The Six Minute Mile Holiday Gift Guide
Don’t stress about shopping for your running-obsessed friends and family members—or yourself, wink wink!—we’ve got you covered with the gifts runners want and the gifts runners need.
I am highly protective of the freedom, fitness and fun running provides me, but safety is always a first priority.
In today’s day and age, a female runner can never be too careful. Safety is always an issue.
Unfortunately, we hear a lot of frightening stories about women being hassled, harassed, or even attacked when they are out on the road. And not a year goes by without another story surfacing on the news about a woman being killed while running alone on an early morning or evening run. It’s upsetting and disgusting. It shouldn’t happen. But it does.
Sadly, it happens in cities, suburbs, on bike paths, trails, in neighborhoods, and parks. Morning, afternoon, evening. If you’re a woman and you run, you’re a target. Not always. But often. And no matter what that looks like—being followed, getting honked at, being yelled at, getting whistled at, being cat-called—it’s an unwanted violation of mental and physical space. And it sucks.
In 2023, Adidas surveyed 9,000 runners across nine countries to better understand both men and women’s experiences and perceptions of safety while running. The response was eye opening. Of those surveyed, 92 percent of women reported feeling concerned for their safety, with half (51 percent) afraid of being physically attacked.
More than a third (38 percent) of these women have experienced physical or verbal harassment, and of these women over half have received unwanted attention (56 percent), sexist comments or unwanted sexual attention (55 percent), been honked at (53 percent), or followed (50 percent). I can honestly say that I have experienced all of these things.
I have been running in some way for more than 40 years—for fun, on my high school and college teams, for fitness, and for my mental well-being. I can honestly say my mindset as a female runner, as far as safety is concerned, has never changed. My running is my own, and I am highly protective of the freedom, fitness, and fun it provides me. But I am not naive or foolhardy in how I approach it, either.
As I’ve gotten older, my awareness has increased in regards to the various threats that exist when I’m out running on my own. As a result, my need to be constantly on guard and in tune with my surroundings as well as to do anything possible to keep my risks to a minimum, has also increased. Whether I’m walking out my own front door to start a run or trying to find a place to log my miles while away on vacation, the fear of what might happen is always in the back of my mind. And as someone who runs almost every day, it’s a constant stress in my life.
But, all of that said, I’m not going to stop running. I don’t want to, and I shouldn’t have to.
Three years ago, my family took a trip to Mexico. I was in the middle of training for a marathon and planned to run while I was away. I’m not going to lie, I had to give it some serious thought before I finally decided to go. What do I mean? Here’s a mental snapshot of my first morning.
It’s 6 a.m. and I’m quietly rolling out of bed. We’re in a hotel room so I keep the lights off as I fumble around for my running shoes. I sip coffee in the bathroom and then head outside. I walk by my girls’ room; both of them likely sleeping soundly for the next couple hours, which is why I am hitting the road before the sun comes up. I want to get my miles in without disrupting our beach time.
The thing is, it’s dark and I am running alone in an area that I am not familiar with. And this, for obvious reasons, is not ideal. There is no treadmill or that would have been my plan to get my run in. I need to get 16 miles in, and that’s a long time to be out there by myself. But not going is, well, it’s just not an option. So here’s what I do. First, I tell my husband what time I’m leaving and how long he should expect me to be gone. Second, I make sure he can see me in the Apple ‘Find My’ app as I will be carrying my phone.
Third, I put on my Defender Ring, a stainless steel, pointed ring that I wear when I’m running on my own. Now, is this small tool going to save my life if I get into a bad situation? Probably not. What I do know is that it could definitely help me defend myself against and attacker and, more importantly, it gives me peace of mind.
So now I’m running with a bit of confidence versus all-in fear. And with all of that taken care of, I’m off. Rather than run 8 miles out and back, I do smaller segments; no more than 3 miles out so I’m relatively close to the hotel for the entire run. I also keep one of the earbuds out of my ear as I’m moving so I can stay aware of what’s happening around me. Thankfully, I completed all 16 miles without any issues. But every day when I headed out for my run, I found myself asking the same questions. Is this safe enough? Am I taking all the necessary precautions? Am I even up for this?
Back at home the next week, not much was different. The things that have me on edge as a female runner don’t change based on my location.
When I’m home I continue to take all of the same precautionary measures to keep myself safe. Whenever possible, I run with a friend or my dog. I always carry my phone with me. If I’m running solo, I wear my ring and I don’t go early in the morning or late at night when it’s dark outside. Some might say I’m being paranoid. I say, it’s just not worth the risk.
Fast forward to today. My husband and I are in Colorado to visit our daughter. It’s 6 a.m. and I’m lacing up. There’s a beautiful bike path directly across the street from our hotel that weaves up along the mountains and alongside a creek. It’s the perfect run location. It’s also very early, not quite light out and I’m running by myself. I’m not at all familiar with the area and there are twists, turns and tunnels along the path. I forgot to pack my Defender Ring, so I take the blade out of my razor and zip it in my back pocket.
Chances that I will need this are less than zero. Doesn’t matter. I want peace of mind. Massachusetts, Mexico, Colorado. Yes. Safety first. Everywhere. Every. Single. Time.
Want more ideas about running safety for women? Here’s another article with more thoughts, tips, and self-defense tools.
Boston-area editor-at-large Rebecca Trachsel is a mom, a competitive age-group marathoner, a high school cross country and track coach, and music lover with a coffee problem. She’s still chasing big goals—and wearing super shoes—and having a blast along the way.
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