# I pit runners who... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 13, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725 "2016-11-13T00:03:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/1 "2016-11-13T00:03:56Z")
Run in heavy traffic On busy roads At rush hour (which these days is at dusk) In dark clothes that have no reflective properties Wearing earbuds WITH traffic (I saw this yesterday–did the woman think she was a bicycle??) ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/2 "2016-11-13T00:55:05Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …(I saw this yesterday–did the woman think she was a bicycle??) No, silly. You ride the bicycle AGAINST traffic (so you can see the cars coming towards you). ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/3 "2016-11-13T01:33:52Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Run in heavy traffic > On busy roads > At rush hour (which these days is at dusk) > In dark clothes that have no reflective properties > Wearing earbuds > WITH traffic (I saw this yesterday–did the woman think she was a bicycle??) Ah. Those would be the runners in the category of “future street pizza”. I’m forced to run in the dark these days - thanks, DST - but I’m always festooned in a reflective vest, with reflective bands at my wrist and ankle. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/4 "2016-11-13T01:35:34Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Ah. Those would be the runners in the category of “future street pizza”. > > I’m forced to run in the dark these days - thanks, DST - but I’m always festooned in a reflective vest, with reflective bands at my wrist and ankle. Do you have a triangle on your back? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/5 "2016-11-13T01:42:06Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Do you have a triangle on your back? Is he a Menonite? ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/6 "2016-11-13T01:55:36Z")
We’d happily oblige and run the bike trails, but there aren’t a lot of em; they’re closed for several months of the year; and they cost the taxpayers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/7 "2016-11-13T02:21:50Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Do you have a triangle on your back? And is there a number in it, so we know which bin? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/8 "2016-11-13T02:30:51Z")
> [@Trancephalic](#): > > We’d happily oblige and run the bike trails, but there aren’t a lot of em; they’re closed for several months of the year; and they cost the taxpayers. 🙂 Serious question: isn’t there some middle ground (as it were) between bucolic bike trails and heavy rush hour traffic at dusk? What about neighborhood streets? Or just less busy streets? When you’re the driver and you’re being _at worst_ blinded and _at best_ merely distracted by other drivers’ headlights, and you see a lone runner on the side of the road in dark clothing, what is YOUR thought? Do you fear for their safety? ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/9 "2016-11-13T03:19:03Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Ah. Those would be the runners in the category of “future street pizza”. > > I’m forced to run in the dark these days - thanks, DST - but I’m always festooned in a reflective vest, with reflective bands at my wrist and ankle. Word. I buy fluorescent green or orange shirts by the dozen at A C Moore for a few bucks each, and I always run facing traffic. I do not want to die while running. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/10 "2016-11-13T04:50:49Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Serious question: isn’t there some middle ground (as it were) between bucolic bike trails and heavy rush hour traffic at dusk? What about neighborhood streets? Or just less busy streets? > > When you’re the driver and you’re being _at worst_ blinded and _at best_ merely distracted by other drivers’ headlights, and you see a lone runner on the side of the road in dark clothing, what is YOUR thought? Do you fear for their safety? There really isn’t a distinction between neighborhood streets and ‘busy’ streets where I live. What’s more, obeying traffic rules didn’t stop me from getting hit on a quiet street in broad daylight (not that I no longer follow them), so at least with busy streets there’s bound to be some witnesses to a hit-and-run! ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/11 "2016-11-13T05:18:13Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Serious question: isn’t there some middle ground (as it were) between bucolic bike trails and heavy rush hour traffic at dusk? What about neighborhood streets? Or just less busy streets? > > When you’re the driver and you’re being _at worst_ blinded and _at best_ merely distracted by other drivers’ headlights, and you see a lone runner on the side of the road in dark clothing, what is YOUR thought? Do you fear for their safety? It’s the ones I don’t see whose safety I fear for. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/12 "2016-11-13T06:00:14Z")
I was making a legal left turn on red from a one-way street to another one-way street, when a jogger pounded on my hood, freaking me the hell out. The car died because I was driving a manual, but I might have accelerated right into him if I’d been driving an automatic. He was very dark-complexioned, maybe black, wearing black lycra running tights, and a black or Navy shirt with some non-reflective logo on it, a black belly bag, black shoes, and a black or Navy sock hat. No reflective tape, no vest. He came out from under an underpass and straight into the road, where he decided he had the right of way, and he may have, I don’t know whether the walk signal was green or flashing orange, but he was basically wearing the “Invisible Pedestrian” costume from SNL’s Halloween skit. This was after 10pm. Who jogs outside in November after 10pm? Indy has several gyms with indoor tracks that are cheap, plus a couple of state parks and the Monon trail. I was pulling off a highway exit. The sidewalks aren’t even well-kept there. If you want a rough trail, several universities have outdoor gravel tracks. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/13 "2016-11-13T13:22:33Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I was making a legal left turn on red from a one-way street to another one-way street, when a jogger pounded on my hood, freaking me the hell out. The car died because I was driving a manual, but I might have accelerated right into him if I’d been driving an automatic. Apparently he was taking lessons from the Lunatic Cyclist School of Road Domination. I didn’t know they taught joggers, too. The Lunatic Cyclist School teaches that because you’re more vulnerable than a car, you have the absolute right to be anywhere you want on the road at any time, run red lights, turn anywhere you want without looking, and furiously pound on the hood of any car that offends your sensibilities. Part of the teaching of the Lunatic Cyclist School is that you should always be in “stealth mode”, which means wearing the darkest possible clothing at night, preferably matte black, and any sort of lighting of course is strictly prohibited. I believe the whole thing, lunatic cyclists and joggers alike, is some sort of spinoff of the Darwin Awards. On a related topic, quite a large number of these geniuses were apparently casting their votes last Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/14 "2016-11-13T15:48:44Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > No, silly. You ride the bicycle AGAINST traffic (so you can see the cars coming towards you). Wrong. You ride your bike with the traffic, it is a vehicle after all. You walk/jog facing the traffic so you know what is coming at you. ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/15 "2016-11-13T15:50:06Z")
I heartily endorse this pitting. The number of people who run in our neighborhood and -think- they look so much cooler/more athletic while doing it in the middle of the bloody street is freakin’ ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/16 "2016-11-13T16:11:54Z")
> [@Waxwinged](#): > > I heartily endorse this pitting. The number of people who run in our neighborhood and -think- they look so much cooler/more athletic while doing it in the middle of the bloody street is freakin’ ridiculous. It’s not really about coolness, but safety. Roads are better lit, and smoother. Sidewalks are often full of tree roots and broken concrete. I’ve face-planted a couple of times, courtesy of uneven pavement. _Provided you are aware of your surroundings and looking for traffic_ - that’s the key part - it’s safer than running on a sidewalk. I run on residential roads in my neighborhood, but, as stated, wearing plenty of reflective gear. I also run facing traffic, and always thinking about blind spots and watching for headlights. > [@running\_coach](#): > > Do you have a triangle on your back? ISWYDT ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/17 "2016-11-13T19:39:01Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > No, silly. You ride the bicycle AGAINST traffic (so you can see the cars coming towards you). How the hell are you still alive? ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/18 "2016-11-13T23:27:53Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > It’s not really about coolness, but safety. Roads are better lit, and smoother. Sidewalks are often full of tree roots and broken concrete. I’ve face-planted a couple of times, courtesy of uneven pavement. _Provided you are aware of your surroundings and looking for traffic_ - that’s the key part - it’s safer than running on a sidewalk. > > I run on residential roads in my neighborhood, but, as stated, wearing plenty of reflective gear. I also run facing traffic, and always thinking about blind spots and watching for headlights. I am still dealing with a not-so-well-healed patch of road rash on my left knee from when I tripped over an uneven square of sidewalk last summer. By the way, that’s the reason why I can’t imagine running without my phone–all of those folks who were up in arms about the original Apple Watch requiring a phone for GPS made no sense to me, as I always want to have my phone with me. On that summer day, my knees and palms were bloody, it was 90 degrees, and I felt like I was about to faint, I called home and my wife came to my rescue. Besides that, they say that running on pavement is better for your knees and feet than running on concrete. I don’t know how much truth there is to that, but pavement is so much smoother than sidewalk to run on. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/19 "2016-11-14T00:20:10Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > No, silly. You ride the bicycle AGAINST traffic (so you can see the cars coming towards you). > [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Wrong. You ride your bike with the traffic, it is a vehicle after all. You walk/jog facing the traffic so you know what is coming at you. Um, I took **excavating** ’s post to be ironic humor. \ Maybe I’m wrong… I’m definitely NOT suggesting runners run on sidewalks. Too uneven, low-hanging branches, etc. Hell, walking on sidewalks can be perilous. Just NOT 1) in heavy traffic, 2) on busy streets, 3) at rush hour, 4) at dusk, 5) wearing dark clothes. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725/20 "2016-11-14T01:01:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > > > Wrong. You ride your bike with the traffic, it is a vehicle after all. You walk/jog facing the traffic so you know what is coming at you. > > Um, I took **excavating** ’s post to be ironic humor. \ Maybe I’m wrong… > … > [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](#): > > How the hell are you still alive? You would be correct, **ThelmaLou** , although I’d consider it sarcastic humor. Only an idiot would ride their bicycle on the left side of the road, although that may vary by location. In China, for example, on a four-lane road (two in each direction), although custom is to drive on the right, you drive your car in the left (middle) lane. The right-most lane is for the people riding bicycles, motor scooters and other vehicles (including cars) going the wrong way. :eek: One reason I would never drive a car in China. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-runners-who/771725.md?page=2)