My 1st question is..are there no rules posted for path use?  Usually when recreation paths are installed, a sign will be posted detailing what they can and can't be used for.

If there are no signs, is there a policy within your housing area/subdivision?

It sounds like in the year and a half since you've been there, people have started talking about "the runners on the golf cart path."  Which is probably what they believe it is.  (And they may even make the correlation about how godless people are for running on the path when it is not intended for it!  haha)

If it were just one person commenting, well, you could maybe push it off as someone's bad day, but since two people said something within minutes of each other, they obviously think  you are breaking some sort of rule...and its built up enough that after a year and a half, they feel justified in yelling/commenting about it.

After all, in their minds you've been willy nilly breaking this rule for a year and a half!

Not running on the rec path may be a community implied standard.  This is where most new comers get into the most difficulty because unless its written down, how are you supposed to know?

If there are no rules against it, next time someone says something, ask them why they believe the rec path is for golf cart use only.  Maybe they know something you don't.

Of course that doesn't excuse the rude behavior.  How hard is it to inform you if there is such a rule?  Or direct your attention to a sign?

And if after all that, there is no implicit or explicit guidelines, then you can start wondering about the state of the world... while running on the rec path.

KFC-

I've been in the same situation before. I've been running for years, but once in a blue moon a situation like what you encountered seems to happen to everyone no matter how polite you try to be.

If you have another similar encounter in the near future, I would definitely echo Tova's comments about what may be the unwritten rules of "the rec path"

With that said, if folks are so terribly sensitive and emotional about being able to drive their golf carts uninterrupted on their heavenly little piece of asphalt.... well, I don't know if that qualifies as comedy or tragedy.

This could be a good thing for you- both your husband and yourself could be seen as those rebellious runners who defy the unwritten rules by running on the rec path, thumbing their noses at the authority structure of the community...

And in the end, if you encounter someone who gets bent out of shape over sidewalk vs asphalt during the twilight hours when there's little to no other traffic present.... I would be more inclined to pity them than anything else!

I've noticed people driving more aggressively these days and getting hot headed behind the wheel, but thats about it. Keep in mind, the economy right now isn't all that great and some folks are getting hammered. Just today, one of my moms neighbors was holding a yard sale because she claimed to be selling her house, but no one is selling in a market like this. She was selling all her expensive pots and pans for like a dollar and what not.  sad.

I think it's because non-runners don't understand the whys and hows of it.  I would probably be annoyed (not to the point of accosting someone!!) if they were running toward me in my vehicle on the street.  It would seem unsafe to me. 

No, they are called rec paths for a reason. Meaning it's for all sorts of recreational activities like rollar blading, biking, running, golf carts etc.  In fact I've seen some occasional letters to the editor here about the rude people in the carts who believe they own these rec paths reminding people that these are called rec paths not golf cart paths.  I haven't seen one written from a runners perspective tho. 

No and we have the neighborhood watch vehicles go by us all the time.  In fact I've run around their parked vehicles in these paths many a time.  They've never ever said a word to us.  When we do go for a walk we do use the sidewalk btw. 

Who knows, but I don't think so because we run in so many various areas the complaints are not concentrated in one area.  Running six miles around here in various locations is quite an area to cover.  Hahaha you've got to come here and see for yourself T.  I could run six miles every day for a year and outside of the first mile to and from my house I could run a diff course every day for a year easy.   There are so many offshoots and cul-de-sacs around here it's unbelieveable. 

The other thing is I very rarely encounter another runner so it's not like there are tons of us out here at the same time.  I tend to run more in the early evening.  I have seen some early am runners tho.  Most of them are running on the sidewalks.  So that's probably not helping our case.  If golf cart drivers see them they probably wonder why we're not doing the same.  Most of these runners by looking at them are recreational or novice runners probably not knowing how bad concrete is for their joints. 

It doesn't seem to be by the letters and occasional articles I've read in the local papers.  So nothing is showing me that we're in the wrong unless I want to listen to a few nasty golf cart drivers.  In their eyes we are not in the right. 

The only signs on the roads are what you would have on your roads.  You know the typical stop signs, speed limit and yellow signs.  It's not any diff than any regular road except on both sides it has a nice wide rec path for golf carts, bikes, and runners etc. 

Pretty much the same here.  We've run all over the country in various states in various conditions and types of roads.  Sometimes we've run in very busy areas just trying to do a three miler while staying at a hotel.  Not knowing the area we just lace up our running shoes and head out from the motel doing an out and back by time.   It's  only on very rare occasions that we encountered rudeness until we moved here. 

Sometimes I do jump up on the sidewalk if I see that a cart  has a car on its rear or maybe if I see three or more golf carts in quick succession.  It doesn't happen often.  When I do this I usually get waves and smiles.  But obviously if I did that for every cart, I'd be not only worn out but hurting. 

I think you just nailed it.  The carts only go 20 mph and for the most part they're all retired.  It's like they don't want to have to slow down.  They think they own these paths.  Keep in mind there are others who wave and smile as they go by us.  What a contrast.  Some even ask how many miles I'm running or say "good job."  My husband keeps asking me....."what's the hurry?  It would be awful for them to just slow down."  Most likely we're the only runners they will encounter that trip and probably for days on end before they see us again.  If they even do. 

This is a good thing?  My husband would most definitely say anything remotely sounding like rebellion is a very bad thing.  He's probably the least rebellious person I know.  I'm glad I married him because I needed someone to help me with my inclination for rebellion  

Yes, that's what I think.   They need Jesus!!! 

still no excuse for bad behavior.  We live in a pretty affluent community (that's probably the crux of the problem) and while most seem to be pretty well off I have heard that some retirees have had a big hit on their retirement funds.  I met one guy on my street who said he can't do the extras around his house because of it. 

That's it.  Most non-runners don't understand.  But running towards traffic is safe because if anything were to happen like a car swerving onto the shoulder we can jump away from them.  That's one of the reasons I'm so against seeing runners with headphones on while running the roads.

We always try to run on roads that have wide shoulders or bike paths.  If not, or on our way towards a good road, when an approaching car comes, we run onto the dirt shoulder until the car passes. Most runners do this as a curtesy. 

I'm thinking of writing a letter to the editor explaining to non-runners the reasons why most runners prefer running on the asphalt to the cement sidewalks.   I'm wondering what they did back in their own home towns where there are no such golf cart paths when they saw an approaching runner. 

This is probably your best bet.  It sounds like the paths are open to all for whatever recreation required.  I think a letter addresses the issue directly without addressing the screamer....great idea.

In this week's Recreational Newspaper  which comes out once a week I read this from the front page:

"And finally I received another e-mail from a resident about the walker and golf cart use of the transportation paths.  As she requested, here is your reminder that walkers, golf carts and bicyclists have wqual use of the pats.  Courtesy and respect to each other is important for your safety and happiness!" 

Every once in a while I see something in some local paper somewhere that says the same. As you can see, this isn't the only time this particular editorialist got an email like this.   Evidently someone else, maybe a walker, got yelled at and wrote this e-mail.