How to...

Not be a Total Creeper.

Steve and I meet at 5:30am to run at a local greenway. This greenway isn't known for safe trails or well-lit paths. In fact, over the past few years, there have been attempted rapes on the greenway early in the mornings. Needless to say, I would NEVER run there alone at that time (it's still pretty dark when we start). But, with Steve, I feel like we have safety in numbers.

Now, because of aforementioned assaults, there are VERY few other people at the park in the mornings. And we usually see the same people. (Like the same 2 other people).

This morning, as I was driving into the park, there was a car in front of me. Not normal, but not something to spark alarm. They parked further down the parking lot than I did and sat there with their lights still on. I was mostly annoyed because I REALLY needed to pee and because someone else was around, I couldn't just jump out and pee in front of my car like I do most mornings before Steve gets there.

Steve pulled up and parked next to me and I started to get out of the car. As I did that, I noticed that the other car at the opposite end of the parking lot had started to drive over towards us. Maybe this makes me a horrible person, but my immediate reaction was... "Oh, they must be going to more secluded area of the park to have sex or do drugs in their car. That's nice." But then the car pulled up right behind our cars (blocking both of our cars) and the driver's side window rolled down.

What follows is EXACTLY what you shouldn't say (but what the guy said) and my responses (in italics) and what was actually going through my head (in red).

"You guys runners?"
"Yeah"
"Ummm... that's a weird opener."

"You guys going to run trails?"
"No"
"Ummmm... why because you want to follow us out and murder us and throw us in the river?"

"So, you're just going to run on the greenway?"
"Yeah."
"Fuuuuuuuck. Why did I just tell him where we were going to be? Ugh."

"Ok, I'm from murfreesboro. How many miles does the trail go out?"
"It's an 8 mile out and back."
"Why? So you can gauge how much time you have to break into our cars and steal our shit?"

"Sorry to just roll up on you guys in the dark, like this. heehee."
---
"Yeah, maybe you should have opened with that line."

At this point, Steve and I started to act like we were going to start running and the guy started to back his car up.

We spent most of the 6 miles discussing this guy and his randomness and all the likely scenarios of what was happening back in that parking lot:

Scenario 1: He broke into our cars.

Scenario 2: He took a dead body out of the trunk of his car and is burying it in the woods.
Scenario 2.1: He took that dead body and put it in the back of Steve's Truck.

Scenario 3: He got his parks mixed up and thought THIS was the park to have anonymous sex in (with a name like Shelby Bottoms Greenway, I can see the confusion), and was still sitting in the parking lot waiting for someone to pull up and get into his car. That's Edwin Warner, people. Shelby Bottoms is where you go for your drug deals and rape attempts. 

Scenario 4: He really was just a nice guy from Murfreesboro, who had no idea that this park isn't known for it's safety and was hoping he'd run into two really friendly people who would offer to run with him. (Dude, it's 5:30 in the morning, I'm not running into the dark park with ANYONE I don't know, even if I'm with someone else).

By the time we got back to the car, we saw his car parked next to mine and from what we could tell, nothing nefarious had happened. I did feel a twinge of guilt, because, I am sure he thought we were both total assholes and in reality, he was probably just a legitimately a nice/innocent guy. But, hell, I watch a LOT of Dateline. And while I've told The KoB that if I am killed in a mysterious way, to make sure that Keith Morrison covers my Dateline story and not Dennis Murphy, I am glad that this morning's run didn't end with that.

Photo Friday

Taken this morning when I finished my run.

 

Um. Yeah.

DANGER! not really. well, maybe...

Back in the summer, Carolyn and I were running along our usual route (West End) at our usual time (5:15am) and we came to a bus bench with someone sitting at it.

To be honest, I didn't even really notice that someone was sitting there... because we were deep in conversation about god knows what (probably sex or gossip or both). So, when I heard someone talking nay... screaming at us, I was startled. So startled in fact that I had thought I had misheard them.

"Did that lady just call one of us a mexican whore?" I asked. Ummm.. apparently, I had heard correctly, and she was still yelling obscenities at us as we continued down the sidewalk. At the time, I never thought I'd forget her shrill, loud bark and the verocity with which she screamed. It was like one of us really was a Mexican Whore and not only that.. that we had done something very terrible to her and she was very angry.

Despite being initially alarmed, after we sped up to get away from her, we had a good laugh about it... trying to decide just who in fact she was referring to. (Carolyn, obvs).

And just like that... after a few more miles, I had completely forgotten about the incident. Until a couple of Saturdays ago, I was out running along the same route by myself, at a later time (7:00ish), enjoying the beautiful fall weather and the hustle and bustle of people getting their Vandy Tailgates ready when I heard some familiar screaming coming from across the road.

A couple of blocks away from the first incident, but across the street this time was the same lady. Again, she was at a bus bench screaming at the top of her lungs to me... "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU BITCH." Over and over again.

I'm not going to lie.. it kinda FREAKED me the FREAK out. It's the first time someone ever yelled at me that they were going to kill me and uhhhh... it's a bit unsettling. Granted, I know... she's just yelling crazy obscenities at anyone and everyone she sees. But, I was glad that she was on the opposite side of the street this time...

Makes me a bit wary of bus benches from now on...

Has anyone ever told you that you were a Mexican Whore? Or threatened to kill you? What's the craziest thing someone has yelled at you while running?

A letter.

Dear Women of Nashville:

Okay, so I've avoided this letter for a really long time. Not because it hasn't needed to be addressed, but because I kept turning a blind eye. I kept thinking that one day, some man would give me reason to assume that this issue isn't entirely limited to the female gender. I mean, I'm proud to be a woman, I support women's rights and high heels and all that crap. But, I feel like it's important to address something for our future safety.

Seriously, women. Learn how to freaking drive.

Initially, I took it personally. Every time you* tried to drive into me when I had the right of way (trust me... I always follow all traffic laws when running, I could die, otherwise) I gave you the finger, the evil eye, the string of curse words. And every time, you either never noticed me, or when you did notice me... you gave me the finger or the evil eye back! Like it was my fault you almost ran me over with your car. And if you did see me, after narrowly missing me, do you ever stop and let me proceed? Hells no. You blaze that piece o' shit car of yours right on through giving no consideration to the sweaty girl that you almost put in wheelchair.

Every single time, it's been a woman. Sure, I've had men start to turn into an intersection where I am lawfully crossing, but they always stop and let me go and and they give me the sheepish "sorry" look. So, what gives, ladies? How can you be so oblivious to your surroundings**?? Especially when you're operating a piece of machinery that could potentially KILL someone.

Look, I know you've got a lot on your mind. We ALL do. Between work, family, and the obsessive but essential analysis of the emailed phrase... "I'm just not looking for a relationship" that the douche you'd been seeing just sent you on your blackberry (I mean... A. what makes him think YOU are? B. and, even if you were, hypothetically, I mean... it's not like you want to get married in the next 3-6 months or anything and C. wonder if that means you're not going out on Saturday night? better leave your schedule open just in case, right?) you've got a lot on your plate. I get it. You're preoccupied (kids in the back screaming), you're multitasking (checking your emails or your hair), you're completely oblivious to everything around you. And do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You could kill someone. For chrissakes, look around before you plow through an intersection, especially when the light's green and you're turning without a green arrow.

I'm sorry to call you out like this. But, we need to take better care of each other and look out for one another.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Hopefully from now on, the only time I'll be yelling obscenities at you and giving you the finger is when you're trying to flirt with my man at the bar.

Sincerely,
Amy

* To clarify, let me say that I'm not claiming to be a perfect driver. Yes, there was that time I crossed railroad tracks in my Ford Taurus, where there wasn't a railroad crossing (how I was supposed to know you are supposed to only cross them at designated areas?). And yes, I did fly right through a red light the first day of my sophomore year of college and hit a dump truck (hey. i hadn't driven for a year, cut me some slack). But, I always am aware of my surroundings when I'm driving, especially when in the city. I mean, there are runners, walkers, hobos, and cyclists all over the damn place. You gotta be careful.

** How ironic that we typically rail on men for being oblivious to their surroundings... they don't notice when we get our hair cut or wear a new dress, but at least they don't run us over when we're trying to walk across the freaking street.

Scaredy- Cat.

I'm the type of person that tends to think the best of people. With the exception of large groups of construction workers who don't speak english and dudes in the park that carry a big stick and have a penchant for chatting up the ladies, I feel safe running in the early morning darkness. I don't carry mace or a cell phone when I run... just my house key and my ipod. The majority of my running route is fairly well-lit and well-traveled by other female runners. But, the beginning of my route is pretty dark and lonely. For the first 1.5 miles of my route, I run in pretty much complete darkness and rarely see more than 2-3 cars pass by.

Yesterday, I was checking out the message board for my local running club and read a post that a woman wrote explaining how she had been approached and coralled by a car around 5:30 am. The person in the car asked her to get in the car and luckily she was able to run away and was safe. The street that she was running on.. intersects with the streets that I run. At first... I shrugged the post off... thinking... ohhhh I'm sure she's just exaggerating. She probably just got a little spooked. Some girls are like that. And I didn't think anything more of it...

Until... this morning as I prepared for my run. It just seemed darker than normal. My imagination started to get the best of me and I contemplated waiting till 6:30 when the sun came up and getting to work a little late. But, in case you haven't noticed (and if you know me in real life, you definitely know this) I let VERY few things come between me and my morning runs... not boys, not lack of sleep, not cold nor heat... (basically only rain... I hate wet running shoes) And, dammit, I'm not going to let fear keep me from it either.

So, I headed out for my run. Everything went fine, as expected... But I was little nervous initially... okay, well nervous isn't the right word... I was actually scared. I mean, at one point.. (running through my usual creepy construction man area) I got totally freaked out because I saw a shadow coming up behind me... running fast... but ummm.. yeah... so, it turns out it was my own shadow.

I'm happy that I didn't let the incident to the other girl get to me. But, I'm definitely glad that I read about it, because it's super important to be cautious and mindful of your surroundings when you are anywhere alone... and sometimes I definitely need to be reminded of that. As much as I like to think I'm a total bad-ass and could kick anyone's ass that tried to mess with me... I'm totally not and I totally can't.

So... just a reminder y'all.... be careful out there... as someone once told me of running in the dark... "there are creeps out there for far less noble reasons than you..."

Safety First-Running in the Heat

We all know that running in the summer is tough and all runners (should) know how to best protect themselves and run more comfortably when it's hot outside. For example:

-dress in cool, moisture-wicking clothing
-drink plenty of water before and during a run-sports drink if the run is an hour or longer
-try to run in the early morning or evening
-wear sunscreen and a hat

I generally practice all of these tips and I'm ok. It's still difficult to adjust to the heat and humidity, but at least I'm not in any danger of heat stroke or exhaustion. However, yesterday was a different story. I went out to run right after work and I felt pretty good for the first mile and a half. And then I realized I wasn't sweating at all. I ran for another mile and began to feel nauseous, dizzy and sort of in outer space-like my brain was all fuzzy. By that point, I had run about 2.5 miles and realized that I should stop running. I had been running at my usual pace, but when I stopped, I was panting and gasping for breath. And then I started getting cold chills. Luckily I was close to home so I was able to get indoors and cool off and in no time, everything was back to normal, but man, was it scary! So today, I want to post the
symptoms of heat stroke- every runner should be aware of them!

flushed red skin
hot, dry skin
difficulty breathing or hyperventilation
a moderate to severe headache
dizziness
burning sensations in the extremities
disorientation or confusion
delirium
lack of perspiration (sweating)
vomiting
loss of consciousness
sudden chills
unable to run straight (or at all)

If you experience these symptoms-STOP RUNNING!! Get to a cool place, apply cool water to the skin and rehydrate. I did some Internet research this morning and all the sites say to call 911. If immediate treatment is not given, heat stroke is fatal and can cause organ damage.

I'm not sure why my body reacted to the heat like it did yesterday since I've run for much longer in even higher temperatures-plus I drank a lot of water all day, up to the run. I'm just glad that I quit when I did.

Heat Stroke is considered a medical emergency and the most serious of heat-related illnesses, but there are two others that should be mentioned:

HEAT CRAMPS-
Causes: Loss of electrolytes and accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles.
Conditions: Muscle cramps and/or spasms, heavy sweating, normal body temperature.
Treatment: Drink water and sports drink, slow down, massage affected area.

HEAT EXHAUSTION-
Causes: Intense exercise in a hot, humid condition and loss of electrolytes.
Conditions: Profuse sweating, possible drop in blood pressure (less than 90 systolic, the top number), normal or slightly elevated body temperature, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, decreased coordination, possible fainting.
Treatment: Rest in a cool place, drink water and sports drink, if BP drops below 90 systolic, call EMS, avoid activity for at least 24 hours, refrain from running or exercising in the heat for at least one week.
(source: marathonguide.com)

Sometimes its difficult to get somewhere for help, especially on those long out-and-back runs that are in the middle of nowhere, so it's wise to take along a cell phone. I know it's a pain, but as I learned yesterday, these illnesses can strike even when you take all precautions and even when you're just going out for an easy, short run!

I don't mean to scare anyone, but we've gotta be safe out there! Know the facts!
Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Minivans can be very creepy.

So, last night, I didn't go to target. I worked too late and had to get home in time to watch the Fast Money repeat at 7pm. So, I made cookies instead. So much for breaking the stress-eating cycle.

This morning was my track workout. Well, I woke up and decided... you know what? I dont feel like driving to the track. I'm just going to run "road intervals" (I'm not sure if that phrase even exists, but whatever). I'd find the flattest half a mile stretch and do my repeats there. Now, let me preface by saying... finding a flat half of mile stretch in middle TN is NOT an easy thing to do. Anyways, I found one.

The crappy thing is that my wonderful new ironman watch is all jacked up or something. Like, I dont know how to program it or anything. I read the instructions when I first got it on how to get it to save splits, and since I only ever need to record splits like every 3 weeks or something, I forget how to work it and just end up pushing a bunch of buttons until it starts timing. This morning, I got it going and then after my first interval, I hit the split button and when I looked back down at my watch to see how long of a recovery I was doing, it gave me like 5:15 or some crap. WTF? So, apparently, I've got my freaking watch set on TOTAL time instead of split time. Uggh. So, I didnt know any of my splits until I got into work, googled a time calculator and figured them all out.

At least I was consistent:

Interval 1: 4:36
Interval 2: 4:09
Interval 3: 4:09
Interval 4: 4:10
Interval 5: 4:19
Interval 6: 4:19
Interval 7: 4:12

Not too shabby, considering my pace lately is akin to that of a sloth.

I didn't enjoy the road intervals as much as I do the track intervals. Mostly because of construction workers. So.... you can't throw a rock in Nashville without hitting a construction site. Hotels, Condos, etc going up EVERYWHERE. For my intervals I had to run around the same 3-4 blocks 7 times, right? Well, not a big deal except for creepy construction guys who get to work early and park on the side of the road and sit in their cars. Most of them eventually got out around interval 3 or so (the sun was coming up then). Except for two shady looking dudes in a mini-van. Everything in that sentence should scare you. Everytime I passed by them, they stared me down and made me feel crappy. The unfortunate part is that at the point I was passing them, was when I was running my recoveries.

Eek. These dudes totally creeped me out. Now, granted, I think I'm a little more scaredy cat (I have too wild of an imagination) than most people, but I have a rule... if I ever get a weird feeling while out running alone, I can bag the run guilt free. Better to be safe than sorry, right? Well, I didn't follow my rule this time because I was hoping that they would leave with all the other guys, but they didn't. So, when I passed them for the 5th time. I finally got the bright idea.... why don't I just turn around when I finish my next intervals and cut down between two blocks to avoid the shady mini-van guys. Brilliant!

Sometimes it astounds me how stupid I am while running. That could be dangerous.

Running Together & Dodging Danger!!!

First off, I want to report on the progress of our training/coaching for the half-marathon: It's going very well! I'm really proud of Greg's determination and progress even 3 weeks in. He's even letting me do my "coach" thing and takes my advice on stretching, how hard to push it, when to rest...you know, just stuff that an experienced distance runner, like myself, has learned over the years:)

Last night, we did a 5 mile run at a fairly fast pace. I've learned that when Greg and I run together, its a challenge to run at a pace that we both are comfortable with. Sometimes, he seems to be practically jogging in place while other times, he's running like he stole something and I'm flailing along behind him, just trying to keep up. I know this is natural for runners and I'm the same way. I mean, everything can have an effect on the day's run - sleep, food choices, stress, etc...That's just how it goes.

It can be a good thing since we tend to challenge each other in this way, but every now and again, it's nice to maintain a good, consistant pace.

Last night, I was the Speedy Gonzalez between us. I might not have realized it, except that Greg kept exclaiming, "you're speeding up! You're speeding up!!"

I swore that I was running the same pace as I had been, but I dunno, I just felt really great and my fast(er) pace was working for me. I guess maybe we'll even out a little more when we make our way into the longer distance runs.

We have this neighborhood route that we enjoy. It gives us some gentle hills, interesting things to look at and so far hasn't gotten boring-because all runner's know that a boring course, too many times, will cause major burnout.

But last night, our course turned into Danger City! We've been running mostly in the evenings and while it's usually well enough lit, some of the roads are kind of dark and shadowy. There are also mature trees all over the neighborhood...most yards have at least one and these trees drop branches all the time. So on these dark roads, it's really important to keep your eyes peeled. We almost became the victims of a ginormous waist-high branch. Luckily, I saw it at the last minute and warned Greg. To put it delicately, Greg said that I probably saved our chances of having children together.

The darkness also caused other potential injuries. In addition to the branch incident, there was a construction area incident, garbage spillage on the sidewalk incident and several crazy, inattentive driver incidents.

And if all that weren't enough....a huge, scary and mean sounding german shepard (that I've never seen before) growled and jumped out of the bushes at us as we passed one house in particular. He was behind a fence, but he could have easily jumped over if he was determined to do so. I'm pretty sure I'll be avoiding that house from now on.

It seemed like someone or something was out to get us. But, in spite of all the deadly encounters, we arrived home in one piece! We felt like we deserved a prize for surviving so we had a nice steak dinner. Steak dinners have the ability to make everything ok again.

Safety...

This winter when I was training for the marathon, I did the bulk of my running in pitch black darkness after work. It was always at Moss Wright Park and the only other people that were there around 6pm, were the regular runners (the big group of snooty, slightly faster than me runners) and the regular walkers (dog walker lady, two old men, and old couple). But, there was also Big Stick Guy. Big Stick Guy is well known to those who run at Moss Wright Park. He always walks alone, carries a HUGE walking stick (hence the name), and will carry on a lengthy conversation with every woman he comes into contact with, if you let him. He has this really creepy vibe to him (probably due to the fact that he carries around a huge stick with him). I never really thought too much of him initially, I always had my headphones on and sped up to get past him, so there was little interaction. One day, though, one of the snooty, slightly faster than me runners took me for one of them (she thought I was some girl named Rachel) and instead of running by herself, she ran with me for about a mile. She asked me some questions and then she said "You know, a group of us girls always meets on tuesdays and thursdays at 5:30 to run, if you ever want to run with us" (which was nice...). And I replied, "oh really? that's cool (Thinking to myself how much I enjoy the solitude of dark, evening runs). She said, "yeah, we like to run together because of big, scary guy." Big, Scary Guy? you mean, Big Stick Guy??? I thought to myself...and I asked... "You mean the guy that carries around the big stick?" "Yes, yes, he carries zee big stick (Did I mention this lady has accent? I dont think I did. She has an accent)." Then she proceeds to describe his car to me and recites his license plate number. This scared me. These other women felt so threatened by him, that they had his license plate number memorized. I immediately memorized it also. And so, that day, I made a pact with myself. If it was ever only me and big stick guy's car there in the parking lot. I would scrap whatever run I was doing and immediately go home. I had to do that twice the whole winter. This winter, I will follow the same pact.

Generally, I tend to think that bad things don't happen to me, they happen to other people. I am trusting and like to think... "why would anyone want do anything bad to me?" Naive. I know. It does keep me from being scared, and in my defense, I do always try to make sure that I am very aware of my surroundings.

Mornings are VERY dark right now. The sun doesnt officially come up until around 6:30, and I'm usually done with my run around 6:15 or so. Luckily, my mom is my running partner on these dark runs, otherwise, I'd be sticking to the treadmill every morning. We always see the same people in these early mornings... and it's always people out walking dogs. This morning though, as we approached a part of the route that is particularly dark and off the sidewalk and away from the road we saw a man walking towards us. We made our right hand turn to loop around through a school's driveway and parking lot (it adds about 3 tenths of a mile each way, which is why we run run it) and instead of the guy continuing along the sidewalk, he followed us on the driveway. Now, where I am trusting and don't let things bother me... my mom is a scare-dy pants and immediately started to sprint. She didn't have to say anything, I know her well enough to know why she had sped up and it didn't have anything to do with a fartlek.

We made the loop and I turned around to see if I could see him, but I couldn't. It was too dark. Which creeped me out even more. We finished our three miles and I went inside and got on the treadmill for another mile instead of continuing outside. It irritates me that other people can have an affect on my runs. Especially people I don't know. But, at least I realize that it's always better to err on the side of caution.