5 Outdoor Running Safety Tips

Before I get to our outdoor running safety tips, I want to talk about something…one of the things I’ve been hearing a lot about in the blogging world is making new use out of old content. Especially with as long as I’ve been blogging, there are YEARS of posts hidden within these virtual walls that many have never seen. For some of that content, that’s actually a good thing but there are also some real gems and it’s a shame that this content has barely seen the light of day. One of the things I’m going to start doing is bring this old content back to life. This will likely mean a new, edited, optimized, and far prettier post. This sounds like a total win-win-win. With that said, today is the first of what I hope will be many updates…

With the weather warming up and prime time race season kicking off, many of us are heading outside to hit the pavement. I’ve been getting in far more outdoor runs, even when it means pushing back my run to after work because a gorgeous sunny run sounds a lot better than a treadmill run most days. With that said, whether you are running, walking or biking, it’s important to keep our safety in mind, so today I wanted to share some of my top outdoor training tips.

1- Go earbud free or at least keep the music low 

I love to run with music or podcasts as it helps keep me motivated and pass the time but I know when I’m running outside, it’s important to be able to hear what’s going in my surroundings. I love using my Aftershokz because they allow you to hear your surroundings while your music is playing, but if your headphones don’t do this, then you need to turn the volume down. 

2- Run facing traffic

While it may seem like you would want to run with traffic, it’s actually the opposite. You want to be able to see any cars coming your want and you want them to see you! I can’t tell you the number of times that I am running facing traffic and I realize someone doesn’t realize I’m in the road and I have to hop up onto the grass. Even when I’m able to run on the sidewalk, I still face traffic the majority of the time because you never know when the sidewalk may be flooded (or any other reason) that requires you to hop into the street even for a few short moments.

3- Bring Water

I’ll be honest that this is a hard one for me. I’ll drink water all day long and when I’m on the treadmill, my water bottle is right there, but when I’m running outside, I’m not as great about bringing it along. I’m trying to remind myself how important this is especially in the warmer months so I promise I’m working on this! I’m a NUUN Ambassador and I truly believe in the importance of staying hydrated, so I promise I’ll get better and I hope you will too. 

4- Carry your cell phone

These days, most of us have our phones attached to our hips 24/7 so I’m sure it’s safe to say most probably have their phone with on their run, even if only for music and tracking purposes. But, this is also for safety. It’s comforting to know that if anything happened, my phone is within reach for me to call for help, especially when I’m out on a trail somewhere. 

5- Bring ID or Wear a RoadID

I got my first RoadID years ago and I still use it to this day. It’s an ID + emergency contact all in one little bracelet! The hardest part for me is remembering to grab it, especially when I decide last minute to go for an after-work run so I suggest keeping it in your gym bag so you always have it!

Be safe on the road, my friends and have a good run!

What are your top outdoor running safety tips?