Do you feel secure running alone at night? (Page 3)

In the spring and fall I'm a bit nervous because the bears are out and hungry.

I am not afraid to run anywhere in my city of 1.2 million and sometime run until midnight or a touch later.

We had a crazy guy attack morning bike commuters the other day, pretty isolated incident and he's in the psych ward now.

Edited by simpsonbo 2013-09-19 7:34 PM

The entire state is a high crime area by Euro standards.

Guys

The best defense weapon is common sense and awareness. The next is a fully charged cell phone and the final for me is a CW Kahr. 40 cal. Tucked away in my pack.

It's there not just for my safety but also someone else's. I'm an avid shooter and practice often so I'm comfortable with fire arms,if you don't like them or are frightened of them please carry mace. No matter how big you are anyone can and do get hurt.

Be aware and follow your gut.

Joe

Carrying a firearm is not an option outside the US and quite frankly I don't want to live in a place where Joe schmo's are packing a chunk.

FWIW, if you're running in the AM, having an uberbright headlamp can also work as a first-line of immediate protection. It's not going to stop a determined attacker, but 400 lumens of light (similar to a car's headlight) to the eyes at close range will definitely cause enough disorientation that you'll at least have a temporary advantage to run, cry for help, etc. Tactical flashlights function exactly by this principle, which is why cops often use them in duty - you will have a real, temporary, nondestructive advantage while that light is in their face and not yours.

Options:
- Fenix sells a really good 200 lumen flashlight. (Get rechargeables - it eats batteries fast because it's so bright)

- This light is insanely bright if you can find a place for the bulky battery pack (I put one in a Camelbak pocket) and the headband is excellent for running. As bright as a car headlight on high , so not for use in heavily trafficked roads but great if you're an early AM runner who's usually alone in the dark. It's so bright that there's almost no darkness when you run, at least in front of you - everything is lit!

http://www.amazon.com/Lumen-Bicycle-HeadLight-Flashlight-Headlamp/d...

I think the risk of a personal assault is vastly overrated.

The vast majority of people are not lurking around waiting to attack you or somebody else. In the very unlikely event that somebody actually get the idea to hang around at night with ill intentions, he's likely in bad shape from all the waiting and won't notice you till you're past. You may think you're captain Slow, but the potential attacker is captain "Must ... Stop ... Catch ... Breath!" ETA: If you really think there's a high risk of somebody waiting for easy prey, wearing a head lamp may just expose yourself hand have them ready when you pass.

The more likely risk you should consider is this:

Lack of light and an uneven path increases the risk that you trip and injure yourself, and there are likely nobody to help you. Bring a cell phone. If the path is in the open you may see better once your eyes adjust to the night, otherwise bring a head light.

In my personal case: I live in Europe, crime is not really a concern. The park where I run there are tons of runners at any time of the day when the park is open. Most of it is lit, but some paths aren't and it's wise to bring a light to avoid getting run down by other runners.

Edited by erik.norgaard 2013-09-20 2:44 AM

No I don't feel secure but it's probably because I read too much news and am paranoid. I run at night anyway and try to stick to well lit streets in populated areas. There have been times when the entire run has been consumed with thoughts of someone about to jump out of the bushes ... lol ... it likely makes me faster though! My dad says he feels sorry for anyone that might try to attack me ... ha!

Like a lot of posters have said, I have had issues of uneven sidewalks (I have tripped many times) and seeing coyotes (in residential) and these are probably things I should be more concerned about.

Booo!

How did you know my last name was Schmo????

Lol

Joe