Tonight I had an outside track workout consisting of a whole bunch of 400’s. It was getting late, and the mass of people that were running at 112 different speeds, (all the slowest ones on the inside track, of course) started leaving about 8:00 pm. I was on the track with two other guys, all running counterclockwise which is typical at the track.
I’m on the main set of my workout which was 10x400 with 1:30 rest between each lap. I was about 60% done and coming down the final stretch when a man enters the track area, heading towards me with an unleashed dog running towards me as well. I stopped as they approached, because I was not sure what the dog would do. I was tailed by an unleashed dog on yesterday’s run (different rant). The dog sniffs my hand then the guy called him and proceeded to circle the track against traffic. I rested then started running again. To my surprise, as i was running down the back straight, the guy and the dog split me, me on the insie lane, the dog immediately to my left in the infield and jackass on my right heading towards me. I of course slowed and stumbled, messing up my 200 split, and cursed him silently and continued on. When I got back to the start line, I anticipated a repeat, and I asked the guy nicely to change direction and go with traffic. He refused and told me he didn’t have to. I told him that he was messing up my run workout, and that the three runners preceded him on the track. He then called me an ass and told me to calm down. I then told the guy to kiss my ass, and started to go again. I asked him again to turn around thinking that even being on the track on his mtb with an unleashed dog was already enough to tolerate. At the last request, the guy told me not to swear at him or he would call his “partner” and have me hauled off to jail! I hadn’t gotten excited until this point where I told him to shut up, but call the cops if he wanted to. He then decided to play up his bravado or something and said calm down"little man", I told him to fuck off. Apparently Mr. middle aged (55ish) blobby guy thought he was an overwhelming menace to my fit 40 year old frame. At this point, I was already past my rest period and the anger benefited me as I ran the last 3 400’s at the same pace as when I started at 1:30 to 1:40
The guy apparently realized that I didn’t care about his threats, and fortunately he left. What a penis-head!
Sorry Paulo, I know this came up just the other day in the Lavender Room if I’m not mistaken, but I am a dog owner and I know better.
I’ve had dogs for something like 39 of my 40 years. The only time I ever bike with my dog is on singletrack in a remote place where I rarely encounter anyone else. I have two Goldens,and a big yard for their enjoyment, where they stay 95% of the time.
I am thankful the dog only sniffed. It was a beefy looking mutt that would easily have it’s way with most humans. I stumbled, because the track is a little bumpy, with some kind of crushed gravel surface, and for a moment, my focus was split between the two things coming at me…the jerk, and the dog.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the whole things seems absolutely ridiculous and childish…and you’re 40?
Did you have the track reserved? Are pets prohibited from the track? It’s open to the public, and there’s no official rules on which way you must go, or how fit you need to be, are there? Was the dog being aggresive?
Now if you’re area has a leash law, you had a valid issue to talk to him about. Everything else…you gotta be kidding!
Now that being said, I probably would have not been thrilled, but I think I would have just ran around him, and spent another second or 2 making a modification to my workout.
I’ve had dogs run straight INTO me when I’m running, WITH the owners right there, telling me the whole time “oh, he won’t bite”. Whatever.
Any time any one has threatened to have their “dad cop” or whoever to arrest me, I offer my own phone to them and ask them to call. So far, no one has ever taken me up on that. I had one kid threaten that, and asked for his badge number so I could call myself.
But this guy saying “his partner” is then imperonating an officer…
Not saying that it wasn’t a moronic situation to begin with… This guy was riding his MTB on the track? Most tracks that I know of prohibit that.