11 Tips for Summer Workout Safety

Well, I think it's safe to say that spring has officially sprung. Finally. Honestly, did you wonder if it would ever come?

I know I wasn't sure.

Now that it's here, I am amazed at how many people are out and about. It's almost like we were caged up indoors and just waiting to get out.

Oh wait ... we were.

But I'm noticing something else, too. People must be so drunk on fresh air and sunshine that they've completely forgotten how to behave in the great outdoors. In fact, I find myself yelling at them from my car  in an effort to save them from themselves. 

I know it feels good to be "free" again. But please don't forget that you have to think about what you're doing, where you're going and how you get there!

11 Tips for Summer Workout Safety
1. Walk and run AGAINST traffic. You want to see the cars coming at you,  not have them sneak up behind you. There's a group of high school kids that walk in my neighborhood three wide that drives me bananas. And I see runners on the road in a bike lane, moving with traffic. Think you can hear a car coming? You're crazy. You can't hear them coming with any reliability. Think they'll get over when they see you? Ba ha ha ha ha! 

2. Bike WITH traffic and follow the rules of the road. Stop at stop signs. Use your hand signals. Move to the middle at intersections so cars know you're intentions. Don't make them guess ... because they'll guess wrong and hit you. 

3. Make yourself SEEN. Wear fluorescent colors ... and something that flaps a little in the breeze. If I run early in the morning, I start with a long-sleeve fluorescent shirt. As I warm up, I take it off and tie it around my waist. When I ride in on my bike in the morning, I need the long sleeves on. On the way home in the afternoon, I tie it around my waist instead of tucking it in my backpack ... so there's something bright -- and moving -- to catch someone's eye. Avoid dawn and dusk. Use reflectors and lights. Be smart! 

4. Carry your phone, ID and pepper spray. Goodness willing, you never need any of it. But better to have it and not need it than vice versa. On the bike, there's your helmet, of course, and I also carry $5 and a Kleenex. Just in case. 

5. Don't go anywhere without water. Even for a short 3-mile jog. 

6. Let someone know where you are going, when you leave and when you expect to be home. Better yet, put one of those apps on your phone that allows your significant other to track your whereabouts. Sound a little paranoid? Maybe. 

7. Ride/run/walk single file on the roadway. To those of you all decked out in spandex bikewear and those long pointy helmets as if this is the Tour who ride three abreast on country roads as if you own them ... get over yourself and don't give cars a reason to hate us all. The best way to be treated with respect is to follow the rules of the road. 

8. Lead by example when you're in a car. See that bike or runner? SLOW DOWN and give them plenty of room. Show other drivers what the right way to behave is. Maybe, just maybe, they'll make a note of it and give you or someone else the same treatment when roles are reversed. 

9. Thank those drivers, walkers, runners, riders who do right by you. I always give a wave and a nod to the drivers who give me a lot of space when I'm running. I nod and say "Thank you" to the guy who makes his pitbull sit as I ride my bike past on the bike trail. I loudly and clearly say, "On your left," as I approach walkers on the trails because I don't want to startle anyone. We're all in this together and a little nice goes a long way. 

10. Wear sunscreen. 

11. Always give cars the right-of-way, even when they're wrong. In the end, they win.