Run Safer
A few weeks ago the running community was buzzing about staying safe on runs after there were several reports of runners being killed. While these incidents are not the norm, it never hurts to bring awareness to the issue of safety. Personally I take precautions on my runs, but I find that I get lazy or complacent, and sometimes a good reminder is needed to bring attention back to the topic. I happened to listen to a podcast on my run that did just that.
As a fan of the Runners Connect podcast, I instantly was grabbed by the new episode titled "Do You Know What to Do if Your Life is in Danger When You are on a Run?". Most of the time the tips for staying safe are on prevention, but the title of this podcast jumped out at me because it raised a question that I did not know if I could answer. Sure, I take steps to prevent an attack, but would I truly know how to defend myself if something actually happened? I started to listen to the podcast and it opened with Todd Williams saying "How to win. If I am out on my run, jog or walk, I want to win". A strong statement.
While I won't spoil the podcast, I would recommend it to anyone. Whether you are a runner or not, the tips provided in this podcast are applicable to anyone at any time. While you hear about runners being attacked, things can happen while you are walking to your car leaving a bar late at night or in a parking garage. While prevention is certainly key, some of the discussion is around ways to buy yourself precious seconds during an attack which can make the difference between life or death. Any advantage you can make for yourself means that there is a chance that someone will come by to your rescue or that the attacker will just give up because it is taking more work than he or she thought.
Some of the key things that stood out to me:
1. If you are pushed to the ground, throw gravel or dirt in the attackers eyes
2. Yelling out a name such as "Todd" instead of "help" might make the attacker think you are with someone and that someone is going to be coming along the path any second
3. Start a neighborhood group where a group of you go out running/walking at the same time to give you strength in numbers
4. Dress rehearsal - practice using your mace/knife/whatever and some of the techniques for fighting off attackers. Don't wait until you are being attacked to figure out what you would do. It should be second nature to you on how to defend yourself. Find someone who will offer a safety/defense class to you and some friends once a month to keep up with your skills.
I enjoy running on trails and often do so by myself as running is the time I take for me. I know that this puts me in more danger than others, but I plan to incorporate many of the tips and self defense techniques on the podcast and RunSafer site to ensure that I am run safe at all times on the trails and by myself.
The podcast can be found here: https://runnersconnect.net/running-interviews/todd-williams/
The RunSafer site is here: http://www.runsafer.com/
The workshops look amazing and would be worthwhile for anyone to check out in 2017 if Todd is coming to your state. However, all the techniques are found on his site which he is adamant about providing at a free cost as safety should not come with a price tag.
Be safe!
As a fan of the Runners Connect podcast, I instantly was grabbed by the new episode titled "Do You Know What to Do if Your Life is in Danger When You are on a Run?". Most of the time the tips for staying safe are on prevention, but the title of this podcast jumped out at me because it raised a question that I did not know if I could answer. Sure, I take steps to prevent an attack, but would I truly know how to defend myself if something actually happened? I started to listen to the podcast and it opened with Todd Williams saying "How to win. If I am out on my run, jog or walk, I want to win". A strong statement.
While I won't spoil the podcast, I would recommend it to anyone. Whether you are a runner or not, the tips provided in this podcast are applicable to anyone at any time. While you hear about runners being attacked, things can happen while you are walking to your car leaving a bar late at night or in a parking garage. While prevention is certainly key, some of the discussion is around ways to buy yourself precious seconds during an attack which can make the difference between life or death. Any advantage you can make for yourself means that there is a chance that someone will come by to your rescue or that the attacker will just give up because it is taking more work than he or she thought.
Some of the key things that stood out to me:
1. If you are pushed to the ground, throw gravel or dirt in the attackers eyes
2. Yelling out a name such as "Todd" instead of "help" might make the attacker think you are with someone and that someone is going to be coming along the path any second
3. Start a neighborhood group where a group of you go out running/walking at the same time to give you strength in numbers
4. Dress rehearsal - practice using your mace/knife/whatever and some of the techniques for fighting off attackers. Don't wait until you are being attacked to figure out what you would do. It should be second nature to you on how to defend yourself. Find someone who will offer a safety/defense class to you and some friends once a month to keep up with your skills.
I enjoy running on trails and often do so by myself as running is the time I take for me. I know that this puts me in more danger than others, but I plan to incorporate many of the tips and self defense techniques on the podcast and RunSafer site to ensure that I am run safe at all times on the trails and by myself.
The podcast can be found here: https://runnersconnect.net/running-interviews/todd-williams/
The RunSafer site is here: http://www.runsafer.com/
The workshops look amazing and would be worthwhile for anyone to check out in 2017 if Todd is coming to your state. However, all the techniques are found on his site which he is adamant about providing at a free cost as safety should not come with a price tag.
Be safe!
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