COURSE MAPS

Membership packets contain course maps. Let your family know which course you’ll be running and when you will be back.

MEDICAL INFORMATION

Let your running partners know of any medical conditions you have in case of an emergency

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

If you have any questions about the safety of a new running route, check with local law enforcement officials. Be a vigilante for yourself and others. Use your intuition to report things that don’t “seem right” to you. Indecent exposure incidents should be reported, though they seem benign; according to law enforcement, they aren’t.

WOMEN’S RUNNING — SAFETY TIPS

• Don’t wear headsets. Be aware of your surroundings. Using headphones, you lose the use of an important sense: your hearing.
• Always stay alert and aware of what’s going on around you. The more aware you are, the less vulnerable you are.
• Carry a cell phone or change for a phone call. Know the locations of all boxes and telephones along your regular route.
• Trust your intuition about a person or an area. React on your intuition and avoid a person or situation if you’re unsure. If something tells you a situation is not “right”, it isn’t.
• Alter or vary your running route pattern; run in familiar areas if possible. In unfamiliar areas, such as while traveling, contact a local RRCA club or running store. Know where open businesses or stores are located.
• Run with a partner. Run with a dog.
• Write down or leave word of the direction of your run. Tell friends and family of your favorite running routes.
• Avoid unpopulated areas, deserted streets, and overgrown trails. Especially avoid unlit areas, especially at night. Run clear of parked cars or bushes.
• Carry identification. HotLegs advocates the use of the Fixx Road ID. Include any medical information. Don’t wear jewelry.
• Ignore verbal harassment. Use discretion in acknowledging strangers. Look directly at others and be observant, but keep your distance and keep moving.
• Run against traffic so you can observe approaching automobiles.
• Wear reflective material if you must run before dawn or after dark. Hot Legs advocates the use of reflective vests and blinking lights.
• Practice memorizing license tags or identifying characteristics of strangers.
• Carry a noisemaker and/or OC (pepper) spray. Get training in self-defense and the use of pepper spray.’

Safety information tips provided by Road Runners Club of America. http://www.rrca.org