Be Safe My Runner Friends

I read a heart breaking story today. A wife, a mother of three young children, a runner who is no longer here. She was struck by a car on her morning run this past Sunday. The driver was drunk.

According to the news reports I have read, she was running at 8:15 AM, so there was ample daylight. She was running facing traffic, which is proper road safety. I do not know if she was alone. I do not know if she was wearing headphones.

As a mother and a runner, this hits me right in my heart. It makes me sick to my stomach. It scares me.

How many times have I run with my headphones in and had the volume up loud enough to be startled by a car. How many times have I run routes that incorporate turns with poor visibility for runners and drivers. How many times have I thought, Surely that car sees me. They will slow down. They will cross over to the other lane. How many times have I put trust in the hands of those driving around me while I run.

Too many times.

I am generally a very safe and cautious runner. I run facing traffic. I stick to the side of the road. I dress to be visible. I run during daylight hours. I try to keep my music to a level where I can still hear what is going on around me.

But like so many accidents, it's a lot of little things that may seem harmless in and of themselves, but together, they can add up to tragedy. 

My pragmatic side tells me that freak, tragic accidents like this one happen sometimes. However, I also feel like this is a wake up call for myself and other runners to buckle down on runner safety. Take those headphones out of our ears. Educate ourselves on how to enjoy our hobby safely. Plan routes that give us visibility.

This is also a wake up call to drivers. Runners and others on and near the road are trusting you to be a safe driver.

I don't think I need to lecture on the importance of not driving under the influence.

But I think we all need to take a minute to think about how safely we are driving. Are we texting while driving? Are we trying to find the right Spotify playlist? Are we updating facebook? Checking our email? Are we eating and drinking? Are we trying to reach a toy in the back seat to appease a whining child? Are we too tired? Are our minds elsewhere?

I know there are times where I am guilty of these things. And I think about where we feel the safest to do these things -- neighborhoods.

Driving in a neighborhood does not demand any less attention than driving on the road. It only takes a second for a child, a runner, a biker, a pet, etc. to come out of nowhere. Traveling at a slower speed, does not justify paying less attention to the road and its surroundings.

On Saturday, people across the nation will be running for Meg. The young woman, wife, mother, runner who was killed.

I plan to pound the pavement and think of her, her husband, her children, and her friends and family left behind. I will run and pray for good to come of this tragedy, to remind myself not to be afraid but to be safe, and to think about how I will teach my children to be safe runners and safe drivers.

And my headphones will be tucked inside my desk drawer, where they belong.

Please fellow runners, take a minute and read over these General Running Safety Tips from Road Runners Club of America and think about how you can make your own runs safer.