I think this can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, but for me, runner safety was the first thing that popped into my head.
Mainly because a woman was grabbed early in the morning 2 weeks ago in my hometown. She is ok, but obviously this is something to be cautious about when running.
Being aware of your surroundings, being cautious of who's around you when you are running, especially for women, is so very important.
I always run with runner's mace in my pack, but lately I've been wearing it on my wrist like it's designed for.
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| It comes in black too, but I fancy the pink. :o) |
I always wear a headlamp when running in the dark (inevitable for an early morning runner), and I wear a safety singlet. That way I can see and be seen.
If I see a parked car somewhere that I'm not used to seeing it, I'll take a wide berth around the car. Same goes for seeing someone on the street when there's usually no one.
Often times, we women are more worried about offending the stranger: "Oh, they'll think that I think they're an ax murderer if I switch to the other side of the road. I don't want to offend them!" Who cares? It's 5am and you'll likely never see the person again. Listen to that inner voice of yours, and switch to the other side of the road!
Also, change up your route occasionally. During the winter, when it's dark in the morning, I run through our hospital parking lot, rather than around it on the roads. Mainly because there is a dark clump of trees and a culvert where I'm convinced Stephen King's "IT" lives during the winter, but also because the parking lot is well lit.
It's also wise to be cautious of your physical surroundings. What's the road like, or the sidewalk? There are many places where I choose to run in the road because the sidewalk is too uneven. Those bumps may be easy to see in the daylight, but not so much when it's dark out! I really don't want to twist an ankle with a month to go before my big race.
How would you interpret the word "cautious"? What are some safety pre-cautions that you take while running or in your every day life?
Link up with us and chat about it!
It's also wise to be cautious of your physical surroundings. What's the road like, or the sidewalk? There are many places where I choose to run in the road because the sidewalk is too uneven. Those bumps may be easy to see in the daylight, but not so much when it's dark out! I really don't want to twist an ankle with a month to go before my big race.
How would you interpret the word "cautious"? What are some safety pre-cautions that you take while running or in your every day life?
Link up with us and chat about it!
Great tips! I'm probably not as cautious when I'm running as I should be. I'm glad my zero dark thirty runs are done now.
ReplyDeleteLucky! I wish it stayed light out at 5 am all year round!
DeleteVery useful tips! Definitely one for me to keep handy if I do decide to run while it's still dark out. Lol @ Stephen King's IT!
ReplyDeleteSometimes my imagination gets a little too active!
DeleteBeing aware of your surroundings is so important. I always run with other people and never by myself.
ReplyDeleteI love it when I can run with someone else, but not many of my running friends are willing to get going at 5am. :( I'm a lone wolf!
DeleteWe had the same line of thinking on this post! Great tips!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteOh, my. Pennywise was seriously scary. I stick to my neighborhood which is pretty well lit for my predawn run and I know all the parked cars, etc. There are also other runners and walkers about. However, I have to remind myself not to get too comfortable. You never know.
ReplyDeleteToo true!
DeleteThat is so scary about that woman in your hometown! I'm glad she's physically okay, but still. I used to carry that same mace (although I'm not as cute as you - I had the black one) but it leaked and gave me a chemical burn on my hand and I never got a new one. Honestly the area I live is REALLY safe, the probability of something happening to me is super low, but I still try to be cautious all the time. I've been training without music for several months now since headphones aren't allowed in the tri, and while I'm excited to get back to strictly running so I can listen to stuff again, I DO appreciate that not having them has made me feel even more safe and aware of what's going on around me.
ReplyDeleteYES to parked cars! This summer I saw one that struck me as odd so I moved to the other side of the road and kept on my way. When I passed back by it 20 minutes later a cop had just pulled up to the car (so I ran on that side of the sidewalk because I wanted to see what was going on because I'm nosy) and I saw that there were 3 people slumped over in the car...I'm assuming they were passed out drunk and/or on drugs but I wasn't going to stick around to investigate. They were right next to a school on a not exactly isolated road so the whole thing was very strange.
I never worry about offending people, haha. My safety is more important than strangers' feelings ;)
I couldn't agree more - my safety is more important! What's crazy is that our town was named the safest in the county in 2015. Sometimes I think that gives me a false sense of security, because then something like this woman getting grabbed happens. You just never can be too careful!
DeleteGreat tips! I just started running with pepper spray last year, and realize that I should have been carrying it long before. I used to occasionally have to run alone in the super early dark mornings but now I'm so lucky to be a part of such a huge and active running group that I can almost always find a running partner.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up!
It's funny because I always have it with me, but I'm not sure I would have the wherewithal to actually use it if I needed it.
DeleteGreat take on the word! I'm also very careful about my safety when running. I pretty much never run with music, so that I can be more aware of my surrounding, and I carry pepper spray. If someone or something gives me a bad feeling, I go with my gut instinct and adjust accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI used to listen to music, but lately I've been listening to audiobooks and podcasts instead. I can hear more over the narrator, and they keep my interest more for those epic long runs.
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