DP thinks my new hobby (sprinting) is obnoxious.

[BlackPepperCrab]

Recently, in the spirit of health, I have decided to start running again. I'm not a fan of long distance jogging, so have opted to do sets of 100/200m sprints. The usual pavement I do my running on is about 10+m wide, so no worries there isn't a chance of me crashing into anyone.

My issue now, is that DP has told me (more than once), that what I'm doing is obnoxious and attention seeking.

AIBU to think that's complete bollocks?

The "join an athletics club" comment is bonkers.

Why do you think that?

I used to run with one, you get proper training from qualified coaches using proper tracks and the cost is minimal as they are not for profit. Better to train there twice a week than more often on the wrong surface and quite possibly/probably with the wrong technique. Sprinting isnt the same as jogging but faster, its a totally different way of running.

You'll look a bit 'odd' , to put it politely.

It's potentially a danger to others and to you and would also be damn annoying to others to have you suddenly sprinting past them.

Find somewhere appropriate.

Ps where the heck do you get 10m wide pavements?!

Take up hula hooping and everyone here will want to be your new best friend

I'd think it was a bit and maybe a bit attention-seeking if you were doing it in a residential area (though I am picturing our normal 1m wide pavements so...). But then I've never seen anyone doing sprint-training except in the park as part of one of those boot camp type thingys.

Obnoxious no, anti social yes. What's wrong with a park or recreation ground?

I can't help thinking the surface is really bad for your knees

I think people can have quite a primal irrational response to seeing someone sprinting full pelt. There’s no logical reason why you shouldn’t do this (heath risks aside) ..but...

I wonder if he thinks it reflects badly on him in some way. That seems to be a recurring theme.

Is gender playing a role in people's judgements here?

Nope. Maybe I'm not imagining the scenario very well, but if you are going at a sprint speed down a pavement, and a small child (or for that matter, an adult) turns suddenly into your path, surely it's going to get messy?

Hula-hooping should be done indoors or in your own back garden - doing it publicly is definitely attention-seeking regardless of your pavement-size

Surely you risk clattering into anyone who is walking along or steps out of their front door? Why is it not feasible to go to your nearest park / green space and sprint there?

Make sure you dress properly though to signal you are 'doing sport'. If you dress in your office clothes people will assume someone's after you or you've just nicked a handbag.

Ffs what does he care what it looks like when you exercise? Have I got this right: he is ridiculing you for are running in a place where others also run, but faster?

"I have been running on concrete for 15 years and the only time I had an injury was when I joined an athletics club and ran on tartan"

Curtaintwitcher2017 I am curious about your Scottish running habits.

Sprinting is very different to jogging, there's a lot more force of movement in your body, you contort your face aggressively. I wouldn't want to share a pavement space with someone sprinting alongside me.

A pavement is a safe space for pedestrians, so you shouldn't be doing anything high speed on one. If you're full-on sprinting, you couldn't stop safely if someone emerged from a gate/doorway right in front of youm and are therefore endangering people. Go to a park!

If its convenient to you, you enjoy it and youre not getting in anyones way, then I think its noone elses business

plantsitter

It would be far more obnoxious to get in the car to travel to an 'acceptable' running area.

I would have thought that the air would be better in a park too, and you would be taking quite a bit in if you are sprinting.

The pavement in question is basically something like this so it’s not quite residential in the traditional sense.

Ah I get the effect of concrete on my shins. Don’t marathon runners run on roads though? I’m not the most versed in health matters but is running at high speeds in short bursts more damaging on such surfaces as opposed to long distance running across an arguably harsher surface?

I don’t know of any tracks near me so that’s not an option. I’m just a bit more bothered cause this is my DP making the remarks so can’t really brush it off that easily.

A pavement 10m+ wide? That's unusual.
It's certainly not obnoxious, but very unusual to run repeated sprints and not good for your joints on a hard surface.
And if you trip, it will be a hard landing. Find a grass strip somewhere.

My DH does marathons and runs on roads, does not run very fast- so maybe that impacts how it affects his shins, and wears proper road shoes from a running shop which he replaces pretty regularly.

Crossed with you OP. I hope there are no doors or passages where people might step out in front of you.