Runners/Walkers/Bikers PSA

Ladies and gentlemen - if you are running/walking/biking alone and you find yourself isolated - meaning no

Medics work on someone found on the trail

one else is around - and someone is laying on the ground or gets close enough to ask you for help - go the other way.

Sure, this sounds like I'm the worst person in the world. But, I assure you, I have a method to my madness and a plan that will not leave an innocent person unprotected or unhelped!

Yes, of course, you take a step away and you call 911. Do not allow yourself to get close unless you are with someone else who can absolutely protect you if things go really bad. Ideally, you will just call 911 and not get into any situation.

Why? Because this is how predators attract their next victims.Ted Bundy always approached his victims in a sling asking for help - check out the Murderpedia if you don't believe me. Or check out your local trail news to find all the people who thought they were helping someone in need and got raped, kidnapped or murdered.

Get it? You can be a helpful, good, honest person while still keeping a healthy two-car length between you and ANYone else. Men, women, children. . .anyone.

Be Aware

And for heaven's sake - take an ear bud out. You're like a limping gazelle out there in your own world.

Be aware!

People, the world doesn't revolve around you - but predators do. They love that you run in your own world with the attitude that this is your time while you listen to your music and push through the day.

They love how you get tired. They love to trail you in your mental isolation until you are alone - and then they will strike.

What hope do you have of protecting yourself if you willfully blind yourself and remain unaware of the world around you? At the very least, be aware of those around you.

I'd be very sad if something happened to you.

Protect Yourself
Let's face it - if someone wants to attack you for any reason, s/he will succeed. The point of safety is to make a predator not want to attack you because it will be too difficult to get what s/he wants. You don't want to be an easy target and you want to be able to defend yourself effectively.

Here are some tips:

• Don't publicly post your running/walking/biking routes. It's popular to do so with things like RunKeeper or MapMyFitness to post your routes. Don't make these public, don't let people who you don't know access them. If anything, don't post them at all. Human tend to be creatures of habit and we also tend to run/walk/bike close to our homes - yep. Homes. Not a good thought - having a predator know you are out on a run and be waiting in your home?
• Build a team and run/bike/walk with someone. While this is not a fail-safe, having a second set of eyes and a second body makes you less likely to be a target. Also, should you have a bad fall or something, you got someone there to help you.
• Make sure someone knows where you are and when you should be done you workout. What if you broke your leg and no one knew where you were? You'd want someone to start looking for you before you are out there for a few days, you know? Just look up stories of hikers who got lost for days - it wasn't a fun time.
• Practice your defense. Many women I know carry Mace - often in a pink carrier - but few have ever fired it. Fewer still know it can expire. Fewer STILL can't even access it easily when running. If you are going to carry a weapon or tool should someone attack you, at least know how to use it. Practice some self-defense moves - boys and girls - or take a class once a year. If you have never hit someone, learn to hit someone. In a situation where someone is coming at you to hurt you, you want to be direct.

I'm a tiger of safely!

I was raised by someone in law enforcement, so, I was raised to think in terms of predators and victims. As an adult, when I want to protect myself, I try to think like someone who wants to do harm to someone else - that someone else being me. If I wanted to rape me or kill me, what would I do? I would check out the Internet, I would try to find locations, I would isolate and I would surprise.