Hey all, are your surviving the heat? I admit I am loving it but it certainly does not make for great running weather. That's okay because I didn't get that much running in anyway.
Monday was the only day I got a real true run in, followed by some gym time. Tuesday I did a challenging 4 mile hike through Ricketts Glen so that pretty much put me out for Wednesday and Thursday. I had some pain in my knee and hip and thought it better to just rest for a few days. On Friday I went to the Rail Trail to do a run/walk I was SO frustrated by the time I finished on the rail trail and this is why........
I should start off saying that the reason I do most of my runs at the Rail Trail is because I feel safe. I don't have to worry about traffic. Now that doesn't mean I don't have to watch for cars every now and then because on the entire stretch of trail there are a few country roads that intersect it.
More times than not I encounter very nice drivers (like the gentlemen I saw in the black sedan) who slow down as they approach the intersection of the Rail Trail. They didn't have to, but they came to a complete stop and motioned for me to go across. I was doing a walk at that time so I just waved them to go ahead. We both did a little wave of understanding and he motored on ahead and I finished my walk.
On Friday I also encountered a driver that was just the opposite of the one I described above. Now this time I was actually running but knew to stop as I approached the intersection. Even though I was stopped I felt like my life flashed before my eyes and my heart dropped. A white haired grandma type lady in a silver Toyota went zooming by. I'm not sure what the speed limit on that road is but she was certainly exceeding it by MANY miles. Oh this had me in an outrage and I was fired up for the duration of my time on the trail. This trail is highly used by runners, walkers, bikers, and even children. I was doing a run/walk so I wasn't really into my rhythm of running, but I know there were plenty of others on the trail that day that were. The driver was coming SO fast that she would have completely taken out a biker or runner.
2.5 miles later I was walking back towards the parking lot where my car was and low and behold I see a silver Toyota pull in and out walks a white haired grandma type lady. She headed into the Hearing Aid center. Oh boy I thought, apparently she needs more than a hearing aid. She needs to go to the eye doctor too. When I was done with my run/walk I plopped myself down in the grassy area by my car and did my stretches as I finished up a story I was listening to on my ipod. I admit I was kind of hoping the lady would come out because I was going to ask her if she recently drove up Johnson Mill road. Yes, I was going to approach her, nicely. Turns out, she didn't end up coming out while I was still there. As I drove away the situation still weighed heavily on my mind. -M
We will be linking up the HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin.
28 comments:
Fairytales and Fitness is a personal blog authored and edited by us, Meranda and Lacey. The thoughts expressed here represent only our own and are not meant to be taken as professional advice. Please note that our thoughts and opinions change from time to time. We consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind in an ever changing society. Any thoughts and opinions expressed within our out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those we may express today. Some links may contain affiliate links. Some links are just to pages we'd like to share.
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That picture looks so similar to the ATT trail in Raleigh, NC, complete with having to cross the road. We noticed speedy drivers as well - it's so annoying, but as a runner I always assume that every driver is out to get me. I'm glad you didn't confront that lady; you just never know when someone has a gun in their handbag these days.
ReplyDeleteOMG, yea, that thought of what might be in her handbag never crossed my mind. I will be thinking of that next time I think about talking to a stranger!
DeleteIt's so scary when drivers are reckless in heavily-trafficked pedestrian/bike areas. I've had some really bad experiences with cars, too, so I totally feel your pain on how terrifying it can be. I would have thought and done exactly the same as you did when you saw the white-haired woman in the parking lot. I agree with Shelley, at the end of the day it's safer to not approach the woman - but I can definitely relate to wanting to say something in the hopes that it can prevent any future possible incidents! In any event, I am glad you are safe!!!
ReplyDeleteYea, I just wanted to let her know that there is indeed a trail there. But on the other hand, they may not have even been the same lady.
DeleteI always expect to yield to drivers but love it when they let me go ahead when I'm on my bike. There are some nice people out there but there are plenty of self-absorbed people too.
ReplyDeleteMy hope is that perhaps she did not know the rail trail intersects there.
DeleteWhere I cycle at the beach is like that, except the trail crosses a major 4 lane highway too. It always makes me so nervous! You can never assume anyone's going to stop. LOL at grandma needing glasses and a hearing aid! BTW - my sister rides a trail in Tulsa. A friend of hers was riding and an SUV completely blew through an intersection where IT was supposed to stop. The bike was pinned under the SUV (I think he skidded under the SUV after braking hard. No serious injuries though. SCARY! Thanks for linking with us, Meranda!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow that IS scary! Even if there were no physical injuries that has to had effected her mentally in some way. I would be scared to go back there.
DeleteI run on a trail near here and I swear you can tell who the runners, walkers and bikers, are by the way they drive over the intersections - slowing down and looking for people. The others just go flying through.
ReplyDeleteI always am cautious driving around there too!
Deletescary! It's amazing how people (in their big, safe fancy cars) are sometimes oblivious to the rest of us....
ReplyDeleteYes they are!
DeleteI always assume people won't stop or yield and sometimes there are real speed demons around that make the decision for me. I once had a guy swerving back and forth over the entire road (no other cars that early) so I hightailed it out of that section.
ReplyDeletePeople just need to be more careful when they drive!
DeleteMy father, at 90, is a terrible driver. All 3 of us kids have tried to stop him from driving. He doesn't drive a lot, but he still thinks he's a good driver (he is not). It's beyond frustrating. We have tried to have doctors help us with this, but my mom also thinks he's ok, so she isn't on our side.
ReplyDeleteOh, and he's pretty deaf, too.
That's one of the scary parts of being out there. You just never know what a motorist is thinking/seeing/going to do. I suspect the elderly lady had no malicious intent but one has to wonder if her lack of driving skill means its time to surrender her license?
ReplyDeleteI dislike when cars do that! Drivers will clearly see me running and they will zoom right on by when I have the right away! Makes me so mad!!! I'm just glad you weren't hurt - drivers need to pay attention to cross walk intersections for sure!
ReplyDeleteWe have to look out for those drivers when we run, and when we drive. Either way it's scary, and I slow down to let them zoom past and give them the road. There no sense in getting hurt, in or out of the car.
ReplyDeleteYou are a great story teller! I so wish you would have confronted the lady! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are ok, and I hope that lady doesn't harm anybody!
ReplyDeleteThat is scary when drivers go too fast on areas that intersect running/biking trails. There is a similar area close to my neighborhood where a bicyclist got hit by a car last weekend :(
ReplyDeleteWhenever I hear people say they're loving this weather, I always wonder if they're joking. It's hard for me to believe that some people really do love hot weather! If I could trade you and I'll take your cold weather if you take my hot weather, I would!
ReplyDeleteThat's terrible! I really wish drivers would pay more attention to runners/bikers/etc. And there is no reason to speed in areas like that!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the driver, man some of them can be so annoying. I pretty much assume all of them are on cell phones nowdays and refuse to take any chances that they actually see me. I've even seen drivers see me coming and hit the gas and try to speed up and beat me to cross the intersection, crazy how in a hurry and inconsiderate most the world is getting!
ReplyDeleteI love the summer heat too! Granted we don't get the humidity you get. But I am finding I am enjoying running in 100+ degree heat, I don't know why but when I finish I feel even that much more impressed with myself, LOL LOL I am glad I like it because very soon I will be running in even more heat and the days are going to get significantly hotter than I am used to right now.
Sorry to hear about the crazy driver! Glad all is ok! So you hiked at Ricketts Glen! One of my favorite waterfall hikes. Hope you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteDrivers can be so aggravating! Glad you are okay!
ReplyDeleteI always assume drivers don't see me and they aren't going to stop. What a nice surprise when a driver does show courtesy though!
ReplyDeleteSome drivers are just crazy! You stay safe out there!
ReplyDelete