When I’m running along my neighborhood sidewalks, I’ll sometimes be approaching someone from behind who is taking up a great deal of the available space. My calls of “excuse me!” are often ignored, or at least not reacted to swiftly enough to let me past without slowing down.
A while back I realized that there’s a gut reaction to the sound of footsteps approaching from behind: a quick head spin to see who/what is attacking. Â So I play on that and let my heel drag on the pavement, making that distinctive ‘chuff’ sound. Â Assuming they don’t have their headphones set to 11, they’ll immediately react, see me approaching, and step aside.
I can then smile and thank them as I fly past.