Personal Jogging Safety

• Let someone know where you're going. Whether you're jogging around the local neighborhood, along city streets or on a jogging trail in a park, be sure to tell someone where you'll be jogging and for how long so they know when to expect you back home.

• Carry your cell phone. Slip the cell phone in an arm band that holds small items or in a thin fanny pack or in a zippered pocket of a jacket. You can put the jacket around your waist and not worry about anything falling out.

  A few years ago I was jogging and listening to my music enjoying myself (more on music safety later) and had put my keys in my jacket pocket. The pocket did not zip close. That was my first mistake. I was jogging along a bike path that was part paved and part dirt path. Foolishly I had jogged on both surfaces. Anyway, when I finished my jog and tried to locate my keys they were not in my pocket. My heart dropped! I had jogged five miles and had no idea where the keys had fallen. Of course, my cell phone was in the car so I couldn't call anyone either. I was definitely panicked.

  If you've ever misplaced or lost your wallet or car keys than you know the sickening feeling that sits in your stomach. I searched all the way to the end of the trail and back without any luck. I was lucky that a fellow woman jogger from the neighborhood saw my distress and offered me a ride home.

  I did everything to find my keys and even went out later with my husband to try to locate them. I even called in the hounds. Well...not really. My hound was a Bichon Frise and he was more interested in sniffing vegetation and sign posts, not car keys. We didn't have any luck and I never found them.

  Take home lesson: use zippered pockets, an arm band with a zipper or fanny pack or shoe wallet with (of course!) a zipper to keep your valuables with you.

• Wear identification such as a shoe tag, wrist or ankle band with your name, phone number and person to contact in case of emergency.

  I used to jog with my wallet or license and found it to be a hassle. Sometimes I would forget to bring identification, but the tragedy of the Ashlyn Dyer story got many of us joggers thinking about our own personal jogging safety. It seems you just can't be careful enough sometimes even when you're jogging in a place that has little traffic. Bring a copy of your driver's license instead of the whole wallet to lighten the load.

• Know your surroundings. It's particularly important for jogging women to be aware of their personal jogging safety since most victims of assault are women. If you're traveling out of town and interested in jogging in the area where you're visiting, talk to people at the front desk of the hotel and find out what they have to say about the area. They may not be joggers so take their advice with a grain of salt.

  Check out the area with a rental car and see if there are lots of dog walkers, pedestrians or shady characters walking around. Exercise your best judgment but if you're unsure, play it safe and use the treadmill at the hotel to avoid any problems.

• Be aware even though you may be listening to music, books on tape or learning a second language using your mp3player. Jogging lends itself to deep thought because it gives you alone time reflect on your life. Music, while motivating and exciting, is also distracting and can, therefore, compromise your personal jogging safety.

  Your personal jogging safety depends on your ability to remain alert and attentive to what's going on around you. Always scan your eyes to be aware of what's in front, to the side or coming up from behind you.
  

  
  
• Jog facing traffic since it's better to know what's coming at you so you can react rather than being hit by someone who's not paying attention, drunk or distracted. It's clearly dangerous to your personal jogging safety whenever you jog where there's traffic, but sometimes it can't be avoided.

  Stay as far on the side of the road as you can. There's no point trying to challenge a driver since they're in the safety of their car and quite able to do serious bodily injury to you.

  It's best to always keep you personal jogging safety in mind since you want to be able to get home in one piece to your family.

• Beware of dogs. Joggers and dogs are not always a good mix since one is a moving target and the other likes to chase moving targets. It can be dangerous. Always have pepper spray, mace or a dog whistle on you and be able to quickly use it if necessary.

  If you run into a dog that isn't on a leash (and even it is since some owners do not have the strength to hold their dogs beside them) don't look at it in the eyes. He/she may think you're challenging him/her.

  Turn around and go back in the direction you came from. The animal may be less likely to find you interesting since you're walking (it may no longer perceive you as a chew toy) and no longer invading its territory.

  Keep your voice firm the way you would with your own dog if you have one or with a small child being naughty. Tell the dog "no" or "go home".

  Report the dog and owner to the police if this happens more than once so that you don't get hurt and help someone else from being attacked. And rethink where you're jogging. For your own personal jogging safety, you may need to find a new route.
  
  
  Cartoon copied with permission from www.mchumor.com.

  Personal Jogging Safety Back to Jogging101