When do we draw the line?

[mrrun]

I run in hot sunshine as well as soaked in cold rain, not choosy when it comes to where and when to run. Sometimes I dislike wind as it messes up my ability to run in the straight line and I can’t hear my music properly. First world problems, I know. But, there are friendly winds, and there are gales named after people. The nicer the name, the worse the gale.

Common sense dictates to stay in and follow sensible advice. And the advice is to stay away from anything that can hurt you, hurling through the air towards your humble person. But there are always care-free idiots like me who take multiple takes to learn the basics (some years ago I was The Champion Injury Magnet, a true gold medalist, refusing to learn how to protect myself from hurt).

A few days ago I went out for a relaxing 10K and straight away got hit by a solid gust. Could only run sideways. Like a marionette. Thankfully I ran into what you see on this photo fairly soon and even I managed to exercise simple logic and figure out that bits from a 70 year old oak could sandwich a motor vehicle, let alone flatten a strangely looking middle aged bloke attempting to run.

So, THIS is where we should draw the line. Common sense tells us that our security is paramount and stupidity can sometimes be confused (hopefully) with some passing misjudgement. I returned home safely and decided to wait. The most sensible thing I did that day.

[nowster Metric Marathon]

Absolutely.

I didn't run on any of the days when the named storms were active. Too many chances of being hit by flying debris or getting blown into something unforgiving.

[mrrun Ultramarathon in reply to nowster]

I cancelled my TV licence in 2015 so I never watch the news. In my world David Cameron is probably the Prime Minister and the Rolling Stones are still relevant. John Lennon is alive, right? It looked a bit 'breezy' from my bedroom window, but hey-ho, this is England, the land of winds. Not even the initial hit of the gale force wind didn't make me think that something may be wrong. Live and learn......

[Tasha99 Marathon]

What a great post! ‘Like a marionette’ made me laugh🤣You are right, but running is so addictive, isn’t it?! 💨

[mrrun Ultramarathon in reply to Tasha99]

Indeed. What I do, I have runs penciled in and off I go. The fact the waste bins were being flown across my street didn't phase me. Not even rats were out. And I was dressed up like a lunatic in my basketball gear. Looking back, the whole thing was like a comedy act. If somebody saw me through the window, I bet they couldn't make sense of what I was trying to do. 😅

[Tasha99 Marathon]

🤣🤣🤣

[Cmoi Marathon]

My line's between do I think I might get back tired/ouchy/wet/muddy/overheated/cold/etc and do I think I might not get back!

Though sometimes it's not that clear. I ran forest trails today and with about 2km to go heard several gunshots, not as far off as I'd have liked. A 25 year old rambler was accidentally killed by a 17 year old hunter in the neighbouring département a few days ago, so I'm less relaxed than usual.

[mrrun Ultramarathon in reply to Cmoi]

Gunshots? Ok, that doesn’t even compare with my moan about some wind in my parish. Your reaction was absolutely right.