Running Alone

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Replies

  • stewartcarden
    stewartcarden Posts: 126
    Surely this is a good thing.


    Think of the personal bests you could run if you were terrified!!!

    OH LOOK A SQUIRRELL * ****ees self and runs a 3 minute mile*
  • UNLESS19
    UNLESS19 Posts: 118
    i feel you! I'm the same but i have anxiety and my high school bullies live by me so I'm worried of bumping into them and being laughed at. saying that, i've jogged twice now. i basically got couch to 5k or set myself a little challenge of jogging a mile and getting out there and doing it! I see people jogging and have much respect, especially for larger people trying to get healthy. i try to think more of that's what people think when they see me and my tomato face haha
    I also live in quite a quiet and safe area, so i don't really worry about my safety, it's just the anxiety of other people seeing me and having to deal with that by myself.
    Just try baby steps :) I used to just go for a walk and when no one was around have a short jog and do that in intervals like the couch to 5k
    Good luck! :)
  • stewartcarden
    stewartcarden Posts: 126
    On a more serious note, running alone means you can run whenever your ready and whenever you feel like it. Increasing the likelihood of going a run.
    I know what I'm like, I'll be raring to go for a runbetween12 and 5 most days, if I'm running with someone they tend to like going at around 8 or 9, by that time I just wanna curl up with my kindle or something !

    Running alone means you can go and do what suits yourself (:
  • misskris78
    misskris78 Posts: 136 Member
    I was shot once with a pellet gun by a bunch of punk kids in front of a trailer park while running. Who could have predicted that!?!?

    I've had spittoon bottles thrown at me, lunatics on sport bikes do wheelies in my path and "pretend" to almost hit me, and psychos in pickup trucks scream really disgusting things at me. I've even been called a communist :) My biggest fears are drunks, texters, and kids with pellet guns.

    Now I run in a very desolate area where I rarely see anyone other than the Water Plant guys who maintain the property. I do not use headphones so I can be alert, and I do not carry mace, since I don't want it used on me. I'm a little bit concerned about bears, however. The more miles you have under your belt, the more stories you will accumulate.
  • Daisy471
    Daisy471 Posts: 409 Member
    I sometimes run early in the morning (around 4 or 4:30 am) before work. I live in a very rural area and feel comfortable running alone. I don't have pepper spray or carry my phone. My husband knows my route, and knows to come look for me if I'm not back by a certain time. I do use lights, but if there's enough moonlight to see by I will turn my headlamp off and only turn it on if there is a car coming, which hasn't happened yet. The only time I felt nervous was when a skunk wandered onto the road as I was going by. I saw the tail go up and I took off - probably my fastest sprint ever! Luckily I didn't get sprayed :)
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    I almost wish I lived in an area where I had to watch out for bears and skunks...my most frightening moment after being accidentally terrorized by the newspaper delivery guy was seeing a guy rolling out his trash can in his underwear and robe.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I almost wish I lived in an area where I had to watch out for bears and skunks...my most frightening moment after being accidentally terrorized by the newspaper delivery guy was seeing a guy rolling out his trash can in his underwear and robe.

    At least he was wearing underwear. :ohwell:
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
    I want to go before work so that would be like 5am. I think I'll just carry some pepper spray, that would make me feel safe. Guess I've seen too many crime shows :p Thanks everyone.

    3am - 7am has the lowest amount of crime. Most of those guys are asleep during those hours. Your biggest concern is traffic. Just make sure you wear something that lets drivers know you're there if you're on the road.

    http://www.trulia.com/trends/2011/07/do-bad-guys-sleep/
    that stat is really reassuring. for years now, i've been running at around the 4amish hour. sometimes i'm a little leery, but it's never held me back. i've had people tell me i should run with pepper spray or something, but it seems to cumbersome. the neighborhoods i run in are... ok. nothing's ever happened. i have been spooked before though, and have run across homeless people.

    to the OP: i'm sure you'll be fine, but if it makes you feel better, yeah just use the pepper spray technique.
  • dispatcher939
    dispatcher939 Posts: 75 Member
    Only you can decide if your area is safe to run in. I run alone all the time, I carry a small hand gun (make sure the safety is on) with me or pepper spray depending on when and where I am running. I always have my phone with me as well since I use it for tracking my run and for music. If you don't feel safe running outside find a treadmill or inside track.
  • handyrunner
    handyrunner Posts: 32,662 Member
    I run 6 mornings a week. Mostly before daylight.. sometimes in my neighborhood, sometimes in local parks, sometimes on forest trails in state parks in my area. I run by myself. I run where there are other people, I run where I never see anyone. I have run past snakes, wild dogs, and actually been chased by coyotes, but I still run. You have to live your life, and do what you want to do. Do not let fear stop you from anything.

    I havnt hit the coyotes yet but definitly snakes and dogs, and drunks.

    I have recently started running a new route that takes me through a lot of farm fields and I cant help thinking of Children of the Corn...in the dark before the sun comes up...ha!
  • AZnewme
    AZnewme Posts: 228 Member
    It's not a bad question even if you feel your neighborhood is safe. I live in a very "safe" neighborhood in Arizona, BUT coyotes have been known to nip at people when they are protecting their territory (or pups) and I don't live far from a riverbed where they roam - I do carry pepper spray as it is some measure of defense. There is also the point that even in "safe" neighborhoods, you have the one neighbor who doesn't secure their dogs correctly and they can also be territorial. Pepper spray - easy to carry and a good detterent and it won't kill the neighbors dog!!
  • hj1119
    hj1119 Posts: 173 Member
    I'm a female living in a rural area. I run with my ipod and dog at 5:45 am. My biggest worry is traffic because it's a little 2-lane country road, barely any shoulder, and people drive very fast. I run into oncoming traffic and I wave at every car. Most people slow down to pass me, and scoot over some if not all the way.

    If I were worried about bad people, I'd carry pepper spray.
  • dreamer12151
    dreamer12151 Posts: 1,031 Member
    I run & bike alone. I do it both at home & at work. While there are some "unseemly types" around, at home, the main thing I have a problem with is the dogs people have but don't contain in their yards. On more than several occasions, I have felt muzzles & teeth on my legs, and my neighbors little Chihuahua-mix-mongrel has even gone so far as to try to knock 1 of my feet out & trip me! The vehicles are the main worry when biking - no one pulls over anymore!

    Until I take my concealed weaps class & can carry when I run, my son bought me a "monkey fist" (I call it a monkey ball! lol), which is a steel ball wrapped in paracord with a long handle that can be wrapped around your wrist & the ball can be held in the hand. Running alone is, for me, great. I don't have to wait for anyone, I set my own mini goals...it is my ME time!

    I case you are interested in the Monkey fist/ball: http://www.gorillaparacord.com/Paracord-Monkey-Fist_p_40.html#.U8kpDX7n9pg
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I had a neighbor's chihuaha chase me down the sidewalk as I was just starting out this morning. Little thing barked at me and followed me the whole way until I got past their property. It's partly humorous and partly not. I was bitten by a small dog when I was a kid and had to have a tetnus shot; NOT fun.
  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
    I just started running in the morning around 5/5:30 am. If I had a concern, I would worry more about tired/distracted motorists and coyotes then bad guys. Of course, I also live in a fairly safe area, but grew up in the city in a very tough neighborhood. I always carry my phone, vary my route and make sure to say hello and make eye contact with everyone I encounter. I will feel a little less secure when the days get shorter and I'm running in the dark, but will adjust as needed and probably head back to the gym in the mornings. Again, I have more fear of bad drivers then "bad" guys.

    I love getting up in the morning and going. It sets the tone for the day, gets it over with early and lessens the chance of there being a conflict with me getting the workout done.

    PS: I would probably NOT like to run through the farm areas with the creepy children of the corn thoughts...
  • congruns
    congruns Posts: 127 Member
    When I show people my run routes on garmin connect, they always question the safety and ask why I go to this street and that street. I live just south of South Central Los Angeles. I sometimes run late at night because of scheduling, but this is just how it can happen for me to get my work out in. I always figured I can out run anyone but a bullet. I am more scored of the bikers and drivers on the road than anything else. If I die, I would think my loves one knew I died doing something I loved.

    If you are concerned about safety, it's an issue on how you perceive safety and how you can improve your chances and probabilities of returning safe. You either have all the necessary information on you to solve a potential crime or try to avoid it, but living in fear is not best way to go about it. Maybe drive to some place safer or jump on a treadmill.
  • headofphat
    headofphat Posts: 1,597 Member
    You're a runner. Just outrun trouble. Problem solved.
  • teenie_71
    teenie_71 Posts: 44
    You could carry pepper spray...that may give you a measure of security.


    This is what i do. I have a license to carry hand guns but its just too much to deal with so i either have pepper spray or a pocket knife on me.

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