Personal Safety:
Walking and running outdoors is a fantastic way to get and maintain fitness; however, it can be risky. Here are some tips to be safer on your next walk/run:
1. Avoid being alone - exercising with friends is more fun anyway.
2. Don't listen to music - it is a distraction that may limit your ability to hear anything approaching.
3. Run with pepper spray & safety whistle.
4. Avoid going out after dusk.
5. Leave a detailed plan of where you will be walking and what time you should arrive back.
6. Change up your routine daily - don't let people "figure" out your schedule. Easy ways to change up your routine: start an hour earlier or later, try a new route, change the direction of your loop, or change the days you go.
7. Carry a phone, but no other valuables.
8. Look people in the eye and offer a greeting directly to them.
9. Use GPS enabled apps such as mapmyrun, findmyphone, etc
10. Wear brightly colored clothing, reflective accessories, LED lights/flashing lights, etc.
11. Have water with you and a first aid kit in the car.
12. Run on sidewalks and paths whenever possible. If running in the street, run AGAINST (not WITH) traffic and stay on/near the shoulder.
Heat Safety:
It is essential that you don't underestimate the power that heat and humidity has on health. It's extremely important you take extra precautions to stay safe when walking/running or doing other physical activities outdoors in the warm weather months.
For starters, here is an excellent article from Runner's World - it's written for runners, but all of the advice applies to walkers as well.
http://askcoachjenny.
Training in the heat takes longer, you have to go slower, and make accommodations such as taking more rest breaks, taking more water stops, putting water on your neck and over your head.
Here are some pretty common sense strategies to help you beat the heat while your stride this summer!
1. Walk/run during the coolest part of the day whenever possible.
2. Select a route that is mostly or at least partly shaded. In the hottest weather, shade will be a lifesaver.
3. Slow down and go shorter. The hottest days of the year are NOT the time to see how fast you can run or how far you can walk. Easy workouts are the only type of walk/run you need to do during the hottest days.
4. Walking/Running in extreme heat and humidity takes a LOT out of you physically (and mentally as you really feel like you have no fitness because everything is harder - moving, breathing, everything just feels like it's your very first walk ever - trust me, ohhh do I know that feeling all too well). When you complete an outdoor workout in the heat, be sure to pamper yourself with a refreshing shower, plenty of cool beverages, and prop those feet up. Take it easy!
5. Plan routes that have plenty of water accessibility. This may be planning a route that takes you by several water fountains or loops a couple of times around the same water fountain. You can make your car your "aid station" and do loops that bring you back to your car so you can sip water, eat a piece of fruit, wash your face with a cool rag, etc. As a side note, Hardees offers free water to runners/walkers on the greenway. You can go to the counter and ask for a cup and they are happy to give you one - fill er up or use it to refill your water bottle. If you have a park pass, there is a water fountain just inside the gate by the porta-a-pit toilet (there are also fountains in the park across from the main camp ground, across from the boat house, and also across from the water tower.
6. If it's really hot or really humid or you've done several workouts in a row in the extreme heat - take a day off or move your workout indoors. Extra rest between workouts is important when working out in extreme heat/humidity -it just takes so much out of you.
7. New to walking/running outdoors in the heat? Slowly increase your time outdoors in general to increase your acclimation. Start with 10-15 minutes of a slow walk and work your way up over a few weeks to being outdoors for an hour or so and gradually increase your speed and distance over several months.
Until then, click HERE for basic safety information.
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