Yes yes and yes! I am a woman, and I prefer to run in the mornings around my (yes suburban) neighbourhood. I'm in Canada, and even though I know that I'm not immune to violence or attacks even here (i do live in a major city), I feel somewhat safer than say if I lived in New York or Detroit or LA. Maybe that's naive of me. But I am always aware. I have air conducting headphones (not bone, but I can hear my surroundings) and I wear Reflective stuff (I always run with a hydration vest (mostly for the pockets!) that has Reflective elements on it. Anyways, yes it shouldn't be up to US to change our behaviour, but society to change its! Thanks for the great piece. I heard about Alyssa's murder on a running podcast (can't remember which - perhaps the Women’s Running Podcast). So tragic and heartbreaking.
Yes!! While there’s no perfect answer here, there are lots and lots of best answers, and it sounds like you’ve found yours! FWIW, I think I feel weird running in suburbs because I’ve only lived in pretty small towns or cities, so suburbs feel strangely both populated and unpopulated to me. So much of this is what you know!
Thank you for these words. Thank you for articulating the fear that can be present, what can come from simply doing what you love in the face of that fear, and how to go about continuing that pursuit even when fear can't be diminished at times.
Yes yes and yes! I am a woman, and I prefer to run in the mornings around my (yes suburban) neighbourhood. I'm in Canada, and even though I know that I'm not immune to violence or attacks even here (i do live in a major city), I feel somewhat safer than say if I lived in New York or Detroit or LA. Maybe that's naive of me. But I am always aware. I have air conducting headphones (not bone, but I can hear my surroundings) and I wear Reflective stuff (I always run with a hydration vest (mostly for the pockets!) that has Reflective elements on it. Anyways, yes it shouldn't be up to US to change our behaviour, but society to change its! Thanks for the great piece. I heard about Alyssa's murder on a running podcast (can't remember which - perhaps the Women’s Running Podcast). So tragic and heartbreaking.
Yes!! While there’s no perfect answer here, there are lots and lots of best answers, and it sounds like you’ve found yours! FWIW, I think I feel weird running in suburbs because I’ve only lived in pretty small towns or cities, so suburbs feel strangely both populated and unpopulated to me. So much of this is what you know!
Thank you for these words. Thank you for articulating the fear that can be present, what can come from simply doing what you love in the face of that fear, and how to go about continuing that pursuit even when fear can't be diminished at times.
💗💗💗💗🙏