Cars and Bikes

ok, i'm an aging runner. many of my ilk have gone over to the "dark side"...they now ride bicycles. there seems to be a subtle mindshift that takes place when one hunkers down on that skinny little seat, dons the helmut and dark glasses, the tight colorful suits...and just basically says...GET THE F#CK OUT OF MY WAY! i can say this cause i've been there, done the bike thing, and didn't think much of the bodies littering the bike path. a torn rotator cuff is the only reason i'm running and not biking and swimming as backup.

running...i'm stuck with it.

but back to bikers. i respect the ones who were former runners, now forced into it. i respect the speed demons who live the tour de france in their minds. i concede that biking is a great exercise and for runners, a great cross training vehicle. what makes me crazy is the *attitude*. i've been yelled at for running in the bike path zone on the road. well...HELLO...should i run in the middle of the road? there is NO sidewalk out here. running in the pre-dawn hours, i do run in the middle of the road...and the bike veers way around me in the other lane...altho i've deliberately left the bike lane clear. i run with a red blinking light on my ankle...but fast moving bikes explode behind me with no warning...and no headlights. scares me to death. [on an aside...while recently in toronto on a bike path...all approaching bikes tinkled a little bell...it was awesome!] so bikers...learn to share the road. i'm trying. just cause you're on a bike doesn't mean you have to be a jerk.

and then there are the cars...hey, it's 5:00 a.m. why bother to stop at a stop sign? no one out here, nosiree. oops...was that a person out running at this hour?

well, maybe i'm being mean and negative, but we all have to learn to co-exist out here.