Runners? Safety?

I run outside of town by myself quite often. Last year, I had a van pass me 3 times and each time slowed way down then sped up after he passed. It just made me really uncomfortable. So I got a German shepherd. I've always wanted one anyway, so that was just more of a reason to get one. She's really protective and while I wouldn't expect her to protect me, she makes me feel safer because she looks intimidating.

I also always make sure my husband knows which route I'm going and about how many miles (on good runs I'll add a few extra miles) that way he knows if I've been gone too long.

I would suggest, if you feel uncomfortable running by yourself. Look into running groups.

And you're more likely to get zapped by lightning than to be attacked. It's the irrational effect of anecdotal "evidence" that makes you scared. If running outside is that scary, go hop on a treadmill at Planet Fitness.

One in six women gets zapped by lighting?

I don't know if truly one in six women who run get attacked (or have been), but with the number of women runners multiplied by the number of times they go out and run, I would probably guess that they should be more concerned with getting hit by a car (while lightning is real, I'll be germane to common running dangers). I'm not able to find any stats, so maybe it's not easily tracked or maybe it's insignificant considering most murders/rapes are committed by the ones who know their attackers rather than random guy hiding behind a bush.

Some common sense considerations that don't involve carrying weaponry would be to be vigilant of your surroundings (as in no headphones, be looking around), run with a partner, have some sort of live-tracking GPS, or to just know the area you will be running in and let someone know.

Live tracking GPS and letting somebody know doesn't do anything in case of attack. It just ensures your body will be found.

I've parsed down the likelihood. My age, stranger, not my home, time of day, etc. It's low enough that I run outside at night, but it's high enough that it will always be a consideration.

When was the last time you figured out your chances of being affected by violent crime?

I've been mugged once, so that's made me more vigilant. Aside from that, I don't concern myself with it too much.

Speaking in a generality here, but I'd say the increase in smuffies taking up running has probably led to an increase of "suspicious" folks out there who in all reality are just going about *their day and got caught staring at the new runner chick's butt in hot pink microshorts and a sportsbra - ladies in the gym get annoyed by this, women outside of the gym lose their minds and want to run armed like Lara Croft in Tomb Raider.

You know, she didn't say they just stared at her. They actually moved and followed her. Attacks may be rare, but they do happen. So women should be careful. Not paranoid, but careful. And if a situation seems "off", one should follow their gut and do their best to avoid it.

I run outside of town by myself quite often. Last year, I had a van pass me 3 times and each time slowed way down then sped up after he passed. It just made me really uncomfortable. So I got a German shepherd. I've always wanted one anyway, so that was just more of a reason to get one. She's really protective and while I wouldn't expect her to protect me, she makes me feel safer because she looks intimidating.

I also always make sure my husband knows which route I'm going and about how many miles (on good runs I'll add a few extra miles) that way he knows if I've been gone too long.

I would suggest, if you feel uncomfortable running by yourself. Look into running groups.

I can't believe your husband allows you to run alone. That seems way too risky.

And you're more likely to get zapped by lightning than to be attacked. It's the irrational effect of anecdotal "evidence" that makes you scared. If running outside is that scary, go hop on a treadmill at Planet Fitness.

One in six women gets zapped by lighting?

The chance of an average person living in the US being struck by lightning in a given year is estimated at 1 in 500,000, while the chance of being struck by lightning in a lifetime is 1 in 6250 (estimated lifespan of 80 years)

1 in 6 female runners get attacked while running?

Why don't you find the number of people who are struck by lightening while running and I will find the number that are attacked and we will see which one is bigger?

Here's mine:

http://sciencebasedrunning.com/2013/10/are-runners-likely-to-be-targets-of-violent-crime/

Can't open that one right now, but I think it's one that I've read before. Isn't it saying that violent acts against runners is very rare? I'm only going off the url so I can easily be mixing it up with another article I read recently

Its less rare than being injured in a car accident but more rare than being killed in one. Which isn't particularly rare - and we also avoid people who are driving erratically. It's even appropriate to call the police before they hurt somebody.

I'm read it later when I'm in my cpu. My phone is being a jerk right now. But by all means women (and men) should be aware of their surroundings and take proper precautions.

My main point is that in most of these threads, the only thing required for everyone to agree that women should be scared for their lives and call the authorities is that 1) there's a man in the trail, and 2) she's on the trail too. There's never an actual attack, just a chorus of people stating that if a woman doesn't like the look (or mere presence) of a man she absolutely should cross the street/call the cops/shoot him in the face.

Honest to God I'm sick and tired of having the cops called on me because I had the audacity to run in my own neighborhood. I walk from my house and they live far enough to have to drive there, but they are the ones acting like I don't belong.

That doesn't quite describe the OP.

The thing is that women are constantly being told that we are crazy and making this stuff up...until we aren't and then we should have been more careful and avoided the area/called the police.

ETA: I'm also tired of being warned about the dangers of after-dark activity. I'm 42 f'n years old. What do you want to do about it?

And you're more likely to get zapped by lightning than to be attacked. It's the irrational effect of anecdotal "evidence" that makes you scared. If running outside is that scary, go hop on a treadmill at Planet Fitness.

One in six women gets zapped by lighting?

The chance of an average person living in the US being struck by lightning in a given year is estimated at 1 in 500,000, while the chance of being struck by lightning in a lifetime is 1 in 6250 (estimated lifespan of 80 years)

1 in 6 female runners get attacked while running?

Why don't you find the number of people who are struck by lightening while running and I will find the number that are attacked and we will see which one is bigger?

Here's mine:

http://sciencebasedrunning.com/2013/10/are-runners-likely-to-be-targets-of-violent-crime/

Can't open that one right now, but I think it's one that I've read before. Isn't it saying that violent acts against runners is very rare? I'm only going off the url so I can easily be mixing it up with another article I read recently

Its less rare than being injured in a car accident but more rare than being killed in one. Which isn't particularly rare - and we also avoid people who are driving erratically. It's even appropriate to call the police before they hurt somebody.

I'm read it later when I'm in my cpu. My phone is being a jerk right now. But by all means women (and men) should be aware of their surroundings and take proper precautions.

My main point is that in most of these threads, the only thing required for everyone to agree that women should be scared for their lives and call the authorities is that 1) there's a man in the trail, and 2) she's on the trail too. There's never an actual attack, just a chorus of people stating that if a woman doesn't like the look (or mere presence) of a man she absolutely should cross the street/call the cops/shoot him in the face.

Honest to God I'm sick and tired of having the cops called on me because I had the audacity to run in my own neighborhood. I walk from my house and they live far enough to have to drive there, but they are the ones acting like I don't belong.

That doesn't quite describe the OP.

The thing is that women are constantly being told that we are crazy and making this stuff up...until we aren't and then we should have been more careful and avoided the area/called the police.

ETA: I'm also tired of being warned about the dangers of after-dark activity. I'm 42 f'n years old. What do you want to do about it?

It never quite does, but that's mostly because the OP always gets to frame the parameters of the story. No one is going to purposely describe a situation in a way that puts them in a bad light.

But still, let's look at this one a bit closer. Broad daylight, public place, with her kids on bikes, in an area where other people are around and have clear lines of sight, and is in an area that likely only has one or two ways out so that 2 guys attacking or abducting a woman while her kids scream bloody murder are going to have their lic plates, description, direction headed and probably cell phone pics disseminated to the authorities within minutes of them committing a crime.

When we tell women to work out in a safe area, what would be better than this? What is the likelihood that 2 guys were planning to attack her under the circumstances she described? Yet merely coming into this thread and suggesting that she was probably OK gets me labeled as a troll and anti-female safety.

Seriously ladies, cover it up a little. I know someone's going to call this slut-shaming, but it's just common sense. If you've got 90% of your body exposed or even are wearing totally skintight clothing then yes, you will attract more attention than a woman in less revealing clothes. I'm not saying you automatically become safe by dressing more modestly, but it's just one more little safety step you can take.

To the OP: I'm not sure why anyone would find running in a cemetery disrespectful as long as there's no funeral happening. The people below the ground don't care: they're dead. It's the living you need to worry about, and as long as you don't bother them, they shouldn't be bothered by you.

Seriously ladies, cover it up a little. I know someone's going to call this slut-shaming, but it's just common sense. If you've got 90% of your body exposed or even are wearing totally skintight clothing then yes, you will attract more attention than a woman in less revealing clothes. I'm not saying you automatically become safe by dressing more modestly, but it's just one more little safety step you can take.

To the OP: I'm not sure why anyone would find running in a cemetery disrespectful as long as there's no funeral happening. The people below the ground don't care: they're dead. It's the living you need to worry about, and as long as you don't bother them, they shouldn't be bothered by you.