Being safe as a woman jogger

[trancejeremy]

Back when I used to jog, I usd to carry pepper spray because sometimes I would be chased by wild animals (packs of dogs on occasion). I just carried it in my hand.

I'm shocked it requires a permit, even in Mass. I mean, I sprayed myself with it, just out of curiousity, it's not that bad. I mean, it capacitates you for maybe 30 seconds or so, just enough for someone to get away, not really doing anything serious.

But I guess since that's not an option, how about carrying small weights while you jog? Build your upper arm strength as well.

 

[frankthedm]

But I guess since that's not an option, how about carrying small weights while you jog? Build your upper arm strength as well.

And well designed hand weights also work like knuckle dusters.

Looking at aerial views of your jogging route can be quite handy. Your stalker already has. keep an eye out for 'cubby holes' along your route where someone could lie in wait in, strike, then drag you back to.

 

[takyris]

Both my karate instructors and my local police agree - martial arts classes and self-defense classes are not the same thing. They teach very different habits and skills, for different uses.

You might want to ask at your local police station - they often run free or heavily subsidized self-defense training, that may teach you more in what you need to know as a jogger on the street more quickly.

I think that it depends on what you're taking. Some martial arts (assuming karate is being used as martial-arts shorthand) are very pragmatic and focus on self-defense, while others focus on artistic expression or general fitness or tournament competition.

The school I practiced at had classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both classes had a good fitness section, but on Tuesdays, after you worked out, you did self-defense -- people attacking in spontaneous ways, and you learning to do the techniques when real-world stuff got in the way and it couldn't be pretty. On Thursdays, you did sparring and general-fitness. (And in private classes, you learned the actual techniques you needed to learn to advance.)

The disadvantage of martial arts practice is that you have to find a school that emphasizes self-defense, and that's not always easy to spot.

The advantage of martial arts practice is that, unlike the self-defense courses, you're not going to a few seminars. You're training for years to get certain movements patterned as instinctive responses, so that the automatic "freeze" response gets overwritten by a "hit" response. Self-defense seminars can teach that, but it doesn't necessarily stick for everyone after one weekend.

For this case, I second pretty much all the advice given here. The only thing I'd add is possibly stupid, and I'm completely open to disagreement.

Wear your keys in a pocket or strapped to your wrist or whatever, and carry a pair of small hand-weights. This is good for adding a bit to the workout, and you can do curls and whatever while you walk. They don't have to be heavy -- the little 2.5-pounders are just fine.

If someone is following you, do what people are suggesting -- turn, make eye contact, smile, say "Hi." If they appear threatening, cross to the other side of the street. If they move to follow you, and you feel threatened, throw a weight at them and run. (Bearing in mind Harmon's post -- get to a point where you feel you could comfortably claim that you felt threatened, and that if police question you later, you can say that you tried to move away and were followed.)

The weight isn't anything you'll miss (unlike your keys), and most people flinch when someone throws something at them. Ideally, that gives you about half a second to start running (the goal isn't to injure anyone, it's to get them to flinch and do the "gak, move, what?" dance for a crucial second, while you get the heck out of there). Add in a whistle that you can blow on the exhales while running, and nobody in their right mind is going to hassle you -- or catch you.

 

[Jeysie]

Mmm. Speaking as someone who lives in a medium-sized city, walks to work at 7:30AM each day and walks home again at 4:30, and who walks out about ten minutes away in the evenings sometimes to shop and do laundry, not to mentioned walked *everywhere* in her hometown as a youth at all hours of the day, my advice is...

Don't get so stressed out about it. Be prepared, yes, but honestly... as long as it's light out, it's got a fair amount of foot and/or car traffic, and you're not running through an area with a lot of known crime/troublemakers (and if there is such an area near you, why would you walk through it at any time of day?), I doubt you're going to have any problems.

It's kind of like worrying about stalkers on the Net... it's so easy to focus on the sensational stories that it's easy to forget that the majority of the people around you are just normal folks.

Of course, I admit that I can reassure myself with the thought that even hoodlums likely have better things to do than stalk a pudgy woman with mousy hair dressed in modest business casual clothing (i.e. I'm boring and not attractive).

Peace & Luv, Liz

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

I do carry my phone, though, and that's a very good idea to call someone, or pretend. My bf, Awayfarer is usually on a train at that point of the day, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little conversation if I'm feeling creeped out.

If you have a cell phone, look into a Bluetooth headset ( a prominent one).

You don't even have to pull your cell phone out, Just pretend to be talking (or listening) to some one the entire time (you'd be surprised how many people now days just talk into those things endlessly.


I can't tell you the numbetr of times I've wondering "Why is this strange person telling me X?" only to notice the little Star Trek Headset sticking out of their ear.

 

[Merkuri]

I can't tell you the numbetr of times I've wondering "Why is this strange person telling me X?" only to notice the little Star Trek Headset sticking out of their ear.

That reminds me of the time a guy pulled up to the drive thru I was working at, obviously talking on some sort of hands-free phone kit. Although I knew exactly what was going on, he felt the need to say to the guy on the phone that the drive thru lady probably thought he was nuts, talking to himself, but it was really a car phone. I thought it was funny because he obviously said it for my benefit, but didn't actually want to say it to me for some reason.

 

[Tewligan]

Be sure to dress for safety.

 

[Lewis526]

In Georgia (the state, not the nation), if you want pepper spray, you just go to the store and buy some. And if you really want some strong stuff, you go to an outdoors store and buy the super-strength pepper spray for use on bears. I'm not sure if you could get prosecuted for spraying a human with bear spray, but the point is, the laws regulating pepper spray vary widely by state.

In general, the USA is a very weapon-friendly place when compared to Europe. For example, the right to own guns is protected in our Constitution, and it's fairly easy to get a license to carry them in public if you've got a clean record. Very few people do that unless they're well trained with their gun, though. It's also fairly common to carry some sort of pocket knife or multi-tool around with them everywhere, which I hear may not be legal in some countries. Whatever weapon you choose to carry, be sure you know how to use it to defend yourself, or it could be turned against you by an assailant.

Self-defense classes are a great idea, but even they can't save you in all situations. Even if I were a martial arts expert, I'd prefer not to risk unnecessary fighting with unpredictable strangers. Nothing can replace reasonable caution, good sense and prudence, so if I were being followed by a stranger, I'd do my best to make sure they know that you've seen them, avoid conflict and find a well-populated place as quickly as I could - and I'm a 200lb man. Stalkers fear being noticed, so they're not going to come after you amidst onlookers.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Back when I used to jog, I usd to carry pepper spray because sometimes I would be chased by wild animals (packs of dogs on occasion). I just carried it in my hand.

I'm shocked it requires a permit, even in Mass. I mean, I sprayed myself with it, just out of curiousity, it's not that bad. I mean, it capacitates you for maybe 30 seconds or so, just enough for someone to get away, not really doing anything serious.

But I guess since that's not an option, how about carrying small weights while you jog? Build your upper arm strength as well.

I'm confused by you saying it's not an option. Of course its an option, the permit is easy to get, I know of no one who tried to get one and was turned down. As for not being that bad, there are different types of spray, and IIRC it is possible to have a severe respiratory reaction to it. Imagine Merkuri carrying police grade Mace and instead of avoiding first, spinning around and macing the senior citizen from paranoia and it's not hard to see why some places might want to license it.

I think a lot of good advice has been given on this thread, and I understand being worried. The key is not to just decide not to be worried, but to engage in reasonable risk management. Just like the solution to being worried about a car accident is neither burying your car keys nor just deciding you will probably never be in one, but to drive safely and use the safety features of your car. Don't overreact, but don't let people shame you into under reacting either, and I have a feeling you'll do just fine.

 

[Piratecat]

From your description, I can see how not knowing who was behind you would be creepy. One relatively subtle solution (stolen from bike helmets' rear view mirrors): consider wearing thin gloves (like bike gloves, or workout gloves) and using velcro to affix a small mirror to the back of one. You can check out who's behind you just by raising your hand, and it doesn't have to be obvious.