Hi! I hope you're all enjoying your Thursday. I had a bit of a scare on my run last night, so I thought I'd share my story along with some runner safety tips. I'm okay and nothing big happened, but it made me realize how important it is to continue talking about safety while exercising. You can find a related post I wrote a few years ago about nighttime running here.
Last night after work, I went on a run along the rail trail that is near my office. The weather was perfect for a run, and the trail would allow me to run about 2.25 miles with limited stops for traffic.
I started my run, and about .3 of a mile into it, I noticed a man walking toward me. I didn't think much of it, but I did turn my head a few times to look back at him since I can sometimes be paranoid and wanted to be able to ID him if needed! I continued running, but noticed he had stopped and turned back toward me. He began walking back in my direction, so I picked up my pace to get out to the main road as quickly as I could. I lost sight of him, and continued my run along the main road (where there's lots of traffic!).
I ended up finishing about 2.5 miles - The parking lot at work has a blue line that loops around the lot and totals about one mile. After I circled back to the office, I followed the line back to my car.
Once I got back to my car, I felt much more relaxed. I was a little shaken up by seeing that man on the trail. I'm sure he was harmless, but you can never be too safe! I had walked this trail before during lunch and saw many people running and walking along the way. I felt that it would be a great place for a run, but I guess it's less busy after work!
That said, I have a few tips for runner safety:
Always have your cell phone with you. Even if you're not alone, you never know when you may need to dial 911 in an emergency
When alone, try to stick to well-populated (and well-lit) areas
Let a friend or family member know where you'll be running. Even check in on Facebook so people know where you are!
Try not to wear headphones - you need to be fully aware of your surroundings, and listening to music or a podcast while running may prevent you from hearing what's around you. If you do want/need to wear headphones, wear just one so you can hear a bit better
Have you ever felt uncomfortable while out on a run or walk? What tips do you have to ensure safety?
Labels: run, runner safety, running
