Workout safety (stranger danger)
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^ I take this approach. Being aware and prepared doesn't have to reduce your quality of life. Odds are you'll never have to defend yourself against a person or wild animal, but it's empowering to know that you can. If i were a female jogger, i'd carry pepper spray, a small knife & a loud whistle, and also take a self-defense course. Also there's no point in wearing "cute" clothing.
are there some crime stats out there that i'm not aware of where violent offenders said they picked the targets of their assaults based on color coordination. or are you merely implying that women that dress nicely are "asking for it"?
I'm implying that when given a choice, an assailant will generally pick a more appealing target over a lesser one. Which is why 80% of rape victims are women under 30. I don't have stats specifically on joggers in pink, tight-fitting shorts vs. camo sweatpants.. but like the saying goes, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.First, pepper spray AND a knife? Overkill maybe?
They're for different situations. Pepper spray is useful for a person or animal in a 5 to 10 foot range. But it's of limited use if you're in a chokehold, for example, or against multiple attackers. Sunglasses and wind can reduce pepper spray's effectiveness too. A gun solves the limitations of both those weapons. But like others said, don't just carry a weapon, get proper self-defense training.0 -
This is more of a rant about some of the dangerous stuff I've seen people do.
Do you make your workout maps public? I don't. I've noticed that some people do, though. And, some even let people follow their activity. I just don't think that it's a good idea to let random people know what streets and parks you use each day.
I've gone to the park and have seen full water containers and personal belongings in a certain area (but, I didn't see anyone at the park), and about 20 minutes later, a group of young women would come back and start drinking from the containers. :noway: Weren't we told in school to never leave drinks unattended? They were 100s of feet away in a completely different part of the park. There was no way for them to know if anyone had come into the park (you can't hear or see anything between the two areas) and slipped something in their drinks. It's separated by woods and water (that someone could have dumped their bodies in after they knocked them out with whatever they put in their drinks and did who knows what to them). I probably watch too much Criminal Minds, but it could happen. I mean, this happened two days in a row. And, when I got to the park, the sun had just come up and I was the only one there (besides them). So, anyone who had bad intentions could have figured out their habits and used that. I just thought it was stupid of them to do that.
You know I actually stopped running for a bit in my neighborhood because I'd have to deal with too many loose dog sightings. That's really the only worry I have when running early in the a.m. It's been okay lately and most of the time when I do run I carry my steel bat with me, though I've never had to use it and I leave the iPod at home. Now when I run where my sister lives, no worries. There are others out there with me, we wave as we pass, no loose dogs, and I can enjoy my run outside. I'm not leaving water any place because I can wait till I get back home but I guess it depends on where you run. I also use MapMyRun, make them public but no one follows me that I know of, which is a good thing I suppose.:indifferent:0 -
By the way, i googled "registered sex offenders" + my city, and there are about 40 of them within a 1 mile radius of me. Here is the map - each red dot is a sex offender (who was convicted).
The site said the ratio of sex offenders to residents in my city is smaller than the state average.
So it's not unreasonable for women to be alert and prepared. Notice i didn't say worry.
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I probably watch too much Criminal Minds, but it could happen.
Me too! But seriously, these are all really good points. I also think it's smart to run with only one earbud in when it's early in the AM or late at night. Helps me be aware of my surroundings.
I love Criminal Minds
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I'd LOVE to see the source on "youre more likely to be hit by a car WHEN JOGGING than get attacked". Sounds like complete bull to me. Source please.....
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811625.pdf
That's not really helpful. Those are all deaths by all pedestrians, not people working out. I agree, cars are dangerous. Lets not quote make-believe statistics....or apply actual statics in a dishonest manner. I'm pretty sure the chances of getting hit by a car running in your local park is pretty slim. But yes, for runners/walkers/cyclists/rollerbladers/ on a public street I'll buy that cars are your biggest danger. Which is why I dont run on the road. So back to the original point...
And great post about the knives. Not very many people will get that one either!0 -
I'd LOVE to see the source on "youre more likely to be hit by a car WHEN JOGGING than get attacked". Sounds like complete bull to me. Source please.....
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811625.pdf
That's not really helpful. Those are all deaths by all pedestrians, not people working out. I agree, cars are dangerous. Lets not quote make-believe statistics....
And great post about the knives.
I will have to dig deeper later to see if I can find something broken down by activity. I am not sure if that exists though. In LA there are a lot of Hit and Runs, I believe roughly 3x that of comparable cities, so that is what I was thinking of when saying you have a greater chance.
Thanks. People love to conveniently forget that violent crimes still exist in large number in the UK. You may not get shot, but you have a chance of being stabbed.0 -
It's this simple: If someone wants to get you and cause you harm, they WILL. It doesn't matter if you switch your schedule, post your workout routine or not.
This is why I always post the workout routine I'm NOT going to do.
I always post the workout routine I'm not doing too but that's just so people think I'm getting fit when I'm really just sitting in front of my TV eating all the foodz.
Yes. For safety.0 -
^ I take this approach. Being aware and prepared doesn't have to reduce your quality of life. Odds are you'll never have to defend yourself against a person or wild animal, but it's empowering to know that you can. If i were a female jogger, i'd carry pepper spray, a small knife & a loud whistle, and also take a self-defense course. Also there's no point in wearing "cute" clothing.
are there some crime stats out there that i'm not aware of where violent offenders said they picked the targets of their assaults based on color coordination. or are you merely implying that women that dress nicely are "asking for it"?
I'm implying that when given a choice, an assailant will generally pick a more appealing target over a lesser one. Which is why 80% of rape victims are women under 30. I don't have stats specifically on joggers in pink, tight-fitting shorts vs. camo sweatpants.. but like the saying goes, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
I don't think you really understand how sexual assailants target their victims. again, rape (as is being described in this thread) is largely a crime of opportunity. if the perpetrator has an opportunity he will take it, regardless of whether the victim is wearing sweatpants or yoga pants.
eta: I will clarify again I am not referring to date rape, marital rape, etc.0 -
I think the initial poster noted some very real concerns. I'm not paranoid, but I do try to be smart. I wouldn't post my jogging course on line or leave my water bottles behind. When I go out of town, I don't notify everyone on Facebook. When I get back, sure! Before I leave, no.
Unfortunately, safety is a real concern and there is a difference between being cautious and being paranoid.0 -
I'm posting without reading the last two pages.
I did have a guy try to abduct me on a run way back in the day, as a teen.
After that, I carried a smallish (3") but sturdy military knife on my keychain and had it out while I did anything too alone. It was really easy to have out, with my keys. Nowadays you might get arrested for that - dunno.
In any case, guys walking too close behind in the dark did notice it, lol. I had one nice guy come up within a couple of yards of me in a dark parking deck completely alone one night, until he saw the knife. He said, "Is that a KNIFE?" I said, "Sure is. When guys get too close in the dark, I don't know what they are going to do." He didn't get closer, and he laughed. He was a nice guy, I think. Who knows? The point is, he didn't get too close, so it didn't matter if he wasn't nice
And it was easy enough to carry. He might think I'm bonkers, but that was the least of my concerns after seeing what some strangers do. I always had a letter opener on hand with it, too. That's nice, because torn letters suck. So it's a win-win all around, I think
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NM, Totally not worth it to explain.
Wait....Is that a real question? It's a gun. You put it in a holster. Then you run. Duh...:noway: It's no worse than the people who run with those little belts full of water bottles.For ANY woman who runs alone in I would strongly suggest taking a carry course and buying a little .380. They come in 9 oz lightweight versions like my ruger lcp.
Concealed weapons are not legal everywhere. And where the hell do you keep it?
Have you ever had a gun on a holster attached to your hip? I have and it's not very comfortable to walk with. I can't imagine what it's like to run with that thing let alone the bruise I'd have from it rubbing and banging. Also it's pretty heavy so there's the whole pants falling down issue to contend with as well.
I'm not sure how this is relevant.0 -
"For ANY woman who runs alone in I would strongly suggest taking a carry course and buying a little .380"
And jogging with a holstered weapon in Canada will certainly get you shot by the local cops. NOBODY except police officers and a select few high-level bodyguards are allowed to carry weapons. That is why the murder rate per capita for Canada is a fraction of what it is in the US.
So access to guns causes murder? So if you had a gun you would murder? Wow..so much fail here.
Guns don't kill people. However, people with guns kill other people. The guns don't randomly go off and shoot innocents.0 -
NM, Totally not worth it to explain.
Wait....Is that a real question? It's a gun. You put it in a holster. Then you run. Duh...:noway: It's no worse than the people who run with those little belts full of water bottles.For ANY woman who runs alone in I would strongly suggest taking a carry course and buying a little .380. They come in 9 oz lightweight versions like my ruger lcp.
Concealed weapons are not legal everywhere. And where the hell do you keep it?
Have you ever had a gun on a holster attached to your hip? I have and it's not very comfortable to walk with. I can't imagine what it's like to run with that thing let alone the bruise I'd have from it rubbing and banging. Also it's pretty heavy so there's the whole pants falling down issue to contend with as well.
I'm not sure how this is relevant.
In this case, I believe you would be the explainee, not the explainer.0 -
Didn't read all the comments, but OP I agree with what you posted. Safety first!! ladies should look into self defense classes, it helps know how to protect yourself without using guns or pepper spray.0
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I'mma just put this out there... http://flashbangholsters.publishpath.com/
NM, Totally not worth it to explain.
Wait....Is that a real question? It's a gun. You put it in a holster. Then you run. Duh...:noway: It's no worse than the people who run with those little belts full of water bottles.For ANY woman who runs alone in I would strongly suggest taking a carry course and buying a little .380. They come in 9 oz lightweight versions like my ruger lcp.
Concealed weapons are not legal everywhere. And where the hell do you keep it?
Have you ever had a gun on a holster attached to your hip? I have and it's not very comfortable to walk with. I can't imagine what it's like to run with that thing let alone the bruise I'd have from it rubbing and banging. Also it's pretty heavy so there's the whole pants falling down issue to contend with as well.
I'm not sure how this is relevant.
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I'd LOVE to see the source on "youre more likely to be hit by a car WHEN JOGGING than get attacked". Sounds like complete bull to me. Source please.....
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811625.pdf
That's not really helpful. Those are all deaths by all pedestrians, not people working out. I agree, cars are dangerous. Lets not quote make-believe statistics....or apply actual statics in a dishonest manner. I'm pretty sure the chances of getting hit by a car running in your local park is pretty slim. But yes, for runners/walkers/cyclists/rollerbladers/ on a public street I'll buy that cars are your biggest danger. Which is why I dont run on the road. So back to the original point...
And great post about the knives. Not very many people will get that one either!
I don't think those statistics are presented in a dishonest manner. When I jog at my local park, I have to jog through 3 major intersections to get there...and even if I drove, I'd still say the odds of me getting into an auto accident on the way to the park are greater than me being abducted while I'm jogging at the park. Also, I don't know of a single cyclist in the world that just rides around the park on his/her bicycle.0 -
Where's the end of the story?!?!?!? I want to know if you successfully slipped them roofies or not.0
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I'd LOVE to see the source on "youre more likely to be hit by a car WHEN JOGGING than get attacked". Sounds like complete bull to me. Source please.....
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811625.pdf
That's not really helpful. Those are all deaths by all pedestrians, not people working out. I agree, cars are dangerous. Lets not quote make-believe statistics....or apply actual statics in a dishonest manner. I'm pretty sure the chances of getting hit by a car running in your local park is pretty slim. But yes, for runners/walkers/cyclists/rollerbladers/ on a public street I'll buy that cars are your biggest danger. Which is why I dont run on the road. So back to the original point...
And great post about the knives. Not very many people will get that one either!
I don't think those statistics are presented in a dishonest manner. When I jog at my local park, I have to jog through 3 major intersections to get there...and even if I drove, I'd still say the odds of me getting into an auto accident on the way to the park are greater than me being abducted while I'm jogging at the park. Also, I don't know of a single cyclist in the world that just rides around the park on his/her bicycle.
Speaking of cyclists, they're probably the greatest danger to me as a runner. Some of those guys are...reckless.
(Doesn't apply to the apparently expert level cyclist who went from 40-0 in about a second when my daughter veered into his path mistaking his "on your left" as "go to your left" (despite her and I having discussed and experienced this very scenario many times during the previous hour of our outing). That could have ended very badly, especially for her. I didn't have a chance to thank him as she was 50ish yards in front of me and next to a busy/noisy highway (on a dedicated path), so hey, rare cyclist who is really paying attention: Thanks...for not killing/maiming my daughter (either during a wreck or shortly after for almost causing the wreck).)0 -
I can't speak for cyclists in the US but in the UK you can't afford not to pay attention or you're dead. Driver's hatred for cyclists is quite something here.
And on off-road shared cycle paths hazards range from toddlers to off lead dogs to people who when you shout "passing on your right" don't have the faintest clue where "right" is...0 -
For ANY woman who runs alone in I would strongly suggest taking a carry course and buying a little .380. They come in 9 oz lightweight versions like my ruger lcp.
Concealed weapons are not legal everywhere. And where the hell do you keep it?
WTF....?? :huh:
So I had to google this as I didn't have the faintest clue what a "Ruger LCP" was....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruger_LCP
Are you serious? You run with a gun???? :noway:
It's moments like this make you feel very very happy that you live in the UK, isn't it? :-)
I wish I lived in the UK...
...where there are no violent crimes.
Only a very informed person will understand your sarcasm here...which there appear not to be many of those people on this thread.
They should probably try banning knives there too.
They are...
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/l_to_o/offensive_weapons_knives_bladed_and_pointed_articles/0
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