I started this article a few weeks ago with the intention of writing about running clothes.  However, the recent disappearance of a young woman in San Diego who was running in a public park has prompted me to change my article from fashion-based to safety-based.

With the onset of warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours, more and more folks will be abandoning the gym and exercising outside.  Whether you walk, run, bike, or skate, here are some tips to help keep you safe: 

You may know them already but they bear repeating.

• Exercise with a partner – there is safety in numbers
• If you do go alone let someone know when you leave, where you are going, and when you plan to be back.
• Carry identification and a few dollars for emergencies.
• Carry your cell phone.
• Leave the iPod at home.  If you have to run to music use just one earbud, and keep the volume low enough that you can still hear over the music.
• Stay alert and aware of your surroundings, and plan an “escape route” option
• Avoid dark, deserted, unlit areas, unpopular streets and trails. And stay clear of parked cars, bushes, and recessed building doorways
• Vary your route and running times to deter potential observers.
• If it’s safe to do so, go against the flow of traffic so you can see what’s approaching.
• Wear light colored reflective clothing at dawn, dusk and at night.
• Don’t assume cars will obey the traffic laws- yield the right of way at intersections.

Let’s be careful out there.

Image credit – www.proshieldsafetysigns.co.uk

Kim is the Fashion and Beauty Editor for Girls Guide. You can check out her personal blog, Parachuting Without A Net, where she talks about just about everything under the sun from being a Mom to whipping up quick dinners. You can contact Kim by Emailing her – kim [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @parachuting.