This morning I decided to ditch the treadmill and take a run on the pavement. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining bright and the humidity wasn’t terrible! All in all, great conditions for a run!

While running around the park I noticed a gentleman (maybe 60 years old) standing next to his car, like normal I nodded my head and said “Good Morning”. Continued with my run, passed quite a few other people out and about enjoying the morning and park views. Today’s run was an endurance run and I was aiming to complete a 10k (6.2 miles). Typically if I’m running outdoors I like to run away from the house half of the distance I want to complete so at the “halfway” mark, all I need to do is turn around, head back to the house and then know that I got the desired # of miles in.

So today I decided to run through a popular trail here in town and it dumped me back out on a busy road where I happen to see the same car and gentleman that was at the park. Tried not to think anything about it but thought it was odd. Fast forward a couple more miles and now I’m at the end of the run when I notice this guy pass in front of me while getting ready to cross the street. When he sees me he quickly makes a u-turn in the middle of the street so now he is driving in the same direction that I’m running. At this point, I’m getting a bit freaked out. What is this guy doing? I’m only blocks away from my house and I certainly don’t want him knowing where I live! So this time when I see him I try to make eye contact with him so that he knows I notice him. He nodded his head and drove up the block a bit and turned into a parking lot. I ended up turning around and running towards the house and just calling it quits on the run. Making dang sure he did not see which house I walked into!

This situation definitely freaked me out a bit but more than anything it makes me so angry. I’m angry that now I feel like I can’t go for a run outdoors, by myself, without fear of someone following me. I want to know what this guys intentions were? I can chalk the second sighting up as a coincidence (even though it was several miles apart), but why the sudden u-turn? It doesn’t make sense but I want to rationalize it so bad just to ease my mind. I don’t want to expect the worst in people and their intentions but it’s so hard not to question this guy’s motives when we’re constantly hearing about human trafficking on the news. At the end of the day, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Luckily my parents always warned me to be aware of my surroundings but sometimes being aware isn’t enough. Below are some other ways to stay safe while running outdoors.

8 Tips to stay safe while running alone outdoors

01 Good Morning. If / when you pass someone on your running trail, nod and say “hi” or “good morning” - this will help you remember their face incase you continue seeing them on different spots of your run. Besides, it’s just kind to acknowledge others with pleasantries.

02 Spice it Up. Don’t run the same route, mix it up so your run isn’t so predictable.

03 Jam out loud. Ditch the headphones and play music from your phone speaker instead. If you’re anything like me, music on a long run is a must! Several years ago, I ditched the headphones and starting playing music from my phone only.

04 Location, Location, Location! Share your location on your phone with someone for the duration of your run.

05 Always trust your gut/intuition. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not. Try not to worry about being wrong about your gut feeling! It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

06 Stay in the light. Run in well-traveled / well-lit areas and let someone know where you’re running and what your destination is!

07 Learn how to protect yourself. Take a self-defense class if possible. My mom and I took a self-defense class years ago, we really ought to take another class just to brush up on it!

08 Bring your bud. Run with a pet. Although it’s much easier to run alone, try running with a pet to help deter any unwanted interactions.

How do you stay safe out and about?

Stay safe friends!

xx, Riss