I've done it a couple times, but never felt particularly safe, even with my 90lb ferocious looking dog beside me. I can't wait for the days to get long again.

I have my dog with me (he's huge!) so I feel safe doing this. Even WITH earbuds.

I run alone in the mornings at 6 am but I live in a safe subdivision and I usually don't run on a trail although there is one that goes through it; I run on the street. Wear bright clothing, headlamp, and reflective bands. I move to the sidewalk if a car is coming. No earbuds.

No earbuds, no early morning runs without a partner. Personally I dislike running on sidewalks nears streets with heavy car traffic and exhaust but if that is all I can do to feel safe then I will do it. During this time of year I do running on weekends when the sun is up, and turn to the treadmill for shorter runs.

I newver run with earbuds especailly when it is dark and I want to be aware of my surroundings. Before sunrise I feel safest around a neightborhood and would not feel safe on a trail when it is dark or a time of day where it is not well traveled.

No earbuds, ever.

Yes, but with a partner. Never alone.

Yes. I stay on well-travelled, well-lit sidewalks and wear reflective wristbands. (These are very cheap and available at any bike or running store.) It wouldn't be smart at all to run trails in the dark. If nothing else, you're just about guaranteed to twist your ankle on a root or rock.

No earbuds at any time. When I first started longer runs, I admit to using them on bike paths in broad daylight. I stopped when I realized that I was sometimes getting so absorbed in listening (podcasts) that I missed signals from passing bikers.

I meant "wear" ear buds. I do know the difference.

I generally don't feel safe but during the summer I tend to start before the sun is really up in order to beat the heat, in which case I run on the streets, not trails or isolated areas. Its good advice to NEVER where ear buds, day or night. A young woman wearing ear buds was recently sexually assaulted on the Capital Crescent Trail and there was a death a few years ago in Dallas of a runner who was wearing ear buds and was hit by a cyclist. I run on the Capital Crescent Trail and feel its borderline unsafe as it is with the cyclists speeding down the trail, I would never wear ear buds. Its important to stay aware out there.

Anonymous wrote:I run after sunset. I feel safe, but I also take my dog. Definitely no ear buds. I wear reflective clothing and a reflective belt.

And on streets, I only run trails in daylight, with a friend.

I run after sunset. I feel safe, but I also take my dog. Definitely no ear buds. I wear reflective clothing and a reflective belt.

No. I don't feel safe. Maybe if I had a partner. I did train for a marathon two years ago, and did early morning runs on the streets as the sun was coming up. Definitely no earbuds. I never understand why runners and cyclists would take away one of the senses they need to be safe.

I do it a couple of times a week with a running buddy. We stay on the city streets and wear reflective clothing. We are chatting so no earbuds.

I'm assuming you feel there are no safety issues. I'm deciding about doing this myself. Do you run on trails? Streets? I'm assuming no earbuds?