At about 5:40 on Thursday morning while I was running loops on my little neighborhood half-mile circle, I noticed an unfamiliar car. It was a large dark colored older car and I could smell exhaust fumes. Normally, I only see a white Range Rover and a small silver nondescript SUV leaving my neighborhood during my early morning runs. This particular car was a vehicle that I would have remembered had I seen it before. The car was just ahead of me as I approached the parkway and I had no idea whether the driver had noticed my headlamp as I came running up behind it. When it came to the stop sign to leave our little neighborhood, it just sat there even though there was no traffic on the parkway. Just as I got even to the back of the car, but on this side of the trees in the little median pictured below (the car was just beyond the tree spotlighted by my headlamp), the driver’s door opened causing the light inside the car to come on. I flipped directions quickly causing a sudden pulling sensation in my left glute and sprinted away, back toward my house on the opposite end of our circle.
Looking over my shoulder I didn’t see anyone chasing me, so I slowed to a mid-8 pace until I reached my driveway. Certain that no one was around, I opened my garage and went inside to regroup. After a few minutes, I ventured back outside to run my final mile. As I ran back toward where the car had stopped, I stayed on high alert in case the car was still lingering. I remembered seeing something bright pink laying in the road on an earlier loop and wondered if the driver had seen it as well and stopped to retrieve the item.
As I approached the stop sign, I could see that the car was gone so I continued along my little loop. I quickly found the pink object that had reflected in my headlamp beam earlier and stooped to pick it up as I ran by. Ironically, it was pepper spray.
The whole incident could have been totally innocent. The driver could have been messing with his/her phone or could have spilled coffee and was just trying to clean it up. The car could also belong to one of my neighbors and I’ve never noticed it because it’s usually in their garage and they normally don’t leave the neighborhood at such an early hour. Whatever the case, I remained unscathed other than a hopefully mildly pulled glute while receiving a good reminder to always be vigilant on my early morning solo runs.
I passed on running with my friends on Saturday morning and opted to run alone so I could see how my left glute was feeling. Surprisingly, it felt pretty good even though I was mildly aware of it. I am; however, taking Advil (which I hate doing) for TMJ syndrome resulting from a couple of recent dental visits, so I’m sure that’s helping with the muscle pain. The TMJ syndrome? That’s another story for another day… Jeez!
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
- Sunday – Fall Brings In Speedier Paces
- Saturday – Five Years Later And It Still Doesn’t Seem Real
Looking ahead to this coming week, I’m wrapping up a post on afternoon training and have a little Appalachian Trail surprise in the works!
In addition to the runs I mentioned above, here’s a complete run-down of my workouts from this past week (completed mostly in our home gym)…
- Questions:
- Have you experienced any scary moments while out on a run?
- If so, how did you handle it?
- Did you race this weekend?
And that’s a wrap… Have a great week!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.
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I’m linking up with Holly at HoHo Runs and Wendy from Taking The Long Way Home for their Weekly Wrap. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!
Oh wow, that experience, especially early in the morning, would have rattled me. Of course you did the right thing by running back home. I’m just sorry that you tweaked your glute in the process. I hope that it starts to feel better soon.
Thanks, Kim! Tomorrow will be the true test when I try to run some steep trails on the Appalachian Trail.
That is kind of a strange situation w the car and probably would not have even noticed it if it was light out. You have to be careful out there alone. Hope that glute is feeling better. I always feel like I am one small move away from disaster!
Isn’t that the truth! You know, the more I think about it, the more I believe it was a neighbor whose car is usually in the garage because unless someone drove in from the parkway and made a u-turn on the other side of the circle they would have driven past me since we only have one entrance. OR, one of my neighbors was getting a ride from someone and it came in, got them, and turned back out…
You can never be too careful! I don’t see many (if any) cars on my early morning runs. So I get freaked out when I see one; especially if it is going slow. And, it usually turns out to be the newspaper delivery person. I was treated for TMJ ions ago. They actually moved the position of my jaw (non surgically). I hope yours goes away quickly and easily. Thanks for linking!
Oh wow, did you see a PT or a chiropractor for that? My jaw is still pretty painful and if it doesn’t feel better soon, I’m going to need to do something!
Wow, that IS scary! Fortunately, I have been lucky. Very lucky. Although I’m vigilant with keeping aware of my surroundings, I feel very safe in my area. That said, I know anything could happen at any given time. Ouch on the glute! Glad it’s already feeling better.
Thanks, Kim! I run in my little neighborhood on our two streets that make up the circle and avoid the parkway for that very reason. I feel safe, but do stay vigilant. After that incident, I started carrying my pepper spray with me again. I’d become complacent since I’m always within 1/4 mile of my house…
Situations like that are amplified when it’s dark and we are already a little on edge. Glad you stayed vigilant.
I was running in the park once and saw what I thought was a man arguing with a woman in a car. He threw down a tree branch, and the lady would pull away. He would go after her and then she would back up. This happened several times as I secretly watched. Turns out, the lady was learning how to parallel park….haha.
Oh my goodness, that’s hilarious! Just goes to show things can look very different than what’s really going on.
Oh dear, how scary! I’ve had a lot of harrassment on runs, the one that really rattled me was running in daylight up to the park alongside a busy road, a guy leaned out of his van (going the same direction as me so luckily on the other side of the road) and yelled, “I wouldn’t F&*$ you” with absolute hatred on his face. Then, as I ran up to cross the road by the park, he turned across the traffic to go up that road (by accident or design, I don’t know) and shouted it again. Although he’d have found it hard to get out of his van and go for me, and my whole running club was very nearby, I was horrified and very shaken. I’m so sorry it got your glute too!
That sounds like such a scary thing to happen. I’m glad you were okay and that your running friends were near by.
Oh wow! That is so scary and I have been in similar situations – not fun. You absolutely did the right thing getting out of there. ALWAYS trust your instincts – that’s why we have them! Glad you are ok and hope the glute continues to heal nicely. Stay safe out there!
Thanks, Allie!
That is a scary encounter! I was always on high alert when I had to run in the dark by myself, even in our little town. Cars that stop for no apparent reason are cause for alarm. Maybe you should carry the pepper spray for dark runs you do alone? Stay safe!
I used to carry my pepper spray on all my runs, but after I started running with friends, I quite. Now that I run alone so much I have to remember to carry it again (I did this morning!).
Wow, frightening. Glad you trusted your instincts
101 oz. That’s veyr precise, and I love it
LOL, I have a water app and of course it’s only as accurate as my input, and some day’s I know I forget some entries or put some in twice. 😀
Yep, I’d have done the same thing. I’m always on high alert when I’m out running. Always worth it to trust your instincts.
Thanks, Christine! We’ve gotta stay alert when we’re out there alone.
[…] run was at the butt-crack of dawn, solo, and thankfully completely uneventful as compared to last Thursday’s run. Wednesday, though, is where the fun […]