Strange Things Happen While Running
I've been contemplating the next subject of my next blog post, and as I we draw nearer to our endgame of completing the TC Bayshore Marathon, I have realized something more about running:
It seems that several times, by chance, I have been presented with interesting situations while out on runs. In these situations, I either am given a choice to react (which will yeild certain consequences), or I am left intrigued because my reaction would yeild no consequences. If any fellow runners read this, I am sure they will not find some of these items surprising.
I will now briefly describe a few of these situations:
While running in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I experienced the following:
-Several people honking at me while driving past me. I assume these "honkers" were aquaintances of mine. Honkers generally cause a temporary adrenaline rush because I either: A) am excited that people are cheering me on, or B) am about to get hit by a car.
-Several people yelling words at me. "Yellers" sometimes startle me. I am usually unable to hear what they are saying, and am usually unsure who they are. A small percentage of the time, the "yellers" may also have been aquaintances of mine.
-A fraternity handing out hot chocolate to people walking to class in the cold Michigan winter months. Apparently, they were handing out to runners as well. Hot chocolate does not bode well with exercise. It was delicious and warming, but also caused stomach cramps.
-One summer day I was running up the "Sangren Hill" on Western Michigan University's campus. I noticed a man in an electric wheelchair heading down the hill, and after a short time he appeared to fall out of the wheelchair. At this point I was presented with two choices: A) help the man get back into his wheelchair, or B) continue running.
As all of this was unfolding, two other people were walking from both my right and left sides. It seemed as though this was all happening for some sort of reason. The three of us rushed over to the man to help him back into the wheelchair. I lifted from the front, and the two other people lifted from the sides. I think I may have had most of the weight, but either way, after a bit of work, we managed to get the man back into the wheelchair.
It turned out that the man's wheelchair began rolling out of control down the hill, and he had to jump out to stop.
If the three of us wouldn't have been there, I suppose the man may have been stranded for some time. I can't imagine what this must have felt like.
-I am sure there are several other things that have happened between college and now while running, but here are a few other hilights as or late:
-A dog jumped over its fence, and as I began to sprint forward to avoid it, its leash ran out of slack. Thank goodness.
Please ask Chris about dog attacks.
-Falling. I joined this club while running in a snow/rainstorm. I attempted to turn a corner and slipped on some snowy grass, only to meet the pavement. I quickled jumped back to my feet, and immediately slipped again and slid shoulder first into a fence. I hope nobody saw that one.
Ask Ryan (A.K.A. Benny) about falling.
-People throwing objects at me. These objects include rocks, and half-eaten apples. The "throwers" can either be on foot, or in vehicles passing by.
-More yellers. In particular, passing a girl on the sidewalk who yelled "YEAH!" I love words of encouragement; passing a man in a parking lot who yelled "IT'S JANUARY. ARE YOU CRAZY?"; passing a woman at a crosswalk who yelled "YOU'RE SOAKING WET!" because it was raining. A man working at a parking garage yelled "GOD BLESS YOU!" Lastly, a homeless man yelled "YOU MUST RUN TWENTY MILES A DAY! I ALWAYS SEE YOU!"
-Almost being hit by cars. I am becoming more cautious of alleyways and shrubbery that hide the cars. There's nothing like stopping dead in your tracks for, or thinking about jumping over a surprise car. Running at night is also dangerous. One time a man stopped next to me in his car to tell me he couldn't see me.
-People thinking you're going to mug them. This is particularly a problem at night when running from behind people.
-One evenening, I found myself approaching an intersection and noticed some children playing in their front yard. Their basketball somehow escaped them and rolled ino the middle of the intersection. At this point I could have A) picked up the ball and given it back to the kids, or B) continued running. I checked the interesection for cars, picked up the ball, dribbled it a few times, and tossed it back to them. They yelled "Thank you!" I suppose the kids could have ran out into the street, but I'm glad they didn't because I may have had to pick up a kid instead of a basketball.
I suppose the real moral of this story is that life presents us with choices.
Sometimes these choices can be difficult or painful, especially when it comes to helping others.
I feel it is certainly easier to just keep running.
Sometimes it may be better, though, to stop what you're doing, and help some one out.
Sometimes it's better to not to throw things back.
Sometimes it's better to not give the middle finger when people yell strange things at you.
The choice is yours, I suppose. I'm just saying we could make the world a better place by stopping for a moment to help.
I'm just saying...
Well to fear the unknown is natural , but if you fight with it you can become the strongest human and and succeed in everything you start to do.