Intimidating experience when out jogging

[NotSoCoolRunnings]

I say jogging...more like shuffling as I'm heavier than I want to be and very unfit at the moment. But doing C25K as a way to try and recapture some of my previous fitness as well as improve my mental health as it's taken a bit of a battering recently.

I was out yesterday at a small local lake that has a great flat path around the perimeter. It's a lovely location, not far from town and various people milling about walking dogs, feeding the ducks etc so I thought I would feel safe.

I was jogging past a couple (30s) holding hands, who were coming the other way. The guy proceeded to mimic me physically by doing a 'comedy' floundering of his arms and legs; a sarcastic "oh look at you running" and laughing manically. I was obviously taken aback so just sighed and said "oh shut up" in a kind of "oh you're so unfunny/unoriginal" kind of way. To which both in the couple started manically laughing. I felt really uncomfortable, embarrassed and intimidated.

I knew I would pass them again if they did another loop, so when I saw them approaching I started filming (it would have looked like I was just looking at my phone). You can see from the video when they flock me they start laughing manically again and you can clearly hear the guy say "ohhhh, here she comes again". The 'lady' then says something I can't quite work out from the video. Again, I felt really intimated and uneasy.

The lady in the couple is clearly identifiable as she wearing the uniform of a local care home. It makes me shudder that people like this are 'caring' for others vulnerable loved ones.

Am I overreacting? Should I contact the care home and let them know what I experienced (yes they were off duty but in my view if you're in uniform you are still representing your employer etc).

I'm still so angry and bothered by it this morning. I'm just a slightly fat and unfit middle-aged woman minding my own business trying to improve myself a little. What is wrong with people 🙁

Honestly I don’t think it’s worth the bother and hassle of involving the care home or uploading the video anywhere. You never know how they will receive it and you don’t want to be caught up in anything nasty. That’s not to say what they did was ok, it wasn’t- but it’s not illegal to make fun of someone (I’m really not siding with them, honestly- I just think in this case leave it. If someone is that mean for fun they must be really insecure and unhappy) x

As much as they were a pair of utter wankers, what exactly do yo8 think thr care home will do? Because the answer is nothing. Absolutely nothing not least as carers are both in short supply and min wage most of the time.

rhere won’t even be a conversation. Um were you taking rhe piss out of a portly lady running round yesterday, yeah, I was, alright could you not do that in uniform so she doesn’t bother us again.

I do not get the mentality of adults in the report them tell teacher camp. There was no crime here, simply they took the piss out of you and you felt unable to stand up to them. Running to teacher won’t stop them. You’re not at school, they aren’t their parents. They won’t get into trouble by you telling on them.

take some classes in how to stand up for yourself. How to ignore wankers. But you need to be self sufficient here. As wankers exist and walk amongst us,

Give over, she’s not going to be in trouble at work.

I’d definitely contact the Care Home manager. Send them the video.

I agree, given the extreme dearth of people willing to work in care homes they are hardly going to sack her are they!

Yes, I think it’s highly unlikely, that why I said “potentially”.
But presumably most posters think something will happen, given that they’re pushing for OP to report her.

Sure, she won't get the sack.

But on the off chance that the care home manager gives a shit about their residents (please tell me some do?) they might just keep an eye / ear open to how the woman behaves in her role.

If you work with vulnerable people, information sharing is a hugely important part of safeguarding. The person who shares isn't required to analyse what will be done with the information or even whether it is worth sharing. The important part is to share any concern.

Whenever there are serious case reviews after tragedies, lack of information sharing between people in contact with the victim is so often cited.

You are not overreacting at all OP. They were vile.

I would also be concerned that these idiots could be a safeguarding issues, as they could be giving vulnerable people the same treatment...

Such varied responses, thank you. I have read them all and am considering what to do.

So it was my fault because I felt unable to stand up to them? Are you fucking serious?

What about if they'd taken the piss out of an old person? Or someone with disabilities? Would that be ok? Misogyny and victim blaming in its finest.

Ps I did tell them to "oh, shut up". What else would you have suggested here to "stick up for myself"? Given they were pretty intimidating, I had my safety in mind first and foremost.

Advice I got in my late teens that has always, always been helpful for me: "Nobody wants to touch crazy."

It's got me out of trouble in genuinely dangerous situations, as well as given me a giggle in lesser ones like this.

If you see them again and they start gearing up for another go at you, go completely off-kilter: bark like a dog, caw like a seagull, leap around, chase after them screeching and waving your arms around, get a jar of jam out of your pocket and smear it over your face...

I promise they won't ever come near you (or even make eye contact) again.

Love this

Good for you OP, well done filming it.

The only thing I would say is if you send it to the care home then she will get all the blame and he will get away with it. I've seen that a lot. At the worst end it's women holding weapons for a man and they go to jail.

So I personally would post it online then everyone can see his part too.

Report her! I wouldn't want her looking at any of my relatives. Would be tempted to put it online too

That's incredibly mean and childish and yes I would not want the woman looking after elderly vulnerable people.

You need to be emotionally mature to look after others, but sadly that sector pays peanuts so gets monkeys.

I do think it's worth mentioning to their employer. Crying to employers is on the whole wrong but a carer, acting like this?!!! It just reflects on how they will be at work.

As for him, I don't know as he is really the instigator but unless he was wearing a carer uniform too then not much you can do - unless you post the video on social media.

Hi OP, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I really don't understand how adults can act in this way!

I would 100% send that to the care home. Like others have said, her employers need to know her true character, especially in that profession. I'd she behaves like that in public, then it would worry me as an employer how she would treat the clients in the care home.

Please don't let this out you off your running - you're doing brilliantly!

Please also bear in mind, OP, that if you send the video to her workplace then there will be no doubt whatsoever who sent it.

If you find them intimidating, I wouldn't be inviting further unpleasant interactions with them.

Act like you've totally lost the plot and scare them off, OR keep your distance - but if they seem uninhibited when it comes to being unpleasant, I wouldn't give people like them serious bait.

The 'Nobody wants to touch crazy' is so true.

They were laughing maniacally and repeatedly OP? They were probably on drugs.

They’ve happened to me too, to the point where, to my shame, I stopped running, when I realised I was having to steel myself to open the front door after a bunch of unpleasantness, culminating when a car full of men threw a McDonalds milkshake all over my head.

I don’t minimise it at all. And I think anything the OP can do to remove the sense of disempowerment, she should feel free to do.

Oh I'm so sorry - that's awful! Absolutel w*nkers!

I’d contact the care home. I’d also be tempted to put the video on your local Facebook group and say ‘won’t be running again after these two took the continual piss out of me. Hope she’s kinder to the residents of such and such nursing home.’

Long story but complaint made via a 3rd party.

Had an apology email today from the care home manager saying the member of staff had been spoken to and issued with a written warning.

Hopefully she will think twice next time, and hopefully he will too although I’m not holding my breath. Glad you’ve had some resolution from this and it wasn’t flatly ignored.

That's a start and glad if you feel you have enough closure from that.

Personally I'd still pursue it via facebook and shame them. You haven't had an attempt at an apology from either the woman or the man.