Sleeve or Snot Rocket?

Consider it like being asked, “Paper or Plastic?”

So, per Alabama weather, there was no Fall! It was warm, and then this past weekend, it was COLD! Not only do some folks who like the cold START running, but as does my nose! If you’ve run for a while, you know what I’m talkin’ about! You lace up your shoes, head out the door, the cold wind hits your face, and about a mile in, WATERFALL! What do you do? Of course, the less noticeable thing is to use your sleeve, collar of your shirt, or the new soft material running companies have added to the thumb of your gloves. OR, you could stuff your pockets with tissue, wipe your nose and drop the tissue along the way like Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail in front of Trinity Hospital. PS – if you happen to see this person, will you inform them, dropping tissue is littering! I digress!

Max, my one year old son, has had a very runny nose since Thursday. After struggling with sleep, drinking out of a sippy cup, and taking a bottle, the only thing I could think of was, “Man, I wish I could teach you how to blow a snot rocket!” Don’t worry, when he’s old enough, I’ll work with Mom to teach him how to use tissue, but when Mom’s not looking, and we’re in the back yard, OH he’s going to learn the art of the snot rocket. I remember when I learned! My Dad, like me, will do what he wants to do in ANY weather condition. In his case, it’s fishing! He would wake me up at the crack, tell me to put on the “way to big” for me overalls, and take us to Guntersville Lake. We’d put the boat in the water and hop in. I’ve been in all sorts of cold, but there’s nothing like riding in a bass boat at 40 miles per hour, in the dead of Winter! Let’s just say, it speeds up the mucus flow! We’d reach our destination, Dad would hop up to the front of the boat, reach to his nose with his right had, and shoot a perfect missile into the water! I was amazed!  I’ll admit, my first attempts were pretty pathetic! I think I was afraid of dislocating an eyeball or blowing an ear drum, but as I gained confidence, it became second nature. Now, I don’t even realize I’m doing it about every 5 minutes on a run.

Pros: One, you don’t ruin sleeves or glove. Two, you don’t rub your dang nose raw while training during the winter.

Cons: Well, it’s kind of gross!

I would go through a whole lesson, but there are way too many factors. I will, however, talk about some etiquette. While running in a group or passing a group, judge the wind. Most of the time, you only have to worry about those behind you, but if the wind is swirling, be sure to check your blind spots. While in a race, check your spectators! In front of a group of Birmingham Track Club members handing you a doughnut and a beer, OK. In front of a group of Girl Scouts watching their first road race, not OK. While running by yourself, beware of morning newspapers! I’m sure coupon shoppers don’t want a surprise while taking the plastic cover off their Sunday morning paper! While walking out of a restaurant on a date, NOT OK!

I know it seems an interesting subject, but to me, just another part of being a runner!