'blockers' - people who interrupt who when you are running (Read 1305 times)

I really haven't "run" into that, luckily. For years I was saddened by the fact that people in our small community are so insular and practically avoid eye contact with those who they haven't known since childhood (we moved here 7 years ago), but now it's actually kind of nice in some ways. I know that I can go out on a run and not be bothered by anyone. The most I get now is jerks honking at me or hollering out the car window. k

Ah... so that was you.

Did you see my finger?! k

Only semi-related, but this morning I headed out in the dark, shortly after 5am. Not even a mile into the run, still yawning, I see a couple walking up ahead. Being nice, I moved off the sidewalk and onto the grass to pass them and noticed that the man had a stick in his hand and that he started tensing up with it as I approached. Fortunately for me, he glanced over his shoulder and realized I was "just a jogger". He visibly relaxed and I was glad that I wasn't "blocked" or "interrupted" by the man's stick.

Ok, this one is like the worst case scenario. This happened when I was in high school. I was out running right near my home (against traffic on the left hand-side of the road). A car went by with two shirtless "burnout" looking dudes (we called 'em burnouts back in the 80's. Really, they were rednecks). As the car passed me, dude in the passenger seat pitched his lit cigarette out the window and it hit me. It was clearly not an accident. Once I figured out what had happened, I turned around and started flipping them off and cursing. They were about a block past me at this point. they must have seen/heard me because the next I saw was brakelights and them squealing to a stop. And then driving back down the street fast in reverse. They were chasing me down! I took off running. I started cutting through yards, and I saw the car several more times, as they drove around the neighborhood looking for me. I was really close to home, but I didn't want them to see where I lived so I just worked my way through yards and side streets until I could approach my house safely and stealthily. I didn't get a good look at them or their plates, but I since I was a really skinny runner dude there were two of them I didn't want to take my chances. And I knew I could outrun them. I have a term for them. Sounds a little like "blockers" except that it starts with an 'F' and the vowel is a 'u.'

A car went by with two shirtless "burnout" looking dudes. I have a term for them. Sounds a little like "blockers" except that it starts with an 'F' and the vowel is a 'u.'

For some reason, the music from Deliverance came to mind reading your post. BTW - what is a Flucker?

Two incidents come to mind where I had to deal with fluckers.... The first, I was out for an evening run on my college campus, ran past an SUV full of students stopped at a red light and as they pulled out, a female student threw a cup of ice in my face. I tried to get their tag, but they were already far down the street when I shook off the shock of the experience. Mean girls! Second incident, another evening run on campus and came to a narrow part of the sidewalk as three female students were walking shoulder to shoulder, line abreast on the sidewalk. As I got closer, none of them made a move to step aside. I came so close to breaking a personal rule and throwing a shoulder into the closest one, but instead I chose to dance over tree roots and broken curb instead of running them over. Mean girls! Okay, I feel better now...

Ha ha! Thanks, Michelle!