Normally I'm the one who says "You guys have to get over it" and "you can't control other people so just get used to these frustrations" but I have to say I'm most annoyed lately by two guys in their 60s who speed-walk in our neighborhood. They've done it for years but evidently they haven't noticed our neighborhood has grown and there is more vehicular traffic now. It's a narrow roadway that hugs a hillside, barely wide enough for two cars to pass as it is, alongside 5-foot paved walking path which is separated from the aforementioned roadway by a 3-foot grass boulevard. That's 8 feet of roadway sacrificed for the convenience of walkers, runners and other non-vehicular traffic. These guys are too important to use the expensive chunk of real estate, preferring instead to take up an entire lane of the already-too-narrow-for-traffic-load roadway surface, wearing big floppy hats, oblivious to all of us not-yet-retired-have-somewhere-to-go drivers crawling behind them at their not-so-fast speedwalking pace. Every time they're coming down the road facing me, I point at the walking path, and they just smile and wave, as if to say, Yep, that's a mighty fine walking path we have over there! Those guys drive me crazy.

1.  People who walk in groups and insist on occupying the entire trail.

2.  Vicious dogs and the owners who should muzzle them. (I once saw a runner pass me only to be attacked by a dog and nearly forced into a stream)

3.  Families of Bicyclists who insist on occupying the entire trail and run you off the trail.

4.  Landscapers with weed-wackers who refuse to turn them off as a pedestrian passes. (I've seen those things kick up rocks with enough force to shatter windshields).

5.  Inconsiderate drivers who make eye contact with you and still speed through pedestrian walkways.

6.  Wet leaves. They're worse than ice.

There's more.

I almost forgot a couple:

7.  I run a trail that cuts throught he heart of the "City."  It runs parallel to a little creek and every now and then it crosses the creek with little bridges.  There's one spot on campus right behind a local pre-school.  If I run at the wrong time, I get caught at the bridge and have to wait for several parents to walk their strollers across the bridge.  Not the kids fault, or the parents.  I just hate waiting.  Once I was able to pass the bridge by walking.  At the other end I see one of my professors.  We exchanged pleasantries and his son jumped in front of me like a gatekeeper.  If it wasn't so funny, it would have been annoying.

8.  While running in uniform having random people call you a murderer.  That'll get your blood pressure up.

96Yankees wrote:

8.  While running in uniform having random people call you a murderer.  That'll get your blood pressure up.

Ok, that reminds me of the start of the Mission Inn 1/2 Marathon. They played the national anthem and as I stood there with my hand over my heart, I looked around the crowd and counted 2 other people showing allegiance to their country. What a sad and pathetic bunch.

I have no pet peeves while I am running...but... I hate when I am driving and runners are two abreast and make no effort to step off to the side or even acknowledge that a car is coming. This happens more often with Bikers , but some runners do it too. We as runners need to be aware of drivers as much as they need to be of us. I don't know of any runner that has won a match against a car, no matter how in the right they were. Oh and unleashed dogs.  A swift kick usually works, but it still pisses me off. So i guess i was wrong. Dogs piss me off,. To no end. Except my dog. But she is never off the leash when outside...

I'm very blessed to live in a small community where most everyone has good road manners. Drivers are very courteous, and just look at me like "What on earth is she doing?".  LOL

Dogs can be a problem.  Had a big ugly pit bull mix come at me once.  When I dropped to a walk he was okay with it, but when I started running he had a fit.  And this was on a park trail.  The teenagers he was with paid no attention.  On another route that I run there are two seperate homes that have big Lab puppies.  These puppies like to run along with me for a bit, which is fine, but they like to wind around in front and behind, almost tripping me.  I probably need a walk break by then anyway. haha

And I think this is a pet peeve of all runners - in races when walkers line up in front of the runners.  Yes, if you can walk a 10-minute mile (not likely), be my guest.  But if you're strolling along just to have a good time, START IN THE BACK, PLEASE!!!

My biggest pet peeve has nothing to do with anyone else.  When I'm inside on the TM it's not a problem, but EVERY TIME I run outside my nose runs like a faucet.  Allergies, I guess.  It's annoying to have to stuff my pockets with Kleenex and try to blow my nose while running.  Throws my gait off a bit, but I manage.

What a bunch of cry babies.