Running Safely (Read 1023 times)

I'm getting back into running and have been spending the past couple months on the treadmill indoors due to severe cold weather aversion. But as the weather's gotten nicer, I've started to take my runs outside again. I usually run about 5 miles a day, but every time I get about a mile from campus I get a nagging feeling that I'm not really protected. I always run in broad daylight, wear bright clothing, stay on main roads, etc., but the city that I live in doesn't have the best town/gown relationships, and the areas within running distance are fairly low-income. I haven't had any trouble in the past, but I feel like it's only a matter of time. I'd really like tips on what sort of things I should carry with me, and any other safety precautions that I should be taking. In terms of cell phone, pepper spray, etc., any tips on carrying it in warmer weather when I don't have a jacket with pockets to put things in? I absolutely hate to carry things in my hands when I run, usually I just stick my iPod and my ID card in a pocket (or sports bra, desperate times...) and off I go....

You should always carry your cell and pepper spray if you can. Take a local self defense class, they will show you the key zones to get away from your attacker. Run in a better area if you can or run with a friend. As far as carrying stuff, they make fanny pack type belts to hold stuff in.

Dear Fancy footwork, I peaked at your profile and saw that you list yourself from Iowa/CT. I'm assuming that you're going to school here in CT. There are some pretty decent schools here that are in neighborhoods, that I certainly wouldn't run in never mind having a female friend run in them. Not knowing which school you're going to, it's hard to make a recommendation on where to run and I certainly don't want to discourage you from running. My first advise would be to look for a running group here inthe State. Check out Hartford Track club for starters. Even if it's not ocal to you, they may have some links to others near you and they do have members from all over. If you do run, then I would certainly advise carrying pepper spray, a cell phone and a whistle. if in trouble you can use the whistle to attract attention. As for self defense, okay advice but these days the criminals seem to be carrying weapons.

I live in a college town, and the surrounding village is very small, so I find myself doing a lot of country running, which is dangerous in itself because of the seclusion, the long stretches of fields and no houses, little traffic, loose dogs, etc. I try to do loops in the village or around the campus, but that gets very boring and repetitive. The best thing I've found is latching onto the women's cross country team. They follow a very particular route and run in a pack. I lag behind them, but still feel the safety of numbers. When you say "campus" I'm assuming it's a college. Does the college have a team? Just an idea, not always practical, and definitely not as much a consideration in the summer.

Just something to think about: if you carry mace, don't put it in a pouch. You won't have time to unzip it, find it, aim it . . . if you feel like you need it, keep it in your hand. How about a personal alarm? Pull the pin and it scares the daylights out of anyone within earshot . . . and cannot be used against you. I don't run alone early in the morning, and I live in a lovely suburban neighborhood. Safety in numbers!

Dear Fancy footwork, I peaked at your profile and saw that you list yourself from Iowa/CT. I'm assuming that you're going to school here in CT. There are some pretty decent schools here that are in neighborhoods, that I certainly wouldn't run in never mind having a female friend run in them. Not knowing which school you're going to, it's hard to make a recommendation on where to run and I certainly don't want to discourage you from running.

Thanks! You're right, I'm going to school in Connecticut, New Haven to be exact. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that area, but most of my runs tend to take me out toward West Haven and some of the parks out there. I try to stay north of the Oak Street Connector, though there's a really nice route around the harbor that's tough to stay away from. The safest area would probably be around Science Hill and Prospect Street. I do this one sometimes, but it gets repetitive and frankly is not a run that I particularly enjoy to begin with. I will look into running clubs. Hartford is not a viable option since I don't have a car, but I'd think there are probably clubs around New Haven.

The best thing I've found is latching onto the women's cross country team. They follow a very particular route and run in a pack. I lag behind them, but still feel the safety of numbers.

This is a really great idea. As a beginner, I worry that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the team, but it's worth a shot, I'm definitely going to contact them.

When I first moved out of my parents' house, I was afraid of every neighborhood I ever lived in at first. Eventually, I learned that low-income doesn't necessarily mean dangerous. I lived in some expensive neighborhoods that were quite dangerous, and some dirt-poor neighborhoods where locals would stop and help you fix your car.

Mr R, I do think there's some truth to this, which is why I'm reluctant to rule out running in the city altogether. Campus police does a good job of sending out emails to the student body whenever an assault occurs (which is relatively infrequent). Everything I've heard has been students walking alone at obscene hours of the night, and I've never heard anything about a runner being targeted (and there are a lot of runners). And in truth, no one seems to pay me much mind, and I never get leered at (at least not that I've noticed). That said, I know it only takes one incident for something really bad to happen. Unfortunately, none of my friends are runners, but I do intend to look into the XC team and running clubs in the area, and I'm definitely going to invest in some pepper spray. I also think I'll start leaving notes with my route drawn out and when I intend to be back so that I'll be accounted for. (I always tell my roommates when they're around, but a lot of times there's no one in the room when I leave). Thanks for the comments everybody!

Given what you've said, and as someone who moved from Southern Indiana to the upper west side of NYC for college , I'm going to say I agree a lot with Mr R. Although he left out the type of crime I suspect you're more afraid of, which is opportunistic physical and sexual assualt. My NYC running days were in the late '80s -- the Central Park Jogger days -- so I'm definitely familiar with that fear. Please do leave the iPod at home. It's not only a theft target, but also makes you less aware of your surroundings. I completely agree on the questionable utility of a cell phone, since it's not going to help you at all to stop an attack once it starts, and I don't know how it would deter one in the first place. By all means, run with some pepper spray in your hand if it will make you feel more comfortable. But I bet with time, and as you establish your routes, you'll start to feel it's less necessary. The midday running has pros and cons: it's daylight, which is good, but there are likely fewer other joggers and other folks around on a lot of streets/routes. As an urban female runner, I rely mostly on common sense and awareness, and also on either the visibility that comes from safety in numbers (mostly other runners, walkers, etc., but traffic can count too), or the fact that most bad guys are asleep at 6 am. Have you checked out this site's route finder and the USATF site for New Haven routes? That might give you some ideas for routes too. I know you said the Science Hill route doesn't appeal to you, but if it's the one that's safest (I've no idea; I don't know the area), you might want to get over that and live with a little repitition (think of it as a fun way to track your progress over one route). I like your idea of leaving route information, that's always a good idea. Your school likely has a running club, doesn't it? Oh, I just Googled, and here's what I found: http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/9422. There's probably a community based one too -- here's another Google find: http://running.meetup.com/164/.