Prioritizing personal safety while training has always been very important. How can athletes stay safe when training solo, especially if they are running alone at night or in unfamiliar areas? For student-athletes juggling tight schedules, sometimes these situations are hard to avoid.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to become aware of how you can prioritize your safety while training. This doesn't just mean hydrating and fueling your workouts properly -- though that's important too! It means paying attention to your surroundings and making your training environment as safe as possible.
Here are 11 ways you can prioritize your personal safety while training.
1. Let someone know your plan
Doing a solo training run or hike? Let your parent, guardian, or a teammate know where you're going and when you expect to return. Ideally, you should have your location shared with one or two trusted people so that they can check where you are if you're running late.
2. Look for well-traveled routes
If you're unsure where to run or train in your area, ask at a local running or bike store for recommendations, or even go to your local police station and ask if there are areas that are safer (or less safe) for runners, hikers, and cyclists. Apps can also show you routes that are often used in your area, which can give you a sense of where most runners are congregating.
3. Pay attention to road layouts
When running, you should be facing traffic, meaning you should be able to make eye contact with drivers. Look for roads that have sidewalks or designated lanes for pedestrians and try to avoid roads that don't have a wide shoulder or sidewalk. If there isn't a sidewalk, keep your head up and look at oncoming traffic; you never know when a driver will swerve unexpectedly. As you cross the street at a stop sign or traffic light, try to make eye contact with drivers before you run in front of them to make sure that they've seen you.
4. Train during daylight hours
The easiest way to stay visible to drivers is to train during daylight hours. And during daylight hours, trails and running routes are more likely to be populated with other runners, making them generally safer.'
5. Be seen on any route
If you do need to train in the dark, make sure that drivers are able to see you. Invest in reflective gear like a vest, as well as a headlamp that allows you to navigate tricky terrain. Even sidewalks can be dangerous in the dark.
6. Unplug when training alone
While it's tempting to zone out to a podcast or a playlist while you're out for your solo training run, it's important to always be aware of your surroundings, and that means taking the headphones out and paying attention to what's happening around you. You should also take your phone with you so that if you do need help, you're able to call.
7. Carry emergency supplies
If you're doing a training run or ride that will take you away from easy access to help, think about what you may need to have in case of an emergency. Your cell phone is obvious, but for longer sessions, a bottle of water and some kind of snack should be tucked in a vest or waistband. Depending on your location, you may even need to carry bear spray.
8. Bring a friend
The best way to stay safe in isolated areas is to bring a friend along. You can also look for running or training groups in your area, especially if you don't need to do specific speedwork or hit certain paces. If you don't have another runner who can join you, ask a sibling or parent to ride their bike alongside you while you run, or have a friend go for a walk around a short, looped course so that you'll pass each other throughout your workout.
9. Trust your gut
Have you ever been on a training run and passed a person who just made you feel like something was 'off'? Trust your gut in those situations and get to a more populated area as quickly as possible, even if that means cutting your run short or pausing to go into a store to remove yourself from the situation. It's better to be overly cautious and listen to that intuitive voice in your head.
10. Talk to your coach
If it's impossible for you to safely do the training that your coach is asking you to do outside of practice, speak up. Often, there's a solution that you and your coach can work towards that will make you feel safe, such as getting a group of teammates together to hit the track after school a couple of days every week.
11. Be extra-aware when traveling
As an athlete, you may end up traveling to new locations in order to compete and may need to get outside in unknown cities so you can stick to your training plan. If you are in unfamiliar areas, these tips are even more important to follow.
• Make sure that your phone works in the country that you're in.
• Download the local maps on your navigation app so that if your cellular data isn't working, you can still find your way around.
• Ask about the safest running routes in the area and consult apps to see where people are training.
• Consider running shorter loops so that you're never far from your home base.
• Wear a waistbelt so that your phone isn't in your hand as you run.
• The best way to see a new area is with a teammate.
Takeaway
When training outside of team practice, athletes need to be aware of basic safety protocols. This includes planning your training routes on safe roads, sticking to populated areas, and ideally training during daylight hours. Always let someone know where you're going and when you'll be back, and whenever possible, bring a friend.
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