In last year's January issue, I wrote an article addressing safety issues while running. Recently I had two experiences which brought those issues back to the foreground for me. Fortunately, both incidents have a happy ending, but the potential for not-so-pleasant outcomes was there. First I'll tell you my stories, then I'll share my insights and challenge you to play a safety game with yourself after your runs.

Both incidents were precipitated by unseasonably warm days which begged me to extend the planned distance for the day. Like many of you, spring fever makes me a little giddy and distracted. That was my first mistake. One beautiful afternoon, I decided I had enough time to stretch my planned seven-miler into a ten- miler. To add to the enjoyment of the run, I started from a different part of the trail than usual. This was a more remote parking area , although not entirely deserted (mistake number two). At the turn-around point, there was a community center with water and a bathroom. This was a welcome stop since I really needed both services.

It wasn't until I returned to my car that I realized I had left my keys in the bathroom. Since it was still winter, the daylight was fading rapidly, and I knew there was no way I'd be able to complete another ten miles before it was pitch black. I wasn't even sure if I could even run another ten (I haven't run over 14 or 15 miles in years). I really didn't have the luxury of deliberating since precious time was passing.

As I started my frantic run back over the trails, I noticed some activity in the quarry to my right. A young man was getting out of his truck. I hesitated, then decided to run toward him to explain my situation. My hope was that he'd be going somewhat in the direction I needed to go and could drive me at least part of the way. True, he could've been an unsavory character, but I didn't want to think about that. Besides, in my irrational mind, I was thinking, I knew where he worked so I could report him if I lived to tell about it. All I was thinking was, anything short of another ten miles , I knew I could finish the run, and probably before dark. The happy ending is that he was an angel and drove me, safely, round trip. I responded by calling his company in the morning to let them know what he had done for me.

On another beautiful day, I drove to a favorite trail while listening to a book by Steven King on tape. That was mistake number one (good book, but pretty eery). It had cooled down a bit, so I decided to wear my Tyvek jacket over a singlet. During the run, the wind picked up a bit. The plan was for a relaxed recovery run day.

There weren't many others on the trail, so I began daydreaming a bit . . . a little of that visualizing races stuff (mistake number two). I was on the equestrian part of the trail and became vaguely aware of someone on the paved bike trail above me, heading in the opposite direction. A little while later, I turned around but couldn't see the guy anymore, and dismissed the thought. Next thing I knew, he was on the same trail, coming toward me. Of course, this still could be okay, if he was doing an out-and-back walk. But it got my adrenaline going. I wasn't sure I wanted to run past him. I decided to anyway, but noticeably picking up my pace. I boldly made eye contact and took mental notes of his features.

That's when I got a little worried. He had a hooded sweatshirt on, with the hood up and the string tied so tightly that I couldn't see much more than his nose and his eyes (not even his eyebrows were showing). My pace quickened even more. I climbed a hill, and jumped at least a few feet in the air, because I swore I heard something right behind me! I took a quick peek back and realized, foolishly, that it was just the wind catching my jacket and making a whipping sound. (Thank you, Steven King!) Once my breathing returned to normal, I ventured another look back, only to find that the guy had turned back in my direction. Forget tempo pace, now it was an all-out sprint! I quickly scanned the area (fairly remote) but did discern the sounds of an auto repair shop not far from the trail. I looked back one more time, and I had seriously outdistanced him. He had turned back around, heading away from me.

Was he really after me? I'll never know. But I tried to reinforce details about him for the rest of the run, as a game almost. Right after I returned to the car, I could list about ten things I noticed about him. An hour later, maybe three, and even those details were sketchy. Which brings me to my challenge: How well can you describe even the people closest to you? Now I challenge you to notice someone when you are on a run, and see how many details you can remember about the person, or the place where you saw him or her. Try this immediately after the run, and then a little while later.

Things you may want to practice noting: What color was the hair, eyes, skin, shirt, shorts, shoes? How would you describe the nose, cheeks, ears, head shape, to a police sketch artist? Were there any distinguishing marks or behaviors that made you pick this person out? Did the person look like (s)he was in shape, or just out "scoping" the people on the trail. Something I didn't do, and maybe should have, was report him to the police anyway. There have been attacks on that part of the trail, and maybe I was just too alert (and fast?) for him to consider me worth pursuing.

One of the attacks last summer was on a young woman walking on the equestrian trail while wearing headphones (if you've read my past article, you know how I feel about them). The interesting part of the story, though, was there was a young man on a bicycle who passed both the woman and an odd-looking man just minutes before the attack. I know this, because the young man reported it to the police after he heard what had happened. Between the two of them (he and the woman), the police sketched a reasonable likeness and the guy was apprehended. The young man made it his mission whenever he saw a lone female on the trail to tell her what happened (that's how I met him).

The ability to remember details is like most skills, the more you practice, the better you become at remembering them. It could save your life, or that of someone else. Besides, one of the tactics for safety is to look directly at a potential attacker. It unnerves him and/or dissuades him if he thinks you can identify him.

Now here is a self-quiz. How many of the suggestions from the previous article have you adopted? How many did you do for a while, but have let slide lately? How many need a refresher? Some tips from the last article: 1) Never wear headphones (unless on a treadmill); 2) Carry pepper spray or some other deterrent; 3) Does anyone know where you are and when you are expected to return when you run? 4) Do you carry ID? 5) Did you notice the same person several times during the run? Take mental notes about him/her; 6) Did you scan the parking lot before and after your run to notice anyone suspicious sitting in a car?

Trail running can be a wonderfully liberating experience, but it always pays to be a bit sensible as well. Hope to see you out there!