What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen whilst ... - Couch to 5K

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What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen whilst running?

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate
57 Replies

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all safe and well & enjoying this little bit more freedom that we have at the moment???

I haven’t posted for yonks apart from my admin posts so I do apologise, but I have been reading, I love all your stories...here’s one of mine!!!

So I was down by the canal yesterday on my run, the sun was shining but the rain was raining too...I was faffing about trying to get my phone back into my running belt after taking a photo of some cute little goslings when I looked up and coming towards me was A MAN ON A PENNY FARTHING!!! oh my word, he couldn’t steer as quick as I could jump out of the way amd he had no way of letting me know he was there other than shouting but he didn’t do that incase I fell startled into the canal ..so it was a good job I looked up when I did!!! I just saw this massive wheel and a little man in the air coming towards me at speed!!! I let out a little aaargh and hopped to the left!! I was that shocked I didn’t even think to take a photo!!! What a bizarre moment that was!!!

So what’s the strangest thing that you’ve seen on your adventures??

Stay safe everyone

MC xx

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Mummycav profile image
Mummycav
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57 Replies
Bevvyy profile image
BevvyyGraduate

What a story that is! 🤣

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Bevvyy

I’ve seen some right stuff on my running journey 😉

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduate

Just a FARTHING ? had he forgot the penny ? no wonder he was unstable 🤣🤣🤣

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Instructor57

🤣🤣🤣🤣👍🏻 I’ve corrected myself 🤣🤣🤣

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduate in reply to Mummycav

🤣 I'm sorry, I couldn't resist 🤣

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Instructor57

It made me laugh out loud...a farthing 🙄

Magellan profile image
MagellanGraduate

Wow, I’ve never seen one of them being ridden.

I once saw a man with a solar panel in his upper arm.

First I thought, “Cool solar panel.” Next I thought, “It’s not sunny today, he won’t be getting much power from that. Then I thought, “Hang on, people aren’t solar powered (yet). How come he’s got a solar panel?”

Finally I thought, “Oh. It’s a phone attached to an armband.”

I think your story is better 😁

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Magellan

🤣🤣🤣

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate

What a wonderful thing to see, i don’t think we’ve seen anything strange while out running, we are the strange sight

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to SueAppleRun

You are an amazing sight I bet x

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate in reply to Mummycav

Couple of oldies in shorts and tee shirts wobbling round the park or roads sometimes limping a bit lol

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to SueAppleRun

🤣🤣🤣 but inspiring others I’ve no doubt x

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate in reply to Mummycav

Lots of people have said how amazing to be able to run

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to SueAppleRun

There you go x

Irish-John profile image
Irish-JohnGraduate in reply to SueAppleRun

Lol lol lol 😂Love it ! :)

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate

Penny Farthing bikes are very dangerous to ride, I have never seen one live so to speak.

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to AlMorr

It def looked dangerous to me...I was so shocked AlMorr i never thought to take a photo and that is not like me!!!

Running-rings profile image
Running-ringsGraduate

Well I can't beat the penny farthing encounter but the strangest thing I've seen was a herd of sheep being moved along the road into another field. The strange part wasn't the steep themselves but the amount of people who came out to help or watch...maybe 20-30 people on this quiet stretch of country road?...I'm in the ROI and we'd been restricted to a 5km radius from home for about 3 months at that time so anything vaguely notable is worth stopping for, even now! 😂

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Running-rings

Oh, I bet that was a sight to see!! Where did all those people come from?!!! I think you’re right about the ‘anything’s worth stopping for’ idea, especially if you can’t go further than 5k!!! People are still doing some strange things though aren’t they? But I like it...just seeing kids making the most of the park across the road from me...people with their personal trainers lifting weights, old people sat on the benches chit chatting & groups of women with a bottle of Prosecco on a Friday afternoon enjoying each other’s company..it’s all lovely to see...I’m not sure I want everything to go back to ‘normal!!!’

Running-rings profile image
Running-ringsGraduate in reply to Mummycav

Yep..I hope the appreciation we have for the little things stay with us!

Kingfishers profile image
KingfishersGraduate

Fabulous Tale! Wonderful. I’d have delighted in such a sight. 😊😂

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Kingfishers

It was brilliant to see, just wish I’d have taken more notice but I was in shock!!

Kingfishers profile image
KingfishersGraduate in reply to Mummycav

Hi Mummycav- on TV -they said the sale of Penny Farthings has recently increased by 200%.. so we all may see more of these delightful sights.

Have a great weekend. K.

Indielass00 profile image
Indielass00Graduate

Blooming eck! Glad you didn’t end up in the canal! What a shock for you. I’ve been racking my brain but can’t thing of anything. Though I often get looked at as if I’m a mythical creature when I go running by 🤣🤣🤣. I think some folk are surprised to see that people actually enjoy running 🤣🤣

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Indielass00

Me too Indielass00 ...if he’d have been in the middle of the path I don’t know where else I’d have moved to except joining the ducks!! Lol...mythical creature!!! I can only picture a mythical princess with a big smile on her face 😘

Indielass00 profile image
Indielass00Graduate in reply to Mummycav

Awww thanks fellow Yorkshire lass! 😘

Sh53202 profile image
Sh53202Graduate

I wonder why, when they invented bikes, the penny farthing design was the first one they came up with.....

B1GK9 profile image
B1GK9Graduate in reply to Sh53202

It wasn’t. With direct drive (no chain system) A big wheel was faster. So they were for racing.

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to B1GK9

Thanks for answering that!! I’d have had no idea! It was surreal when I saw him...massive wheel with a man on top 🤣🤣 I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture!!!

Berksrover profile image
BerksroverGraduate

I guess the strangest experience was being overtaken several times by a guy in a full storm trooper uniform during last years Wokingham HM, he would ‘storm’ past me and then take a break at each of the water stations, then overtake me again, before having another brief stop, a real life ‘hare and tortoise’ experience, except the hare won!

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Berksrover

That sounds fab Berksrover ...doesn’t matter who won...as long as it’s fun 🤩 xx

Frenc profile image
FrencGraduate

Wow that sounds like a sight to behold. Apart from seeing myself reflected in a shop window, I don’t think I’ve seen anything really odd. I will keep my eyes peeled next time! 😄😄😄

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Frenc

Hahaha Frenc ...behave...look at that inspiring person in the reflection in that shop window!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Rowers profile image
RowersGraduate

Well, I'm not sure about strange, but a couple of weeks ago I was running on the co.mmon and a red kite dive-bombed a chap who was sitting out there on a chair!!

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Rowers

Yikes?!! Bet that was a shock!!!

hickystrayts profile image
hickystrayts

A squirrel crossing the road using the zebra crossing!

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to hickystrayts

Ohhh, that’s so cute!! 😍

Dobbydoodah profile image
DobbydoodahGraduate

Hi, nothing really odd but I am pleased I am not the only one who has problems putting phone back in running belt grrrrrr!

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Dobbydoodah

Does my head in 😝

Elfe5 profile image
Elfe5Graduate

I’m so pleased neither of you landed in the canal! 😄I’m not sure you would call it “strange”, but certainly unexpected...

I once discovered that I had a lost & tearful child running along behind me. As I was listening to music & engrossed in my running “brain space”, it took me a while to realise that what I thought was distant tears at a playground were actually nearby & following me frantic duckling style! ... And yes, I ended up doing the whole ring the police thing & eventually all was well. 😄

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Elfe5

I know, I didn’t know which way to hop to get out of the way because he was coming towards me at a right speed and I knew it would be easier for me to move rather than him!!

Thank goodness that child found you...aww, like a little duckling 🐥

In my early running days I once posted a take on here of a low flying police helicopter above me and I thought they were going to shout ‘get down’ ...it was quite unnerving...they were actually after a car thief that they found to be hiding in the bushes at the side of where I was running...& he had a knife!!! I considered myself lucky...xx

Elfe5 profile image
Elfe5Graduate in reply to Mummycav

My goodness- definitely unnerving. I bet you had a burst of adrenaline and a PB after that! 😂

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Elfe5

In my head...

Elfe5 profile image
Elfe5Graduate in reply to Mummycav

😂😂

nowster profile image
nowsterGraduate

I've mentioned getting cheered and clapped by a bunch of queuing schoolkids who opened up a pathway through the middle of them as I ran past.

And on Monday I saw a unicyclist as I went back to my car after running round the lake.

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to nowster

Love that nowster ...that’s like the parting of the seas!!! Unicycles are amazing...there’s a family who go passed our house, they all have a unicycle, Mum, Dad and 2 kids, the kids are only about 8 & 10!!

Curlygurly2 profile image
Curlygurly2Graduate

I once had a herd of sheep come running towards me, I had to step back to let them pass...where's the shepherd and dog I wondered? Ha ha sitting comfortably in a car! Never seen anything like it!

And - a guy skiing by the Cam! Took me a while to realise these were skis with little wheels on the undersides!

A field full of llamas a few weeks back, bearing in mind I'm only a couple of miles from the city centre....

BuilderBoysMum profile image
BuilderBoysMumGraduate in reply to Curlygurly2

Feeling positively hard done by after those experiences 🤣🤣.Glad you have had some exciting views

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to BuilderBoysMum

Me too BuilderBoysMum !! Think I’d have been a bit unnerved by the sheep Curlygurly2 🤔

jpipw profile image
jpipwGraduate

Saw a bloke on a penny farthing on the A12, he was going like stink, the bike looked new. Is it a new (old) craze?

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to jpipw

Lol...they can’t ‘alf shift!! Maybe it’s something that might be making a come back?!!

Oldgirlruns profile image
OldgirlrunsGraduate

The strangest thing I’ve seen? A video of me running - who on earth is that old woman staggering along?! A penny farthing on a tow path is an oddity - I wonder what he’d do if he came across a narrow boat with the mooring ropes out?! Splash springs to mind!

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Oldgirlruns

I bet you look wonderful ??? We all look wonderful running don’t we????

I was more bothered about how he’d managed to get under the bridges, some of them are so low he was def taller than some of them!!!

Lookslikejames profile image
LookslikejamesGraduate

When I was doing c25k there was a woman walking ahead of me. She stopped at an oak tree and hugged it.. I was a bit taken aback, so circled around thinking she’d stop quite quickly. In the end I had to run a different way as she was hugging it for a while

Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministratorGraduate in reply to Lookslikejames

🤣🤣🤣🤪

Slothgoesrunning profile image
SlothgoesrunningGraduate

Running around a local lake, early morning, no one around apart from a few fishermen. I was trying to name the birds I could see as I went and noticed one of the swans looked a bit strange, then I looked up and there was a T-Rex (man in costume) running towards me, suddenly the swan looked normal. My early morning brain couldn’t quite compute what I was seeing 😂🦆🦢🦖

mrrun profile image
mrrunGraduate

I wrote about it here a few years ago. I saw a lady running in the rain..........with an umbrella. I stopped to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. And, yep, she was running with an umbrella. Admittedly, that was in a very chi-chi part of London, but still. A lady with an umbrella. Not a little brolly. A proper umbrella. Somehow, bizarrely, she looked very cool.

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