Apparently I must be rather threatening while running 800’s around the track? I guess that high school tracks are off-limits during school hours, but I was told by plenty they have seen people using the track if no classes were using it. I know I’ve used other tracks with no problems in the past and that when I was in high school, community members would even walk their dogs on the track.
Maybe I would have been more threatening like this? Art Credit: Cait Chock Designs
Well, those were different times I guess and what with all the recent school abductions by random runners doing intervals, I can see their upping the alert status to Code Red.
Snarky sarcasm aside, looking back it seems a bit comical, though at the time I was ROYALLY mad because they didn’t even let me finish the full interval before making me leave. I did in fact pant, “Can I just make it about 130 meters to the line?” That was answered with a swift “no” but when I saw the actual police officer and car I figured it best to in fact vacate the track.
I was bummed, but I then finished my remaining rep’s on the streets around the neighborhood. Oh well, no more track during school hours.
A few things came to my mind here. 1) it’s funny how ‘normal people’ probably thought it was completely insane of me to even ask to finish those last 130 meters, but I think if the officer had been a runner he maybe, just maybe, might have offered me the courtesy.
2) What in the heck kind of hazard could I be; I obviously wasn’t there to cause mischief, only running in circles torturing myself.
3) The police, was that a slight over-reaction?
4) Mostly I was bummed because it was the first time I was doing a workout on the track in a long while and was curious what the outcome would be.
My mug shot.
Oh well, maybe if I wasn’t in fact so focused on finishing my workout I would have pushed it to see how long it would have taken for them to cuff and haul me away. Would I have been able to do a few more rep’s, would the cuffs slide off of my sweaty arms, would it be a comical game of cat and mouse as they chased me around the track? Would my times then be a little faster because of that? Mostly I think if I had to get a criminal record, how funny would it be to have it read: hauled off for illegal abuse of the track?
1) Have you ever been kicked off of a track?
2) Do you like 800’s repeats?
I of course like tempo’s the most, probably mile repeats after that, but I’ve gotten to be on a friendly basis with 800’s and like them.
3) How is your week rocking along and what was/will be your workout?
I’ve never been kicked off a track, but I’ve never used one during school hours. How would they know you weren’t a student? I’ve used the track alone while I was in high school during school hours. The only running-related police encounter I’ve had more to do with my mom. She drove us to this park to meet some teammates for a long run at 6 am. It was still dark and she decided to wait for us in her truck, taking a nap. Some police officer knocked on her window and asked what she was doing in a park in the wee hours of the morning.
oh my gosh…haha….your poor mom! she should have rolled down her window and said, “i’m waiting for a group of young females.” 😉 totally kidding!
Dude you know you coulda out kicked them if they had to chase after you.
😉
On a more serious note – that’s ridiculous!!!!
haha…they had one guy on a bike, he was pedaling around the track during my repeat quizzing me who i was! haha
I’m kind of afraid of the track, so I don’t see that happening to me any time soon. That said, I can’t believe that they involved the police over this! A slight (or maybe even gross) overreaction, I would say.
thank u for the *even gross* part because that was my thinking…i mean it would be one thing if i was some shady looking dude….oh well.