Not Getting Hit by Cars

I did my first day of half marathon training this week.  My schedule works like this: I do shorter runs (up to five miles) Friday - Sunday, and then my long run on Monday.  I don't work on Monday, it's a wonderful thing.  On Tuesday - Thursday, I do some basic core work.

But my spreadsheet - yep, I made a spreadsheet - starts the week on Monday.  So, for the hell of it, I put a 4 mile run in the first Monday slot as the very first day of training.

The run was slow and I felt off.  I'm not sure if the patches of ice on the sidewalks were a factor, but it wasn't my best run regardless.  And I was almost hit by a car right off the bat, which is never a good omen.

This is what happened: I was running down the one street I have to take to get to my route and there's a McDonald's that I pass.  The drive-thru exit is sometimes tricky, people are on their phones, checking their food, etc.  Anyway, two kids were stopped a few yards from where one would stop before pulling out into traffic.  I saw them not seeing me so I slowed down to see what they would do.

The kid hit the gas and then braked hard at the edge of the exit, a few inches ahead of me.  I jumped back and the passenger looked at me; the driver had not seen me.

The passenger mouthed sorry to me and said something to his driver friend.  Driver friend still didn't look my way.  Passenger looked at me again and I asked if I could go.  He gestured to go ahead, a split second before the driver flew out into traffic without so much as a glance in my direction.  I really hope the passenger called him an idiot, because he was.

Don't you learn in Kindergarten to look both ways when there is traffic?  Shouldn't that apply when you're driving?

After that, I had trouble getting into a rhythm.  I was distracted by my thoughts and trying to pay attention to all the drivers (this particular route takes me around the University campus, lots of vehicles).

So...

DRIVERS: PAY ATTENTION!!!

I count myself lucky that I've never been so much as bumped by a car, but I've come close and my route only takes me through a single intersection.

At this point, I've been running long enough to know that I have to pay rigorous attention to people on the road.  But I shouldn't have to pay attention for the both of us.  When you're driving, you have one job - to drive safely.  My life is way more important than a text about how bored you are or how awesome that party was last night.