late to the party in terms of reading this thread but wanted to add a couple of comments/suggestions

1. pepper spray is not the end all be all as you can never be sure if your attacker is on something that will allow them to ignore the pain (meth, pcp, etc.) or if they're able to simply tolerate the pain in order to accomplish the attack

2. as many have mentioned previously, situational awareness and running confidently and without distractions will go a long way - more so than pepper spray likely. if you project that you are NOT an easy target a potential attacker is more likely to look elsewhere

3. i highly recommend taking a dedicated self-defense based martial art such as Krav Maga. learning how to physically respond to a perceived/actual attack and the adrenaline associated with it is the greatest gift you can give to yourself and your loved ones. I take Krav Maga and continually encourage my younger sisters, my mom, and my girlfriend to take it up as well

4. a good book to everyone should read is "the gift of fear" by gavin de becker

Also a bit late to the party, but my two thoughts (as I think about the safety of my wife when she runs quite often, even though she could probably beat the crap out of anyone that would try to attack her).

1. Carry a small sidearm/handgun. Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .38 is a fantastic choice, TINY and not a burden to run with. I know everyone is not necessarily a fan of carrying guns/weapons, but if someone were to attack my wife... I would want him shot!

2. Carry military/professional grade pepper spray. It's not illegal, but it's a good 10-100 times stronger than what you typically find in a store. I had to get sprayed back in the day for training, and that stuff is no joke. Go to galls.com if you need to find a place to get the "good stuff".

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MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.

I just read this thread for the first time today and have this to add.

No matter that getting killed by a stranger on a trail is only a remote possibility. It is a common fear of women. Women have many fears that men do not share. See this recent article: http://www.canada.com/...y/3041949/story.html

Where I live, there was one well publicized murder of a female athlete while running a very popular trail. With or without ipod, I would never consider running alone there again knowing that one woman was murdered there. The crime remains unsolved a year later. And, by the way, I have a few years of training in the martial arts. Do you think I take comfort in this? Back in 1984, I got into an elevator in a condo with four men. All of them towered above me, at least 12 inches taller in height. It was at that precise moment that I decided that I was delusional thinking that martial arts knowledge was going to protect me. Sure, it's important to learn techniques that do not require strength, such as eye gouging, etc., but really if there is a determined party who attacks from behind, there is not much you can do.

http://www.vancouversun.com/...h/1467458/story.html

I'm not really trying to argue (which makes it sound like I am, I know) but learning to recognize potentially bad situations and not putting yourself into them is the first step in keeping yourself safe. Learning to deal with potential attacks from different/unexpected angles, learning how and where to hit, and accepting that an attack is not going to follow a pre-set pattern or allow for rules are what follows learning situational awareness. Learning to deal with the adrenaline dump and aftermath of an attack are also important concepts to learn - getting and giving actual blows, dealing with the shock of both, and recognizing that its ok to fight "dirty" and get away safely are things all women should learn IMO.

As for your statement regarding attacks from behind, there is a lot one can do if you are willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive. Learning to base out, stomp the attackers feet, rake the shins with your heels, twisting and using your elbows to hit their head, kicking your heel(s) back and up to catch the groin, etc. But again, it takes practice and learning in a safe environment to deal with not only the actuality of being attacked but recognizing it and doing those sorts of strikes in a highly charged situation. I do Krav Maga, so of course I'm going to be a huge proponent for it - if its available in your area (general you) I'd recommend checking it out.

Basically, if they have the balls to attack me, I'm damn sure going to do whatever I can to make it hurt ..a lot. I'm going home safely, f^ck them if they don't.

And now back to our regularly scheduled SBR discussions :)

I am in complete agreement with you. Everyone should learn all of the techniques for self-defence, specifically courses designed to help women thwart attacks. And, if you get attacked, fight like hell, because perpetrators are looking for an easy victim. Of course you are better off fighting, and fighting with prior training.

My point was not to get too overconfident and think you are invincible going into trails alone, that you can take care of yourself. If a 200 pound man simply sits on me and I am 117 pounds, with my wimpy but muscular swimming arms I will be unable to push him off. If he uses something other than his hands for the attack, then I'm really in trouble. You are assuming the attacker is unarmed while you try your shin gouge techniques, etc., when all he has to do is slice you.

Now in to my 21st year of running my motto is simple. Safety first. Common sense, don't run alone in deserted areas and total awareness and always look beside and behind regularly.

My friend and I had a "close" experience of this kind once but me 6th sense kicked in as I saw a man cut a trail above us and hear a sound near another entry and told her to move fast. A week later a woman was savagely attacked there.

Chelsea's death really rocked me. Women need to feel free and confident but must always remain wise and alert no matter what because there will always be dark & light in the world unfortunately.