Hello again and happy healthy Halloween! Safety is very important for all of us to consider in a holistic sense. And in a situational sense too. Do we do that?
Running and riding and can be hazardous if we aren’t careful. But we can prevent most problems by taking precautions, using common sense, and taking the safest pathway available to minimize risk.
For example, on sunny, cloudy, dark, rainy, or snowy days, we need to be seen. Even on sunny days, there is shade. And on cloudy days, it’s even darker. Our eyes adjust (not always as quickly as we would like). But sometimes our eyes may not adjust to changing conditions quickly (like sunny suddenly clouding over or vice versa or precipitation blocking out the sun, making it tougher to be seen).
It’s wise to wear bright reflective gear and clothing whenever possible. If your clothing is dark, add some bright Brilliant Reflective safety strips to it and you reflect much brighter than you would without it. I check my hats, shoes, jackets, vests, pants, and other gear. Even my Road ID has Brilliant Reflective that I added to it.
As we shift into the darker stages of autumn and early glimpses of~gasp!~winter, we must sometimes wear headlamps and add extra precautions to be seen a little bit easier. Even on cloudy days, at least wear a headlamp and use one of the dimmer (or red) settings. On foggy days, we need to be seen. On foggy misty days, ditto. Misty weather is our dog Misty’s favorite weather. I think you might know that already;)
And our dog Misty must be seen too so we make sure that her collar still reflects (it’s a Kong collar) and we add a lot of Brilliant Reflective to it on both sides (sometimes a couple layers on top of each other to keep it sticking to the leash). With precipitation, sometimes a piece of tape might fall or peel off. If that happens, we just replace it.
I thought I applied my Brilliant Reflective tape well to my Mizuno shoes I showed you earlier today. But I had to fasten one corner that started to peel off in the wind (I just didn’t fasten one side completely as I did it hurriedly before our run). No big deal.
Want to find some Brilliant for you and your family? Check out their website and new safety packs for kids with different fun shapes for the whole family: BrilliantReflective.com
Ask yourself: can drivers/bikers/runners/pedestrians see me from a distance with what I’m wearing? If not, add something bright and reflective to your gear/clothing. It’s worth the extra time. We’re talking about 5-30 minutes tops depending on how much you’re trying to add. If you’re in a hurry, use the stick-on Brilliant strips. If you have more time, or plan ahead, use the iron-on ones. I use both.
Sometimes we encounter situations when we don’t feel safe on our runs. For example, if someone is following us. We had this happen within the past week when I was running with our dog. A suspicious person suddenly began following us right after we passed by a school. And so we picked up the pace, accelerated, changed our route, I checked my phone to make sure I still had power in case I needed to contact anyone if things got worse or reached the emergency level, and I began to try to anticipate what I would do next if this person kept following us. He eventually went a different way. But I will be thinking through this a little more because it’s easy to wander into the wrong neighborhood if we aren’t careful. Always think 2-3 steps ahead to keep you and your loved ones safe.
Take care, enjoy a happy healthy and safe Halloween! Farewell October!
Follow