A Good Reminder

   Winter is finally here.  It's cold and dark when I can generally workout - mornings and evenings.  I train throughout the year, and this generally doesn't bother me.  I'm very comfortable running in the dark and recently bought a headlamp so I'll be able to see better in the not-so-lit areas.  

   So, I was a little (just a little) annoyed when my husband kind of gave me a guilt trip about running alone on Monday night.  I was planning on doing mile repeats at a local park that was generally very well-populated at 6pm even in the dark.  I run there frequently and have never felt unsafe.  But, because I didn't want to worry my husband, I went to the gym and hit the treadmill instead.

  Fast forward to yesterday.  This link was sent around by my friend Holland.  It's a blog post of a woman who was recently attacked on her run.  In the daylight.  In a very "safe" neighborhood."  I was reminded that no matter how strong we are as runners and athletes, how vulnerable we are - women even more so.  And MAYBE doing mile repeats alone in a dark park wasn't the best idea, even if there were other people around.  I'm not going to get paranoid and stop running alone, but I'm definitely going to be more aware and incorporate a few tips from the author.

http://www.runningforbling.com/2012/11/he-wont-take-running-from-me.html

Be safe out there!!