Exercise as a woman, at dark, alone

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  • no1wf
    no1wf Posts: 36 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    I walk outside at night a lot (but try to stay where it's well lit but...have you thought about taking along something for self defense just in case? I take a flashlight/taser with me altho the only time I ever got anyone was myself accidentally when showing someone how it worked. :)

    We're not legally allowed to have pepper spray or anything that we wouldn't need with what we're doing, if that makes sense? Like if I was stopped by the police while walking the dog and I was carrying a baseball bat, I'd be questioned. Granted its a case of weighing up having something that you might need but you could get pulled up on it, versus god forbid one day having to use it but once the police are involved you still get done for having it when you shouldn't. Sorry I'm bad at explaining :D
    springlering62 wrote: »
    We had a lovely rescue who had been hit by a car and had severe injuries, including metal pins up and down one entire leg, and gravel embedded in his head. Our vet surmised he’d been hit earlier, too, because she said X-rays showed what she described as a broken hip with the femur “jammed back in to the muscle like they hoped it would heal”.
    The poor creature was cobbled back together.

    When we got him, he was terrified of cars. His eyes would roll back any time one drove by at any speed, and he’d jerk uncontrollably on the leash to get as far away as he could.

    It wasn’t til we moved to an urban area that he got over it. His desire to go into the coffee shop or to the Square for pet-pets outweighed his fear. He was jokingly known as the Mayor, because everybody knew him.

    So finding something yours enjoys and looks forward to enough to outweigh his fear is the ticket. Maybe a treat or special pet-pets at a specific stopping point.

    RIP, little black dog.

    nr73hq2lknly.jpeg

    Oh my days look at that little guy <3

    I tell her it's okay, try and reassure her but not too much because while it's positive reinforcement I worry that she thinks I'm rewarding her for flinching and reacting to noise.

    These random bangs have been happening lately and we've found out that there's a farmer who's decided to get one of those gunshot sounding bird scarers, so that's been great :/
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    I think you ought to be walking your dog more often than just at weekends, for the dog's benefit, never mind yours. If you aren't prepared to do it other than in daylight then could you hire a dog walker to come round on days you aren't there? As for self-protection, you could take a walking stick. Coppers can't complain about that. I think that trying to find someone to accompany you is a great idea.
  • ehju0901
    ehju0901 Posts: 394 Member
    I like the idea someone else said earlier about looking to see if there is a walking group in the area.

    Second idea would be to use the treadmill at home and take your dog for just a short walk around the block. If your area is rural this may be tough, but it could just be a little bit down the road. Then your doggo is getting outside too. :)

    Next idea is to adjust your route and find a place that is well-lit, or maybe even a shopping mall to walk around inside. Growing up, my mom and her friends used to walk inside one of the school buildings. They just talked to the administration and the custodians were willing to work with them. :)
  • AKTipsyCat
    AKTipsyCat Posts: 240 Member
    Argh - So I was really thinking, come on, it can't be that bad... and then, yesterday I had to do the "outside component" of my two work outs a day and decided to walk around the neighborhood at 6am. This summer it was bright out so no big, now that it's dark? Creepy. It's Alaska, so I'm used to it being dark for a lot of my walks in the evening after work when winter kicks in - but there are always people about...walking their dogs, getting home from work, riding their fat bikes... I didn't have my bear spray because I wasn't going to be walking on the creek trail nearby... that may change if I have to keep walking at this time, LOL - also - I used to remember people being out that early walking their dogs - I guess the make up of the neighborhood has changed because it was no one - until, thankfully, the trash pick up truck followed me down one of the roads doing it's thing...
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    AKTipsyCat wrote: »
    Argh - So I was really thinking, come on, it can't be that bad... and then, yesterday I had to do the "outside component" of my two work outs a day and decided to walk around the neighborhood at 6am. This summer it was bright out so no big, now that it's dark? Creepy. It's Alaska, so I'm used to it being dark for a lot of my walks in the evening after work when winter kicks in - but there are always people about...walking their dogs, getting home from work, riding their fat bikes... I didn't have my bear spray because I wasn't going to be walking on the creek trail nearby... that may change if I have to keep walking at this time, LOL - also - I used to remember people being out that early walking their dogs - I guess the make up of the neighborhood has changed because it was no one - until, thankfully, the trash pick up truck followed me down one of the roads doing it's thing...

    I walk before dawn, in the dark, every morning for this very reason. I love feeling like I have the whole world to myself. (I'm also an introvert, btw.)
  • 33gail33
    33gail33 Posts: 1,155 Member
    edited September 2021
    I (female) walk my dogs in the morning year round, generally before 6 AM, and it is dark much of the year. I just stick to my own neighbourhood and stay on the sidewalks where there are houses - there is an empty field and a park on one of my routes and I don't walk through or past those when it's dark. I certainly wouldn't be walking through a "wooded area" alone in the dark - although the wooded area I frequent in the summer I am more afraid of running into bears than people.
    If I were you and that was my only option I would use the treadmill for myself, and take the dog out to play fetch or something in the yard for his exercise.
  • Bella_Figura
    Bella_Figura Posts: 4,322 Member
    edited September 2021
    @no1wf, does your village have a FB group? Could you put a post on your local Facebook group asking if any other local woman are in the same situation and want a walking buddy for after-dark dog walks?
  • x_stephisaur_x
    x_stephisaur_x Posts: 149 Member
    I used to run alone in my local park, so I know where you're coming from.

    I bought a high vis thing from amazon that also has little battery powered LEDs in it . I felt safer in this because I was more obvious to those around (so if someone tried to drag me into a bush I'd still stand out while I fought them off!)

    I would only run in the dark in the mornings though, because:

    1) that's when most other people are out (walking dogs, exercising etc)
    2) it's getting lighter rather than darker
    3) people expect me back at the house/at work etc at a certain time, so if something happened the alarm would be raised quickly.

    I know it's really scary at the moment with what happened the other week, so obviously listen to your gut, but please don't let the actions of men deter you from what you enjoy. Also, if you see any other women on your walk, don't be afraid to ask if you can walk with them. I certainly wouldn't mind if someone asked me.

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