Staying Safe When You Run

Sharing is caring!

Today on my run I got spooked. I was running in the grass fields near the woods where we always take our dogs. There are two fields, and there is a heavy thicket of bushes between the two. I got the feeling someone (or something) was watching me from inside of those bushes. I couldn’t shake it. I kept turning around to see if there was anything behind me. I had one dog with me but he was running ahead of me. It was a weird feeling. I have no idea if anything was really there or not, but it bothered me enough that I headed back for the woods toward my house. Call it intuition, but I really felt like there was something there.

A few days ago, I was running with all 3 of our dogs, when one of them clipped me from behind and sent me flying. I went down pretty hard. I scraped up the skin underneath the knee, twisted my ankle, and have a couple bruises. As I was hobbling home, I was thinking about running safety. And then I was thinking about it again today. Today might have been nothing, and the fall in the woods was definitely a fluke, but it got me to thinking about how to stay safe on your runs.

Be alert. Running by yourself, it’s easy to get in a zone. When I run by myself (or with a dog) is usually when I do my best thinking. But you need to be aware of your surroundings. That means not listening to music. I know a lot of my running friends love to listen to music when they run. But if you’re listening to music, you can’t hear traffic around you, or someone behind you. Where I live there are a lot of sharp corners that you can’t see around, and cars come flying by. I can’t tell you how many times I have almost been hit because drivers aren’t paying attention.

Run with a partner, or your dog. I know, I know, I went down because of one of my dogs. But as soon as I did, all 3 dogs stopped in their tracks. They didn’t continue running…they waited to see if I was ok. And there really is safety in numbers. I had a friend in college who was running on a well traveled trail just off the bike path when a man with a knife and duct tape jumped out from behind a bush and attacked her. She managed to get away, but she was beaten up pretty badly. Ever since then, I have been super cautious about where I run when I am by myself. 

Bring a phone. That way if you get lost or need help, you can call someone or look up directions to get back. I have to admit I almost never do this, unless I am running by myself in a new place. But I have a few familiar routes I tend to stick to, and I prefer to run with people or dogs, so I’m not usually alone.

What are your best tips for staying safe when you run? 

Linking up with the Mommy Monday Blog Hop.