Quiet feet in the a.m. (Read 979 times)

I hope this is a question worth posting (I worry that most of my posts aren't up to par with the usual posts) anyhow... This morning as I was running at 6:00 a.m., I found myself once again wondering which neighbor am I annoying. It's not as if I'm out there stomping my feet as loudly as possible (in fact I have a quiet step). But...any house I ran by that had a dog in it, I could hear the dog barking. Then there were the dogs who were out in their yards barking their little heads off. Keep in mind that it is still dark at 6:00 thanks to daylight saving's time. Some houses outdoor motion detector lights went off (which was odd since I was mainly in the street, but did run on some sidewalks). I scared one woman as she was getting into her car, I came around the corner and she didn't see me until I was running by her car. I run partially in my own neighborhood and then I travel to another development down the street. Has anyone ever been asked not to run somewhere? I won't know how to react if someone actually approaches me to ask me or tell me to not run at a certain time, or on a certain street. Are there any rules I'm not aware of in regard to times being allowed to run? How does anyone else deal with bothering the neighborhood dogs? Or is it a case of "not my problem". I hate to think like that but I don't see any other way. But...in all fairness I can understand how annoying it would be to have a dog barking it's head off at 6 the a.m. if I wasn't ready to be awake.

Well, I live in a fairly crowded area, and we have a dog. She has been known to bark at things at 3 in the morning. Mostly, we tell her to shut up and go back to bed. Which she does. If someone owns a dog, they expect barking. Nature of the beast, literally and figuratively. My dog barking is much less annoying to me than the person who, at 2 a.m., decided to drive up and down the street, repeatedly, while playing hip-hop music so loud, I could hear all the lyrics, the back-up singers, and every little note. This went on for a good 5 minutes, too. Someone running by at 6 a.m. pales in comparison.

I wouldn't worry about it. You run. Neighbors have dogs. Dogs bark. I run at night & have wondered similar things. Usually the dogs stop barking after you run past their house. If they don't, I bet that dog annoys the other neighbors on a regular basis whether you run by or not. As for motion detectors, yeah, I set those off too. They can be adjusted but, I bet that doesn't really bother many people. I've scared a fair share of pedestrians too. I have a soft footfall & don't make a lot of noise when I run. I try to run wide around people but, I've still caused a few people to let out a shriek or two (I've seen some pretty impressive vertical leaps too). From the pedestrian's perspective I figure it could be worse. I could've been a mugger & they should be more vigilant & aware of their surroundings. You're not causing anybody any harm. Run where you like, when you like.

Everyone has already given you good answers. It's very thoughtful of you to think about your neighbors well being like this, but you could just as easily turn the discussion around by saying that you are out there trying to enjoy a nice peaceful morning run, and the neighbors dogs are bothering you without provocation. Just run and enjoy!

Air horns work really well, too.

Yeah, but that's not half as funny as one of those jester hats with little dangly bells.

urn the discussion around by saying that you are out there trying to enjoy a nice peaceful morning run, and the neighbors dogs are bothering you without provocation

Uh, yep. The problem here is actually the dog owners. Not the runner.

So far I like all the answers! I feel much better about it, thanks everyone! I don't think I'm overly nice. I have to admit that one of my biggest flaws is that I don't like to be disliked. So bothering people would be making people not like me... and it would bother me. So, in that view, it's not really THEM I worried about. I'll be heading to store to purchases some emergency supplies - JUST IN CASE someone gives me a hard time about where & when I run. Here's my list so far: 1. Jingle bells 2. Funny hat 3. Air horn

I think I have the answer here. Not only soft shoe but incognito too

My 12 year old does have a loud step when he runs. This morning as we were running his steps almost pounded in my head. I'm sure it's just me being paranoid, his steps can't possibly be THAT loud.