To think runners are getting a lot of hate atm

[HerstoryInTheMaking]

All over social media I am hearing a lot of nasty and snarky comments towards runners, especially from people who would never usually exercise outdoors anyways.

Aibu to think social distancing is a two way street and that those walking should also attempt social distancing. I as a marathon runner try my best to avoid people often walking in a group along a path who refuse to budge an inch.

Well said Lewisville I have run regularly for years, In certain parts of my runs I breathe more heavily particularly when I am trying to beat my last time in a Strava section, I want to continually improve my fitness and challenge myself, not bumble along.

I run and I think (hope) I am courteous to other pedestrians. I often go in the road (of course checking its safe) to keep a suitable distance from pedestrians and if there is not room to pass on a footpath I have turned and back tracked and waited for people to pass. But I have encountered whole families out taking up the entire pavement, not willing to even move into pairs to pass, effectively forcing me into the road.

There's loads on infighting on my running groups online, people running too far, too long, too close etc....

As a runner I run facing the traffic (on the pavement) and step into the road to avoid people. I've shortened my runs and am doing routes or laps close to home. Other than that I'm not making any concessions but neither am I willing to give up something which has saved my mental health.

@lewisville1 - what @Craftycorvid suggested. That’s courtesy. And I’ve seen it in short supply from runners.

Couldn’t give a monkey’s why a particular runner is breathing heavily and spluttering it. But if they’re doing it, it makes it more likely some of their saliva will reach me and infect me. I too could be infectious - I get that. But I always, always make an effort to observe social distancing.

However, breathing heavily or not - runners should just observe the social distancing guidelines. I’ve seen too few of them do it, to be honest. And it’s more difficult for me to dismount the raised kerb with a pram to get away from them in time than it is for them to run away from me to keep the necessary distance. Just basic common sense and manners.

I have read a lot about every one getting on each other’s nerves ie, dog walkers / cyclists / runners/ walkers / families etc; but whenever I have been out I have only ever experienced people being polite and friendly, and understanding of each other. ( so far, fingers crossed 🤞).

I rode my horse last week, 7am middle of nowhere, saw one person and kept about 10 foot distance but still felt like a criminal. I’ve read a lot of Facebook posts about riding horses/bikes and running and that it should be banned.

I have been walking our dogs once a day and I’m shocked how many people are out, I normally see 1 person and I would say I’m passing 10-15 walkers, runners and cyclists no matter what time of day!

Consider the poor runner. They may lose a couple of seconds off their timed route because YOU a mere pedestrian insists on not making way for them. It’s selfishness pure and simple. It’s your duty to not impede them in any form whatsoever. Higher beings and all that.

Whether you’re walking or running, if you’re heading towards someone on the same pavement, you can’t generally keep 2m apart without one of you stepping into the road. This isn’t about social distancing, it’s about people disliking runners.
I’m a regular runner and always, always step into the road if there’s someone on the pavement, but I guarantee that when I do that, they give me daggers even though I’m nowhere near them - and that’s the same as pre-Coronavirus.

I think there is a lot of hate for people full stop. I'm fed up of reading FB posts with people being chastised for daring to go for their daily run or daily walk. This has brought out the worst in people...

People criticised for only having a basket in Tesco but equally criticised for having a big trolley. People criticised for having takeaways even though it's allowed. The amount of people demanding a full lockdown I'm sure they either love the drama or are too lazy to want to work.

Well I’m not surprised about 2 hours before I came down with symptoms of cv some jogger ran right up behind me whilst I was dog walking and passed with about 2inches to spare. The day I came out of self isolation some twat was sprinting in and out of his house doing some sort of interval exercises and nearly knocked me flying twice and ran right in front of me so I had to stop otherwise I would have bumped straight into him.

There are some v aggressive runners out there (also lots of sensible ones) who quite obviously cannot handle the adrenaline and should exercise in the privacy of their own homes.

I run sometimes and walk a lot so can see both sides of the story.

If you are a pedestrian or runner PLEASE stay on the left hand side of the path. This makes it safe and simple to step out onto the road because you are facing traffic. There’s no excuse for running in the middle of the path, stay on the left.

Equally, if you are pushing a buggy or walking with children or dogs, please don’t stop in the middle of the path to attend to said baby/child/dog. There is a lot of that going on in my local park.

They don’t stop. Everybody else stops and checks the road before one moving into road. Joggers in our town just seem to carry on and jog past too close.

I think its the heavy breathing I'm pretty laid back but anyone running towards me breathing heavily I'm finding quite worrying and there seems to be loads more of them about in the village obviously off work so filling up their time and putting the rest of us at greater risk.

Not all runners? The ones on here all seem like nice, reasonable and considerate people.

But some of them... I've had one cough in my DS's face, one of them run so close to my DH as to almost knock him over - all the while heavy breathing out DH doesn't hear super well.

Also kind of amazed that (some) runners expect walkers to get out of the way. We all have equal rights on pavement/road - faster people are just as capable of moving.

I guess like everything, we should all be considerate of each other. I think runners get into some kind of zone where they forget about social distancing... Please stop doing that, if this is you... (But I doubt it, because everyone posting here sounds reasonable).

They are annoying, sorry. When you're walking on a narrow pavement and they come up behind you and next to you, so close, panting in your face..it's really not ideal at the moment. They seem to refuse to move. If you are in front and they are behind they should be the ones to move as we don't have eyes in the back of our heads!

Trying to work out why you being a marathon runner is worth mentioning here to be honest. There are plenty of bell ends out there whether they are runners, walkers or cyclists, dog walkers etc. Sonetimes people honestly just don't think.

However what difference it makes that you have run a marathon or two has to do with it is something I just can't grasp. Do you think you are more worthy of having the rules obeyed for you than someone who, say, runs 5k every day? Seriously trying to find the connection here

I'm happy under most circumstances to safely move out of the way, but I'm struggling with people social distancing themselves from their dog on its lead taking up excess space, and groups of people walking who will not break formation and walk single file and remain 2-3 abreast across the path often meaning that 2m is not viable when the group is occupying a large proportion of the avaliable width.

A local trail has become relatively busy, so most of the time it is better to opt for the quieter pavement that runs roughly parallel. Last week two women were oncoming taking the full width of the pavement so I check behind me and move 1m into the road to pass them. Do they budge to give more space between me and them? Not a jot. I'm not willing to run down the white line of the road on a fast road metres away from a blind summit, so if they don't like me passing with less than 2m, they can bloody well move in and make an extra 0.5m to help, because being hit by a car at 30+mph with minimal time time for the driver to react could do a heck of a lot more damage than the virus.

I will keep running, because it keeps me sane, and keeping my lung capacity up seems like a decent idea in the face of a potentially nasty respiritory pandemic.

I thought MN was bad for enforcing imaginary rules, but I'm surprised at how widespread the mentality is in running groups even when someone blatently is not breaking any official legislation or guidence

My DCs are now well trained to walk single-file

I’ve been walking the paths around my home for years, I do a 10km Loop five times a week.

I’m astonished at all these people suddenly discovering that they have legs. Loads of people wandering about not knowing where they are. Ive had to direct several elderly people home because they were lost. I’ve seen people with OS maps and others posting pictures on Facebook of ‘new’ paths they’ve discovered that were basically behind their houses.

Seemingly, they cannot practice social distancing. They spread themselves across the paths and won’t entertain single file.

I find coughing usually persuades them to move.

Will they carry on wandering when this blows over? Walking is so good for us but some of these people seem very out of practice.

Well this thread of runner hate as an example! I’m a pre-Covid runner, probably actually been getting out less than usual because the kids are home all the time so my cheeky mid week runs have been cut down!

We love quite rurally, and on my usual 7k circuit from home I will see the odd cyclist and occasional dog walker. Sometimes a particular runner who seems to do the same run in the opposite direction. Apart from the beginning and the end, most of the roads are 50/60 mph limit, but there’s a decent pavement on one side.

I finally got out yesterday and within a mile of home I’d passed no less than five walkers and not a single one moved a single inch to allow for social distancing. They all walked resolutely right in the middle of the path, forcing me far out into the road in order to keep a sufficient distance and as I said, these are fast roads and I can’t swap to the opposite pavement. If they had only moved to the inside of the path, I could have just popped off the pavement leaving them barely inconvenienced and me much safer. It was very weird that none of them made any attempt to at all.

On the section of my run, i came across my opposite direction runner and we both (about 20 metres away) did the funny dance where we both move, because we both were trying to accommodate the other. And it’s the runners who get the flack as being inconsiderate 🤔

Out walking the dog today on the only road/path from my home.

There were multiple runners and cyclists passing by, on the road but right in at the kerb so around 1m from me. There was obviously nowhere for me to go to keep the 2m distance unless I jumped into the bushes.

Selfish and inconsiderate, every one of them.

This exercise criteria was always the weak point - there is no reason exercise cannot be done inside. I wish there rules would change to exercise in/on your own property - it's putting too many people at risk from the entitled few.

I am running again. If I see someone ahead on the pavement or path, I just swerve to the safe distance. With so little road traffic about where I live, it's often easier to go into the road.

I find most people to be friendly.

Most people where I live (Sydney) stick to the usual norm of "keep to the left" so everyone knows who is expected to go onto the grass verge or road if you can't pass on the path without going too close. I will make allowances for wobbly kids on bikes and obviously wouldn't expect elderly walkers to have to navigate what is often uneven ground, but generally if you are running or cycling on the path and I am on the left I'll hold my ground like most people do. Everyone is pretty good natured about it for now at least!

Currently, for me, this is purely a phenomenon on social media. In RL, everyone is acting civilly. Long may it continue.

Whether I am walking, jogging or cycling, I move right to the edge on my side of the path, while the other person coming towards me moves right to the edge on their own side, and we scoot past each other with a friendly wave.

I think its great to see so many people exercising