Everybody gets lapped at one time or another. Someone who is truly and simply faster will come calmly up behind (you usually hear them for a while) then gradually overtake, and soon they are out of sight, not to be seen again.
The ego lapper’s problem is that he just can’t stand to be behind. He roars up all of a sudden and sprints past. His body language seems tinged with anger. Then once he’s past and has achieved a lead where he can no longer hear the lappee’s footfalls, he relaxes back into his normal pace, which, in many cases is the same or (OMG) slower. He stays ahead at that same lead distance forever.
It is hilarious when a guy who is actually slower than me does it. Of course once he relaxes I start to gain on him. I make it a point not to surge past him. But he doesn’t like the pressure, and will speed up, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. If he speeds up a lot I just let him go and gain the ground again. When he gets tired of it he inevitably goes off on some side road (I think) to get rid of me. If he speeds up just a little I respond by speeding up just a little to see if I can keep it up longer than he can. Mostly I can, since I was the faster runner in the first place.
I had a friend who got out of shape and was trying to get back into running. He wasn’t used to it and so when we went running I would pull ahead on the hills. My friend told me point blank he felt very humiliated to run behind a woman. I pointed out that behind the woman is the best view for the guy.
These are some 1 minute gesture sketches that were then inked painted digitally with transparent. Drawing figures in motion is fun.
I deal with that guy on the highway. He rushes to get ahead of you and then slows down.
Yep me too. It’s exactly the same psychology.
On the highway, it’s hard to avoid those people. However, as a runner, can’t you go someplace secluded where there are no people? That should be easy to do, if your running is for exercise and not a means of getting from point A to point B.
Of course, but running is safer with people around, and going some place secluded for me requires a car trip and I’d rather not spend the carbon, especially for a short run of < 5K. And even the secluded places have ego lappers sometimes. The least likely place for them is actually the burbs, because you can wind in and out of a maze of streets and it’s unlikely anyone else goes exactly the same route. Unlike on the highway, they are not really a hazard for runners. I’m not complaining; I really don’t mind them, I just have great fun chuckling at the silly testosterone-driven reasons why they feel compelled to make asses of themselves by doing this. P.S. I was ONCE ego lapped by a woman. But it’s primarily the boys that do it.
Same thought as Bearman.
The other day going to Hobart a car took a stupid risk to over take me then slowed down. I had to slow down as he went slower than I was originally going. An overtaking lane came up so I past him & sped back up to highway speed. Next thing he’s back on my tail again pushing to overtake. The roads are full of morons.