1. Whether during the day or at night - after a long day of work - there are many athletes who go jogging in these scenarios. In this sense, the first premise that we should have clear when it comes to running around the city or on the road should be visible.
Runners are strange agents on the road. We are not trucks, or cars, or motorcycles... and drivers are not used to find us in this type of situation. Therefore, it is essential that you see us. In addition to choosing bright colors in our attire, it is also essential that we use some reflective fabrics in our clothing. Not doing so can be a danger to ourselves, but also to others. This piece of reflective clothing takes on special importance - it is a sine qua non condition, in fact - if we gallop during the night or in low light hours.
If to this striking clothes we add a LED light that we can find in any store at low cost, so much better. The light will give us visibility for the cars, in addition to light the road before stone and possibly dangerous holes in the asphalt.
As if it were Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, we must imagine that we are non-existent for the rest of the road's occupants. When we choose clothes to go out, we must ask ourselves this question: what pieces will make me look like a walking disco, visible hundreds of meters away? Well, those will be the right ones, although, for a day, let's leave aside the combination of colors and the style that many want to follow the letter. The essential thing is to be visible, not if the colors of our dress marry each other.
2. When tetanus by this type of routes, we must not forget that it is necessary to fulfill a series of norms that are going to minimize our danger and, at the same time, they will give security to the drivers. Running on the road does not mean I can do it where I please, as if I were on the mountain or on any road away from traffic. It is essential to know what place we should occupy. In this case, it is more an obligation than a simple advice. According to the regulations of the DGT, we must stay on the left side of the road when traffic is always on our side (that is, we must run along the shoulder of the opposite direction of traffic,).
This is the most appropriate way to maintain traffic on a road and have controlled the cars that are around us. In addition, it is always much easier to react when a vehicle comes face to face with any eventuality, than having to turn when it is directed towards us from behind. And drivers, on the other hand, will also always see us more easily if they see us face to face.
3. We can also help them if we indicate any of our movements, warning them of our intentions at all times, always respecting the traffic and its traffic regulations.
4. In parallel, we must be very aware of the changes in grade. These, combined with the sunsets, can make us almost invisible. Therefore, it is not too much to maximize all these reserves in these scenarios and at certain times of the day. In the early hours of the morning and early in the day, drivers may be more tired or asleep and, therefore, less attentive. Being aware of this, we must not endanger our own security. If possible, then, we should dodge running in these slots.
5. Visibility and place become nuclear aspects when running on asphalted roads, with some traffic, or the city if we must be part of-at some point-the amalgam of vehicles that circulate through it. But attention is not less. Running is an activity that allows us to disconnect from the world. Which brings us to a stage of peace and calm with ourselves, many times after a hard day's work. However, when we run on the road we must not disconnect from the environment that surrounds us.
6. So, we must go with all the senses alert and be able to anticipate any eventuality. Logically, we must forget to run with music, as we do in other places. And it is that music distracts us, lowers our level of attention and makes it impossible for us to receive an acoustic signal that warns us of imminent danger. Therefore, running without helmets should be not only an advice, but an imposition if in our training course we interact at some point the circulation. The sound of a horn or an approaching motor vehicle can make a difference for a runner at certain time.
7. Most roads have a wide shoulder. Whenever possible, it is preferable to run along the shoulder to occupy a part of the road (always on the left side, as we have previously warned). In addition, if we have knowledge of the route that we are going to complete, it is appropriate to take into account some way of escape in case it is mandatory. That is, if the road narrows or there is a lot of traffic, we should take an alternative route that is safer.
8. The above suggestions refers, basically, to the present record. Advice determined from the same moment in which we are running. But we can also incorporate others to our practice as a way of working that also gives more security to our environment. In this aspect, it would not hurt to leave a note or send a message to our husband, wife, father, mother... when we go out to practice running. In it, we would delimit the route we plan to complete. In case of delay, they will always be able to find us. It would not be the first time a runner has been injured in a gutter resulting from the collision with another vehicle on a road with little traffic.
9. Wearing some identification over when we are going to run should be as essential as tying the laces before starting our activity. This advice should be valid for all possible cases and contexts, but even more if our task is to train the vehicles. Being easily recognizable and allowing to notify our family if necessary, and as quickly as possible, is another point in our favor. In this sense, there are some athletes who prefer to go out with their mobile on their backs in order to request help if necessary. Any forecast can help although the volume of the cell phone may seem a nuisance in our runner clothing.
10. We must bear in mind that roads are made for vehicles and, like it or not, we are foreign agents, strangers, in this framework. In this way, as if it were drivers and drivers, we must comply with and respect the relevant rules when trotting through them. Prudence and attention are basic axes to minimize the risk to which we expose ourselves if we run by circulatory routes. Look well before crossing a stop, or ponder the precautions when we cross by an incorporation to the road can be the big difference between regretting a disaster or to continue doing what we like: run. And running is always a healthy activity, but also safe and reliable.
