Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Walking With the Homeless
My daily walks of 3.5 to 4.25 miles per day or an average of 30 miles a week take me through a variety of setting to include a gym where I start many of my walks, a medical facility, a charter school and a major industrial park with many warehouses etc. The walks and what used to be runs are fairly calm and quiet with some traffic but not a lot, usually big trucks so I avoid having to cross streets. One thing I have noticed is the increase in the number of homeless people I encounter. They or I usually cross streets in order to avoid each other but at times we do cross path. I have never had any problems with any of them. One thing I have noticed however is that unless I am wearing headphones and listening to music drivers assume that I also am homeless and give me some fixed stares. Wondering if anyone has had similar experience while walking or even running?
Runs in the rain
I often will run on rural roads in my area. I will drive to different spots and park by the side of the road and then start my run. Several times I've gotten phone calls on my cell phone from the police saying someone saw the parked car and thought I might be in trouble. Once I got a call and the police said I was reported as a suspicious character who may have stolen a car, abandoned it and then ran away! Now I leave a note on the car window written with a bold sharpie saying I'm out running and include the cell phone number in case they need to contact me. I've not had any more incidents with the police, although sometimes I still encounter people who become wary and ask me to move on. I guess growing a beard in the winter makes me look like a shady character!
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Several years ago I had to change my running time to around 3:00 am. I run from work, through an upper middle class neighborhood, to a park with a lighted running trail, and then back. I've absolutely noticed an increase in people wandering the neighborhoods, and I'd bet the people who live there have no idea. I hesitate to call them homeless. 99% are male, age 30 to 50, and have bicycles and or back packs. I try my best to avoid them since there is no good reason for them to be roaming around. I really think it's addiction, to whatever substance, that's causing this.
Yeah, I've had similar experiences during my walks too. I often pass through areas with homeless folks, and we usually just give each other space and respect. It's sad to see the increase though. And yeah, I've noticed the same thing with drivers. If I'm not plugged into my headphones, sometimes they give me weird looks, assuming I might be homeless too. It's like they judge based on appearances. Just goes to show how assumptions can be way off base.
Trails
Wow...I just moved from a very, very rural area where loose dogs can be the problem. The neighborhood I'm in I've only seen one person walking and I waved. I've heard there are lots of people walking their dogs but when I leave from home to work and back I don't see anyone. My neighbors are all elderly.