30 January 2023 , 20:00
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A man has made a heartfelt apology to his neighbours after scaring them "half to death" with his late night workouts. He explained how he likes to exercise after sunset because he has "really bad anxiety" and doesn't want everybody watching him.
Although he never intended to scare anybody, he admits he could have done more to make himself look less "menacing". He said: "Have you ever been out late at night and seen a 6ft tall dude walking menacingly? Yes, that's me. I have really bad anxiety so I only do my cardio late at night, usually past 11pm.
"There's something about the freedom of night time. There's usually no one else walking, it's super peaceful and places like public parks have an insanely nice vibe."
His neighbours have ran away from him in fear of their safety (Getty Images/iStockphoto)He went on to explain how there's "rarely" anybody out this late - but has noticed people crossing the road when he does bump into somebody on their way home.
"The problem is on the rare chance I see someone else, they usually freak out and start going the opposite way," he added on Reddit.
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"One time I was walking at 2am and there was a granny on her front porch. She literally yelped and ran inside her house when she saw me.
"That kind of hurt. The thing is, I'm as scared as they are. I keep a pocket knife on me in case I get mugged.
"I try to stay in well lit areas and whenever I see someone I will go a different route to avoid them. I'm sorry for everyone I've scared!"
While some users brainstormed how he could look less "menacing" when running at night, others spoke about how he is unfairly being prejudged by strangers on the streets.
One user said: "For your safety, I recommend you wear a high visibility vest or something. Cars will see you, also folks won't get the impression you're trying to hide."
Another user added: "My brother is like you and is the biggest softie. My mother had to explain to him that he looks scary so he started doing the route walking in daylight and speaking to/making eye contact with all of the grannies and they all pretty much adopted him instantly."
A third user said: "We live in a society where it's better to avoid the potential friend than meet the potential murderer."
One more user added: "I get it. I'm 6'2', 215lbs, have tattoos and I look like trouble. But I would be the nicest person you ever ran into at 2am."