Say goodbye to traffic jams, cramped trains and bone-shaking buses. There’s a more peaceful way to move through the city: on foot. However, there are a few things to bear in mind to make your urban running experience an enjoyable one.
1) Stay safe
Once you break out of a walk within an urban environment, you hold responsibility for disrupting the natural order of the pavement, which means you waive your right to get angry at pedestrians who amble across your path or appear suddenly out of doorways or side streets. They’ll be on guard for anything moving at walking speed but you can’t expect them to be prepared for you appearing out of nowhere, belting down the street like you’re trying to be first in line for some free stuff at the Apple store. Be sensible with your behavior and anticipate the actions of others near you.
2) Keep focused
Running in parks and fields is a great way to let your mind wander, but this isn’t such a good idea in the city. Be aware of cars and pedestrians, as well as other runners. You can still use your running as a way to de-stress and clear your head, but it’s more likely to come from focusing entirely on the job at hand rather than switching off and pondering the beauty of cloud formations.
3) Overtake with caution
Make sure you manoeuvre around people and animals with plenty of space to spare. Human communication seems to dictate that some people have a habit of illustrating the points they’re making to their companion, or whoever’s on the end of the phone, with wild gesticulations. You don’t want to risk an elbow in the ribs or a poke in the eye.
4) Mind the gaps
It may make you feel like a nimble urban warrior to nip in and out of tiny gaps between pedestrians, leaping over obstacles such as benches and flowerbeds, and spinning around lampposts. But, in reality, you’ll start winding people up. When you run in the city, it pays to rein yourself in a bit.
5) Slow down
Busy urban streets are not the ideal forum for speed work. It may seem like a great training opportunity to sprint between junctions or crossings, but eventually you risk mistiming your stopping distance or taking unnecessary risks across roads. Whenever you’re near traffic, err on the side of caution and live to sprint another day in a safer environment.
6) Stay calm
When running in an urban environment, it can seem like the general public is out to get you. Smokers will wave cigarettes perilously close to your eyeballs. Coffee drinkers will throw the dregs of their cup on your pristine trainers. Pedestrians will put up umbrellas in your face. And everyone will lose their ability to walk in a straight line. Relax. It’s nothing personal. In truth, these things are more usual in a city than belting down the street in a singlet and shorts. Take a breath, step to the side and carry on your way. Smile sweetly as you go, happy in the knowledge you are a fit urban runner.
7) Dress for success
You know those barely-there shorts? Save them for race day. Same goes for that skintight running top. When it comes to urban running, think relaxed, comfortable and modest. Don’t go for something too tight or technical. Remember: there may be old ladies and children around.
8) Appeal to all the senses
When urban running, it’s important to let everyone around know you’re there – but that doesn’t mean they need to smell you coming. There are some runners who can be, shall we say, a little relaxed on the personal hygiene front. While this doesn’t matter so much if you’re out running in the wild with only the animals to scare, city running is far more acceptable if you’re fresh and fragrant.
9) Four-legged friends?
No matter how much you love dogs, they are not the friend of the urban runner. Be on the lookout for dogs off the lead, dogs on a long lead and dogs that suddenly feel the call of nature. In all of the above situations, your safety, your PB into work and your shiny new box-fresh running shoes are all a very low priority. Give them a wide berth.
10) Don’t abuse pedestrians
No matter how irritating those pavement walkers might be, don’t resort to abuse. Firstly, you don’t know who they are and may find yourself staring at them across a meeting room later that day. Secondly, it’s likely you’ll regret what you’ve said once you’ve calmed down. Thirdly, you’re not perfect and it’s likely that you too will get in someone’s way one day. None of us are faultless so avoid even gentle grumbling aloud, particularly if you wear earphones while running – your gentle grumbling through a head full of AC/DC might be a lot louder than you think.
11) Beware the spatially challenged
Some people, even the skinniest of individuals, have an uncanny knack of taking up the entire pavement. Whether it’s because they’re all arms and legs, swaying hips or swinging bags, where there’s room for four people, they manage to block the way. You can learn to spot these people, and the best thing to do when you recognise one is to cross the road or take a small diversion because, even when you’ve seen your opportunity to get past them, they are able to bend the laws of physics and block your route within a nanosecond.
12) Be polite
Equip yourself with a polite warning that you can use as you approach unsuspecting pedestrians. “On your left/right” is common and harmless enough but does assume that everyone knows which is which. “OK to squeeze by here?” is inoffensive but you’ll need to slow down and be pretty close otherwise no one will know who you’re talking to. Practise with whatever feels comfortable, but do think of something in advance. Otherwise, as frustration builds on your urban journey, something not so polite will pop into your mind and probably out of your mouth.
