If I had a pound for every time I'd heard a woman say "I don't like to run on my own in the dark", I'd probably be considered one of the world's richest females. Sadly however, I'm part of the statistic of women that have said that sentence many times in my life, and even more sadly, the time of day that I'm free to run really does affect whether or not I actually go out to exercise or find myself cooped up doing a home workout. Home workouts are great - don't get me wrong - but they don't quite beat the rush you get after a burst of fresh air and a swift run around the block.
There's been a recent increase on social media of female run groups getting together to feel safe when they run in the dark, myself included, and honestly I couldn't be happier about it! In years past, I'd notice a drop in my cardiovascular fitness over winter months as it limited the time in which I could run in daylight. No matter how many light up armbands or reflective pieces of clothing I would wear, I didn't feel safe enough to run by myself either early mornings or late evenings. This feeling of not being able to go for a run whenever I wanted through winter months soon takes the fun away of just going out "because I felt like it" and as a result, my fitness levels would suffer.
I can almost guarantee that very few men have ever used the darkness for a reason to stop them going for a run. Am I right, or am I right?
Having moved towns recently, I was looking for some social groups to join, ideally something fitness related but also something that was free to join. I searched local groups for months, until one day coming across a female-only run group. Over 300 women that live locally to this town are part of the group on social media, but perhaps a random mix of only around 10-15 that meet on a regular basis to run every week at 6pm - if you can make it then great, or if something gets in your way that's no problem either as there's no commitment or fees to be paid. The idea came about quite simply because of what we've already mentioned - two women wanted to run after work, but didn't feel safe to do so alone. We run a 5km route each week, sometimes varying the route that we take, and with paces averaging anywhere between 5:30/km up to 7:00/km, but you won't ever run alone. Additionally, if anyone else is training at other times throughout the week for events or just feels like stretching their legs, you can post in the private group to say what time and where to meet and more often than not, you'll have a buddy to run the route.
It's refreshing to have this opportunity to get out, and for me, it's nice to be taught rather than be teaching. I go out with the other women and the thought process of where I need to run and at what pace is replaced with friendly conversation (and sometimes some cute four-legged friends too!)
For any women or girls that are having doubts that they won't be fast enough or fit enough, all I can say is "feel the fear and do it anyway"... sure, that first time turning up is daunting, but you'll soon feel empowered and fitter, and I can almost guarantee that every female that you're running alongside felt that fear at some point too.
AJR x
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