The running in the dark dilemma

[Mom of Scooby]

I'd really like to start running in the morning consistently but some how 5:15am seems much more creepy to me than 5:30 pm.. I live in a busy area so between 5 and 7 pm there are still lots of people out and about and I feel relatively safe..

Not so much at 5:30 am.. ...

There are groups I can meet up with in the morning and at night too... But meeting in the morning would involve packing breakfast, snacks, lunch and all my clothes and shower stuff and showering at work..

How do you early morning runners make it do you feel safe in the dark deserted morning?


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[siamesedream]

I often run late at night. I don't really feel that vulnerable because I'm a guy and I'm not physically small.


I should probably be a bit more wary. I can completely understand this(safety concerns) from a woman's point of view. If I were female I would certainly have more reservations about running late in the evening.

[radial]

I suspect you are safer running early than late.  People who might do you harm don't get up at the ass crack of dawn. 

[Mom of Scooby]

I suspect you are safer running early than late.  People who might do you harm don't get up at the ass crack of dawn.

Well it's not late.. It's mostly either 5:30amor 5:30pm... 5:30 pm there are tons people out..

I wish I knew someone who lived close to me to run..

I can't go to the one morning group I wanted to go to near my work because a certain someone is going to that now


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[RioG]

man, I so miss the evening runs in the dark...

[radial]

I'm either in the dark in the morning or in the evening. I guess as the Winter progresses, I might be both.  I feel safe enough because I'm a guy and capable of self defense and equipped with appropriate tools.  But everything is relative, and relatively speaking, I feel safer stumbling around in the early hours than after sunset. 

[Suesquatch]

The only thing i worry about here are cars.  No sidewalks and on the main road no shoulder.

[Mom of Scooby]

The only thing i worry about here are cars.  No sidewalks and on the main road no shoulder.

I don't worry about cars but I worry about rapists and sexual predators... Is that crazy?


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[caribougrrl]

I love being out at 5 am.

I take a dog with me most of the time, but not always.  I wear a headlamp (see and be seen... my dog gets a blinking red light on the collar).  On the rare occassion I see someone else, I make a point of making eye contact and saying good morning (1. they know you might be able to describe them, 2. you have become a real person by speaking, humanized, not just a body, 3. it's polite).

I don't know if I should be more worried, but although I am alert, I don't really dwell on the possibility of being attacked.

Also, 5 am is really early for anyone, so I figure there are fewer of any sort of people out.

[Run Amok]

I don't worry about cars but I worry about rapists and sexual predators... Is that crazy?

A  bit, yes.

Random violence against women is very rare. You're way more likely to get hit by a car than attacked by a predator.

[Chasing Amy]

I suspect you are safer running early than late.  People who might do you harm don't get up at the ass crack of dawn. 

That's nonsense.

MOS - I run early in the morning. I stick to well lit streets, no ear buds (obviously), and I make sure to plan routes where I can get to "other people" (24 hour convenience stores, police stations, hotel lobbies, etc.) as quickly as possible.

I was recently followed by a guy on a bike (radial - at 5:30am). The moment I saw the guy on the side of the road, every one of my hackles went up.  I crossed the street to avoid him and soon realized he had started following me. I turned down a street that I knew would take me past a hotel and fortunately, I saw people up ahead waiting for a bus. I yelled at the guy to leave me alone and he fortunately complied.

[Mom of Scooby]

That's nonsense.

MOS - I run early in the morning. I stick to well lit streets, no ear buds (obviously), and I make sure to plan routes where I can get to "other people" (24 hour convenience stores, police stations, hotel lobbies, etc.) as quickly as possible.

I was recently followed by a guy on a bike (radial - at 5:30am). The moment I saw the guy on the side of the road, every one of my hackles went up.  I crossed the street to avoid him and soon realized he had started following me. I turned down a street that I knew would take me past a hotel and fortunately, I saw people up ahead waiting for a bus. I yelled at the guy to leave me alone and he fortunately complied.

I hate that we have to even worry about it... I think I feel safer at 5:30 PM because I run in an area that usually cuts through a college campus or near by and so at that time of day there are always people around.

[radial]

That's nonsense.

Do you feel like you would be safer running around the same area after dark? 

[Chasing Amy]

Do you feel like you would be safer running around the same area after dark? 

What do you mean "after dark?" It was 5:30am - it was dark.

There are a lot more people around at 9 or 10pm than at 5:30am which would make it safer than just me and the creeper.  But I don't run at 9 or 10pm.

[Mom of Scooby]

What do you mean "after dark?" It was 5:30am - it was dark.

There are a lot more people around at 9 or 10pm than at 5:30am which would make it safer than just me and the creeper.  But I don't run at 9 or 10pm.

I'm not talking a difference between 5:30AM and 9 or 10.. I would probably not feel safe then... I'm talking 5:30AM vs 5:30PM.... I think there are way more people around at 5:30PM... I would LOVE to run at 5:30AM... I used to be a morning runner.. But I have read several stories recently (not necessarily in my area) about female runners out in the early morning.. even in their own neighborhoods where they started to see strange men following them.. Ever since I read those stories I can't get it out of my mind and I feel anxious when running in the morning..

[Run Amok]

It's dark from like 4pm to 7:30 am here at the worst of it. How does one even function if they are afraid to be out after dark?

[radial]

What do you mean "after dark?" It was 5:30am - it was dark.

There are a lot more people around at 9 or 10pm than at 5:30am which would make it safer than just me and the creeper.  But I don't run at 9 or 10pm.

After dark?  I thought we were talking about the relative safety of running in the before sunrise dark vs. running in the after sundown dark.  I was just curious if you had actually compared the two and found one safer than the other. 

[cgraz]

I think it's hard to make a blanket statement about which is definitively safer - maybe your local police could tell you if one time or the other has a higher incidence of reports of any kind? But I think it kind of just comes down to your gut, and where you feel most comfortable and can prepare, as Chasing Amy describes. I read a good article recently that kind of summed up how I feel about it - sucks that we have to have a higher level of awareness, but it's reality.

http://zelle.runnersworld.com/run-matters/how-to-practice-run-safety

[radial]

It's dark from like 4pm to 7:30 am here at the worst of it. How does one even function if they are afraid to be out after dark?

Here too.  But I can understand feeling more at risk when you run in the dark.  Not that you should be paralyzed with fear, but it IS riskier so you should be careful.  What I'm not so sure about is the idea that running at night is safer than running in the predawn.  These FBI stats on 2012 crimes against persons suggest that the predawn window might be considerably safer. 



Of course, that's just aggregated data.  It includes female runners in urban environments, but it also includes everyone else.  Still, I wouldn't dismiss it as "nonsense." 

[merigayle]

Treadmill!

[Mom of Scooby]

It's dark from like 4pm to 7:30 am here at the worst of it. How does one even function if they are afraid to be out after dark?

I'm not afraid to be out "after dark" I don't like running in the morning dark with not a lot of people around.. I feel safer at 5:30 pm dark...

There are people who do all their winter running on a treadmill


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[Mom of Scooby]

Treadmill!

Yuck!!!


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[Eco Ellen]

Every so often I wonder if I'm totally naive but I just don't worry about it.

[merigayle]

I'm not afraid to be out "after dark" I don't like running in the morning dark with not a lot of people around.. I feel safer at 5:30 pm dark...

There are people who do all their winter running on a treadmill


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I do most my winter running on the TM!

Around here, at dawn, there are a lot of hunters, so that scares me more. But I cannot run that early, so not an issue.

[Ice Cream]

Yuck!!!


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1

[Eco Ellen]

I love that chart.

[rocketgirl]

Well it's not late.. It's mostly either 5:30amor 5:30pm... 5:30 pm there are tons people out..

I wish I knew someone who lived close to me to run..

I can't go to the one morning group I wanted to go to near my work because a certain someone is going to that now


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If you want to go, go.  Don't worry about "certain someone".  They can suck it.

[Run Amok]

Here too.  But I can understand feeling more at risk when you run in the dark.  Not that you should be paralyzed with fear, but it IS riskier so you should be careful.  What I'm not so sure about is the idea that running at night is safer than running in the predawn.  These FBI stats on 2012 crimes against persons suggest that the predawn window might be considerably safer. 



Of course, that's just aggregated data.  It includes female runners in urban environments, but it also includes everyone else.  Still, I wouldn't dismiss it as "nonsense." 

Exactly my point. Bad stuff happens. We get ourselves very worked up about "women runners alone at night".

However, you're much more likely to be hit by a car, or mugged, or whatever.

Sometimes bad stuff happens. I'm not convinced that not running alone outside when it's not daylight makes one significantly less safe than running alone mid-day.

When you look at sexual assault data (i don't have time to actually look up the stats right now)-- it's very clear that accross all victim types, the perpetrator is overwhelmingly someone you know. The rapist hiding in the bushes waiting to attack a female jogger at 6pm is total boogeyman factor. You're probably more likely to be attacked in your own bed.

[rocketgirl]

Also, I don't really consider running between 5:30-7:30 pm to be "running at night", even if it's dark.  That's commute time and dinner time.  More people out and about than 5:15 in the morning, for sure.  My biggest worry would probably be bad drivers, not bad people.

[Mom of Scooby]

If you want to go, go.  Don't worry about "certain someone".  They can suck it.

Easier said then done.. that certain someone will be with another certain someone and I just don't want to see it or be part of it.. it's way too awkward.. plus those people are super fast

[Chasing Amy]

Of course, that's just aggregated data.  It includes female runners in urban environments, but it also includes everyone else.  Still, I wouldn't dismiss it as "nonsense." 

Nonsense in that people who do harm "sleep in." Crimes can happen anywhere at anytime and no matter what the statistics say, it's an awful feeling to be running down a deserted street and realize that you are being followed.

I still run in the pre-dawn darkness, but I don't take for granted that I am perfectly safe and that the creeps are sleeping.