noticing your surroundings: It happened again... - Bridge to 10K

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noticing your surroundings

icklegui profile image
40 Replies

It happened again, people. I got upset at the amount of litter I saw on my run. It's much worse in the summer. Does anyone else get super het-up about it? I will probably join a group that does running and litter picks but I would like to just be more zen about the rubbish I see, because it's not practical to pick it all up. I pick up straws and multipack rings though, since they are some of the worst for wildlife.

Anyway, successfully completed the short run of week 3 of ju-ju-'s lovely plan, started at 6.30am! Heat wasn't too bad but it was humid by the end. Also, next in the series of "does it count", does it count as an interval run if you only did one interval? :D

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icklegui profile image
icklegui
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40 Replies
Razouski profile image
Razouski

I know what you mean about litter, although my bug bear this morning was fly tipping. 😡I must have passed 3 different heaps of stuff that had been dumped.

However there was a lovely breeze this morning at least.

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply toRazouski

Oh the fly-tipping ... I did at least note that a sofa that was there at the weekend had gone. Sigh...

It wasn't a bad old breeze here either and still quite windy now! And you had a good run otherwise :)

ju-ju- profile image
ju-ju-Graduate10

Yes an interval is an interval... well done :) As for the litter I am so with you. When we were walking to the gym on Sunday there was a lovely lady in a high viz collecting it with a grabber. I thought I could do that one day, and i should. It is shocking :(

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply toju-ju-

we could do it :) - inspiration, be the change, and all that! Though I'd rather we could be litter-preventers than litter-pickers. Systemic change...

Thanks for the confirmation, (singular) interval run it was then!

Yes, i hate it. All along the main road where i run, there are discarded drinks cans. the beautiful stretch of salt way (and ancient track where they transported loads of salt down the country) has some bedding dumped on it in a gateway. Various other garbage blowing around. So unnecessary!

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply to

sad... but I thank you for always painting a beautiful picture even if the truth is flawed!

in reply toicklegui

I think the eye edits things out, and there is enough still unspoiled for my descriptions to be authentic 😊

tony_a profile image
tony_aGraduate10

Litter really annoys me. On Saturday mornings I see a guy clearing litter from one of the paths near me, running back and forth in his running gear. I must remember to take a bag out with me some days.

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply totony_a

there's inspiration :)

GoogleMe profile image
GoogleMeGraduate10

Litter, dog poo, dog poo bags hung in trees, dogs off lead on the moors in nesting season... yep, need to run off the annoyance!

GoGo_JoJo profile image
GoGo_JoJoGraduate10 in reply toGoogleMe

Dog poo and poo bags full of it really get to me!!

I'm lucky in my area that other rubbish is not too frequent but these doggie related items do wind me up.

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply toGoogleMe

I find it's a vicious circle, if I run more, I see these things, so I can't run off the annoyance! But out of sight isn't out of mind!

ancientrunner profile image
ancientrunnerGraduate10

Yes, I often think I should take a big bag and litter grabber with me one day -whether I

will.….

Ripcurlrana71 profile image
Ripcurlrana71Graduate10

Well done on your run! You are not alone. The beach by me gets littered every weekend and I get to see it on my runs before it gets cleared up. Seagulls love it!

Why don’t people just take their rubbish home?? Beer bottles, used bbq’s, pants!! I’ve seen everything. 🤦🏻‍♀️💁🏻‍♀️😡

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply toRipcurlrana71

I'm pretty sure I saw all three of those just on Sunday's run!

in reply toRipcurlrana71

I'm tempted to laugh at the pants, but can't because it's such a major annoyance! 😬

Ripcurlrana71 profile image
Ripcurlrana71Graduate10 in reply to

😬

Irishprincess profile image
IrishprincessGraduate10

I don't see much litter on my runs as I'm very lucky and run mostly in a conservation area but I hate seeing it anywhere too. I told another runner off in my last race for chucking a plastic cup over a hedge! I couldn't believe she did it especially as we'd just left a water station with bins.

But well done on the run 🙂

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply toIrishprincess

ah yes! I remember someone - presumably your highness - saying that in a post on here. I often wonder if I'd have the guts to tell someone off. I don't think so :(

sallenson profile image
sallensonGraduate10

Drives me nuts too... We do an organised village clean-up once in a while, but always have a bag in hand if I'm walking around to pick up anything that's obvious. The other rural bug bear is hedges that are trimmed properly. I've taken to carrying a pair of secateurs with me on the way to the station. It'll be a strimmer next... :-)

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply tosallenson

Oooh i've thought about it... and then realised what privilege I have that I could consider running around with a sharp instrument without being stop and searched...! But it's not just a rural problem! Spring arrives and suddenly the footpaths are jungles.

in reply tosallenson

I'm embarrassed to tell you this, but I was attacked by the same overhanging tree during all of my beginning C25K runs, every week, all 3 runs and it was clear the owner was just not going to do anything about it. As I've said before, we have one road through the village so there was no avoiding it, just had to duck on approach, but even that wore thin as the weight of itself started to hang lower and lower. I thought along those lines, when I get a minute I'm going to drive down here with secataurs, private property or not!!!!

That didn't happen. One day when I was through to my last nerve I suddenly just stopped, completely lost my **** and set about it like a woman possessed. Ripped the damn branches off with my bare hands and stood there shell-shocked that it had got to me so much. It was just that feeling that people just don't give a monkeys about other folk.

After pulling myself together I collected up the branches and took them home to put in my bin. Can you imagine the sight, worse than the Sunday morning walk of shame, just me in running gear dragging half a tree home...😔

limberlou profile image
limberlouGraduate10 in reply to

Haha love it. That’s so me!! I’ve been known to do similar things. My kids get so embarrassed by me.

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply to

I love this. I'd be dying to see whoever's tree it is react. I don't have garden waste (surprisingly, in a 4th floor flat!) so i'd have chucked the branches back into the garden if possible and then hoped for some CCTV to swear at! I'll get myself into trouble one day.

in reply toicklegui

It's outrageous though. They're out of control over a pedestrian footpath. I was glad no-one come out to investigate. 😬

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply to

hah I've just seen (edit: was it you?? I didn't check, whoops) someone mentioning how lovely this forum is and this thread in particular only here we are discussing ripping down trees with bare hands ...!

It's perfectly possible that in a good mood, I'd have knocked on a door instead or left a note offering to prune... then gone to the council ... then I'd have hulked out if nothing happened :) but sometimes the hulking out happens first >_< !!

in reply toicklegui

Haha! Lovely to people and dogs. Trees, dog poo, nettles and litter on the other hand, is fair game!!!!!! 😆

in reply toicklegui

P.S. I had the decency to feel embarrassment!!!😂😂😂

Dexy5 profile image
Dexy5Graduate10

Yes me too. People bring picnics to the beach or common and just leave it for someone else to pick up. It was drummed into us as kids that everything had to go home again but it doesn’t seem to happen anymore.

And don’t start me on dog pooh ........ I’m turning into a grumpy old woman 👵🏽

I’m going to join a beach clean they organise on Saturday mornings and they give out bags , grabbers and hi-viz waistcoats, but it will have to be after the Parkrun when it’s a bit cooler.

Sqkr profile image
Sqkr

I get quite ragey when I'm running—and also when I'm not running, full disclosure—and have been known to chase people down the street waving a manky old Tennants can doing the old 'I think you dropped something' routine. The dog poo bags are my particular bugbear though. I just can't understand those. If you've made the effort to bag it, put it in a bin! You've done the hard work already. GAAAAAARGH. WHY.

A lovely old lady commented on how carefully I placed my water bottle on the ground by the drink station during my last race, rather than lobbing it all over the hillside like everyone else. It's an area of outstanding natural beauty, people. Let's not ruin all the nice things just because you want a PB. 😡

GoogleMe profile image
GoogleMeGraduate10 in reply toSqkr

I can tell you what de-motivates people from taking the poo bags away... they don't like carrying the bag with them and there's no doubt that even bagged, and double bagged, it does stink. For some reason the notion of putting it into some sort of container to transport it home to your bin hasn't really got itself embedded in the dog owning consciousness - whether that's a repurposed plastic pot or one of the snazzy things you can buy such as a Poop Pot or Dicky Bag. I never run without one for Google's offerings.

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply toGoogleMe

Yikes. So some dog owners or walkers think it's fine to have responsibility for a dog and not bother with all the smelly bits. I shouldn't be so naive as to be surprised.

Dexy5 profile image
Dexy5Graduate10 in reply toGoogleMe

We often have bags of dog pooh left outside our garden gate, despite there being a dog pooh collection box at the end of the street. It’s getting worse as more people are getting dogs.

Mimirossi profile image
MimirossiGraduate10 in reply toGoogleMe

I agree. Why don’t more people carry Dicky bags on a dog walk?! Such a simple solution!

in reply toSqkr

Can I triple-like this. The thing with the bags...just why!?

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply to

can you imagine the rage it would engender if I scooped my cats' poop, bagged it and just flung it out the window?

Anyway I think when I grow up I'd like to be Sqkr and start running after people!

One of my friends tried to organise a litter pick at our local seashore. Put the event on Facebook and it was very popular but was cancelled due to snow. Far too early in the year. It all pretty much fell apart after that.

On the subject of dog poo, I saw a couple step onto the beach with their 2 dogs, the second of which was too eager to relieve himself so stopped right at the entrance which was a little stony. The male walked right past, possibly thinking his wife could see to it, but certainly with no intention of dealing with it himself. She was a little behind so hadn't caught the incident, so I said to her watch your step, the dog has just done it's business. She feined some interest and rummaged her pocket and looked around. As it didn't jump out waving, she very quickly gave up and walked on. Now, if she had any real intention of doing something about it she could've asked, where about?

Hopefully she found it with her feet on the way back to the car, but I don't hold out much hope. 🤬

Ichooselife profile image
Ichooselife

I am committed to litter picking and would like to take this opportunity to urge anyone to collect litter. Whether its a big collection or just the odd bit it helps and sends a message to other people. Kids love doing a short litter pick and it's really educational. I walk my running route regularly with a couple of bin bags and a picker. Be warned though the bags become heavy quickly so i leave them beside the side of the road and then drive along a collect them. If you contact your local council or national park authority they might provide you with pickers and also advise on how to organise a group litter pick or point you in the direction of an established group. This website is also excellent. keepbritaintidy.org/litterh....

I agree that it would be better if it didn't happen in the first place and education would be better. Being seen doing a litter pick is a bit of an education I hope. Right, I'll stop now as I could go on and on....Just remember your high viz vest

icklegui profile image
icklegui in reply toIchooselife

wow - thank you for what you do! And for the information!

l3grj profile image
l3grj

Members of Parliament and councils-

Start earning your money.😡

You have the authority to get these issues resolved.

Never mind endless training courses for staff who will never make good use of them, get some real work done.

💩

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