Run for Sherry and run safe.

On Saturday the 9th, I ran in memory of Sherry Arnold, the Montana runner who was abducted and killed on her morning run on January 7th, 2012. The 2nd annual virtual "Run for Sherry" made me really think about runner safety. Safety is a big issue to me...I've blogged on it before, but it is such an important topic that I will likely talk about it again and again. Statistically, running is a very safe activity, but being prepared is an advantage. We pray we never need to use that preparedness.

I read several articles and some research papers today about self-defense for women and I learned a few things. Did you know that if you are in a situation where you need help (and there are others around to help you), if you just scream, "Help me!" most people will do nothing?! People often do not want to get involved when they hear "help me" because they may be unsure of what they are witnessing or be confused about what they should do. The article explains that people respond better when told exactly what is happening or what to do, so you should scream something like, "Call the police", "This person is attacking me" or "Get him away from me!" Tell people what you need and more people are apt to do something. (This made me think how we teach kids to yell, "help, I don't know this person," if a stranger tries to bother them. That explains to bystanders what is going on.)

I've read many times that most human predators are much like animal predators: they are looking for easy prey and they specifically look for those that look weak or distracted. If you run confidently, head up, looking strong, aware of your surroundings, most predators won't be interested. That means pay attention to what's going on around you. Take mental notes. Don't run with headphones blaring...wear just one headphone so you can hear what's happening.

I once ran up behind a lady in my community who was walking with her headphones on. They were blasting so loudly I could hear her music from at least 15 feet back. Not wanting to scare her to death, I started loudly saying, "On your left," as I approached her. At 3 feet away, she still hadn't heard me so I kept repeating myelf. As I went to pass her she leaped sideways and screamed, almost falling into the bushes. She yelled at me for being inconsiderate, and when I passed her on my return trip (thankfully heading towards her this time) she was still blasting away. The Incredible Hulk could've snuck up behind her and she wouldn't have heard him. Not a good thing.

In a self-defense class I took in college, I remember the instructor telling us one of the most important tools we have is our instinct. He told us we should trust our gut feelings. If something feels wrong, or off, there is a good chance it is. There have been runs where I've turned around or gone a different way because I didn't like the looks of a parked car or noticed that things were particularly dark because a streetlight was out. I do admit to once being ready to dial 911 after a truck coming towards me was driving erratically and kept slowing down...just as I was about to hit "send" and turn around to book it back home, I realized it was a newspaper delivery truck. Hey, better safe than sorry!

I thought a lot about Sherry Arnold as I ran in her memory last weekend. I hope she smiled down on the many, many runners that ran for her. I pray for peace for her family and that she continues to remind us to run safe.

What do you do to stay safe while you're running?  

I'll be posting the Click contest winner tomorrow! You can still enter up through midnight PST!