It was while I was jogging back to my apartment at the end of a run when Awkward Man struck.
About eight blocks away from home, I looked up and noticed a girl out for a run in front of me. We were running in the same direction, along the same sidewalk, but she was faster than me. Unfortunately, because it was city running, we got stopped a lot at cross-streets.
That’s what made this awkward.
Rather than her just slowly pulling away until there was a good distance between us, I was always about twenty to fifty feet behind her, like I was trying to keep up, but not catch up.
Block…after block…after block.
(Click image for large view of explanatory map.)
It got to the point where at each stop she’d turn around to see if I was still following her. I guess I technically was, but only because I was running home and that was the fastest route to my place. Thankfully, after following her seven blocks I could turn off, for the short block to my apartment. Awkwardness was over…or was it?
As I approached my apartment building from one direction, I saw her coming down the street from another! She was still ahead of me and wouldn’t you know she goes right up to my apartment building door! Now it looks like I’ve followed her all the way home!
And if I go right up to the door, she’ll have it open by the time I get there and so I won’t even “prove” I live there by using my keys. But, if I hang around and wait for her to go in, then I am just the creepy guy who followed her home and watched her go in.
I swear, I was just trying to exercise and in no way trying to be creepy, but this awkward situation was just foisted upon me.
It must be Awkward Man.
I had a similar experience with Awkward Man. Late one evening in college as I was making my way home from the bar, I suddenly realized a girl walking in front of me was taking the exact same route I was. I felt very bad, yelled an apology and took a longer route home. Fortunately, I did not live in the same building as her or run into her again.
I love that the authors and readers of CMD “get” that women might feel threatened (or at least uncomfortable) in these situations. (Not a funny/quirky comment – but just a note of appreciation.)
[…] reader from Chicago writes about his recent encounter with Awkward Man during our reader’s stay in a hotel in […]
Dude I know how you feel. So I was jogging on this track right, do a couple laps and while I was at the far end I guess some girl must have jogged there.
Only she didnt even know i was there since I was on the other side. so im behind her speeding up because i just feel creepy jogging behind some girl who doesnt know im behind her. I think she was shocked when i ran past her lol
Anyways she left the track after one lap, and watched me from the exit I assume to see if was following her or not.
Sucks just because she didnt see me when she came in, that im the weird guy. Cant take it personal I guess though