Personal safety while walking/running
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The cat defence keyring is an offensive weapon under the criminal law in Britain unfortunately, as is practically everything else, including pepper spray or a small penknife. I learned self defence and unarmed combat when in my 30s after being attacked by a group of men when I was walking home. It gives you the confidence and the attitude to go out without fear. It also teaches you to be watchful. I never sit with my back to the door when in a public place like a bar lol.0
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The dog is an excellent idea.0
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obscuremusicreference wrote: »I carry something similar to this
I'm pretty sure it kept a guy from grabbing my phone outside of the grocery store. Or maybe he just realized there wasn't a lot of value in a $50 Ghettro PCS special.
I see a pair of baby twins wearing birthday hats, tossing a ball back and forth...and for the life of me, can't unsee it.
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I took a self defense class (before I even began running, but I'm from Detroit, so...). I also have profiles on FindMyFriend and Google+ so anyone can see my location at any time.0
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Lots of good ideas here already.
Be aware (no earphones), walk/run toward traffic, being with someone is good if you can, wear bright colors & reflective fabrics, pay attention to your gut feeling!!!
Have a way to protect yourself if necessary (from 2 or 4-legged predators).
This is my choice:
If I'm not carrying my purse (which has a built-in holster), or using a belt-hung holster, I'll use one of these belly bands (PT-1 from pistolwear.com). They work very well for being active, even jogging, & don't bounce.
I've got to look into those belly bands for my protection of choice:
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Besides being 2nd degree black belt and deadlift 225 pounds (stronger than i look!) - I carrry a pistol and a switchblade (tiny one). Honestly though, being aware of surroundings and trusting your instincts is more valuable and will save you more often than any of those.0
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Wiseandcurious wrote: »Most important thing - always have someone know where you're going (route) and when you will be back....
Curious, how does this help? Is it a way to make it easier for the authorities to find the body or find clues as to the make and model of the trunk you get stuffed into?
Um, realistically, more so someone comes looking sooner rather than later if you slip over and break an ankle...
In 2015 people are randomly breaking ankles and laying in the dark, hobbled and alone without a cell phone? Are you certain your scenario is more realistic than mine?
Um, yeah. It could happen because not everyone takes their phones with them when they go out running.
Regardless if I take my phone with my I always let my husband know which route I'm running so he knows approximately how long it will take me. What good is a phone going to do me if I'm rendered unconscious and stuffed into the trunk of someone's car?
It's called common sense.0 -
I take my dogs with me. One of them is big and looks psychotic (one blue eye, one black eye, huge shoulders, tongue out on walks with huge teeth on display). If you have a neighbor or nearby friend with a dog, you could offer to take their dog on walks. You may have to pick up 1 poop, but it's worth it for a furry companion.
If you can, vary the time you're starting.
I always live-transmit my path/location via RunKeeper. My husband always knows whether I'm doing the 30 min loop, the 1 hr loop, or longer. If I'm gone an hour and a half, he knows how to log on and, if I was taken somewhere, would see it, so long as my phone hasn't been taken.
I keep a flashlight on me and have an led on my dog when I'm out in the dark. In my area I'm more likely to get hit by a car than attacked. I want people to be able to see me. I really need to get some reflective clothing for early morning summer runs.
I never listen to music when I'm out. It makes it more likely for something dangerous to happen, even if it's just me not hearing a bike coming up behind me and trying to pass.0 -
poohpoohpeapod wrote: »I have 100lb protection trained German Shepherd. I have a friend that is a cop and he told me most perverts/criminals are more afraid of police dogs than they are guns. I KNOW my dog woul die trying to help me. She has been tested twice, pervert follwing me at dark. She turned around and it was like something out of a cops show. He turned around and jogged off in the other direction. That being said if they have a gun well, noboy is safe.
How did you determine that he was a pervert and not a guy out getting in some exercise before you sic'd Cujo on him? Did he drop his PervertPass ID during his mad scramble to get out of there to find an easier victim?
Or he just happened to be walking in the same direction as you.
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Honestly, this question is so dependent on where you live.
Here in Montreal, I walk around the city at all hours of the day and night and never think twice about it. It's a safe city and there are no issues.
I've travelled to countries where personal safety is more of an issue. I think you have to make smart choices based on context. I wouldn't do the same things in, say, Johannesburg or Panama City as I do here in Montreal.
If you are unfortunate enough to live somewhere where it's just not safe to go walking or running after dark, then you'll simply need to find an alternative. Treadmill, gym membership, walking or running club so you go with others, whatever works for you.
PLEASE don't go around carrying dangerous weapons that you don't know how to use. Imagine how terrible you'd feel if you accidentally hurt or injured a kid or something just due to being jumpy.0 -
Lots of good suggestions here. I carry a compact 9mm in a belly band. I also carry a good quality tactical flashlight. I have stopped both man and beast in their tracks with a beam of light in the dark.0
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goddessofawesome wrote: »Wiseandcurious wrote: »Most important thing - always have someone know where you're going (route) and when you will be back....
Curious, how does this help? Is it a way to make it easier for the authorities to find the body or find clues as to the make and model of the trunk you get stuffed into?
Um, realistically, more so someone comes looking sooner rather than later if you slip over and break an ankle...
In 2015 people are randomly breaking ankles and laying in the dark, hobbled and alone without a cell phone? Are you certain your scenario is more realistic than mine?
Um, yeah. It could happen because not everyone takes their phones with them when they go out running.
Regardless if I take my phone with my I always let my husband know which route I'm running so he knows approximately how long it will take me. What good is a phone going to do me if I'm rendered unconscious and stuffed into the trunk of someone's car?
It's called common sense.
what good will letting your husband know where you are be if you're already stuffed in the trunk of someone's car? are we figuring the car is going to remain parked along your running route?0 -
goddessofawesome wrote: »Wiseandcurious wrote: »Most important thing - always have someone know where you're going (route) and when you will be back....
Curious, how does this help? Is it a way to make it easier for the authorities to find the body or find clues as to the make and model of the trunk you get stuffed into?
Um, realistically, more so someone comes looking sooner rather than later if you slip over and break an ankle...
In 2015 people are randomly breaking ankles and laying in the dark, hobbled and alone without a cell phone? Are you certain your scenario is more realistic than mine?
Um, yeah. It could happen because not everyone takes their phones with them when they go out running.
Regardless if I take my phone with my I always let my husband know which route I'm running so he knows approximately how long it will take me. What good is a phone going to do me if I'm rendered unconscious and stuffed into the trunk of someone's car?
It's called common sense.
what good will letting your husband know where you are be if you're already stuffed in the trunk of someone's car? are we figuring the car is going to remain parked along your running route?
This trunk stuffing, is it something that happens often in your area? Do you take a sandwich, just in case?
I'm just glad I don't live in the minds of fear.
I like running and biking at night, in the woods.
Sometimes I'm a little concerned with wildlife - boars and deer incidents do occur, but you deal with whatever happens.
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snarlingcoyote wrote: »poohpoohpeapod wrote: »I have 100lb protection trained German Shepherd. I have a friend that is a cop and he told me most perverts/criminals are more afraid of police dogs than they are guns. I KNOW my dog woul die trying to help me. She has been tested twice, pervert follwing me at dark. She turned around and it was like something out of a cops show. He turned around and jogged off in the other direction. That being said if they have a gun well, noboy is safe.
Unless, of course, I'm a pervert who loves dogs and knows the weakness of the GSD breed. "Oh, who's a good boy/girl! Are you a good boy/girl? Yes, you are! Here's a cheeseburger and some french fries, sweetie. Yes, yes, I love you, sweetums!"
(That said, I have a GSD and that's the main reason I don't have or need a gun. My GSD is superb at ferretting out the difference between people with bad intentions and people with good intentions. Thanks to her, I managed to avoid one con artist and have trusted some folks I probably wouldn't have otherwise trusted who turned out to be very good people, almost angels!)
Try the treats and sweet tone on my dog (black standard poodle - he's still a puppy in my avatar), and it'd have the opposite effect you intended. Bizarre animal does not like most treats, and especially not treats from strangers.
Doubt he'd actually go for you, though. He's gone for strangers trying to enter my house/yard, and he's made a threatening show towards one or two people while out on a run or walk though he's normally a perfect gentleman, but he's not trained for it and I really doubt that he'd do more than lunge, bark, and threaten if it came down to it.
Mostly, I rely on him being tall and black (so many people are inordinately afraid of big black dogs) and I run on a regularly used running/bicycling trail. Even as early as 4am, I rarely go more than a couple of minutes without passing or being passed by someone else.0 -
EvgeniZyntx wrote: »goddessofawesome wrote: »Wiseandcurious wrote: »Most important thing - always have someone know where you're going (route) and when you will be back....
Curious, how does this help? Is it a way to make it easier for the authorities to find the body or find clues as to the make and model of the trunk you get stuffed into?
Um, realistically, more so someone comes looking sooner rather than later if you slip over and break an ankle...
In 2015 people are randomly breaking ankles and laying in the dark, hobbled and alone without a cell phone? Are you certain your scenario is more realistic than mine?
Um, yeah. It could happen because not everyone takes their phones with them when they go out running.
Regardless if I take my phone with my I always let my husband know which route I'm running so he knows approximately how long it will take me. What good is a phone going to do me if I'm rendered unconscious and stuffed into the trunk of someone's car?
It's called common sense.
what good will letting your husband know where you are be if you're already stuffed in the trunk of someone's car? are we figuring the car is going to remain parked along your running route?
This trunk stuffing, is it something that happens often in your area? Do you take a sandwich, just in case?
I'm just glad I don't live in the minds of fear.
I like running and biking at night, in the woods.
Sometimes I'm a little concerned with wildlife - boars and deer incidents do occur, but you deal with whatever happens.
FFS it was just an example. Obviously a bad one.
My point was why wouldn't you tell someone where you are going regardless? Again, not everyone takes a phone with them when they head out for a quick run or walk. I never used to until my husband twisted his ankle bad when we were out for a run and I had to run back home to get the car and pick him up. Had we had a phone on us we could have called the gal in the office to come get us. Even when I carry my phone on a run I still let my husband know my route.
I never said I lived in fear. I prefer to be cautious and aware of what's going on around me. I'm not a fool who thinks nothing bad can happen to me but I'm also not someone who is paranoid and sicks my dog on someone who just happens to be walking behind me.0 -
Wiseandcurious wrote: »Most important thing - always have someone know where you're going (route) and when you will be back....
Curious, how does this help? Is it a way to make it easier for the authorities to find the body or find clues as to the make and model of the trunk you get stuffed into?
Um, realistically, more so someone comes looking sooner rather than later if you slip over and break an ankle...
In 2015 people are randomly breaking ankles and laying in the dark, hobbled and alone without a cell phone? Are you certain your scenario is more realistic than mine?
Uhm, yeah. In 2015 I go hiking/running in one particular place that has no cell phone coverage of any sort. The closest coverage is about 2 miles (over a pretty steep, tall hill) thataway. I can use the GPS on my phone to signal for help, presuming that whatever I did wasn't a fall down a ravine or a cliff or over big boulders and my phone didn't break into a thousand tiny pieces (I have used some shockpoof cases, but then the GPS didn't work so well. . .) and that I'm conscious.
So, yeah. I want people to know where I'm going, when I'm going and when I expect to be back so they'll come looking for me.0 -
I sometimes hike the path less taken, where I may pass someone every few hours. Guns aren't permitted there. My main worries are aggressive dogs, wild animals, and people.I'd like to know this, too, so that I can avoid getting attacked by someones dog just because I happen to run in a similar direction.
Them wily dogs again! We have lease laws in my area, and I don't worry about the good dog owners, just the others who--once they get 30+ minutes away from civilization--let their aggressive dogs roam a couple minutes ahead of them. "Sorry" doesn't make it better.
A good knife is my tool of choice. Just being able project "I'm dangerous" helps, and your chances of survival if it comes to swipes improve significantly. Not long ago, an elderly woman on the trails fought off a mountain lion with no more than a pencil. A knife also has other uses.
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opalsqueak007 wrote: »It gives you the confidence and the attitude to go out without fear. It also teaches you to be watchful. I never sit with my back to the door when in a public place like a bar lol.
This makes a huge difference, but there is a big transatlantic cultural issue. Attitude, presence and situational awareness are always the most important tools in the arsenal, anything else is just escalation.
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OMG thanks for that. Now I can't unsee it!MagJam2004 wrote: »obscuremusicreference wrote: »I carry something similar to this
I'm pretty sure it kept a guy from grabbing my phone outside of the grocery store. Or maybe he just realized there wasn't a lot of value in a $50 Ghettro PCS special.
I see a pair of baby twins wearing birthday hats, tossing a ball back and forth...and for the life of me, can't unsee it.
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