male privilege wrote:
But i am guessing you are a man who has never had to worry about this yet somehow thinks yourself an authority on the subject because of some article you read online once.
You are an hysterical woman who somehow thinks you are an authority on the subject because you're paranoid.
Ran on the Parade Ground (just like our National Mall) in Canberra at night once & just missed a large kangaroo. They’re actually quite imposing close-up.
Fear of the dark
Fear of the dark
I have a phobia that something's always near
I love running at night, and many of my best runs have been after dark. Within the past year, though, I've had a few instances of tripping on uneven ground and eating sh*t. One fall took me out for about 3 months. So i'm more hesitant now, especially if the area is poorly lit.
Facts are your privilege wrote:
male privilege wrote:
But i am guessing you are a man who has never had to worry about this yet somehow thinks yourself an authority on the subject because of some article you read online once.
You are an hysterical woman who somehow thinks you are an authority on the subject because you're paranoid.
Nope. I am pointing out how easy it is for a man to dismiss the notion that running in the dark is unsafe when he’s never had to deal with the same fears women have. Why don’t you report back to me after you’ve been followed home by a man?
Nope. I am pointing out how easy it is for a man to dismiss the notion that running in the dark is unsafe when he’s never had to deal with the same fears women have. Why don’t you report back to me after you’ve been followed home by a man?
I'm a man, but I was mugged 3 times at night when I was in college (decades ago) so I can understand concerns over safety. I was merely walking at the time though. I suspect many are wondering how many predators actually chase after people running . Fortunately I live in a safer city now, Boulder, though I have heard fears from some women about running in the dark anywhere, including here. Unfortunately people have a hard time assessing risks and tend to fear things that are possible... even if they aren't likely.
I will note that many of the posts refer to running before sunrise. I suspect its much safer at that time of day than in the evening since it seems the odds are there aren't many, if any, of the same sort of potential stalkers you seem to fear wandering around at that time of day. If you wear a bright headlamp, people are also unlikely to be able to see you well since they are blinded by the light. They won't get a good look at you to decide to stalk you (unless they are just looking for anyone). I don't know how many of these potential stalkers are actually runners able to follow someone who is running home. If you are doing a cool down walk, unless you are too exhausted, it seems like if you are worried about someone walking to follow you, you could run a bit to lose them before walking back.
I don't bother with this, but if you run close enough to houses (rather than on isolated trails away from people) you could always carry the sort of loud alarms/horns they make which would likely scare any attacker away if its enough to wake the neighbors, or other defensive items like mace, and a phone setup with headphones to dial 911 on voice command. I haven't worried about safety for many years so I hadn't checked on options. I wonder if they make any sort of ring with a button with bluetooth to trigger an automated call to 911 with a button push.
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I do the majority of my winter running after dark (I'm not a morning person and the sun sets at frickin' 4:30pm). When conditions permit, I do these runs on trails (gravel carriage roads) instead of the roads. My first experiments with nighttime trail running by headlamp were a bit spooky, but I'm now totally desensitized to it. If there's a full moon, I'll turn my headlamp off and just crank out the miles under the moon. Running in the dark is magical. You aren't going to get eaten by a bear or a cougar, nor will you be murdered by a psychopath lurking in the woods. Don't stress. #justdoit
I'm a big fan of running in the dark. I pick a small light in the distance I'm running toward and then do my best to make it stay still as I run. Great feedback.
Cuz I can't see good.
What a loaded subject!
I run all my runs during the week in the dark, after work and sometimes after dinner, and this time of year, that means it's always dark. I run up and down the streets of my residential neighborhood, which are mostly lit by streetlights, but in some cases are not.
I never use a headlamp except for a rather dim red light so i can be seen by the few cars i might come across. And i wear lots of reflective running apparel (i.e.: running vest). But the reason i don't wear a headlamp is exactly in line with the fears expressed by many in this discussion. I simply don't want to limit myself by any fear of running in the dark, and if I use a headlamp, i'm afraid it will become a crutch, so to speak. So, just about my entire route is hills and i commonly run the downhill portions at a fair clip, which for me, is about 7 to 8 min./mile pace, and in the dark, that takes a little bit of faith.
For all that, i can tell you it is tremendously exhilarating. The neighborhood is delightful, hardly any traffic, there's people out walking their dogs (including women alone), and i get to run in the streets. Please note that during the day, i only run on the sidewalks since I would be unaware of a car coming up behind me, but at night, the light from their headlights warns me well in advance.
The only falls i've had have been on the sidewalk and that was usually because i was looking at something else and missed seeing a big rut or something.
As for the risk of getting attacked, that basically is not very likely in neighborhood which is upscale and comparatively safe. I asked my wife if that would be a view shared by a woman and she says, yes, especially if your are running.
As a skinny 7 foot man with ridiculously long limbs, I run in the forest at night, off the paths.
czxczxc wrote:
As a skinny 7 foot man with ridiculously long limbs, I run in the forest at night, off the paths.
You are 7 feet tall?
I typically run in the dark as well but sometimes I just need some
Sunshine (office all day) so
I plan a midday run. Also if you live in extremely cold climates running in the dark can be brutal
so I’ll wait for it to warm up (I have asthma so a 20 degree increase makes a world of a difference). And recently I stepped in a new pot hole and really screwed up my foot so there’s that too!
I’ve run into wayyy too many coyotes very early in the dark or evening (even in the suburbs) and sometimes it too close for comfort.
To each there own I suppose. For me I’d rather run very early in the dark or late rather than no
Run at all...