Suburban Running Hazards

Whenever I can, I run outside. I do have a treadmill, but staring at the wall can be boring. I prefer the change in scenery and the people watching of a suburban (or urban, or country) run. These runs don't come without their own special brand of hazards. In no particular order, here are for what I've learned to look out:

1. Skunks.
Truthfully, I'm glad these creatures are nocturnal. Can you imagine if they were out during the day? Yes, you could see them better, but I still think the number of sprays would increase. I had a close encounter on a three mile run a week or so ago. Dummy me decided to slow down to figure out what it was. Once I realized that it was, indeed, a skunk, and that it had raised its tail, I took off. Hello, negative split on mile 2!

2. Cars backing out of driveways.
As stated in a previous blog, I no longer run with music. I've had several close encounters with cars backing out of driveways when I was running with music that I decided that I need to be more aware of my running surroundings. I just tune out too much when I listen to music. Even so, it can be hard to predict which house will have a car backing out. Yesterday, the driver seemed in a hurry. Fortunately, the driveway was long so I had time to react, and I was wearing my new, obnoxiously pink tech fleece. I don't think this says "Notice me!" It screams it.

3. Turning cars and cars darting across intersections.
I get it because I drive. And despite being a runner, I still forget to look for pedestrians when I'm in a hurry. Same as #2, I make sure I know where they are. And make eye contact with the driver when possible. Doesn't mean I won't make them wait. Hey, I have a pace I'm trying to keep. :)

4. Little kids walking little dogs.
In my suburban area, the dog owners are very considerate. They leash their dogs. They move over for the runners. They say hello. At most, big dogs just want to join me for the run. Little dogs usually yap away as little dogs are prone to do. Generally, I don't worry about dogs. What makes me worry is a group of kids walking a dog. To be fair, on yesterday's run, the kids were rounding a corner and couldn't see me over the bushes. But I nearly stepped on the little dog they were walking. Here's a tip. Watch out for blind corners. You never know when a woman in a blindingly pink fleece will be running by.

5. Culver's. Any pizza place. The Continental Bakery. Etc.
There is a good reason I run without money or credit card. Because 4 miles into a 6 mile run, when I see the Culver's sign for Oreo cheesecake... Yeah. I'd be stopping.

6. (New one!) Motion sensor audible ads.
There is a realtors office that I ran by. As I passed an audible commercial started playing. It completely caught me off guard making me jump and even yell a little bit. If I jump at realtor ads imagine how I'll be running with the neighborhood's various Halloween decorations!