When I go out on a run I always wear my Road ID on my shoes and now that I have my new iPhone app, I’m as safe and identifiable as I can be, short of running with a body guard or Mace. When I visit my parents I have beautiful country roads to run on, but I have to share them with cars, trucks, and the occasional loose cow.
If I want to run in the morning, I’ve learned to run around 8:30 or later after people have gone to work. Traffic is much lighter after that time and the people that are out driving are much less… shall we say, “Speedy.” The roads are very narrow and there’s a long stretch where I have very little space between the road and a rock face on one side, and the road and the river on the other side.
There’s a narrow grassy shoulder beside the road and then a drop off to the river.
I always run facing traffic except when I come to a blind turn such as this one, because I don’t want to get caught between a speeding car and, ummm, no place to dive for safety. Since it’s so quiet, I can hear a car approaching from behind and get out of the way.
On my return home I heard a noise in the woods behind this really cool tree as I ran between it and the corn field on the other side of the road…
The noise sounded like either a cow that was hoarse from bawling, or a bear cub looking for its momma. Since there have been bears spotted in the area, I didn’t risk it, and high-tailed it out of there! Enter: fartlek run!
Tips for staying safe when running on narrow country roads:
- Run when you think that traffic will be the lightest
- Let your family know what route you plan to run, how far you are going, and when you expect to return
- Be aware of where you might encounter loose dogs and what your plan will be (I grab a stick if I know that I’m running near an area where dogs will be roaming free and swing it near my ankles to discourage ankle bites)
- Run facing traffic whenever possible
- Don’t run with earphones
- Carry Mace
- Be aware of any wild animals that have been seen in the area
- Check the weather for storms that might pop up while you’re out
Just because I thought this was really interesting, here’s a close-up of the asphalt road.
- Questions:
- Who runs with mace?
- Have you ever heard something that freaked you out when on a run?
- What’s the scariest thing you’ve seen on a run?
Those roads look very similar to the roads I often drive on while I’m at work 🙂
I also use the stick method when dealing with loose dogs. Its a pretty good deterrent. I carry pepper spray on my runs, as well. I have seen some runners say they don’t carry pepper spray for fear someone could use it against them. Its a valid point, which is why I keep mine tucked in my sports bra. That way its hidden until I want to use it.
You may have driven on those very roads! 😉
Great idea about tucking your pepper spray away where only you can get to it!
I’m always scared of coyotes on early AM runs! Don’t carry mace but I did almost get run over by a deer this morning! Mace prob wouldn’t have helped that!
Yeah, there are coyotes here around my parents’ house, too. I only worry about them when I go out for runs super early.
I have almost been run over by a deer while running, too! I was just running along the trail (the Huckleberry, of course) and all of a sudden a deer shot out of the woods running full speed, shot across the path not three feet in front of me, and kept on going.
That is fascinating asphault. I’m not too scared of runs here in DC – except where we used to live on the trails in the dark because people definitely get attacked there. Now I live in a really safe neighborhood and don’t generally have any fears about running anytime. I always carry my phone on runs, usually more for “come pick me up I rolled my ankle reasons since I run trails so often. I also usually just run with my dog, which always makes me feel safer in general =).
Back in Colorado we had to worry a little more about mountain lions, but I never saw any bears!
I would feel much safer with Indy, too! Mountain Loins would freak me out more than bears!
I’ve been seriously considering that our next dog be a puppy of a breed that can run so that I won’t be alone out there on the trails.
A fun dog like Indy to run with would be great! 🙂
Your country roads look remarkably similar to the country roads I run on! If I don’t go really early, I have to wait until later in the morning too. Otherwise the traffic is awful and drivers on their way to work are never thrilled to slow down when they see me!
It blows my mind how fast some of the cars “fly” down those narrow roads!
The scariest thing I’ve seen on a run was a bird sitting on the rear-view mirror of a truck I ran past.It startled me so much when I noticed it!
I’ve had birds dive bomb me when I was out on a run two different times! I wrote about it in this post.
I run with pepper spray most of the time (sometimes I forget) and my road ID app. Your suggestions are great for bikers out on roads, too. Glenn often leaves VERY early if the road has only a slight shoulder so that he can get out and back before people are heading to work or to the Grand Canyon.
I bet you have a lot of traffic driving to the Grand Canyon. That seems so cool to me! It’s a vacation destination point to most people, but it’s just down the road for you! 🙂
I always try to run facing traffic too. I am always on high alert when I am running in new areas or unfamiliar roads (ie.-my encounters with wild life on my Cleveland trip). When I do run in high-traffic areas I always assume that cars don’t see me and aren’t expecting me. I have never been hit by a car but, have come close on too many occasions to now be ultra careful!
That’s an excellent point about assuming that the drivers of the cars don’t see you!
What a pretty area! I’d love to run around there. I’ll admit – I don’t have an ID with me or anything for my safety really. I run with my car key, and have totally thought if I needed to, I could use it as a knife. Weird, I know…
What freaks me out on runs is being totally alone. Lately I’ve been running in this wooded area with hiking trails, but I usually run so early that no one is out yet. And it’s just plain freaky!
Maybe you should get some pepper spray just to be safe! Sometimes when I run alone really early I don’t run on the wooded trails, but instead I’ll run on the trails that run along our parkways. I feel safer, but I might be completely wrong about that.
[…] and just ran all over the place with no particular destination in mind. Keeping yesterday’s safety tips in mind, I told my parents that I would be running one of two favorite routes, and I ended up doing […]
Thanks for this important info! Photos are great, by the way!
Thanks!