You are insisting on doing something you know is dangerous and have the statistics to back it up and you think this is the end of bad things happening to you? When you look for trouble you may well find it.
Run somewhere safer, or at least run in the daylight. Or run with other people. Running alone in the dark in a high crime area? Good luck with that.
Post by Wines Not Whines on Jan 27, 2013 6:15:14 GMT -5
I don't run by myself when it's dark. I just don't feel safe. I don't live in the ghetto, But I live in an urban area and there's a decent amount of crime here. I would try to find a running partner or go out on my lunch break or other daylight hours. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's what I'd do.
If you insist on running by yourself in the dark, I'd stick to major roads and carry a cell phone with you.
I'd call losing 5 family members, a business, 2 homes and 2 long term jobs in less than 26 months rough. But I gained running. It's the only thing I gained. Besides my dogs and a futon it will all I have left. I can run on major streets, a gun might be too heavy, plus I'm not the best shot. I will work on that. :-) i would say this HAS to be the end of the bad things, but every time I say it, something else happens. Thank you all for the support and suggestions.
I'm sorry. We know some of your story and you have had more than your share of difficulty.
But (and I know this is going to sound hard or heartless or something) it seems that if something could go wrong for you, it does. I would not put myself in the running situation you describe, it just doesn't seem safe or sensible. And with your history, well I would never ever do it.
Running in the situation you describe is a bad decision. there has to be another way.
I'd call losing 5 family members, a business, 2 homes and 2 long term jobs in less than 26 months rough. But I gained running. It's the only thing I gained. Besides my dogs and a futon it will all I have left. I can run on major streets, a gun might be too heavy, plus I'm not the best shot. I will work on that. :-) i would say this HAS to be the end of the bad things, but every time I say it, something else happens. Thank you all for the support and suggestions.
I say this nicely, get into therapy if you haven't already. This post sounds like a cry for help. You need someone to talk through your grief instead if putting yourself in a dangerous situation. If you can fit in a 430 run in the ghetto, you should be willing to fit in a therapist. Hugs
Post by foundmylazybum on Jan 27, 2013 7:57:55 GMT -5
Drive other places
Use your weekends to your best advantage to go to better running locations in la
Find the running group. Honestly you are an idiot if you don't
Join the gym. Again idiot if you don't
GET INTO THERAPY
You continuously make poor or odd decisions, and are extremely isolated. You are willfully moving towards this bad decision. You need some help, guidance and support.
You are insisting on doing something you know is dangerous and have the statistics to back it up and you think this is the end of bad things happening to you? When you look for trouble you may well find it.
I generally don't like adding to pile-ons, no matter how justified they are, but I have to agree with this. You are choosing to ignore reality and justifying your choice on the basis that you've been through tough times and deserve to do what you want to do. If you step back and look at this objectively, it is utterly irrational, and you are indeed setting yourself for more trouble.
I once was jogging through a safe area of the city and found myself being chased by a group of men who were threatening me with rape. I'm fairly certain the only reason they didn't catch me was because some traffic happened to come along, and I chose to run right into the middle of it to get away. I never ran in that area again.
I am very sorry for your difficulties, and I fully appreciate the need to exercise for mental, as well as physical, health, but you may find that your mental and physical health are up against far more than personal stress if you choose to go running alone in the dark in a high-crime area.
I've heard the therapy thing, it's not for me. This isn't a cry for help. This is my reality. Obviously I don't want to move to the ghetto, but given the circumstances I have to. To me therapy is running, it is my only vice. I think that other than a few falls I'm doing damn well for that I deal with on a daily basis. Everyone has down days, but you really shouldn't throw therapy into someone's face just because they have had to deal with things. I would honestly think that running in the am is safer than at night.
Use your weekends to your best advantage to go to better running locations in la
Find the running group. Honestly you are an idiot if you don't
Join the gym. Again idiot if you don't
GET INTO THERAPY
You continuously make poor or odd decisions, and are extremely isolated. You are willfully moving towards this bad decision. You need some help, guidance and support.
I'm sorry. Other than this one(in your mind), what bad decisions did I make?
I'm no doctor, but based on your posts here, this isn't just a couple of down days. It seems to me you're drowning and your current coping strategies are not working. I along with others suggest therapy not to 'throw it in your face' but because we've witnessed your struggles and want you to be well. Sometimes you just need a little help to pull yourself up. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
Do you work in a nicer area? Get a gym membership by work, run in that area and then use the gym's shower facility. You can also do this at lunch or after work.
I am not sure what makes 430 am "safer." People on drugs don't sleep at night. If anything, they are fatigued, chasing the high and crazy.
Driving to a nicer area or joining a running club is good advice, too.
It makes me nervous when people claim all they have is running. These are people who run through pain, run through injuries, do serious damage to their bodies and become horribly depressed. Running is great. But, it can't be everything.
Not trying to pile in, but the suggestion for therapy is not meant as an insult, people in this board obviously care about you and want to see you succeed. Not sure what you were looking for out of this post, I guess. Good luck.
Post by RobynSparkles on Jan 27, 2013 14:04:45 GMT -5
Broken record here: don't do it. Get a gym membership or a treadmill.
The idea that you assume "thugs" are asleep by 4:30 makes me even more worried for your safety. I imagine those who get attacked in broader daylight than 4:30am thought they would be safe, too.
However, since you are likely to continue insisting upon plowing forward with your foolish careless plan, never run the same route two days in a row. Alter your distance/time for each run. And have a good home-safety system in place. You say you're living with a family member, but that may not stop someone from learning your 4:30am routine and breaking in when you leave. Creepers are creepy bastards.
Thanks for understanding. I did not choose this, just the consequence of others decisions.
^ But if you choose to run in this neighborhood THAT is your choice.
Sorry you've been through some hard times. I've been there, lost hope, thought it would never get better but it eventually does. Just do the best you can with what you have.
Post by dragonfly08 on Jan 27, 2013 14:23:19 GMT -5
Personally, I wouldn't run alone at 4:30 even in a "good" neighborhood. But that's me. Depending on what you mean by "ghetto" (and those crime stats don't look great IMO) I'd find a partner, invest in a treadmill, or drive to another neighborhood.
Just a comment on carrying mace/pepper spray. I went to my local running store to buy some once. The manager was ex-military and taught self-defense. He told me not to bother. Instead, he told me to go home and find a high-decibel whistle on-line, and buy that instead. In his experience mace/spray too often got used against the person trying to defend him/herself instead of the attacker. A whistle placed near the attacker's ear, on the other hand, was almost always effective. I'm no expert, but I figured I'd throw that out there.
Post by wildfloweragain on Jan 27, 2013 14:32:54 GMT -5
I was also looking for the answers to the driving to another area/group running/gym/treadmill questions, esp the treadmill one.
But to add to the safe things people are listing like no music, etc, I also log on to mapmyrun when I go out and bring my phone with me (enabling gps.) If I come up missing my husband can look me up on gps at least.
Post by gustafngrete on Jan 27, 2013 16:14:39 GMT -5
Hi, I don't post here very often, but I feel compelled to reply. I don't know your full back story, but I'm concerned about both your physical and emotional safety. Do you have any kind of support system? If you don't want to go to therapy, do you at least have a friend or family member that you can talk to?