Today I'm linking up again with The Lady Okie and Sunshine to the Square Inch for our monthly Runners Tell All Blog Link Up. This month we're talking about the most memorable running moments we've had thus far.
This one is kind of hard for me to pin down. I've had some great races, like when this happened:
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| Second half marathon and first sub-2 hour half |
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| Earning that medal never felt so good! |
Or maybe my recent Ragnar experience, and all the craziness that comes along with Ragnar:
But I think what really takes the cake as most memorable was just an average run last summer. It was early, probably 5:45ish, and I was finishing up a 3 or 4 mile run. I remember it was summer because it was still light out then.
I had about 1 more mile until home, and was running down a block on the more residential part of a main drag here in town. I typically stay off this street because it is so busy, but my route takes me on it for exactly one block.
As I turned the corner onto the sidewalk, I saw an elderly man shuffling down the sidewalk, about halfway down the block. He was going pretty slow, so I knew I'd have to run by him before I turned again. Then I took in his appearance.
Scrub pants and shirt. Socks, no shoes. What the heck? What is this guy doing and where did he come from?
Of course, my mind went to the worst. Escaped mental patient maybe? There actually is a small in-patient facility not to far from where we were. Or maybe he was just an escapee from the local nursing home, also not far away.
This was before I started carrying my cell phone with me, so I didn't really feel comfortable stopping to check things out. I managed to sneak by him, and then carried on my way. I do feel guilty for not stopping to see if he needed help, and I still wonder who he was, what he was doing, and where he was going.
The circumstances were so odd that I haven't forgotten about it, although the rest of the run is a total blur.
Do you have any memorable running experiences? Join our link up and tell us about it!
Whoa! That is weird. I would have wanted to know more, but I can relate to being nervous to say anything without a phone on hand in case of an emergency.
ReplyDeleteLast summer, I was running in my neighborhood around the same time of day (early) and a strange man pulled along next to me on a secluded dirt road and asked me for directions. It was very suspicious, and I didn't have my phone. So, I pretended I couldn't hear him because of my earphones.
Better safe than sorry!
Yikes, that is scary! I probably would have done the same thing!
DeleteOoh, crazy. I run on city streets/downtown a good bit, so I'm pretty used to seeing homeless people, but that does sound odd. And I agree, better safe than sorry, especially if you don't have a cell phone or there's no one else around.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any blatantly homeless people up here because it's generally too cold. Like the kind that hang out on the street all day - we do have homeless people that stay in shelters. So yea, it was weird seeing him!
DeleteWoah! That would be bizzarre! Glad you were able to escape without any issues :) I always like to have my cell phone with me just in case there is a crazy person lurking out there somewhere...you never know!!
ReplyDeleteNow I always carry it!
DeleteThat's definitely a memorable run! Glad it wasn't anything sinister (that you know of, anyway). I haven't had too many runs like that but there are some that didn't seem too weird at the time, but when I think back to them I realize I could have gotten into a bad situation.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've had a couple more that I look back and think "that could have gone completely different!"
DeleteHow bizarre. Hopefully the man was ok. I never used to carry my cellphone either until, several blocks from home, my dog lunged and I fell. I hobbled home very slowly and ended up on crutches for weeks. Lesson learned.
ReplyDeleteOuch!
DeleteHa! Okay this is so weird. I wasn't expecting that ending. haha. I hope he was okay, whoever he was. I try to be aware of my surroundings when I run. You just never know!
ReplyDeleteI try much harder now!
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