Ladies-How do you stay safe while jogging alone?

danni_l

I would have thought the British would have learned their lesson from their experience with the Nazis. Apparently you did not. What will you do when someone comes and threatens you and your family? Beg? Blow a whistle? Do as one Legislator in Colorado said and 'pee on yourself' or tell them 'you have a disease'?

I cannot conceive of the utter stupidity of mankind.

Ladies. Get trained. Carry whatever you can carry legally (hopefully a firearm) and know how to use it. You will likely NEVER need it, but if you do, it will be indispensable for you that one time.

And once is all it takes to convince someone of the validity of my statements.

What do the Nazis have to do with women running at night??!! You have taken this to such an extreme example.

The issue is with the lack of safety and this is something that can not be sold with people arming themselves to go for a run, I think that is a ridiculous resolution.

The problem is that people should feel safe enough to go running without having to feel threatened. That is what needs to be addressed and is not something that can be resolved if people run around shooting each other up.

danni_l

I would have thought the British would have learned their lesson from their experience with the Nazis. Apparently you did not. What will you do when someone comes and threatens you and your family? Beg? Blow a whistle? Do as one Legislator in Colorado said and 'pee on yourself' or tell them 'you have a disease'?

Also further to this delightful comment, in the UK we do not seem to have such an issue with violence and murders as in the US:

During 2011 in the UK there were around 550 murders per year. In 2011 there were 12,664 murders in the US. Of those, 8,583 were caused by firearms.

Babeskeez

Im only on page 1 so I am going to read through all this...

I live in a smallish town but I try to keep on sidewalks that are busy as well as run during the day. I really should carry a pepper spray of some sort.

danni_l

Im only on page 1 so I am going to read through all this...

I live in a smallish town but I try to keep on sidewalks that are busy as well as run during the day. I really should carry a pepper spray of some sort.

I do the same, stay on busy roads, no shortcuts through alleys / woods etc.
I actually feel a bit safer when its darker as I feel exposed during the day.

Being aware of surroundings, not listening to music too loud / at all, carrying a mobile in your pocket and letting people know where you are going are all ways to keep safe.

1tiamat

Would any of you consider taking women's self defense courses? I've been in martial arts for several years and my wife recently has been doing some women's self defense classes and from a good trainer you can do some serious damage.

Honestly if you need to pack a handgun, knife, pepper spray, and wear a flack vest to go jogging to feel safe. Go to a gym, find a buddy, or buy a treadmill. I live in a modest city of 200,000 people and I've never felt threatened. Although I'm not a woman and I usually jog during the day. It's just my 2 cents.

squirrelzzrule22

I just have to say....regardless of your feelings on gun control I am honestly truly SHOCKED by how many people feel they need to carry a GUN to be safe while running. As a half marathoner living in DC who is in indigent criminal defense and spends all day every day with convicts and people with lives seeped in violence and conflict...I have never, EVER felt like I needed to carry a gun to be safe when jogging. No comment on your right to have one, I'm just saying this completely blows my mind. And that's coming from someone with a career that requires meeting clients in jail half the time and witnesses in Anacostia. I'm totally shocked.


Anyhow, OP, populated areas. Don't flash any valuable items. Carry something only if it will make you feel more confident- people are genuinely less likely to mess with you if you seem like you belong and can handle yourself. That's how I was taught to handle clients and it works. Confidence.

As for animal safety I have no experience with that. I've heard that running into a moose can be terrifying and deadly!

danni_l

I just have to say....regardless of your feelings on gun control I am honestly truly SHOCKED by how many people feel they need to carry a GUN to be safe while running. As a half marathoner living in DC who is in indigent criminal defense and spends all day every day with convicts and people with lives seeped in violence and conflict...I have never, EVER felt like I needed to carry a gun to be safe when jogging. No comment on your right to have one, I'm just saying this completely blows my mind. And that's coming from someone with a career that requires meeting clients in jail half the time and witnesses in Anacostia. I'm totally shocked.


Anyhow, OP, populated areas. Don't flash any valuable items. Carry something only if it will make you feel more confident- people are genuinely less likely to mess with you if you seem like you belong and can handle yourself. That's how I was taught to handle clients and it works. Confidence.

As for animal safety I have no experience with that. I've heard that running into a moose can be terrifying and deadly!

I agree 100%, actually made me feel a bit shakey reading this post. Wasnt sure if its because Im from UK / Aus with no experience with them, so good to know someone from the US feels the same.

Angie1366

Carrying a gun WILL NOT stop a rapist.... it will not stop a kidnapper.... It will not stop them attacking you. What will stop them is running in safe areas - in a group - at safe times.

The shootings that occur throughout the world... as quoted above - CINEMA.... Who would have thought going to watch a film would result in a mass shooting? No-one... he was determined and carrying a gun would not have stopped him... OK, someone may have shot him dead before he killed more victims, but he was a mentalist and determined.

Tell me, what will you do if a guy pulls over and says "Nice Butt Babe", get your pistol out dive into the prone position and take aim....

I run and walk miles a day....

I think if you strap on a suicide bomb waistcoat whilst running with the red button in your hand - NOW, that might stop them! But you may attract a depressive suicidal maniac!

Angie1366

I would have thought the British would have learned their lesson from their experience with the Nazis. Apparently you did not. What will you do when someone comes and threatens you and your family? Beg? Blow a whistle? Do as one Legislator in Colorado said and 'pee on yourself' or tell them 'you have a disease'?

I cannot conceive of the utter stupidity of mankind.

Ladies. Get trained. Carry whatever you can carry legally (hopefully a firearm) and know how to use it. You will likely NEVER need it, but if you do, it will be indispensable for you that one time.

And once is all it takes to convince someone of the validity of my statements.

What do the Nazis have to do with women running at night??!! You have taken this to such an extreme example.

The issue is with the lack of safety and this is something that can not be sold with people arming themselves to go for a run, I think that is a ridiculous resolution.

The problem is that people should feel safe enough to go running without having to feel threatened. That is what needs to be addressed and is not something that can be resolved if people run around shooting each other up.

OH MY GOD!!!!


Hahahah!!!

Yes - in England - well throughout Britain we have a lot of Nazis wandering around throwing their hands in the air, threatening our families.
Look,
The crime in the UK is escalating, but it is mainly gang related. I do not enter the areas I deem unsafe.... Although I do cycle through them on cycle paths - if some nutter decides he wants my bike, then I cycle quicker.... or if he pulls a knife, maybe I will let him have the damned bike.. OR I cycle away even quicker... If he then decided to rape me, maybe I am too knackered to run away, so I bite his nose off... But having a gun down my pants would not stop him making that decision to try anyway...

Oh - crap - there's the door bell....

Oh it's an Adolph Hitler look alike shouting he is going to gas us all......

I'm just telling him to EFF OFF through the letterbox!

rhodesar

I would have thought the British would have learned their lesson from their experience with the Nazis. Apparently you did not. What will you do when someone comes and threatens you and your family? Beg? Blow a whistle? Do as one Legislator in Colorado said and 'pee on yourself' or tell them 'you have a disease'?

I cannot conceive of the utter stupidity of mankind.

Ladies. Get trained. Carry whatever you can carry legally (hopefully a firearm) and know how to use it. You will likely NEVER need it, but if you do, it will be indispensable for you that one time.

And once is all it takes to convince someone of the validity of my statements.

What do the Nazis have to do with women running at night??!! You have taken this to such an extreme example.

The issue is with the lack of safety and this is something that can not be sold with people arming themselves to go for a run, I think that is a ridiculous resolution.

The problem is that people should feel safe enough to go running without having to feel threatened. That is what needs to be addressed and is not something that can be resolved if people run around shooting each other up.

OH MY GOD!!!!


Hahahah!!!

Yes - in England - well throughout Britain we have a lot of Nazis wandering around throwing their hands in the air, threatening our families.
Look,
The crime in the UK is escalating, but it is mainly gang related. I do not enter the areas I deem unsafe.... Although I do cycle through them on cycle paths - if some nutter decides he wants my bike, then I cycle quicker.... or if he pulls a knife, maybe I will let him have the damned bike.. OR I cycle away even quicker... If he then decided to rape me, maybe I am too knackered to run away, so I bite his nose off... But having a gun down my pants would not stop him making that decision to try anyway...

Oh - crap - there's the door bell....

Oh it's an Adolph Hitler look alike shouting he is going to gas us all......

I'm just telling him to EFF OFF through the letterbox!

Hee hee

TheYoungys

I imagine this has all been covered but I thought I would add my tuppence worth. As a woman who runs and bikes in the hills on my own (though in Scotland) I always follow a few simple rules for any outdoor activity:

1. Always, ALWAYS let someone know where you are going and when you are going. A note left on your desk or pinboard, a text to your parent, partner, best friend, whatever should include "Going for a run/walk/cycle in X woods. Leaving at X o'clock". It is easy to do, quick and makes sure that others know where to look if you are overdue.

2. Listen to music but keep it low enough to hear noises either cars or people. It is nice to rock out but being aware of your surroundings is vital.

3. Like number two, keep your eyes keen for your surroundings. As it is important to keep an eye on obstructions in your path it is equally important to notice who is in your vicinity. Don't be afraid to look up and really see who is around. Our minds and bodies are quite good at noticing and responding to dangers if we allow them too. Also, a confident person who looks around at their surroundings is less of a target to those who seek to harm us.

4. Choose well lit and busy(ish) places to run if possible, run in groups, dog companions are great and if your state allows mace MAY be useful.

The most important thing of all is to take responsibility for yourself and your safety before you walk out the door and THEN you can really enjoy the freedom that running can provide.

Hope I haven't stepped on any toes but these tips are some of the first things I learned when teaching Outdoor Ed and I wanted to disseminate them. :-)

Sqeekyjojo

However do US tourists manage without concealed weapons in this hotbed of crime that is the UK?

I also wonder how the person who went into the school managed to shoot lots of people with only his bare hands. Or was it that he got hold of somebody else's supposedly secure firearms? Which didn't protect her against him getting them in the first place.

Then there's the large number of school, workplace, domestic and accidental shootings in the UK that - oh, we don't have.



There are occasional robberies in homes of usually very wealthy people. However, those few people are on the TV to tell their story soon after; killing them doesn't seem to be part of the plan for criminals in this country. The 'home invasion' scenario just doesnt happen.

Gang stuff, well, that exists everywhere. Seems mostly to be centred around hurting each other though.

If a woman and/or her children are killed over here, it's invariably an ex partner that's done it. We don't need those sort of people to be legally allowed to be carrying firearms.

A couple of nutter on rampage with legally obtained guns incidences in 40 years, one at a school in Scotland (after which point it was decided that perhaps putting gates on entrances to schools might be an idea) doesn't make the UK a third world backwater rife with bandits on every corner.

The fact is, there isn't crime committed with guns to the same extent, because fewer people have them - so can't wave them around to try to win an argument. Because very few people have them, the numbers that can go bat**** mental and go shooting up the place with them is highly unlikely. It's the same reason why in the US there aren't many deaths attributed to medieval maces - if people don't generally have them, they can't go about killing anybody with them.

I actually do know how to use a firearm, from a teeny thing for vermin control to something a lot bigger. The best way to save yourself from a dangerous situation is to not get yourself in it in the first place. Not by relying on the false sense of security having a weapon on you gives. People take more risks, they go places they wouldn't ordinarily go, they ignore their slider sense when they think 'imma got me a gun/knife to protect me'.

When you are out running or walking, your two greatest weapons are your mind and your feet. Use both and you're a lot safer than the person carrying round the armoury.

dad106

I haven't read all the replies, but I just run outside, with my cell phone/headphones and nothing else.

I don't think I've ever thought about carrying a weapon or anything else because I run along busy roads, facing traffic, and if someone was to stop and leer or whatever, they would most likely get rear ended and subsequently caught.

jynxxxed

So much ignorance here. Just because it is illegal in your country does not make you right.. I'm not sure why so many people feel the need to preach about how wonderful their laws are. That's not the topic here. The topic is how YOU protect yourself. Your views on concealed carry are irrelevant because you've likely never been exposed to guns/proper safety and handling and OF COURSE you will be against it. It's illegal where you live.

For a woman who has become very well versed with her firearm, practices and understands proper IWB (or otherwise concealed) draw and is NOT afraid to use it then there is no real danger factor present. Saying "it won't stop an attacker" is ridiculous. A firearm is the LAST RESORT for when you are in a situation which is physically impossible to escape from without being seriously injured/killed and it should never be pulled unless you're using it and in my opinion nobody should even know you're carrying it.

You're trying to tell me that if you take all of the right precautions nothing will ever happen to you? Criminals don't care about laws and will attack anywhere. If you and I are both attacked by a person who is moments away from inflicting bodily harm on us, what will you do THEN? You're focusing predominantly on avoiding it - but what do you do if it happens?

If the screaming fails, martial arts fails, secondary weapons fail and you're completely stuck then a firearm will absolutely save your life and maybe others around you as well. Great for you that your country doesn't allow it.. it doesn't matter. In the US it's legal just about everywhere and it can be used safely and effectively.

danimalkeys

women should carry guns period. preferably in .45 or 9mm, and preferably glock. There would be a lot less rapes and harassing if every man knew every woman was packing. Your pepper sprays and dogs are worthless and false sense of security. A reasonably strong man can headlock a dog with one arm, and snap its neck. And pepper spray runs the risk of blowing back into your own eyes, or missing altogether. Also most people stop with a gun to their face. Pepper spray wont stop anyone determined.

RE: the dog- if the bad guy is spending time to grab your dog and fight with it, the dog has done his job as a deterrant. While he's worrying about the dog, you are making your escape. I have a German Shepherd, who, while not the best protection dog, has been trained on how and when to bite, including having the trainer decoy "bad guy" banging on him with a whip or stick to try to get him off, so he's used to being in a physical confrontation with men. Anyone trying to go after my wife or daughter while he's around would not go unscathed. Maybe the bad guy gets him in the end, but by then, my wife or daughter is gone. That's what a protection dog is supposed to do. Not necessarily incapacitate the bad guy, but give you time to get away or take other action.

TheYoungys

Boy did I post on the wrong thread. I thought this was about safety precautions for runners and not a debate about gun ownership. Never mind, live and learn....

LoosingMyLast15

I have never been the type of person to be overly cautious while running alone. During the summer months I like to outside and enjoy a nice night run, usually with my head phones on just doing my thing. I do, after all, live in a small town, and bad things don’t happen in small towns….Right? (please note the sarcasm) I have been honked at, whistled at and even yelled at by passing motorists before and it doesn't normaly bother me, I usually just ignore them.

Earlier today however, as I was running, a gentlemen actually pulled his car over in front of me to tell me that I was “looking good, girl” and grinned and watched me pass….This totally freaked me out!! Who does that?? Now, I am starting to rethink this whole “not being overly cautious” thing.

What do you ladies do to protect yourself while running alone? I wish I had a dog, but I don't, and in this particular case I was running on my lunch break. Thanks for your advice in advance!

wow very scrary!

i live in a small town as well. i bring my cell phone with regardless of where i'm running and i always tell someone (coworker during the week, hubby if i go to the park and run trails on the weekend) where i'm going and for approximately how long i will be there. i even do this in my very safe, very into everyone's business neighborhood.

i never wear headphones and i always stay very aware of my surroundings.

edited to add: i just started reading some of the posts to the OPs question. damn. now don't i feel silly for actually answering the OPs question instead of spewing my beliefs on gun control, violence and our laws in the US.

TheYoungys

I have never been the type of person to be overly cautious while running alone. During the summer months I like to outside and enjoy a nice night run, usually with my head phones on just doing my thing. I do, after all, live in a small town, and bad things don’t happen in small towns….Right? (please note the sarcasm) I have been honked at, whistled at and even yelled at by passing motorists before and it doesn't normaly bother me, I usually just ignore them.

Earlier today however, as I was running, a gentlemen actually pulled his car over in front of me to tell me that I was “looking good, girl” and grinned and watched me pass….This totally freaked me out!! Who does that?? Now, I am starting to rethink this whole “not being overly cautious” thing.

What do you ladies do to protect yourself while running alone? I wish I had a dog, but I don't, and in this particular case I was running on my lunch break. Thanks for your advice in advance!

wow very scrary!

i live in a small town as well. i bring my cell phone with regardless of where i'm running and i always tell someone (coworker during the week, hubby if i go to the park and run trails on the weekend) where i'm going and for approximately how long i will be there. i even do this in my very safe, very into everyone's business neighborhood.

i never wear headphones and i always stay very aware of my surroundings.

edited to add: i just started reading some of the posts to the OPs question. damn. now don't i feel silly for actually answering the OPs question instead of spewing my beliefs on gun control, violence and our laws in the US.

Glad I wasn't the only one who actually wanted to help.

jynxxxed

i just started reading some of the posts to the OPs question. damn. now don't i feel silly for actually answering the OPs question instead of spewing my beliefs on gun control, violence and our laws in the US.

Glad I wasn't the only one who actually wanted to help.

There are 16 pages of people giving advice with others randomly interjecting to shame gun owners. All of the advice being given now is a repeat of what has already been stated, so a topic change doesn't really matter much.

Sqeekyjojo

i just started reading some of the posts to the OPs question. damn. now don't i feel silly for actually answering the OPs question instead of spewing my beliefs on gun control, violence and our laws in the US.

Glad I wasn't the only one who actually wanted to help.

There are 16 pages of people giving advice with others randomly interjecting to shame gun owners. All of the advice being given now is a repeat of what has already been stated, so a topic change doesn't really matter much.

Actually the original answer was keep out of risky situations. Which was answering the original question. Compared to others who need full swat backup to leave their front porch. And as over here we don't, despite assumptions, tend to get murdered so frequently, perhaps we're actually rather good at keeping out of trouble and protecting ourselves without having to go for attack dogs and firearms to go buy a pint of milk and a paper.