15 Things Which Will Make you Run Faster

Those of us who run regularly know at which point(s) in our run we tend to slow down and almost give into our inner voice which is practically yelling at us to stop.  Of course, once you overcome that voice you often realize that you can actually run farther than you thought, and those moments of overcoming the doubtful inner voice feel so empowering (take that inner voice!)

While about halfway through today's long run I was motivated to run a little faster as I approached an extremely smelly porta poddy.  The smell permeated for a good quarter mile, and the quickest way to get out of the danger zone, was to speed up those feet. 

That got me to thinking, and before I knew it a mile or two had gone by as I was compiling in my mind a list of the top 15 irritating things I regularly encounter on my runs which cause me to speed up, and so really these irritating motivators are silver linings, and I am begrudgingly thankful for them:

1) Smelly porta poddys

2) Off-leash pooches who think it's fun to chase you (after all that's why you are running, right?)

3) Imminent bridge lifts (while I used to find these irritating, I actually like them now as they provide an opportunity to take in a nice view & stretch a bit, but when you are cresting the bridge & see a vessel coming, it's fun to try & outrun it too!)

4) A slowly approaching freight train at the RR crossing you must pass over (longest wait at a RR crossing, over 10 mins!)

5) Creeps

6) The sudden feeling that you must use the restroom (tip: don't eat a lot of cherries the day before a long run...trust me)

7) Approaching rain clouds (while I enjoy a run in the rain, it's actually fun to try outrun the rain clouds!)

8) Crowds of people (the quickest way to get out of the bottle neck of people on foot & pedals is to find the maze within and just hoof it)

9) Runners & their dogs on long leashes (I think it's great for runner & pooch to go for a run, or walk, but please keep them on a tight leash.  When your furry friend is 10+ feet from you, you've just created an unwanted obstacle course)

10) Group mob runners/walkers (I frequent group runs, and so I get it, but please realize that just because you are in a group does not mean that you get to take the ENTIRE path. Be courteous & let us solos through too)

11) Group stroller runs/walks (don't mistake me, I have mad respect for those who can run and maneuver a stroller, but when running in a group, please recognize that you should sometimes stroll single file through congested pathways)

12) Narrow shoulder on a busy roadway (sometimes you have few options but to run along the side of a busyish road & the best way to get out of harms way is to speed on through)

13) A counting down pedestrian traffic signal (If the countdown is 6 or more, I can always sprint & clear the light before it hits 0!)

14) Hills (I have two large hills to contest with in my neighborhood & sometimes it's just easier to get them over with quickly)

15) Surreys

I HATE these!!!

I must now rant a bit. I get that surreys are fun.  They are a neat way for tourists to enjoy themselves. However, I do not appreciate them when crossing over Portland's bridges.  The surrey joyriders typically don't have the best control over the contraption, and so they are often unpredictable, and are especially irritating when crossing over the Hawthorne Bridge, because a narrow space must be shared by one-way bicyclists and both-ways pedestrians.  The surreys are only available for rental during the fare-weather runner/walker time of year, and so if you are not quick, before you know it you are stuck behind an ill-operated surrey.  I've rarely seen happy faced surrey connoisseurs when going over the Hawthorne Bridge, because by this point even they realize how precarious they are to others. My tip to fellow runners/walkers would be to use the eastbound side of the Hawthorne bridge during fare-weather running/walking season (May - September).  

All-in-all, I never let any of the above ruin a run, and in fact when you turn them in to quick footed motivators, you can begin to embrace them as opportunities to challenge yourself!

Urban vs. Suburban Running: Who Let the Dogs Out?

Mostly I'm an urban city runner, but lately I've been running more in the burbs, and sometimes just a smidgen into the country.  An observation: in the burbs, people seem to think it's okay to let their dogs roam around their yards off leash, unsupervised.

L-R: Rylee, Brenna & Bailey.
Photo taken by Samantha Ulrich

 Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, and in fact my family has three lovable, too-cute-for-their-own-good, snugly fur monsters (evidence to your left).  

However, that doesn't mean that when I'm out for my weekend run that I enjoy being chased by other people's dogs--particularly when I'm in the last grueling mile of my long run.  It's happened twice lately, and both by labs.  While I am pretty sure that in each instance the pooch was just playing, I was not in the playing mood.  Each time it took the owner several minutes to realize that their dog was enjoying a game of catch-the-runner, which for me was several minutes too long.   

So, I post this just to remind my fellow dog-owners, as is best put by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA),

Regardless of your dog’s motivation, chasing runners should be discouraged. No runner enjoys being harassed by a dog, even if the dog’s intent is playful. Your dog could be injured or frightened by a runner since the person is well within his or her rights to shout, strike out or kick at your dog in self-defense.

Read more about the types of behaviors to look for in dogs who chase runners 

Don't worry, even though the ASPCA deems it a reasonable possibility, I won't hit or kick your runner-chasing-dog, but I will tell your dog "No" and be very annoyed with you. 

To end on a positive note, I have observed very courteous dog-owner behavior along a multi-use path I frequent in my suburb running route, and thank the dog owners who make sure that their dogs don't chase others, and when appropriate keep their dogs on leash.  After all, there's no reason runners, walkers and dogs can't share the path in harmony!