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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

about late-night joggers?

84 replies

Hassled · 24/03/2015 22:05

I walk home from evening meetings quite often at around 9pm-ish. Nice quiet residential area, about a 20 minute walk, street lights, a few passing cars and dog walkers so I don't really feel vulnerable. Until, that is, I hear the sound of someone running up behind me and think panic, shit, this is it. And then it turns out to be some thoughtless twatty jogger who doesn't have the cop to think that maybe running up behind a solitary female on a dark street isn't the most thoughtful thing they could possibly do. I want to trip the next one up, or push them into the road or do something equally twatty. Cross the road, fuckwits, so you don't scare the shit out of lone pedestrians.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 25/03/2015 09:03

I don't think I would be able to breath, hum and run at the same time. Is playing it loudly from my phone acceptable?

WorraLiberty · 25/03/2015 09:06

Yes that's acceptable, unless you phone has a breathing app?

Tomodachi · 25/03/2015 09:11

I am always aware that people do not hear me when I run up behind them. Sometimes because they have headphones in but mostly I think because they are lost in their thoughts. I try to make as much noise as possible so as not to scare them by shuffling more on gravel on the road until a few months ago when this "shuffling" caused me to fall head over heels damaging my shoulder, destroying both knees and shattering my pride. Blush Needless to say they realised I was behind them then - I bounced up with a very red face and ran off with blood running down my legs. I have since just settled for clearing my throat as a warning but still the filthy look some people give me: you'd think I had just mugged them.

Sirzy · 25/03/2015 09:13

A breathing app would be fab, that would make running so much easier

WorraLiberty · 25/03/2015 09:15

Actually, just download a running app and put your feet up on the couch Grin

Sirzy · 25/03/2015 09:20

I have tried that, doesn't work very well.

Theycallmemellowjello · 25/03/2015 09:30

Yabu! I make sure I don't walk behind someone on their own very late at night - like after midnight. But at 9.30 pm? That's madness! Just turn around and look to see who's behind you! That's the best idea anyway- you're less likely to get mugged by someone who knows you've seen their face. Or if it's a real problem, don't walk along such a quiet road late at night. You can't expect people to weave back and forth across the road to accommodate you - especially at that hour when there are still a lot if cars about. Honestly I find it so selfish that you consider yourself a 'priority user' of a public space.

Runningupthathill82 · 25/03/2015 09:35

YABU. Start running instead, it's great. And you'd get home faster.

I'm not going to start zig-zagging across roads to avoid you. I've got Strava crowns to win! (Yes, I am that silly, but it's the only thing I'm ever likely to win for my running efforts...)

Poledra · 25/03/2015 09:57

My mum was once walking down the road to her house at about 9pm. It was wintertime, dark, and lonely. She could hear someone breathing heavily behind her. She quickened her pace - so did the heavy breather. It wasn't a runner, the footsteps were heavy and measured. She was almost trotting down the road, not daring to look back. There were no houses near, it was a pavement leading down to the row of houses she lived on. As she came to the start of the row, she risked a quick look over her shoulder, thinking that if she screamed, she was close enough to her house that my dad would hear her.....

... and the cow following her down the road on the other side of the hedge blinked peaceably at her and huffed out of its nose.

Mrsmorton · 25/03/2015 10:07

worra that's fucking brilliant. Really made me LQTM.

AndHarry · 25/03/2015 10:33

YABU but I scared the living daylights out of two lads on bikes when out jogging in the dark once. They were cycling on the pavement and made me jump as they came up behind me so I screeched in their faces Blush They were Shock

Newyearsunresolutions · 25/03/2015 10:48

I had this walking to my car from work one night. It wasn't even late but was dark. I suddenly felt someone right behind me breathing heavily, I turned around as a jogger squeezed past me. I almost had a heart attack.

BoatsAgainstTheCurrent · 25/03/2015 11:25

I run late in the evening sometimes. I breathe quietly (I think?) so haven't scared anyone with that, but I have the Nike app (didn't used to run with this), which verbally tells you your pace every so often/milestones reached. On one occasion however, having just downloaded the app and was running down a quiet street - a dog walker in front of me who I was just about to go past. My earphones disconnected and with the volume at full whack, the app emitted "THIS IS SHAILENE WOODLEY, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LONGEST RUN EVER!" The guy in front nearly had a heart attack (as did I.)

fredfredgeorgejnr · 25/03/2015 12:38

Run home from the meeting, that way you'll feel safer as no jogger will over take you and you'll get some valuable exercise to improve your health.

As others have said, expecting the jogger to take the extra effort of crossing the road is completely selfish - and by the time they see you up ahead, have had time to check the road is clear then they're going to be past you anyway, so you're really asking them to stop jogging...

chickenfuckingpox · 25/03/2015 13:59

okay so my personal opinion is YANBU because when i was 18/19 i went to my friends house it was down an alley way it was not dark maybe leaning towards dusk but a safe area been that way dozens of times and a jogger passed me nothing unusual then i thought i saw someone peaking out of the bushes lower down he reappeared and began to jog back up the alley again nothing unusual i assumed he had been caught short and was checking how close i was as he jogged closer (it is a long alley way) i released he looked different looking closer it turns out he was fucking naked he had taken his shorts off and was bobbing towards me fully erect being an idiot i stopped moving totally and froze in place till he bobbed past me i then turned and watched his bare ass twinkle away up the alley way then i legged it

since then i do not like joggers especially at dusk night time ones would freak me totally xx

SoonToBeMrsB · 25/03/2015 14:47

I never look happy when jogging because it bloody hurts, I'm tired and everything is just awful. Until I get home and can feel smug Grin

I may take to blasting "Hearts on Fire" when I'm out running though. Just to warn nervous pedestrians of my presence, of course, not to pretend I'm in an 80's montage or anything. Ahem.

stripytees · 25/03/2015 15:27

I know what you mean OP because I sometimes feel the same when a man is walking close behind me when it's dark and the streets are empty and it seems they speed up as I speed up.

But, I also know there's not much the other person (jogger or other pedestrian) can do about it without inconvenience.

Original poster
Hassled · 25/03/2015 15:59

So most people think I'm a raging unreasonable loon, but reassuringly some people see my problem. I can cope with that.

I think the fairest compromise is mandatory playing of Chariots of Fire for all joggers, and/or bells attached to the joggers' ankles. That wouldn't be irritating at all, I'm almost sure. I'll cease my demands for mandatory frenzied zig-zagging across roads.

OP posts:
LadyIsabellaWrotham · 25/03/2015 16:11

I know it's late in the thread, but can I step in to defend the name of Cheryl "Buck's Fizz" Baker, who AFAIK has a blameless record. I think the pp was thinking of Cheryl "isn't it strange how we've all forgotten what a nasty racist thug she is" Cole.

BikeRunSki · 25/03/2015 16:16

I'd love to run/jog at a more sociable time of day. So if someone could get my kids up and breakfasted how is 7.30 am for other pavement users? Then I leave for work, back around 6. Perhaps someone could pick DS up and do his homework with him? an early evening run would be nice. I quite putting them to bed, so I'll do that bit - then go out after dark and inadvertently scare other people.

SuasSios · 25/03/2015 16:16

I know it's late in the thread, but can I step in to defend the name of Cheryl "Buck's Fizz" Baker, who AFAIK has a blameless record. I think the pp was thinking of Cheryl "isn't it strange how we've all forgotten what a nasty racist thug she is" Cole

I was wondering if anyone was ever going to shed light on this

londonrach · 25/03/2015 16:18

Pole what your mum say to the cow?

Poledra · 26/03/2015 09:11

Not sure, but I expect it involved cuss words Grin. She was giggling hysterically when she got back to the house, probably as a reaction to being scared shitless by a cow.

fluffymouse · 26/03/2015 09:24

Yabu, and paranoid.

As a former female, daytime jogger I did encounter people like you though, who crossed the road upon hearing me coming. I'm not sure what they thought I was going to do...

fascicle · 26/03/2015 09:35

londonrach
Pole what your mum say to the cow?

Poledra
Not sure, but I expect it involved cuss words Grin.

Might she have said... Moo-ve away from me, you're making me (sh)udder?

(sorry, sorry)