Ladies-How do you stay safe while jogging alone?

deadbeatsummer

I worry about this two, I live in South East London, England and it can be dodgy at night. Also pepperspray and any other weapon is completely illegal here in the UK.

If I were to carry pepper spray/mace and spray it at an attacker it would be a premeditated attack on my behalf for carrying an illegal weapon or firearm.

But if weapons are completely illegal where you live, then you should have absolutely nothing to worry about....

...right?

( )

from what i read on here I worry a lot less than people who live in countries with legal gun ownership.

I have ZERO worries about law abiding citizens carrying around me. However, I can't say the same about criminals.

I was raised with a knowledge and understanding of proper gun use. And to date, none of my guns have killed or injured a single person. Guess I've just been lucky...well, that, or it's because my guns are good guns...not those bad scary guns that many people believe should be made illegal.

I'm also one of those wackos who believe that criminals are the real problem, not their tool of choice. And I don't believe making guns illegal magically means that criminals won't have them. It just means that law abiding citizens won't.

All that said, I don't carry when I run. I have enough problems finding a home for my car/house key that doesn't irritate me. I have yet to find a carry option that works for me while running. If I lived in a part of the world where wild animals were a serious concern, I guess I'd need to revisit that.

If I was brought up in your culture I guess I would feel different. I am not saying your wrong by any means it just annoys me when people make ill thought comments about the uk and lack of guns. The majority are very happy with the gun laws here. When someone is shot here it usually makes national news, I am sure thats not the case in the US unless its a mass shooting.

I would feel majorly uncomfortable carrying a lethal weapon let alone knowing other people around me were. Your law abiding citizens can turn in a moment of madness, would I want them to have a gun in their pocket?

To me putting a gun in my bag would mean I would be living with a kind of paranoia I couldn't cope with. I live near a busy city, I worry about mugging and pickpockets, these things don't require a gun to protect myself. If I was attacked I think any weapon would be likely to be turned on me. I am sure a lot of people imagine themselves turning into bruce willis in die hard in a dangerous situation but this is not the case in most situations.

Exactly how I feel, thanks for being able to express that in a clearer way than I could

I think that pretty much sums up the majority of the UK's attitude towards guns, I just can't see how anyone could be so casual about something so deadly.

mixedfeelings

If anyone wants more up to date statistics then they are available from reliable sources online.

2010 stats (Per 100,000)
Japan 506 (0.4) - only 2009 available
UK 722 (1.2)
Switzerland 52 (0.7)
Canada 554 (1.6)
Israel 158 (2.1)
Germany 690 (0.8)
Sweden 92 (1.0)
US 14748 (4.8)

ctpeace

Since this is not a post about gun ownership and legality..... I wear my "ugly' baggy workout t shirts, butt coverage is a plus. I kind of revel in the grossness and save cute workout clothes for indoor workouts. As a woman it totally sucks to feel like I have to cover myself up to keep a guy from acting creepy, but "the principle of the thing" unfortunately is lost on those idiots. Oddly enough, I experimented while living in Latin America and got repeated results on the following: If I kept my ponytail out of my hat instead of rolling it up into a bun, more comments (may be place-specific, this identified me as a foreigner). If my midriff was exposed at all, more comments. If I wore baggier t-shirts on top, fewer comments. If I wore sunglasses, fewer comments (although I noticed that without them I tend to make eye contact unintentionally). I also wear an "I might be crazy" kind of glare whenever I feel it's necessary. I can't really explain it, but I've perfected it so I can turn it on whenever there's a creeper around, I kind of glare and stick my jaw out a bit. Also, I run where and when there are other runners and walkers out, sometimes it's worth driving to a park or track, and/or modifying the time of day you run. And for non-creepy fellow exercisers, I always smile or say hello, you start to get to know them and they'll be more likely to step in if a situation ever arises. If toting a gun on your runs isn't your plan, these are little ideas that might help. If these don't seem enough for you, you could join (or start!) a running group so you're not alone, buy a dog, or get a treadmill.

ctpeace

Forgot my knife once, so I picked up a palm sized rock to carry with me. I'm more concerned about the cougars and coyote in the area. People not so much.

Rocks are very good for dogs too (maybe even moreso than knives for animals)

Squeeks70

Bump.I need to read this thread later....

wjewell

What a creeper. I am in DC and there are always a ton of people around. I will not run at night. I prefer running on a track so I don't have to worry about cars and I can lose myself in my music. Otherwise, I run with my husband.

Some people have mace, but I never understood that.

My opinion - pepper spray or mace is less than ideal for running. It requires you to hit a very specific place (the eyes obviously) in order to be effective and there are a few things that can interfere, wind/rain, etc. It is problematic in many situations as you may not have the chance to be face to face or to have the distance to do it without cross contamination. It also isn't effective on everyone. Plus the whole risk of cross contamination. It happens fairly often when using it. It is going to be a big problem if you incapacitate yourself in the process.

It is not useless, but like any weapon you may use, you need to train and understand how it works. And have a back up plan if it doesn't. A false sense of security is dangerous.
For me, I would choose other options.

I'm not saying you're wrong but I work with officers and this is what they've said: They have to be tazed and maced in order to carry a tazer and mace.. They all agree that they would rather be tazed 10 times than have the mace. The mace causes after effects and is hard to over come.. So I don't think Mace is a bad idea.. It's some pretty powerful stuff.

towens00

If I'm alone, which is a last resort, I carry my 38.

amybg1

Bring along bear/dog spray, run in well-traveled areas and if you are unable to defend yourself effectively - do not yell "HELP!" As most will typically not want to help if this is exclaimed because well...Each man - or woman for themselves, right? Instead yell "Fire!" and you're most likely to get some help - even if not for a fire.

I was taught this when younger and lucky/unlucky for me I cannot run alone but when running close to dark my guide and I will eitehr run in well-li and /or populated areas

3dogsrunning

What a creeper. I am in DC and there are always a ton of people around. I will not run at night. I prefer running on a track so I don't have to worry about cars and I can lose myself in my music. Otherwise, I run with my husband.

Some people have mace, but I never understood that.

My opinion - pepper spray or mace is less than ideal for running. It requires you to hit a very specific place (the eyes obviously) in order to be effective and there are a few things that can interfere, wind/rain, etc. It is problematic in many situations as you may not have the chance to be face to face or to have the distance to do it without cross contamination. It also isn't effective on everyone. Plus the whole risk of cross contamination. It happens fairly often when using it. It is going to be a big problem if you incapacitate yourself in the process.

It is not useless, but like any weapon you may use, you need to train and understand how it works. And have a back up plan if it doesn't. A false sense of security is dangerous.
For me, I would choose other options.

I'm not saying you're wrong but I work with officers and this is what they've said: They have to be tazed and maced in order to carry a tazer and mace.. They all agree that they would rather be tazed 10 times than have the mace. The mace causes after effects and is hard to over come.. So I don't think Mace is a bad idea.. It's some pretty powerful stuff.

People often confuse mace and OC spray (pepper spray). I have already said I haven't experienced mace but I have with pepper spray. From what I understand pepper is the better of the two.
In no uncertain terms I. hate. getting. pepper sprayed. It tends to be worse for those who are fair and burn easily. That's me. It affects me. Its not fun. I would also rather be tasered but I still don't recommend pepper spray for self defence in this type of situation. As bad as pepper is I can, and have, been able to continue on fighting. It wasn't fun, but I did it.
I would rather be tasered because it is over after 5 seconds with no real lasting effects most of the time. But if done properly it is incapacitating and there is no way to fight it.
Pepper spray is more pain compliance. It takes awhile for all the effects to wear off and it is not fun. at all. However, the effects are not totally impossible to overcome. It does not stop everyone. And that is in an ideal situation where the spray was used in the ideal way, i.e. directly in the eyes which many times while running isn't going to be possible.


All things considered, I still would not recommend OC spray but that is just my opinion.

highervibes

The dog/bear spray is a good idea. I see A LOT of people walk their dogs off leash on the trails. I HATE it. I'm not scared of all dogs, but keep your giant doberman on a god damn leash. I don't want to have to pretend it's okay he stuck his nose in my girl parts so I don't get attacked LOL

marathonmom72

bump for later

dixiewhiskey

So mace is more effective than pepper spray?

3dogsrunning

So mace is more effective than pepper spray?

My understanding is it isn't but again I don't have first hand experience with it. Either way it still has the same issues. They are both used in the same manner and my understanding is that pepper spray is more effective for incapacitating.

ETA - a lot of times people confuse the two.

MissFit0101

Pepper spray!

dsckrc

don't know if this has been said yet or not but i am always alone when i run/walk and i know how cautious we have to be.

1)i carry mace!!! (the kind that wraps right around my fist so it's ready to go)

2)i always keep one earphone out so i can hear what's going on around me

3)i am ALWAYS aware of my surroundings! run with your head held high girl

good luck...

Suzanne106

bring a whistle and hang it around your neck. You could also bring pepper spray

dixiewhiskey

So mace is more effective than pepper spray?

My understanding is it isn't but again I don't have first hand experience with it. Either way it still has the same issues. They are both used in the same manner and my understanding is that pepper spray is more effective for incapacitating.

ETA - a lot of times people confuse the two.

Yeah I thought they were the same actually! Wondering what I should invest in if I do.. here, there are legalities about carrying a gun (extreme IMO) and a tazer.. I wouldn't want to get sued cause I tazered a guy who attacked me with no witnesses and he had some kind of medical problem.. you know legalities..

JHB2011

get a tazer.

Nicki_101

run faster

lausa22

I have this lovely 'dont f#@! With me' face that scares most car creeps off. I also always have my phone either in my hand or my jacket pocket so I can whip it out when people try to talk to me, I just pretend to be on my phone or I actually call someone if I think the threat is real. Never have music on full blast, you'll never hear anyone coming up to you. Also ALWAYS TELL SOMEONE YOURE GOING OUT. That's a number one, tell them when you're going out, what route you'll take and what time you'll be back
that way if anything does happen someone will know something isn't right.