How To Stay Safe on the Run: Self-Defense

How many times have you been on a run and was spooked by a creeper?

It's happened to me a few times over the years. Once, I was out for a long run in the local forest preserve. It was an early morning and I approached a guy with a hoodie pulled over his head. I couldn't see his face, but something didn't feel right and I did a quick 180 and sped back out of the preserve. Another time, I was running at the retention pond and passed a creepy looking guy. I finished my loop and headed towards home-until I ran face to face into the creepy guy. He grabbed my shoulder but I shook it off and ran towards the local school.

I was lucky.

This past weekend, I was fortunate to be able to attend a session of Girls Fight Back and a self-defense session presented by FIRE, a local women's self-defense training system.  The free program was sponsored by our local high school district. While the program was geared towards young women, I was curious and I thought it could be useful for me personally since I do run alone the majority of the time.

I walked into the gym of the local high school along with a bunch of moms and their daughters and friends. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a large turnout, considering the ice storm we were having. Clearly, self-defense is a topic that is very important to a lot of women.

The first part of the program was a presentation by Girls Fight Back speaker Brie Swartz. She started the session with a video sharing the story of Shannon McNamara. In 2001, Shannon McNamara was raped and killed while attending Eastern Illinois University. In direct response to this, Erin Weed, one of Shannon's sorority sisters, developed the Girls Fight Back program. The philosophy of Girls Fight Back is to empower young women and teach safety and self-defense. The "sisterhood of traveling badasses", as they call themselves, present their program to young women and men at schools and colleges across the country. The program continues to grow and they've expanded their curriculum to include a gender-neutral program as well as safety for women on spring break.

Brie shared a story from her childhood about a creeper who offered her and her sister candy. Knowing something wasn't right, Brie and her sister ran home. The creeper ended up murdering a 12 year old in a nearby town. The important thing about this, she said, is that she learned to trust her intuition. Intuition is what I call my gut instinct. Some people call it their "spidey sense". Whatever you call it, learn to trust it. Intuition is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. If something doesn't feel right, trust that feeling and walk away.

"Instead of saying 'I knew it!', say 'I know it!'" ~ Girls Fight Back

Intuition is important but we also need to be aware--aware of what's around us but also self-awareness. Tune into your body language--keep your head up. That means no texting and walking, no looking down at your phone. Headphones completely eliminate one of your senses, right? You wouldn't run with your eyes closed, would you? Use eye contact to let the person know that you see them but don't linger. Breathe.

Don't judge a person by their appearance. Brie gave the example of a deer who encounters a human. The deer doesn't stop to think about the human. The deer just runs away. Don't make assumptions about who or what could cause violence. The old adage, "don't judge a book by its cover" applies. If it doesn't feel right, move on.

"The best fight is the one never fought. " ~Girls Fight Back

Brie shared some basic self-defense strategies. I thought we'd go right to the physical moves, but she first talked about verbal strategies, such as deflection and empathy.

Then she got into the nitty-gritty, sharing what she called the Double Boundary. She used an example of someone trying to follow you into a building when your arms are full of packages.

• Drop everything
• Turn and face the person
• Both hands up at shoulder height
• Loudly state: "NO! Back up! I don't want any problems here!"

If that doesn't work, think to yourself: where is he vulnerable AND where am I strong? The hot spots discussion was funny. Using a male volunteer, she placed garage sale stickers on so-called vulnerable areas. The eyes, the nose, the neck, the solar plexus, the groin, the abdomen, the backs of the knees, the achilles, the arch of the foot, and the kidneys were all identified as potential hot spots.

Believe: I am worth fighting for. 

It was time to learn the Bad Ass Ballet aka Terminator Tango.  It's a 3 step move, using force:

• Palm strike to the nose
• Knee to groin or face
• Flex elbows up, step back, knee to groin or elbows to back

#badassballet

A couple notes about technique:

• palm strike is with your fingers curled and the base of your palm angled up towards your target
• to properly make a fist, curl all your fingers in and cover them with your thumb
• your stance should be firm with one leg forward. Don't lock your knees. Keep them soft.

Brie also demonstrated what to do if you're attacked from behind or pushed to the ground.  She addressed the use of devices, such as pepper spray but cautioned that you need to know how to use them or they could be used against you. I've heard that advice from cops as well. The best defensive device, in Brie's opinion, is your keys. But don't hold them Wolverine style in your fingers. She recommends placing them in your fist and go for the attacker's hot spots. She also recommended the use of your phone, holding it securely in your fist.

After Brie finished her Girls Fight Back discussion, there was an hour-long demonstration and practice of basic self-defense techniques presented by a local martial arts gym. With such a large group, there wasn't a lot of individual attention, but we lined up and practiced open palm and punching techniques on a bag. It was fun, it was hard, and it was effective. The leaders performed a demonstration of self-defense from the floor as well as if you had a gun to your head. 

It was a sobering, yet empowering afternoon. There was so much to absorb and the self-defense demonstration only left me wanting more. I will definitely look for more opportunities to hone my skills. For younger women who are attending college or find themselves in situations where their safety could be compromised, I highly recommend attending a Girls Fight Back seminar. Brie also covered topics that would be pertinent to this group, such as bullying and being an active bystander. I didn't include those here because this post is geared more towards safety for runners.

To avoid being a victim, we need to be confident and strong. Arm yourself with knowledge and skills.  Trust your gut. Choose Awareness. Oh, and BE LOUD! No means NO!

One last thing. Don't call for help. Don't yell rape. Yell FIRE! Did you know people are more likely to respond to cries of FIRE than anything else?

"Be the CEO of your own personal safety. " ~Girls Fight Back.

Brie advocates for victims to share their stories. Do you have a story to share? Have you used any self-defense techniques to save yourself from an attack? Have you ever attended self-defense training? 

I'm linking up with Tuesdays on the Run, hosted by Marcia, Erika, and Patti, as well as Running Coaches' Corner, hosted by Debbie, Rachel, and Lora and Wild Workout Wednesday hosted by Annemarie and Nicole.