.

want2runfast wrote:

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.

Off the track its okay to put up with dumb ppl but on the track this is crap he went through the headace of clearing the lanes and then to have a dumbass open a door in your path. Come on, nothing anal about trying to get in a workout on a track!!

I hereby demand that people on this thread start being nice. These are opinions. It's America, people have the right (if not the responsibility) to be stupid and make false claims about racism. And in return we have the full right to bitch about it. So people: be nice... or else >:-S