about late-night joggers?

[Hassled]

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.

YABU for calling runners joggers!

I am a runner and sometimes run at night. I wear a head torch so someone ahead of me would see that bobbing about for starters.

I am aware of spooking people if I run up behind them, during the day and the night, especially people with dogs. Same with cycling along shared pedestrian/cycle paths. I tend to say hello, or good morning, or good evening or something, then as I pass just say "didn't want to scare you". I haven't really thought about it with respect to scaring lone women but more just making someone jump out of their skin and to alert people with dogs to keep them close to them (some do, some fuckers don't control the dogs and breezily say "oh they just want to play, it won't hurt you").

Oh and I am always happy when I run. Less so when I race as I'm really pushing myself, but on my lone runs if I'm listening to the News Quiz you can often find me laughing out loud, which is probably more unnerving than just running along panting TBH.

Out of interest, how did people start running? Because honestly I can't think of anything worse. Especially if you run the same route - I know what the houses round here look like, I don't need to huff past them in joggy bottoms. Did you just decide to go out? What masochistic streak made you decide to jog?

Obviously everyone (joggers included) should be considerate of other pavement users, but in defence of (some of the) joggers on main thoroughfares, if your best bet of squeezing in some exercise is on the way to or from work, they're quite a rational place to jog.

Am now waiting to go on first post - pregnancy run, hoping that my inadvertent humming of chariots of fire doesn't freak out any pavement users

Yeah bonkers giggling whilst running is pretty creepy. I'd cross the road anytime of day...

I'm a jogger. I jog when I can, after the DC are in bed, and so I'll be jogging around 8.30 ish for 1/2 an hour. I would appreciate you not calling me a fuckwit.

Anyway. If this keeps on happening, so much so that you need to post on MN about it, next time you hear footsteps, do you think it's more likely to be a bloody jogger then?

I'm try to be considerate around anyone, not just 'lone women' and change my stride/jog a wide circle around around them etc. but this attitude is so pissy.

I want to trip the next one up, or push them into the road or do something equally twatty

Try any of that, and you'd probably find yourself in some bother with the person you'd just assaulted, and possibly the police. Your weird reaction to people jogging is aggressive and extreme.

moreis
I love running. It's my sport of choice. People need to find the sport they enjoy doing and one that fits in with their life.

In reality, I don't see many people when I run as I live quite rurally. At night I am more likely to see deer, horses and foxes than people and the odd twatty car who cannot possibly slow down for 30 seconds to give me some space

fluffymouse 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...

I might've done such a thing, if I had to cross the road at some point anyway, it costs me nothing to not disrupt your exercise.

Why don't you just turn round and look if you think someone is coming up behind you?

I thought one piece of personal safety advice was to turn and look if you thought you were being followed; they then know you have seen them. What the attackers want is to be able to surprise someone.

YABU calling them joggers. They are runners