Be Careful Out There

People have compared me to the class clown.  One of my college teachers suggested I give up training for the professional she taught and take up stand up comedy.   But today I am giving up the class clown for a serious topic.

I went to the CBC website today.  It is one of the few websites I can get at work.  Then to the news portion.  There as one of the top headlines was one that jumped out on the page at me.

“Mounties scour Vancouver park for clues in jogger’s killing. ”

I read the article.  A very nice lady in the Vancouver area was killed while  she was jogging.   The story explained how she went for a jog everyday in a park.  And how passionate she was about running.

It got me thinking about safety tips for joggers.  Both men and women. 

One of the first tips that came to mind is to always have a running partner.  Which is why I think joining a running clinic, like the Runner’s Den is such a great idea.  You not only get encouragement and support from people who enjoy the same activity as you, but you get the added bonus of a number of people running along the same course.

Another tip if you do have to run by yourself, is make sure someone knows where you are going and when you are going to be back. 

One safety rule which I sort of break, don’t wear earplugs or anything that is going to distract you from the sounds around you.  I wear my MP3 player when I run, but I try to keep one earbud out.  I hope that having one ear free will reduce my risk.

I’m going to think about other tips and post them.  If you have other tips, please feel free to pass them along.  And I’ll try to include them in the next blog.  In the meantime, in the immortal words of the Sargeant on Hill Street Blues, “Be careful out there.”