How safe is it to run alone after dark?

I get told it's dangerous to run through woods/nature reserves alone in the dark, which is probably fair enough if I had an accident or something, but it would have to be pretty incapacitating to stop me dragging myself back to the nearest main road so I don't worry. But for safety I do try to vary my routes and not go the same way at the same time every day.

to be fair unless you owned a very good torch the woods in the dark must be pretty hard to navigate! i have my phone with me, i run near a golf course which covers a huge area of fields and not much else, i occasionally pass another  runner, or cyclist, a dog walker maybe, i always assume it would be rare for a would be mugger to wait that far out on the off chance a passer by might come at night with something worth taking , 

sometimes i run with my spaniel , i guess she may put people off , but i'm sure she would hide behind me for protection of herself , shes a wimp really , good runner though  - she has cool flashing collar for dark runs 

Oh, my woods have well-maintained wide paths, so I just have a torch bright enough to illuminate a patch of ground just in front of my feet. But I couldn't do it on paths I didn't know well and I do have to concentrate a bit more. I don't imagine evil rapists or big bad wolves would spend a lot of time lurking in the shadows on the off-chance, but that's why I make sure I'm not the girl who always runs down the same deserted path at the same time.

Just be careful about running when it's a full moon.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1553652/More-police-to-patrol-on-full-moons.html

I just wish Literatin would stick to a timetable, its freezing out here!

I went running with about 10 blokes tonight so I think I was safe enough! 

literatin wrote (see)

I get told it's dangerous to run through woods/nature reserves alone in the dark, which is probably fair enough if I had an accident or something, but it would have to be pretty incapacitating to stop me dragging myself back to the nearest main road so I don't worry. But for safety I do try to vary my routes and not go the same way at the same time every day.

I know women who won't run in the nature reserve on the own in the daytime.  I do it often, never felt even remotely threatened.  I don't know what they are afraid of.  When I ask they just say things like "well, you never know..." 

I don't do it in the dark for fear of tripping over and getting hurt.  I might be able to get back to a road, but I'd still be hurt!

I am looking forward to light evenings 

Wilkie, totally agree that I'd rather not get hurt at all, but I don't really think it's likely which is why I take the risk. I certainly wouldn't run in the dark on paths I didn't already know well from daytime running , though!

It's far to dangerous to go out after dark  and anyone who does so is asking for trouble.

I was sat with my mates in the park and a  pack of runners wearing headtorches

started heading in our direction.  A couple of my mates wanted to leg it but i knew we couldn't out-run  all of them.  I told them all to freeze and play dead.

Luckily it worked and the pack passed us by without any questions as to the whereabouts of  the nearest macdonalds.