I hate that I have to write this post. I shouldn’t have to. We should be able to run outdoors without having to worry about someone potentially trying to harm us.
But here we are because there are terrible, terrible people out there.
After the abduction and murder of Eliza Fletcher in Memphis, TN, it is once again a reminder of the importance of doing everything we can to keep ourselves safe while out running in the dark (or really any time of the day for that matter!).
We have every right to be outdoors running at whatever time we would like, but since some people don’t seem to respect this, you may feel compelled to carry protection or arm yourself with tactics and strategies to fight back if someone does try to harm you.
I wrote an Instagram post sharing some tips and things you can do to keep yourself safe while out running by yourself. In the comments, people offered more suggestions–some I forgot to include, others that were new to me, so in this post I have compiled all of the tips and tricks people offered and hopefully it will help keep you safe and give you confidence to run outside if you choose.
When running in the dark, this includes: wearing lighted gear to be seen in order to keep us safe from being hit by a car. (See my favorites in my LTK shop on the app: @therunnersplate.) And then there are all of things we can to do try and keep us safe from people no matter what time of the day we run:
- running with others.
- letting whoever you live with know when you will return from your run and the route you’ll be taking.
- carry pepper spray or a device like @go_guarded or @shes_birdie or @defenderring.
- wear a @roadid.
- use the safety and tracking features in Garmin Connect, Strava, Find my iPhone, or other tracking features in various apps.
- run in safe areas with as much foot or vehicle traffic as possible.
- run in well-lit areas.
- change up the time of day you run, if possible.
- change up the route you run from day to day.
- if you use headphones, one put one in or use Shokz headphones.
- run with a dog.
- take self-defense classes.
- before you leave, take a picture of yourself and send it to someone, so if something happens, they know what you were wearing.
- run on a treadmill if you have too much anxiety running outdoors.
- and most importantly, TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!! (There have been many times I’ve turned around in the opposite direction because of a person or vehicle that gave me an uneasy feeling.)
I hate that we have to take these precautions and it gives some people more anxiety to do what we love. But do whatever you need to do to stay safe and out of harms way. Hopefully you can find some ways to help you feel a little less fearful while running, but if you’re like me, you will always have a little bit of anxiety running outside by yourself.
Be safe, my friend!
