Every morning when I run, I see an older man running and he totally inspired me to write this blog. But not in a good way.
Real quick, just in case this is your first time here, I’m a marathon runner and a father of three. My middle child, 6-year-old Jack, is severely autistic and I’m attempting to run 60 marathons this year to raise money and awareness for a great charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. So far, I’m accomplishing my goals and I’ve completed 15 of the 60 races.
Anyways, back to the man I see running who inspires me. He does so because he runs in the street. I’m sure he subscribes to the theory that the asphalt is better for your knees than the concrete of the sidewalk. But you know what’s even worse for your knees than concrete? Cars!
Some people may have no option if they live in rural areas and there may not be sidewalks to run on. I have a spot where I run that’s about 1/4 of a mile and I have no choice but to run in a wide bike lane. During that stretch, I pay attention like it’s a matter of life or death, because it is. But I know a lot of folks willingly run solely in the street or bike lane because they think the asphalt is better for them.
Everything I’ve ever read says that the “asphalt is safer than concrete” theory is a myth. It’s probably brought to you by the same sedentary doctors who say that running will make your knees go bad. Funny, I have friends with more than 150 marathons to their credit whose knees are doing just fine.
I ran 3,850 miles in 2008 and the vast majority of those (3,500+) were on sidewalks. The only knee problem I’ve ever had is a slight case of tendinitis, which was caused by weakness in my glutes. Last summer, I had x-rays taken of my knees and the doctor told me they looked perfectly normal for a 34-year-old.
A lot of folks who run in the street justify it by saying they run facing traffic and they pay close attention to the cars coming at them. But all it takes is one split second — a driver veering outside of their lane to avoid a wreck or not paying close enough attention and failing to properly negotiate a curve. Or maybe the sun is at your back, but its in the eyes of the oncoming driver.
Some running friends of mine lost a friend two years ago when she was hit by a car while running in the bike lane. It was that one split second that made all the difference and there’s no take-backs. As I mentioned, I have a portion on some of my runs that exposes me in a fairly wide bike lane for about 1/4 of a mile. I pay extremely close attention when I run along that stretch and traffic is very light when I’m there. Still, I’m always prepared to jump in the ditch on the side if a car gets anywhere near me.
It’s fairly easy for me to pay attention and focus, because it’s only for 1/4 of a mile, about two minutes. If it was a longer stretch, though, there’s no way I wouldn’t zone out. If you’re running long runs in the street, you’re going to lose focus at times no matter how hard you try to pay attention. If you’re doing a short run, not that asphalt saves you, but do you think it’s going to make that much difference? Yesterday, I saw a teenager running in the concrete gutter at the edge of the street. Really, what’s the point of that?
Aside from running in the street, that man I see every day inspired me to write this for another reason. He runs in the street listening to music on headphones! I’m not one to ever get into an iPod vs. no iPod debate. I don’t listen to music when I run, but that’s my choice and I don’t care what anybody else does.
Listening to music when you run will distract you from your surroundings, and if you do that when you’re running on the sidewalk, the consequences aren’t that big if you are at least aware enough to avoid danger. You might get startled if somebody passes you, but that’s about it. However, if you have the earbuds in while you’re running in the street, you’re begging for trouble. That’s like the running equivalent of drinking and driving — you’re sapping yourself of awareness while placing yourself in a dangerous situation.
The third thing the man does that freaks me out is he runs with traffic. We already know he can’t hear cars coming. He can’t see them coming, either. He does this when it’s dark outside, so maybe his logic is that he’ll see headlights coming. But it’s only going to take one car driving with its lights off to cause an avoidable fatality.
So, this guy commits three no-nos I’m really hoping you avoid. Running with traffic is not smart at all. Running with earphones while running in the street is not particularly smart, either. But all of this danger can be avoided if you just refrain from running in the street!
I get a fair amount of people who tell me I inspire them. If you’re included in that group, and you run in the street, please be inspired by the fact that I run all my miles on the sidewalk and I’m doing fine! The true danger is the cars, not the concrete. Be smart and be safe — I want to hear how your run went from you, not from a tragic newspaper article!
Jamie Fellrath says
This guy does sound nuts – especially if he’s running in a bike lane. You’re doubling the number of vehicles that can cause you an accident in those cases.
Another excuse I hear occasionally from the street runners, though, is that the streets are more level. And that means less cracks to possibly trip over.
Considering the amount of attention sidewalks are normally given in our society, that’s a fair excuse. Not necessarily a smart one, still, but more understandable than simply abiding by the myth that you point out above.
I think it behooves everyone, cyclists, walkers, runners, etc. to support Complete Streets methodology when designing our communities. Luckily our US Department of Transportation has recently adopted this as their M.O. in all future development.
Ally Phillips says
I run on the sidewalks except for the when there is tree limbs and such in the way then I jump into the street and back onto the sidewalk. And, I run against traffice (even on the sidewalk) with my little blinky if it’s dark. When I run with DRC we try to run single or double file on the sidewalks but luckily most of our runs are at the lake (no cars!) so that makes it easy. However, in the winter we’d see other runners and running groups out in the dark with no lights, no blinky NOTHING. That kills me because I’m running and I can’t see them, there’s no way a driver who is probably not totally awak at 6 AM is going to see them.
I take my headphones on long runs and races but keep the volume really really low. If I can’t hear my own footsteps, it’s too loud.
I’m glad you wrote this post, I think more people need to be aware of what can happen on a run–sure, it just takes a split second and it might not be you, but, it’s better safe than sorry.
Katie Abdolhosseini says
Amen! Couldn’t have put it better myself! I will have to say though, I came to this thinking only because I was hit by a car last fall. I was running, in the street, on a stretch where the sidewalk is bad (it’s California, the sidewalks get bad in spots due to all the earth movement!) with only one my earbuds in. I was also going with traffic! When all of a sudden I can hear brakes slamming, tires screaming and I turn around and there is a car coming right at me. In a split second I jumped to the curb, but she still clipped my left butt/hammy area. I was lucky. She only left me with torn shorts and major bruising and soreness. The driver was an older woman, in an older car, who had for a split second looked down. She told me when she looked down, I wasn’t there, but when she looked up there I was! I was terrified for weeks to run outside. But I did learn my lesson. I do not run in the streets ever, I run with no music (I’m actually really enjoying this now) and I always, always run against traffic. Before I was totally lax with these rules – I would only follow them when it was easy or my schedule allowed. Now, I obey these rules to a “T”! I lucked out that day, it could have been fatal.
Thanks for sharing this Sam, it is really, really important.
Jen Morgan says
Preach on Sam!
Kim Bouldin says
Very well said!!! Headphones + street + same direction of car = disaster waiting to happen. I pray that he never gets hit by a car!
Kim
Erin Ruff says
Oh man, I knew I would be busted for my stupidity soon! On my long runs the last two weeks, I have committed all three sins. Just for a short while before I can get back on a trail. But all it takes is one car and a split second! Thanks for the Public Service Announcement. You rock!
Todd Zankich says
I usually ride my bicycle on the sidewalk if possible, too. I’ve been stopped and warned by police. But I’d rather get a $20 ticket than get run over 🙂
1/3 of people seem to be talking on a phone and probably 1/2 of CA drivers literally are not even aware of basic driving concepts like passing or stopping for pedestrians.
Ben Delaney says
I need to add my .02 here. The real reason Sam doesn’t run in the streets is that, without his glasses, the dude is blind. I have done a few training runs with Sam and needless to say we approach an intersection, I am looking out for more then just cars. Just giving you are hard time Sam.
Needless to say, I run on sidewalks whenever possible. I just don’t see a reason not to run in the safest place. Nice to see that everyone here agrees with the basic principles of safety when it comes to running.