Growing up my parents emphasized to my brother and I how important it was to be aware of everything around us and be ready to take action. Being vigilant is one of the largest lessons that has stuck with me to this day (so thanks mom and dad *thumbs up for you* your parenting was effective).
My parents stressing of the importance of being aware of my surroundings only grew when I started going running in my neighborhood at home. I ended up carrying pepper spray for a long time. If I am being completely honest I have not (yet) experienced a time where I felt uncomfortable running in O'Fallon. I'm sure it helps that where I live is a very family-friendly neighborhood with a lot of active people. This hasn't lessened my senses though, I am still very aware of any dogs or people that could be around.
This changed when I came to Springfield. I am not located in the most safe part of Springfield and that has definitely influenced where and when I go running. I only go running in the daylight, I always have my keys in one hand and my phone in the other. When I run alone I only do a loop around the Drury campus so that I always have a building I could go to within a few feet in case I feel unsafe.
The first time I felt really uncomfortable when running was when I was running in downtown Springfield with a male friend. We were running down a residential street, I looked to my right and saw a guy looking at me for an unreasonably long time. My guy friend made eye contact with the man staring at me and he looked away. I'm not sure if my friend realizes that he helped stop a situation I was uncomfortable in (we never talked about it and I'm not sure if he remembers) but I was glad he was there to do so. It was the first time I really felt like someone was ogling at me and it's an awful feeling. I should not feel in danger for working out.
See, it is much more fun to run downtown or go on different routes instead of doing the same loop 3 times to get in my 5K, but I can't do that if I run alone. I am sad that I live in a society where I have to be fearful of doing something I love because of someone's unwanted advances. I am sad that people are still tying to justify my running attire as an invitation to stare at me. What saddens me the most is that people are not willing to talk about this and other cases of sexual harassment because they feel like no one is listening.
My "#runningwhilefemale" story may not be the most dramatic but I still feel like it's important to talk about sexual assault and sexual harassment. I would also suggest checking out the #runningwhilefemale for more stories.
I love running and I don't ever intend on stopping, but there are times I feel discouraged because of situations like my own and the others I read. My hope is that one day if I have a daughter that we can run together and not feel unsafe. I hope that she lives in a world that is able to respect her body's abilities and strengths.
Until next time,
Taylor xx
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