Runners what are your biggest threats when running outside?

I run in a city so I don't have to worry about wildlife much, but there aren't many sidewalks in my area so I'm forced to run in the street. My biggest issue is drivers who aren't paying attention. I run with my dog (both of us have reflectors and blinking lights when we run at night) and I usually have to stop and pull us to the side when cars come by because I don't trust them not to hit us. Especially when it has been snowing and the roads are slick. I almost called the cops once when we repeatedly encountered a car intentionally sliding around corners in the snow

clnrush wrote: »

Do you run with traffic our against it?
I never know what to do.... I usually do against it just b.c I like to see what is coming and there really is not a lot of traffic so they can drive in the other lane. (country roads)

ride with, walk/run against

troytroy11 wrote: »

lmr0528 wrote: »

troytroy11 wrote: »

When I lived in Santa Fe I had the threat of all kinds of loose dogs (pit bulls, rotts, etc)

A specific breed of dog is not a threat just based on that! A dog is not automatically vicious, some are trained that way! Please do not judge a dog based on its breed.

You are absolutely right about the judging of breeds, I did not mean to come across as stereotyping. I really should have thought that through more before posting. I have had chows and boxers myself for protection reasons. My point was that a breed with certain areas being more developed is likely to be a harder breed to defend oneself against, especially in packs. That is not to say that smaller dogs cannot cause damage and they will and have.
So future posters/readers please view as any breed of dog not just pits or rotts, and I would imagine the particular defense changes with breed to have the least harm possible on both ends.
IMR0528 I hope that did not cause your blood pressure to go up too much or stress and anger in your life. Thank you for your response.

i'm liable to bite the next owner of a loose (out of control) dog myself. and his/her last words will be "don't worry he's friendly!".
my GSD may not be friendly, but he is always under control. on leash or off.

as for threats when running, coyotes and raccoons - there's something seriously wrong if they approach you even when you are out with an 80lb dog. some *very smart person* must be feeding them, else they are sick. either way, bad news.

Biggest threats are probably tiger snakes and magpies. The snakes live in a creek I have to cross several times each run and most Aussies will confirm the danger of magpie attacks at a certain time of the year, it's never fun being chased by angry birds.

Moose and bears on my road. When in town distracted drivers, I was hit once but jumped back so not badly.

aoven wrote: »

I run through a woody area where there is always a small chance of encountering a brown bear. They roam around this time of year. It adds a little thrill to the whole workout, sure. So far, no encounters for me, though. I hope it stays that way.

One part of my route takes me through a village where each house keeps a dog or two (because of the bear threat, mostly). They are not always tied and so usually at least one of them barges toward me as I run past. I guess I always seem to surprise them when I suddenly appear out of nowhere and they feel they need to fend me off or something. To be honest, I dislike this part much more than the bear threat. But I try to keep my calm and just push through that mile. No bites so far.

When I was a kid, a neighbors dog used to chase me on my bike. My parents talked to the owner, but he didn't care.

The solution?

Squirt bottle full of ammonia. You'll only have to do it once, and those dogs will never bother you again.

I live in Panama City Beach Florida, so during Spring break, the crazy drunks are my threat. Getting hit by one, or getting assaulted by a group of them. I normally run early in the morning because most of them are passed out. During the summer the threat is heat stroke and drivers flying down the road. Winter though, everything mostly chills out.

To add to the theme: there are lots of dogs where I usually ran (on a forest trail), on and off leash. My country requires mandatory strict dog training, so I have never had a problem. Usually I slow down when I encounter a dog not on a leash, but owners often tell me not to bother slowing down. One said to keep running because their dog "has to learn" how to deal with people running. As I used to run on a forest trail, dogs were really my biggest danger. That and rolling my ankle due to loose gravel or tripping over a root (I wear glasses, but I don't run with them and haven't found contact lenses that are comfortable for me). Luckily I've never had an aggressive magpie (this is perhaps one of the scariest thing EVER ), but I have had a red kite flying around during a run. It was only slightly concerning, but mostly awesome.

I recently moved to a city centre, and due to a recent injury, I haven't started running again. I will soon, and then my fear are cars, definitely cars, they go far too fast on our road and while I was waiting to cross the street in front of our house, I witnessed an accident due to a tailgating truck. There are also tram lines criss-crossing all over our city, so I will have to be extra aware.

troytroy11 wrote: »

When I lived in Santa Fe I had the threat of all kinds of loose dogs (pit bulls, rotts, etc), and random gang members wandering around. Though I was prepared to deal with an encounter, it never happened. It was like they looked at me and continued on with business even though assaults are common. Once I moved, I still worked in Santa Fe so I would run from the train to work and back to the train through another section of town with high crime. Same thing as before with not once any encounters.
Now I run through the bosque which is like a woody area by the river with very little risk of human attacks but tons of wildlife. I take my dog most times which is a small spaniel. There are raccoon, bobcats, skunks, beavers, and coyotes. The slight danger makes the run all the more exciting. Having done this for so long, I don't ever want to run in an area with low risk from any kind of attack like watching a movie with a boring ending.
Those of you who run outside, what are your threats and potential attacks, have you had these encounters and how to you deal with or have dealt with these things?

beachhouse758 wrote: »

I am scared of gators, panthers and bears. The gators are ubiquitous so I don't run before dawn or at night anymore --because it is much harder to avoid them then.

lol I was about to say sharks, but your reply was sooo much better!

I live near a deer park, and they are so used to people that you can get pretty close and they just ignore you, or pause their chewing to have a look. It's only during rutting season that you have to be a bit more careful as they can be a bit more aggressive, but they also retreat to the inaccessible parts of the park that time of year. So you can run by pretty confidently and not really worry about it.

When not in the deer park, the biggest threat is heckling groups of teens who are just bark and no bite, and/or being frightened to death by idiotic drivers beeping their horns at you.

Which reminds me - slightly off topic but like 20 years after the film came out, are people EVER going to stop shouting 'run forest run' at runners?

When I was living in Dallas, I ran in this park near my house in the morning when it was still dark. It wasn't lit at all so my biggest fear was literally running into something I couldn't see. I was sort of afraid of a personal attack since it wasn't a great neighborhood but I was prepared to fight. Thankfully nothing ever happened.

Now I live in a cute suburb of NJ and I feel safe but THESE HILLS. I swear the hills are the biggest danger to me right now haha.

My dog is probably my biggest threat while running. Whether we're running in the park, on the road (rare), or on the trails he is always trying to jerk me in every which direction and tripping me with his leash. He's only a year old though, so he's still learning proper leash 'etiquette' while running with mommy.

Right now...ice patches and potholes in the street/sidewalks

but once it gets warmer I look out for is cars, bikes, people and potholes

Ice and cars. I see a rabbit nearly every morning. The dogs are fenced.