However, the excitement quickly dissipated when we realized that Anna's car window had been smashed in, all of her belongings taken. No phone, no purse, no shoes. The glass was all over her car, scattered across the pavement. It had just gotten dark outside, and the park's parking lot was barely lit. There were two other runners behind us, who simply got in their car and left, without a word.
My coping mechanism for stressful situations is to laugh and make jokes, when internally I'm FREAKING out. It was a scary situation, but made worse thinking about the "what if's."
What if one of us was not there? If your phone is stolen, how are you suppose to get help? What if people were watching us? How do you depend on strangers to help, should you? On, and on...
If you exercise outside, running, biking, walking, then you know the story. You may get dogs barking, drivers not slowing down, or maybe slowing down a little too much, or random people yelling ridiculous things out the window (like they really believe that it will get you to flash them). All of that is pretty predicable, you wave it off and go about your business. However, there are other situations that are expected. How do you prepare?
(This post needed a visual, this is my sis-in-law and I before our first marathon!)
It really comes down to being prepared and being aware. There's bound to be a situation that comes up that you don't expect. The park we were at is surrounded by gorgeous homes, trails and a river- Not a place you'd ever expect something bad to happen. But alas.
(Kyle has pestered me for years about carrying my cell phone on me. Lesson learned.)
Hopefully this will help you enjoy running more, knowing you're prepared for any situation!
Do you have any more tips?! I'd love to hear them :)
Happy Running!
(And I promise if I see you getting chased by a dog on the streets of A2, I will do my best to tackle it.)
That is so scary! I always feel paranoid about things like this happening, but it's better to be safe than sorry!
ReplyDeleteGlad you and your friend are okay. My safety tip: I have a clip on keychain mace to attach to a running belt since I sometimes run at night. Makes me feel a bit more secure!
ReplyDeleteHappy running!
I love the clip idea too. I should make my way to a running store and find all of the latest gadgets for safety! Someone else mentioned a Road ID, which makes total sense, way more useful than a regular ID if there is an emergency.
ReplyDeleteLove your tips on runner safety. Very helpful!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's great to have this info in one place!
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