SCARED OF THE TREADMILL?!!!

Dang, you just scared me out of running anywhere! I can't imagine needing such an arsenal for running, sorry to hear you live in such a bad area. I'm female as well and feel safe as a bug where I live, don't need to bring any weapons at all. Hopefully the original poster doesn't live in such a scary area either.

AnotherLadyRunner wrote:

I will always carry my phone with me, pepper spray, and I wear a GoGuarded knife ring. If it isn't dark when I go out, I will only carry my phone unless I am in an unfamiliar area then it all comes along with me.

...Oops, just realized you were talking about running at night. Makes more sense now.

I've fallen off the treadmill. I was having gait analysis done so they had a video of my foot flying off the back as well.

Maybe practise jumping off it so you feel less scared.

15yroldskeenylegend wrote:

I really want to get into running. I live in MI where it is cold.............Do you guys think it is safe for a 15 yr old female to run alone around her neighborhood? I'm vv scared of getting kidnapped and I am extremely flighty and anxious.

I'm in MI, also....safety also depends on the neighborhood you plan on running in. It's unfortunate the we have to deal with degenerates while we're out and about. Most of my running is at the local school track, because I am fed up with poor drivers, inconsiderate drivers, people throwing things, people shouting things (quite the age range participates in this...).

To answer, succinctly, the question: "Is it safe for a 15 year old girl to run alone in her neighborhood?" is not easy in today's day and age.

The answer starts to evolve when you add in the variables...quality of neighborhood, amount of traffic, weather, the actual roads you run on, how big a loop you run, etc. As a younger runner, I'd recommend finding someone to run with.

Mixing things up may help, also...this means not running at the same time, same area, every day. Check the tips others have provided here, and read up on some online article about running alone & safety concerns.

David Goldberg died on a treadmill. Maybe he leaned in too much.

https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/health/goldberg-treadmill-accident-cases/index.html

dreadmill wrote:

David Goldberg died on a treadmill. Maybe he leaned in too much.

https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/health/goldberg-treadmill-accident-cases/index.html

That’s literally the last thing the OP wants to see.

15yroldskeenylegend wrote:

So, long story short, the general consensus is:

I really want to get into running. I live in MI where it is cold, but f**ck it, i'm just gonna have to start up a running watch and take my sorry ass on some laps around the neighborhood. Do you guys think it is safe for a 15 yr old female to run alone around her neighborhood? I'm vv scared of getting kidnapped and I am extremely flighty and anxious.

I was able to get over the fear by sticking putting it at a super high grade to start so i could only walk on it. get used to the belt underneath your feet. you can actually get a decent workout walking uphill at 12%+ so keep trying this. practice jumping to the side and getting back on. once you can handle this, slowly start decreasing the grade so your speed gets faster.

eventually, you won't be nervous.

It’s a good idea to start out walking for the first five minutes as a warmup. Run slowly on the treadmill until you start to feel comfortable on it. Increase your speed slowly. Don’t try to match your outdoor speed yet.

It’s like learning to ride a bike. You’ll get the hang of it in a couple weeks or sooner.

yeah, that confirms it. outside it is.

just wondering though, can it make u sick to run in the cold??

Where in MI? I grew up in central MI, I ran year round. I went to college in the UP, we got 300 inches of snow a winter, I ran nearly year round. Sometimes there was just too much snow and no place left to run so I XC skied, but it was never the cold. You can get proper clothes for that. Much more so now than when I was doing it and just learning there were alternatives to cotton.

Really, "too cold" is a poor excuse.

That said, due to adult obligations I do run the majority of my miles on a treadmill. I don't know what advice to give you, I've never had an issue and have run up to 2000 miles/year on a treadmill.

They later determined that Dave Goldberg's death was caused by a fatal arrhythmia.

I take it a bit easy (no hard intervals) on days colder than -10 celcius (14F).

Cross country skiers often get asthmarelated problems, but mind you, they train hard in very cold conditions from young age to develop this, and it is called "kuldeastma" i.e. coldasthma which means they only get problems when pushing themselves in cold weather.

osaka wrote:

Treadmill running makes me anxious. It feels confining and a little unsafe, especially if you're cranking it up around 12, 13mph.

Unfortunately, it's really the only option during winter months in the coldest climates.

No it's not. Get some appropriate winter weather gear. I live in northern Vermont, and run outdoors throughout the winter . Some of the best running days of the year are January mornings when it is sunny and still and near 0°F. Great traction on packed snow at those temps, and it is beatiful. My record is -20F Not an issue as long as I keep moving. I always run outdoors.

dreadmill wrote:

David Goldberg died on a treadmill. Maybe he leaned in too much.

https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/health/goldberg-treadmill-accident-cases/index.html

"How does a seemingly healthy 47-year-old millionaire die in a treadmill accident?"

This is a really bad opening line for an article on gym safety, but a really good answer on "Jeopardy."