Lady needs your help in choosing a safe route

Hi everyone,

As you can see, this is my very first post, so please accept my apologies, if I say or do something wrong.

I am 56 and although I'm not overweight, I'm definately not very healthy.  In fact I can't do much exercise at all and need to slowly get back to being healthy.  I need your help in finding a route in bradford that I can use to jog.  

 

The route:-

1. Must be very easy to jog, i.e. no hills and pretty short: 1-2 miles (to start off with)

2. If possible a clean country road as I don't mind driving upto that route and then do the jogging.

3. Safe to jog for a single woman - I don't want to jog in some back street alleys where there is a danger of being mugged or jumped.

I know these are difficult questions, but I'm hoping some expert may know the answers, otherwise i'm just going to stick with doing nothing.

Thank you

Comments

  • No idea of Bradford - but presumably you have a park there ? Run laps round the park maybe ? Plenty of people run in parks so you'll be safe.



    I reckon driving to your country lane could be the most dangerous part of the whole plan statistically speaking. There are a lot more crap drivers than there are patient perverts.
  • Helen you might find it better to contact a local running club and see what they say. Might be able to go out with people of the same ability and get some wine in as well. I've come accross these guys a few times at races and they have always seem's friendly if any good. http://www.idleac.co.uk/

  • With respect, Helen, you probably know your own town better than anyone else does. 

    Why not get in your car and have a drive round to find somewhere that suits?   

    Remember, if you keep it up there'll come a time when you will need to run in the dark so you'll do well to find some busier places that are well lit at night too.

    Happy running.

  • Thinking on - ask the people who do the parkrun in Bradford where they run ?



    Facebook or Twitter - they will know good places.



    https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=parkrun+bradford&oq=parkrun+bradford&aqs=chrome.0.57j0l3j62l2.5053j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
  • I'd echo what Screamapillar says about having a drive around your local area and planning something.  When I first started I just ran locally from my house rounda loop of about 0.5 miles for a while until I was confident in what I was doing and happy to expand my horizons further afield. 

    Also, it may be obvious, but don't run with a walkman or something on so you are aware of what is going on around you.

    Good luck image

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    If you live where there are streetlights. i'd start just jogging outside your house.  But then again it's light until quite late so don't even really need that unless you are going out very late or early. 

  • I've used mapmyrun.com to find some decent routes myself. You can always use google maps street view to see if the routes are acceptable too. All from the comfort of your own home!

  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭

    There are probably beginners' groups with local running clubs and so it may be worth having a look at their websites.  Company can help!

    In terms of personal safety, I'd agree that urban is probably better as there are likely to be people around and streetlights in winter.  That said, in 12 years of running I've not had any difficulties either running in town/suburbs or slightly more rural areas,so in my experience the risks to personal safety when running are pretty low.

    Good luck getting back in shape!

  • Good luck to you as you start your running journey!

    I use walkjogrun.net  you can pop in your postcoade and it shows routes other runners nearby have logged. you can use these or create your own. 

    Obviously choose daylight running, near houses and where there will be other people about. 

  • Try running early. The only loons out at that time are other runners.

  • BookyBooky ✭✭✭

    image Or postie's like us. image

    Sorry using the missus profile as mine appears to have got a little b*ggered cake here. Try these guys for info they are really friendly and generally jolly good egg's image http://www.idleac.co.uk/

  • My Missis is fairly well recognised for running around where we live; strangers have approached her on a few occassions to chat about her running when she's been out shopping.

    There have been a few incidents too where she's received some out-of-the-ordinary verbal abuse and once she had an apple thrown at her from a moving car; it left her with a nasty looking bruise on her thigh.  That was reported to the police, who took it seriously (the local bobby in charge is a member of our running club).

    I just ask that she varies her routes; that she doesn't run the same route at the same time on the same day of the week.  When dark, she prefers built up areas than quiet locations; and running with a club is great too.  Not all club runners are sporting gladiators (I'm definately not).

    Why not try a club and run with other runners too?

  • If you go to http://www.police.uk/ you can get street-level data on crimes, that should highlight any dodgy areas.

    Don't think running is particularly risky. Some people seem to think it is, but they'll happily walk in the same areas, which I don't understand.

  • I'd also think the risks are really pretty small and whilst I wouldn't advocate running through a red light district alone at night I think you can pretty much run wherever is convenient for you. 

    If I'm heading off for a particularly long run or somewhere seriously off road (like on the moors) I'd let someone know where I was going and when I'd expect to be back (this is more in case I injure myself and need someone to come and rescue me!) but otherwise just head out. Once you are out and about on foot in your local area regularly you soon get to know folks who you see walking their dog/cycling to work/taking their kids to school. Get in the habit of saying hello as you pass and then it all feels quite safe because you know them and they know you. 

    If I were you I'd just head out from your front door and do a couple of miles on familiar streets or head to the nearest park. I'd also consider the Parkrun in Lister Park too if you'd rather have some company - lots of runners and run/walkers of all abilities there. Or you could see if there is a Run England beginners group near you and join them image

  • just to add to all the good advice above , I always use to plan routes that passed friends houses so I was never far from a safe place. I did also try using gympse app on my phone. it meant I could go out for along run and my partnercould use email to check where I was , I could also ssend messages ( get help or call police for example) quickly with one touch . I dont use it now as it requires the other person to know you are going out and be checking their email regulary .

     

  • Best advice move out of Bradford

  • WombleWomble ✭✭✭

    Why assume that you are going to be attacked? It's all a state of mind - if you run confidently it's highly unlikely that anything will happen to you. I've run loads of miles,many of  them late evening and never had trouble at all. In fact, I've managed to frighten people who if you believe the tabloids should have been mugging me.

  • Hi Helen,

    I am a relative newbie to running, and also from Bradford. The problem you will find is it is difficult to find a route round here that doesn't either involve some serious hills, or going through some of the - shall we say - less plesant areas.

    The Route the Bradford 10K takes is pretty flat, easy and safe - from the town down canal road towards Shipley and back, you could always go down Canal Road and back up Mannignham Lane.

    As I am based in Bolton Woods I often go up Gaisby Lane, down Carr Lane, up into shipley and then back down Canal Road - this is 5.01km door to door which is good as I just up the number of laps if I fancy a longer run. The hill can be a bit of killer though.

    I also run on the canal a lot - the Rodley through to Keighley stretch is the one I run along - it is nice and scenic and there is a fair amount of tow path traffic so also fairly safe. The canal would be my reccommendation for an easy flat run, parking in Saltaire and running to Bingley and back would fall into your prefered distance, you can always carry on a bit further as and when you feel ready.

     

     

     

     

  • skottyskotty ✭✭✭

    there's a similar thread popped up again today.

    how to avoid a lady massacre in the garden or something like that.

  • image Err skotty that's about something very different if you don't know I wouldn't look on the thread it's to do with bike saddle's. imageimageimage

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭
    Red Lipped Runner wrote (see)

    ...

    Obviously choose daylight running,near houses and where there will be other people about. 

     

    Unless you don't have a day job, running only in daylight is not really possible in winter time.

    I've run, on my own, in the dark for years, and never had any trouble (despite living in a not-very-nice town).  Some people say it's not safe - but I have to walk home from the station in the dark half the year and no-one seems to think it's not safe to do that.

    The suggstions to join a club are good - having company makes running more enjoyable, and also gives you extra motivation to get out there if you know others are expecting you.

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