How safe do you feel running in the dark?

I grew up running in the dark, but I am quite wary. I always wear reflective clothing and never take music. I tend to stick to major roads with pavements where there are plenty of cars and other people present, or just do laps of the block around where I live. I'm pretty confident in my ability to outrun people on foot - I'm more worried about being dragged into a car etc... As a junior, we received a bit of defence training on a club night. I used to run with a rape alarm if I was going alone at night, but nowadays I don't bother - but to be honest I don't go at night as much any more.

I dont mind being on my own in semi lighted areas, eg local park as long as i have the dog with me! off road i would go with someone and have a head torch.

bizarre really as probably there are going to be less lurkers on a dark unused trail than there would be in a dimmish park (less opportunities!), but i feel safer with other people around and civilisation just there!

I live near Country lanes and tend to drive to local Village and run where it is well lit when I am running at night.  However, doing this cost me as last week, I fell over a tree stump on the pavement.  It is more the hazard of falling than me worrying about being attacked.  Like Kitten says, I could probably outrun most men over distance.  Plus, I have been heckled more in summer and had someone try to grab at me whilst they were a passenger in a car whilst I was running along the pavement and they slowed down, been flashed at by two dickheads in the summer on a lane and been followed by a Traveller on a horse and cart for miles whilst he has tried to chat me up.  So, I like the anonymity of winter to be honest!  What gets me, is that some men think they have a right to intimidate women.  If I had a son and he did that, I would personally chop his bollocks off.  It is very frightening for a lone woman sometimes. 

Feel perfectly happy running in the dark. Wear hi viz armbands with red lights on, and just run.

I do most of my running in the dark early mornings so there is very little traffic, and crime rate round here is very low anyway.

Very happy running in the dark, as long as I've got a head torch and something high vis to wear. The biggest risk at the moment is slipping on wet leaves or tripping on uneven paving stones hidden by leaves. I'm not afraid of being attacked or anything like that, I've lived in London my whole life - including some really not nice parts - and never ever had a problem. I think if you are going to be attacked its just as likely to happen walking home from work in the dark as it is going for a run.

As others have said it's the trip fall risk that worries me most. I was out early one morning last week and it had been a really wet and windy night . I nearly put paid to all my training as I spotted a large tree branch right in front of me when a car was passing. Luckily my last second hurdle worked but it could have been disaster.

I have a good head torch and it was that which saved me but only just.

I did also worry when I found I was out a lot at the same time of day on the same route, I'm not keen on that as it gives people the chance to plan which I feel is more likely than a random in the moment act as it were.

Finally I go out lit up like a Christmas tree and say hello to everyone I meet, wave at cars etc I figure it's a good thing to be noticed just in case the worst happens someone will remember seeing me before hand. Apparently it can also put people off if they realise you are being noticed.

As ever there's no guarantees in life, but life's to short to stay at home.

xine267 wrote (see)

 I think if you are going to be attacked its just as likely to happen walking home from work in the dark as it is going for a run.

This is my thinking too.  I don't feel worried walking home from the station, so why should I need to worry about running in the dark?

People (my Mum for one) who say "it's to dangerous to run alone in the dark" seem to not see this.

I've got no choice unless I drive to the nearest town (which I do twice a week to run with the club). The last few nights have been so bright that I haven't needed the headtorch to see, just to be visible. Moonlight is "flat light" like the headtorch, but its ok on the lanes if you don't go too fast. It is a different matter off road, though, so I tend to avoid this in the dark.

I feel safe running in the dark as the routes I use are pretty well lit. I wouldn't head off into the country lanes though purely in case I tripped or something.

Latest I've been out running is 9pm so there are still a fair few people around, earliest is about 5:30 but that was about the end of March when it was getting lighter.
Even then the worst I had was the pair of idiots in a car that decided to do a u-turn in a road ahead of me, lost control, hit the bollard in the middle of the road by the crossing, careered into the pavement on the other side of the road and ripped one of the tyres off the car before heading back the way they'd come on 3 tyres and a bare wheel.

I run on lanes with no problem at all without a headtorch, not necessary at all. Off road is a different matter though.

I feel quite safe running in the morning around 6 am when it is dark, one thing I would advise is try to always let someone know the route you intend to take. I tell my boyfriend the night before my route and make sure his phone is at the side of his sleeping head when I leave

As said earlier in this thread I often run a trail early in the morning, about 5.15am start.  Took a tumble this morning, not sure what my foot caught but under the carpet of leaves, which then provided me with a great carpet to slide along on my front

Few scrapes on knees and elbow and mud everywhere, looked a fine sight but then at that time of the morning nobody sees you, even managed to sneak into the shower before the OH saw me, mind you she might find some of the mud around the house later

I can see why a woman might feel safer carrying a phone, but do any men? I neither tell anyone where i'm going, and I certainly don't carry a phone, too much hassle and pointless.

lardarse wrote (see)

I can see why a woman might feel safer carrying a phone, but do any men? I neither tell anyone where i'm going, and I certainly don't carry a phone, too much hassle and pointless.

Funny enough, on my run in the dark last night I was thinking about the phone thing. A phone could make you more of a target to muggers plus if you were really in a serious emergency, could you get it out of the arm pouch or pocket in time enough to actually use it? I have my doubts.

I dunno, you'd have to weigh that one up.

kittenkat wrote (see)

lardarse wrote (see)

I can see why a woman might feel safer carrying a phone, but do any men? I neither tell anyone where i'm going, and I certainly don't carry a phone, too much hassle and pointless.

Funny enough, on my run in the dark last night I was thinking about the phone thing. A phone could make you more of a target to muggers plus if you were really in a serious emergency, could you get it out of the arm pouch or pocket in time enough to actually use it? I have my doubts.

I dunno, you'd have to weigh that one up.

 

If you fell and actually hurt yourself or twisted your ankle, and couldn't walk, you would be able to call someone to come and get you.

(No-one would want to steal my ancient phone!)

I avoid roads without pavements at night.  Plus low lieing branches are a bit of a concern.....

Not that concerned about muggers, run too fast for them.

The area I live in i've got more chance of meeting the Pope than being mugged.

When I first started I massively over did it, went from 4 mile runs to 9 to 13 in one week! lol ...it seemed easy at the time, until I went out again and did my knee in, had to limp a very slow 7 miles home, not even walking pace, but I got over it, if i'd had a phone i'd have lost all bragging rights to the story, and would've looked like a pansy phoning the girfriend saying "i've hurt my knee" ;)

. I carru my phone for two reasons - 1) I use it as an ipod and 2) I've recent;y moved and have used the map on it a few times!

I've never worried about getting mugged, but am now more concerned over tripping as I'm currently recovering from a sprained ankle from falling of a kerb in the dark. I won't be running in the dark without a torch again.