I was just finishing a run this morning when a car pulled up beside me. My first thought was that the driver needed directions (this happens frequently in my village where most houses only have names, not numbers).
But no. The driver said he’d been watching me running and that my hips were moving wrong. He suggested I tried running barefoot. Judging by his skinny build, I took him to be a regular runner.
As traffic was building up, and as I was knackered, I thanked him. At first, I thought I’d bumped into Nowster (if so, please confirm). On further reflection, I’m a roadrunner and bare feet would be worn to bloody shreds.
Has anyone received unsolicited advice? Was it useful?
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HeavyFoot
Graduate10
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Thankfully I've never been in that position but it seems a very odd thing to do. I think I'd have found it extremely annoying and possibly slightly intimidating.
I find that quite rude actually - to stop and give ‘ advice’ to someone you don’t know and know nothing about! I think I would have smiled sweetly, said ‘I like my shoes thanks’ and run off ! Hokas always and forever here! 👟🙂😂 (and no offence meant to barefoot runners - each to their own🙂)
I did say that, with my size and weight I need all the cushioning I can get. My Hoka Aharis rule ok !Looking back, I didn’t feel the least intimidated ( I generally choose not to) but surprised by being stopped. Also by a skinnymalinky giving advice to a heffalump.
I am in a bit of a pickle here. On the one side I would have felt very intimidated and maybe even a bit scared if someone did that to me. But on the other side, maybe he is a physician or so and he knows a lot about it and just wanted to help you to prevent you from getting any injuries.
I have had situations where I am driving and I see the car before or after me having a broken light. When we stop at a traffic light, I am always wondering whether I would get out of my car and go tell that person about their broken light. But I never dare, fearing that person would find it not done.
Certainly there would be no harm in getting another gait analysis at some time in the future. Perhaps a more neutral shoe would suit you. I couldn't tell.
I would never ever suggest anyone run barefoot without a good long period of working up to it, building foot and ankle strength. Without that you're just asking for injury.
Unsolicited advice is rarely welcome as the person giving it has no idea of the history behind whatever they perceive to be 'wrong'. I once had an (off duty) nurse in a supermarket ask me if I'd noticed my toddler had a squint. Very well meaning but she didn't know he'd had major surgery and ongoing treatment for a serious eye condition since he was less than 3 months old.Yes, you do get cases where someone tells you something you genuinely didn't know but most of the time it's just plain annoying. As they say, opinions are like a*****les, we all have them but I don't want to know about yours.
When it was a lot newer and a lot more noticible than now, I would have complete strangers in stores ask how I got the scar on my arm - summertime was a pita what with not being able to wear long sleeves. I didn't mind the kids asking, they are kids after all, and I would tell them I hadn't worn a seatbelt in my vehicle, or run holding a glass of water or something - hey, my way of trying to save them from grief But the adults - my god some of them really were a piece of work.
I would usually brush it off with something like 'Can I ask YOU why you you want to know?" which usually silenced them. But one guy was really persistant, and while I was tempted to say ' I kept bugging a guy about his scar - so he gave me this one all for myself" I simply said 'You show me yours and I'll tell you about mine' When he said he didn't have any - still too thick to understand the message - I told him flat out, 'I aint going to tell you - can I put it more simply than that?" He stalked off in a sulk. Funny thing is though - he sticks in my memory more vividly than the guy whose fault it was I got the scar. He was like a bloody mosquito annoying the heck out of me lol
Not too sure how I would feel about that if it had happened to me. Had a few strange things happen over the years but never advice like that from a stranger 🙄
Happened once. I had just ended my run, and was in the process of getting much needed oxygen into my poor old abused and decrepit lungs - in other words, gasping for air A very earnest gentleman scuttled over and then droned on and on and on about how I should lenghten my stride, keep a straighter line etc etc etc ad nauseum.
When I got my breath back, I told him I was testing the latest in prosthetics. That I actually had the latest 'molybendium, dialectric, tungsten-structured telemetry-universally - linked metal legs under my gear that were in early development so a few glitches were to be expected, and thank you for your unbiased feedback - the Lab were hoping nobody would realise some runners have physical drawbacks that affect their running, but I guess they still have work to do' And I smiled wryly as he muttered an apology and fled the scene
Hopefully, he never assumed he had a right to criticise and patronise anyone ever again based on their appearance... running or otherwise
But, basically - I guess I project enough of the famous 'Sahara Death Race Finisher 2012' aura that people have otherwise left me alone when it comes to giving me 'advice' like that
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
