I bike and run alone most of the time. I now live in a more populated area, so imagine (hope) someone would hear me scream. I used to live in a rural area and did it all alone, too, though. Hopefully common sense and being aware of my environment keeps me safe. I do tend to get mildly paranoid when running on a trail without a lot of people at times. Start having a more active imagination. But I enjoy the time alone, so hopefully it stays safe for me out there!
I need to get the road id soon, however.
Doesn’t it suck, though, that we have to worry about things like this?
I very often run and ride alone. My schedule/pace doesn’t often mesh with my friends. However, when riding, I almost always make sure someone knows where I’ll be, and we check in via cell phone from time to time. Our local cycling association has lots of ride maps, so I’ll tell my friend which map I’m on. I carry some cash, tools for flats, cell phone, and ID. For running, my 'hood is pretty safe and I will even run at night here. Or at the local trail in the day, there are plenty of people around…if it’s a less crowded time, I stay on the end where the trail is more crowded.
Unfortunately, I won’t go trail run or mt. bike by myself anymore…nothing has happened to me, but the idea of a more remote/hidden location is scary to me.
There was also a women attacked in the early morning running around Trickum Road in Marietta. She got away. I run all over East Cobb in the dark with a head light. I also ride alone. I’ll go out to Silk Sheets and the Gaps by myself. I have avoided SCT since the women was killed out there. My husband went crazy when the hiker was killed. I think I’ll limit my alone ride time to Columns and Buckhead(populated areas). I no longer run at Kennesaw(trail) by myself anymore. It’s such a shame we can’t just pick up and go ride wherever we want.
Because of my schedule I run and bike alone most of the time. I make sure to (almost) always file a “flight plan” with someone that I know will be around. I always have ID and usually a cell phone.
The location cited in the story is along the route that I used to run as a teenager. It seems a little odd though because it’s a suburban street in a very middle-class subdivision. It’s all houses and twisty crescents.
It’s very good to see that the girl defended herself.
yes. i do most of my training alone, because it is really hard to coordinates rides with different class schedules here at college. if i do ride with people, its with groups of guys or my boyfriend, which is fine but makes it a hard ride for me. I bring a cell phone and know how to fix my bike, and am probably less concerned about my safety than most.
I run and ride on my own most of the time but I won’t do an open water swim by myself. I run and ride slower than my other athlete friends and I always feel guilty asking them to come along because I know they aren’t getting in a great workout with me.
When I run by myself on a trail I never wear headphones. We have cougars and bears out here not to mention the occasional creepy guy. I want to be sure I hear them coming at me. There is a very populated public trail that I’ll use them on but I make sure I can hear my feet so I can hear theirs too.
I ride through a suburban area when I ride alone. I get started at 6am to avoid traffic which helps. I live in the sticks and I worry about resentment of cyclists out here even though there are lots of us. The roads have no shoulders and I always worry about being run off the road by someone with a gun rack and a squirrel tail flapping from the antenna. I never ride with headphones. A friend of mine does and I just don’t understand it. Seems way too unsafe to me.
Regardless of what I’m up to, my husband always knows my route and I always have my cell phone, ID and insurance info with me. I figure if I can’t prevent an attack I want whoever finds me to be able to identify me and let my husband know whatever condition I’m in.