Brains before Brawn:

Walk Smart, Stay Safe Susie Pontrefact, co-organizer of Portland Fit, a marathon training program, has the following suggestions for walkers: How well can you see people walking or running when you’re driving at night? Think about that, and dress accordingly when you exercise. Dawn, dusk, or deepest night, wear reflective gear and avoid dark colors during wet winter months when driver visibility is poor. Bring your cell phone. Plug 911 into speed dial, or be prepared to fake or make an actual call if you sense trouble and want to give the illusion you are not alone. Also, carry a whistle to alert others if you need help. Headphones impede awareness of surroundings, so turn them off in areas where there is heavy traffic (also when crossing train tracks), dimly lit streets, and during the transition hours between dawn and dusk when visibility is poor. Use the buddy system — this could be another person or a dog named Buddy. Large or small, dogs make good walking companions. If in a group, walk no more than two or three abreast. This is common courtesy and can keep you from getting run over by a car, bicycle, or runner. Don’t walk in bike lanes unless absolutely necessary. If you are in a bike lane, pay attention and move over for cyclists.

Personal Safety Comes Down to Confidence, Common Sense

By Susan Rich

Personal safety. There’s more to it than wearing reflective gear and carrying a cell phone. Sometimes a walker can land in a situation where self-defense becomes critical.

If you are being threatened, you have the right to defend yourself, explains Dr. Bryan Baisinger, a chiropractor and martial arts instructor with more than 28 years experience. “It doesn’t matter if you are one hundred pounds overweight or feel bad about how you look. Your right to life is equal to anyone else’s and no one has the right to take that away from you.”

Physical fitness is not a requirement to avoid or evade an attack. Your ability to outrun a dangerous situation is less important than your ability to outwit the troublemaker, he explains. “The number-one tool you have is your brain. When it comes to self defense, it trumps physical training every time.”

Trust your intuition. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t panic. The goal is to look less like a potential victim, he says. “Most perpetrators go by a pattern. If you don’t fit the pattern, they back off. They also look for a way to opt out if their chosen victim fights back.”

Protecting yourself, then, is a bit like the small dog theory. He says, “You don’t have to be a giant dog; you just have to be willing to bite.”

Everybody growls, and everybody has a snapping point; it’s important to know what yours is, how you will react, and then give yourself permission to do exactly that.

Worried about making a fool of yourself on a street corner? Get over it, Baisinger says. Worried about hurting the other person? Don’t be.

“My recommendation as a doctor, as a healer, and a martial arts instructor is this: Pain makes no difference. It’s okay to hurt somebody if they are trying to hurt you. If your life is in danger, it is okay to persist” and do whatever it takes to protect yourself.

Taking a class in self-defense is an excellent way to gain the skills and confidence necessary to defend yourself, recommends Sara Johnson, director of WomenStrength program, sponsored by the Portland Public Safety office.

Personal safety is about self-empowerment. She says, “You have to own yourself. If you feel confident when you leave the house, you will exude confidence — you are telling a predator that you are not an easy target.”

During the classes, “I love to say intuition is our internal alarm system,” she adds. “If you are out on a walk and you feel like someone is behind you, trust that feeling and take a look. If you make eye contact with someone who appears to have a bad intention, what you’re saying is this: ‘I see you, I can identify you, don’t mess with me.’”

Going for a solo walk or run is not inherently dangerous and should not be avoided. Johnson advises, “You can choose to live whatever life you want to lead, and if you are doing it in a safe way then you can prevent something bad from happening.”

This means practicing common sense, like telling people where you are going and when you’ll be back, knowing your route, your neighbors, and other safe havens, and keeping your headphones tuned down enough so you remain aware of your surroundings.