My sisters and I refer to a "scrub" as someone who yells at you from a moving car. We define "getting scrubbed" as the act of being yelled at from a moving car. I can generally say that 99.99% of the time it is men "scrubbing" women. I can say that 100% of the time I have been "scrubbed" has been when I am running. I think horn-honking at a runner is only slightly less offensive than actually rolling down the window and yelling at the person. I only say this because sometimes people I know will see me running and honk the horn. Um...you a) just scared the sh*t out of me and b) made me want to flip you off because I thought you were a scrub so why don't you c) just skip the horn honking and the next time you see me in a normal situation you can say "hey! I saw you running the other day..."
Anyway, since I've started coaching my high school runners three years ago...I get scrubbed a LOT more. Probably because THEY'RE the ones getting the horn-honking and yelling...and the people in the car are thinking "who's that old lady trying to keep up with those hot, young girls?" We've had so many horn-honkings, so many inappropriate comments (really really DISGUSTING things), and even things thrown at us from moving cars. Gotta love running on the streets of a city. I try to teach my girls that it's inappropriate to give these people the finger (even though I really really want to) and that it's not really safe to gesture or yell back (what if they are REAL creepers and stop the car, turn around, and do something much worse???) I don't allow them to run with their shirts off unless we are alone, on a trail in the desert....NEVER along a road. So normally we'll make comments to each other....like "Oooh you're so cool" or "Yeah, right buddy", "you wish"....or last week I added "Grow one first" or "No thanks"... well yesterday I guess it was the last straw because one of my girls ( a calm, quiet, level-headed, intelligent girl) responded to a "scrubbing" with "F*ck you!" and then she realized she was running next to her ADULT coach said "Oh! Coach Y! I didn't mean it...I mean I did mean it but I didn't mean to swear in front of you. Sometimes I swear when I get angry and it just slipped. I am really really really sorry." She was so upset and I was not angry. Not one little bit. She just didn't want no scrub.
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2 comments:
Amen. Well written and absolutely true.
On another annoying point that runners have to deal with: Andrew and I almost got bit by two dogs yesterday on our run through New Salem. I'd be hard pressed to kick a dog, but I was seriously close yesterday...they were Jack Russell Terriers so it wouldn't have taken too much energy!
Yes sometimes dogs are annoying. I have almost been tripped by little dogs while running on the Bridle Path up Central Ave millions of times. The owners seem to have no concept of how long the leash is or how to control their dogs.
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