I Should Probably Take My Run Safety Seriously

Hey friends!

How was your weekend? I spent the majority of mine checking out Mark’s new digs and doing some seriously character building workouts. My long run on Saturday was into the wind and up a hill for the first half and yesterday was a windy windy outdoor ride followed immediately by a tempo brick.

One of the things I really enjoy about having a partner who is as into training as I am is that I don’t need to do a lot of my longer workouts alone.

And it is not just about camaraderie, it is about safety.

You see, I grew up in the country where I never saw a house key because we just simply wouldn’t lock our house or vehicles because the only person breaking in was the neighbour lady leaving fresh donuts to surprise us when we work up. And where it was perfectly acceptable to go on midnight runs down the centre of the road lit only by the moon without telling anyone where you were going because everyone in our town was asleep by 9.

I grew up believing this was the level of trust that you could take with you anywhere and have had a few things teach me otherwise, but I carried a few unsafe practices with me, especially as a female living alone.  I am not one of those people that routinely tells people where I am or what I am doing.  My parents routinely are shocked to hear that I am on the other side of the country midway through a multi day race (although I am getting better at communicating my whereabouts).  I am fiercely independent and love heading to trails for hours without anyone, leaving my phone behind. This is not idyllic, this is the start of a horror film.

So what I am trying to say is that despite my safe upbringing, I do recognise that it is vital to wise up about personal safety, especially because I live alone, run during dark hours and have a tendency to just follow an adventure. I have never had a reason to doubt my personal safety, but I would rather prevent anything than tempt fate because I think I have done enough of that to last a lifetime.

All this to say, I have started running with my smart phone and when it makes sense, telling somewhere where I am going. And recently, I added something to my runs to make things just a little safer and it is 100% worth it.

Wearsafe is a little personal safety tag that you can wear anywhere.  It comes with a ring and clip attachment so you can wear it however you want like; as a keychain, clipped to a waistband or bra strap, or on a lanyard.

You pair it to an app on your phone and as long as you are within 200 m of your phone, when the tag is pressed, it will use your phone to alert pre-selected people that you need help which is great for situations where you can’t use your phone. It also records the situation from the moment you press for help so those who are contacted best know how to respond. This is not just for runners, it is for any person who wants to ensure that they have a preventative measure in place for their personal safety.

I wanted to dedicate an entire post to this because I don’t think personal safety is addressed often enough in running. It isn’t that I am suggesting anyone be needlessly paranoid, just be smart.

It’s only $5/month for the subscription and the tag is free which is a minuscule price to pay for personal safety. It is also a great gift to give to loved ones who live away from you. If you are interested in your own unit, you can get 15% off your yearly fee with the code LACESANDLATTES.

I’m travelling this week and you better believe that I will be taking the tag with me.

This is not a sponsored post. I will always give you a heads up in the first line of the post if it is. Thank you for reading and supporting – Run safe, friends!