My Journey With Weight Loss – Safety

I was so happy to be running along my beloved beach this morning after doing some boring runs at our trailer resort. I hit the road at 5:15am so it was still quite dark. But, when I was on my return run the sun was coming up and I looked at our bay and thought wow, is that ever beautiful. The mountains were silhouetted, the water was so calm there wasn’t a ripple and the colours of the awakening sun and blue sky reflecting off that water were amazing. I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

My husband and I were chatting this weekend about my runs and he voiced his concerns about my safety. One issue was the fact that I wear AirPods so that I can listen to a book. I assured him I keep the volume low. I want to be able to hear people coming up behind me. I also want to be able to hear vehicles when I am crossing intersections (note we had an interesting conversation how hearing vehicles can be challenging with more electric cars being added to the mix). Another topic is my visibility especially when I start my runs before daybreak. I have resolved this issue by purchasing a running jacket that is a very bright colour and has reflective stripes.

Another major safety concern is the railway tracks that in an 8 km run I cross 4 times. My husband works in the railway construction industry and is often in charge of site safety so if there is one thing I give a lot of respect to it is trains. I remember years ago meeting a young man while I was at physio. He and a friend had been playing chicken on the railway tracks and the train won. This young man was learning to walk again after having lost more than half of his foot from this incident. I also recall a woman a few years ago who was out on a run wearing headphones so didn’t hear the train approaching as she was crossing the tracks and unfortunately she was struck and killed. For me it is simple, I stop every time I cross those tracks and take a long look in both directions so that I know it is safe to cross. I also never try to beat the train if I see the red signal lights start flashing. According to my husband once they start it is 22 seconds before the crossing gate comes down. Not for me, flashing lights mean I am not crossing those tracks until the train has passed.

I know some of this is just common sense but being safe when you are out walking/running is important. I also believe it is my responsibility to do everything I can to stay safe.