Of Old Men, Old Women and Staves September 27, 2005
Posted by NL in : General, Life , trackbackOn my run this morning, which happened to be a lactate threshold workout, I was running my first mile at threshold pace, and I came upon three elderly people, a man and two women. They were walking with walking sticks along the trail rather slowly all three abreast. I quickly caught up with them and moved off the trail to pass them. The woman I had come the closest to said something in surprize; the old man after I had passed them said, “You should have said something!”
I thought, “I’m in a workout, I don’t feel like saying something.” I continued and at the end of the trail took my minute rest and started back down the trail for my second mile at threshold pace.
This time I would pass them in their full view. When they saw me, the woman in the middle stepped back and moved to the left, still on the trail; the man took her place in the middle; and the woman on the right continued in her place. They still did not leave me room on the trail to run; and, as I approached the fellow raise his walking stick as if preparing to beat me. As I passed them — off the trail — I said, “Excuse me.”
I knew I’d be coming back after this mile, and thought of things to do… I should pick up a stick on the side of the trail to use as my staff; better yet, I should pull a tree out of the ground — for the intimidation factor. I had thought about stopping and saying to them something of the sort, “I’m sorry I didn’t say something that first time, but when you fully saw me and didn’t provide room for me on the trail, and then raised that staff as if to beat me, now that was simply rude.”
On the return trip I didn’t see them until the end of the trail. The old man had stopped and stepped off the trail smoking some spiced cigar or pipe or something, and the two women stood at the gate where I would have to pass them. I ran quitely by, stopping just past the end of the trail, and grabbed my water, shorts and shirt from my car (perhaps that was my problem… I wasn’t wearing my shorts — of course, I did have running shorties on.) I walked around in the parking lot for a minute or so, then noticing that the women had moved from the gate, went back towards the trail where I usually stretch. The trio had started walking back down the trail. If I remember correctly, each of them looked back at least once as if to ensure I would not sneak up behind them and clobber them.
Later I thought that I should have stopped in the middle of the trail that second time when the fellow raised his staff, perhaps grabbing the nearest rock or stick, saying, “Why in the world did you raise your stick? I’m a runner, running. I’m not out to pillage and burn. I have as much right to run on this trail as you have to walk on it.” Perhaps adding something such as, “Besides, I’m a runner… you’ll have to catch me to hit me,” and, based on the other people I’ve seen running on the trail, I’ll outrun anyone.
Comments»
[...] ing medivac at the end of it. I chose not to since my only objective was to hit 4. I, like nathan have been training to participate in a cross country as pa [...]