This page is my way of documenting all the funny, scary, and sometimes weird things that have happened while I am working out. I only hope I am able to remember all the good ones.
Check back often as I’m sure I’ll think of more strange events from my past and will continue to have interesting events in the future. Post your own strange workout events in the comments section of this post.
Date – July 23, 2013Location – Rochester, MN
Event – I was about 4 miles into a 6 mile run and I wasn’t feeling good at all, when all of a sudden, a moth flew right into my mouth. Aaaacccckkkk!!!! Needless to say, that didn’t help the run.
Date – January 9, 2013 Location – Rochester, MN – Mayo Clinic DAHLC Event – I was riding a stationary bike, nearing the end of my workout when I notice this younger guy in the row in front of me on a treadmill wavering slightly. All of a sudden, the guy starts to lose his balance. It was like he was in slow motion as he tried to catch his balance all to wind up falling. As he fell, we wound up falling partially on the treadmill next to his which was off. This cause the lower half of his body to catch on the still moving track of his treadmill which threw his lower body back while his upper body stayed in place for the most part. He obviously felt a fair amount of pain, but knowing the guy code, as he got up with one of the most serious looks on his face, I knew he didn’t want me asking if he was ok. He ended up walking away for about 10 minutes, leaving all of his stuff, and then finally came back. I felt pretty bad for the guy. That is one of my biggest fears, to fall off a treadmill in public. Date – September 30, 2011 Location – Rochester, MN – Kingsbury Event – I began running around 3:30pm near my house and about 1/2 mile into the run I ended up tripping on a raised sidewalk crack. I fell and rolled luckily only scraping my knee and wrist and scratching up my left palm. It could have been a lot worse. I was pretty sore but ended up finishing the run at least. Click Here to read the article I wrote about it with pictures. Date – August, 11, 2010 Location – Rochester, MN – Douglas Trail Event – I decided to go for a 10 mile run just before the sun went down and just as I turned around at the 5 mile mark and it’s now dark I see a skunk running on the trail in front of me. I stopped immediately and watched to see what it was going to do. The little guy ran into the weeds and I started to move again and the darn little guy jumped back out onto the trail. He did it 2 more times before I felt confident he was done toying with me. Date – August 9, 2010 Location – Rochester, MN – Kingsbury Event – I was running around 10pm tonight when at about mile 1 in the pitch black I hear a loud bang, then I see tail lights and then hear another bang, which I realize is a car door. Then I hear the tires squeal and the car takes off and out of sight. Most normal people would probably decide to turn around, but I am not most normal people. I needed to make it to the top of this hill and I wasn’t going to let some strange car in the middle of a running path get in my way. The remainder of the run was pretty uneventful but it did get my heart pumping quite a bit. My guess is a garbage dumping possibly. Date – July 31, 2010 Location – Rochester, MN – Douglas Trail Event – I was about 1/4 done with a 5 mile run when I come upon a couple on bikes with their small child. They started to wave to me as I we started to pass by each other so I took my headphones off and the man begins by telling me that I should probably turn around because there is a whole bunch of cops on the trail arresting some guy that stabbed someone. Then the woman with him said that they were there as it happened and that they all of a sudden heard the police yell and swarm out and basically tackle this guy on the running trail. Rather than take their advice I decided to continue running for a little bit to see if I could see a little of what was going on. By the time I got close enough I was able to see the police cars tail lights leaving the trail. When I got there was nobody to be seen, but it was still pretty creepy to be running right where there was an arrest not more than 10 minutes prior. Check out the link in the Post Bulletin regarding the arrest. http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=463025 Date – Unknown Location – Duluth, MN – Lakewalk Event – I was on the lakewalk running around midnight and had just passed under one of the walking bridges when a shadow came over me. I looked up and saw a man standing on the bridge above me. A closer look and I saw he wasn’t just standing on the bridge but he was standing on the corner post about 15-20 feet up. I thought at first he was just trying to see over the trees out over the lake but he had his back to the lake. That’s when I started thinking he might be considering suicide. I had no idea what to do. I didn’t think he saw me so I didn’t want to startle him and make him fall. I ended up watching for a little while longer then I did the only thing that made any sense. I coughed. I know… lame… but the guy heard me and got off the bridge post and took off. I still have no idea who he was or why he was there, but at least he didn’t jump. Date – June 20, 2003 Location – Duluth, MN – Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon Event – At about mile 8 during the race I thought I was truly going to die. My run was probably slower than most people’s walk at this time. When I was at my worst that’s when “Old Man River” passed me like I was standing still. This guy seriously was so old he looked like he should have been dead and he was in better shape than me. Luckily I used this experience as motivation rather than disappointment. I’ll always remember getting passed by “Old Man River.” Date – Unknown Location – Duluth, MN – Lakewalk Event – I was doing a training run around midnight and as I turned the corner just after beginning my run, not more than 3 feet in front of me, two Skunks darted out in front of me. They came out so fast I jumped to my left which startled the skunks. All three of us paused for a moment and I prayed they wouldn’t spray me. Luckily for me they chose not to spray me. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous coming back after that. Date – Unknown Location – Duluth, MN – Chester Bowl Park Event – I was at the very end of my training run through the Chester Bowl Park in Duluth around just as the sun had almost entirely gone down when I was starting up a hill. As I turned the corner I heard a slight rustle in the bushes to my left and then heard a very distinct cat-like roar. Not like a lion on TV roar. It was a much larger “roar” than a house cat. I later had heard rumors and I think I even saw in the local newspaper that there had been sightings of either a Cougar, a Lynx, or a Bobcat in that park just recently. As a result I stopped running there that late in the evening.
TechChucker's Brain Blast 
I love your blog … it’s so real, so genuine. I’ve lived a long time now in France, and reading your blog puts me back in touch with the best of America. Probably that sounds silly to you … but, then, I’m something of a silly guy. I’m following you now … and glad of it !
Thanks for stopping by. I’ve been struggling to get out there an run again. We’re sitting at about -20 F (-28.9C) so I’ve not been out much lately, thus no funny stories lately. I’ll try to get out there again so I can get more stuff posted.