Can the Catcalls

I’ve been running ever since it became glaringly obvious, at a very early age, that I was basically physically incapable of playing any sport requiring hand-eye coordination, and I love it. I find it to be wonderfully exhilarating, while simultaneously being extremely peaceful, which makes it the perfect stress reliever and way to get my “me time.” Unfortunately though, my runs, so vital to my mental stability and necessary training for my collegiate cross country and track seasons, are interrupted way too frequently by random catcalls from passing cars.

Because of the requirements of competitive running and my personal, sheer enjoyment of a run of any kind, I have practiced and competed in a lot of different places. Sadly, in close to every single one, I have gotten at least one comment hollered at me from a passing car during my workout. It happens regardless of the city or town’s population or region, and it’s often something along the lines of “Run Forest, runnnn!” Of course, there are also the less G-rated comments, incredibly creative and equally disturbing gems, pulled from the bowels of the human brain and hurled through the windows like rotten tomatoes.

It’s a terrible feeling to be running along, either focusing on a workout or simply letting one’s thoughts roam in a sort of meditation, only to be jerked from your own mind by an always startling and usually offensive comment. First comes the surprise, the shock that manifests as a literal twitch, jump or jerk, as the people in the car take an obvious, sick satisfaction in scaring you. Next comes the damage control, where you try to act like you aren’t totally rattled by whatever was just yelled at you, as everyone in the car crane their necks like savage ostriches, all trying to see your reaction. After the car passes, the embarrassment sets in. You know that you have nothing to be embarrassed about, but you suddenly become horribly self-conscious. You start questioning what it was; your form, pace, workout clothes, whether or not you had earbuds in, that made them yell at you. The comment bouncing through your thoughts all the way home.

I realize that not every comment has malicious intent behind it, like a benign but still startling, “You’re making ME tired!” Maybe these people think they’re actually being encouraging in some backward way, or they’re trying to legitimately joke with you as you run along. I can only guess. Then there are the more unsavory comments. I just can’t wrap my mind around how people can bring themselves to unroll their windows and yell blatantly inappropriate things at strangers. Perhaps they think whatever nasty thing that just popped into their heads when they saw the runner, is so funny that they feel the urge to share it with the muse themselves. Or, they are trying to entertain a carload of friends with a very poor sense of humor. Then again, seeing somebody running along may make them uncomfortable with their own life decisions or jealous of the runner for one petty reason or another, and they attempt to do whatever they can to make the runner feel as bad as they do. At the very least, comments from a passing car invoke feelings of mild alarm and irritation, while at the worst, they are deeply upsetting and make the runner incredibly self-conscious in what is supposed to be a relaxing moment.

The majority of people seem to respect the fact that it’s not socially acceptable to yell at perfect strangers in public places in the absence of an emergency. For a load of ridiculous reasons though, once that stranger is running along the side of a road, basic respect flies, quite literally, out the car window along with their comment. This violation of necessary personal time is inexcusable and has absolutely no place in what we like to think is our “civilized” society.