Question:
Yes, I feel tracks need some etiquette, tell me what they are. I sometimes do speedwork (well I HATE speedwork, by anyway) on a nearby track, which is used by a lot of people. True or not? 1. Always run in direction so that left side of body is closer to rim of track. 2. Walkers and slower runners avoid insidemost lane. No walking 2 and 3 abreast unless on outermost lanes. 3. No playing soccer or anything else on track, play on inside field. 4. If u r passing on inside lane and see a walker ahead who doesn’t know, shout "inside lane" (but sometimes during speedwork it’s hard to shout anything intelligible!). 5. Avoid landing in puddles and splashing water on others. 6. Don’t cross track without looking as if crossing a traffic-laden street. 7. Control your dog so he doesn’t chase runners. Is this list complete?
Response:
Yes, I feel tracks need some etiquette, tell me what they are.
I’d just like to make one correction and one addition. 7. Control your dog so he doesn’t chase runners.
Leave the dog at home. Especially at a well used track. 8. Always do your recovery runs in the OUTSIDE lanes. Also, don’t swerve all over the track. Try to run in a straight line. Steve L. Picanco Sacramento, CA
Response:
In theory this is good. In practice I would have a hard time being anal about this on many tracks. The track I run on is a city owned track not in great shape. It is used by all and sundry incl. dogs, walkers etc. I’m like, let’s not be too serious about my speedwork, as long as anyoone is not totally stupid, I am willing to swerve around etc. The one total no no is teenage cyclists going the wrong way on the inside fast lane of the track. This is very irritating. I have no compunction about shouting at such uh..urchins if they refuse to cease and desist their wrong way-wrong lane-wrong place cycling. I feel guilty about running at city facilities funded by all and then expecting the best running environment. Same with public paths like Green Lake in Seattle. At what point does my desire for unimpeded 5:35 miles conflict with the desire of casual strollers. The walking and running and outdoor needs of the median voter are quite different from mine. The median voter is probably older, slower and less concerned about timed runs, races etc. than we are. So maybe serious runners need to keep this in mind. And it is definitely true that at least part of my motivation comes from the fact that such facilities are great for people watching…not just for grim serious exacting running. In fact many of these casual strollers are pretty women, I certainly don’t want to scold them just ‘cos they banged (into) me:):):). I have the other choice to use the Univ. of Wash high quality track, and if I do so I will certainly be less tolerant of track etiquette violations… but running on this hiquality track would be boring as hell!!!
Response:
I sometimes do speedwork (well I HATE speedwork, by anyway) on a nearby track, which is used by a lot of people. True or not? 1. Always run in direction so that left side of body is closer to rim of track.
Yes, although going the other way sometimes is beneficial since you get balanced speedwork. Maybe the people in charge of the track can have alternate-direction days? 2. Walkers and slower runners avoid insidemost lane.
Yep. No walking 2 and 3 abreast unless on outermost lanes.
Yep. 3. No playing soccer or anything else on track, play on inside field.
Yep. 4. If u r passing on inside lane and see a walker ahead who doesn’t know, shout "inside lane" (but sometimes during speedwork it’s hard to shout anything intelligible!).
I usually shout "Track!" and most runners with a little experience know what’s coming. That’s the usual yell around here. 5. Avoid landing in puddles and splashing water on others.
Yep. 6. Don’t cross track without looking as if crossing a traffic-laden street.
Yep. 7. Control your dog so he doesn’t chase runners.
Yep. For speedwork I’d leave him home anyway. I’d add: Be careful at the end of your interval not to slow down too quickly or someone behind you might rear-end you; be aware of who’s behind you (they might be running 200m farther this lap). Best regards, Brian P. Baresch, National Sports Massage Team speaking for myself
Response:
: Yes, I feel tracks need some etiquette, tell me what they are. : I sometimes do speedwork (well I HATE speedwork, by anyway) on a nearby : track, which is used by a lot of people. : True or not? : 1. Always run in direction so that left side of body is closer to rim of : track. Pretty much. Some people advocate warming up and warming down clockwise to "even out" the strain on legs from always turning one way. I have no problem with this as long as it is done in the outmost lanes. Also, people will do sprints and strides back and forth on a straight, which is okay as long as they stick to the outside lanes. : 2. Walkers and slower runners avoid insidemost lane. Walkers should never be in lanes 1, 2, or 3. People running at a pace significantly slower than others on the track should stay "out of the way", which means moving out to lane 2 or 3. By the way, if you jog your recovery intervals, you become a "slower runner" and should pop out to lane 3. Even better, we did our recovery jogs on the inside of the track in college, when it gets really complicated with distance guys in lanes 1 and 2, quarter milers in lanes 3 and 4, sprinters in lanes 5 and 6, and hurdlers in lanes 7 and 8. : No walking 2 and 3 abreast unless on outermost lanes. : 3. No playing soccer or anything else on track, play on inside field. : 4. If u r passing on inside lane and see a walker ahead who doesn’t know, : shout "inside lane" (but sometimes during speedwork it’s hard to shout : anything intelligible!). The best thing to shout is "Lane 1", or even better "Watch lane 1", or whatever lane you want cleared. "Track" is also pretty universially acknowledged as a warning to look out behind you. : 5. Avoid landing in puddles and splashing water on others. Maybe you care about this in Seattle 
, but this is not one I would include. If I’m doing a hard workout in lane 1, water be damned. : 6. Don’t cross track without looking as if crossing a traffic-laden : street. : 7. Control your dog so he doesn’t chase runners. No dogs or bikes on the track or the field. : Is this list complete? I find that if someone doesn’t move after a few laps, a polite word to them to please stay out of lane one works most of the time. Occasionally people will refuse, which I handle by going around them, but as tightly as possible. If you’re running fast and wearing spikes, they’ll usually figure it out. A harder question is if you have someone else doing their workout but at a slower speed than you. Generally, the standard rule is to always cede the inside lane to the faster runners, and move out to lane two when you hear someone coming up behind you. If there’s someone else on the track doing a "workout"; i.e. not just running the same pace around the track every lap, I usually won’t ask them to move out but just go around them. They have as much "right" to the track as I do. Naturally, most runners doing intervals understand the etiquette and will move out any time they hear me coming, so it’s moot. Similarly, if someone faster is on the track, I’ll try to stay clear of them. In the past, I’ve printed up a "track etiquette" flyer and attached it near the entrance of the track, where it looks like the "owner" of the track has placed it. This helps inform the uneducated as to the proper rules, as well as acting as an "authority" for me to reference if someone ignores the rules. "Well, the sign over there says walkers should stay in lane 4." Of course, I don’t mention that I put up the sign. :-) -pfrench
Response:
A harder question is if you have someone else doing their workout but at a slower speed than you. Generally, the standard rule is to always cede the inside lane to the faster runners, and move out to lane two when you hear someone coming up behind you. If there’s someone else on the track doing a "workout"; i.e. not just running the same pace around the track every lap, I usually won’t ask them to move out but just go around them. They have as much "right" to the track as I do. Naturally, most runners doing intervals understand the etiquette and will move out any time they hear me coming, so it’s moot. Similarly, if someone faster is on the track, I’ll try to stay clear of them.
I think the etiquette ought to be that someone who is *running* (not walking or warming down) gets to stay in lane one and the overtaking runner should go around. That will avoid crashes when someone moves out at the last minute as you are passing them, and it adds a bit more realism to the workout — you are planning to use the speed to pass people, I presume? Many tracks don’t want runners wearing spikes when they do workouts, not that you should, anyway.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes, I feel tracks need some etiquette, tell me what they are. I sometimes do speedwork (well I HATE speedwork, by anyway) on a nearby track, which is used by a lot of people. True or not? 1. Always run in direction so that left side of body is closer to rim of track. 2. Walkers and slower runners avoid insidemost lane. No walking 2 and 3 abreast unless on outermost lanes. 3. No playing soccer or anything else on track, play on inside field. 4. If u r passing on inside lane and see a walker ahead who doesn’t know, shout "inside lane" (but sometimes during speedwork it’s hard to shout anything intelligible!). 5. Avoid landing in puddles and splashing water on others. 6. Don’t cross track without looking as if crossing a traffic-laden street. 7. Control your dog so he doesn’t chase runners.
8. When finished with the workout one should collapse on the infield. This will provide a softer landing area and keep other runners from tripping over your body. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Is this list complete?
Response:
: Is this list complete? How about: * Do not drive golf balls back and forth across the track. yes folks, it happens. rob
Response:
: I think the etiquette ought to be that someone who is *running* (not : walking or warming down) gets to stay in lane one and the overtaking : runner should go around. That will avoid crashes when someone moves out : at the last minute as you are passing them, and it adds a bit more : realism to the workout — you are planning to use the speed to pass : people, I presume? Probably the determining factor I use is *my perception* of the accuracy needed by the other person for their workout. If they are doing endless laps at 10 minute mile pace, I think they probably are not too concerned about exactly how far they are going. If someone is doing 8 minute pace, but doing intervals, and *I* think it matters to them that they are doing repeat 600 meters, I think they have as much right to lane one as I do. Unfortunately, my perception and others’ perceptions might not always agree. Your definition of *running* is too vague for me; I often do recovery intervals at eight minute pace and warm down at sub-seven, which may be faster than someone running their workout. But the accuracy of my warm down doesn’t matter much to me, so I don’t care if I do it lane 3. I think it boils down to my view that the track is a place to do precisely measured running workouts; that’s its purpose. The inside lane is the only accurate one for the convenience of starting and stopping at the same place, so it’s the most sacred. Since that’s my view of what a track is for, that’s why I also believe that bikes and dogs should be kept off the track. Unless, of course, the have a note from the vet that Rover needs to do some 400’s with 200 recoveries. ;-) You do bring up a good point of having runners move out unexpectedly. I only expect them to move if I warn them, and in fact will often call out "stay there" if I see them looking back at the last second before I pass. Again, I think this is part of the etiquette: if you expect someone to move, you need to express that expectation by letting them know with a hearty "Lane one" when you’re far enough behind them to allow them to move out easily. Otherwise, if you say nothing, you’re going around. : Many tracks don’t want runners wearing spikes when they do workouts, not : that you should, anyway. A rule of thumb is to try to understand how the track coach at an institution will react if he observed you doing your workout. I’ve had the track coaches at several different places be out while I’m working out and never been asked to stop using the inside lane or stop wearing spikes. If I’m doing repeat miles, I’ll never wear spikes. If I’m doing repeat 200’s getting ready for a race in which I’ll wear spikes, I’ll wear them for a workout. -pfrench
Response:
: Yes, I feel tracks need some etiquette, tell me what they are. <snip : 2. Walkers and slower runners avoid insidemost lane. On the track I run on, training is not permitted on lanes 1 & 2. It causes too much wear. : No walking 2 and 3 abreast unless on outermost lanes. I presume that you use the term walkers to refer to people walking between intervals. People just out for a walk shouldn’t be allowed on a track. — 15 Massey Crescent | Barrister & Solicitor | Phone: (64) (3) 355-6189 Christchurch | | Fax: (64) (3) 355-6429
Response:
2. Walkers and slower runners avoid insidemost lane.
If you encounter a gorilla in the innermost lane give him/her plenty of room by moving to outermost lane. Preferably running in the opposite direction. Rob Ottawa, Canada