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As the clocks go back this weekend and the evenings get darker earlier, our thoughts, unfortunately, turn to how to manage running in the dark while feeling safe. It would be fantastic if all women, everywhere felt safe running in the dark. But sadly we know that this isn’t the case.

Research from This Girl Can shows that nearly half (48%) of women prefer not to be active outside after dark and that six in 10 (60%) worry about the risk of sexual harassment or intimidation when exercising as the evenings draw in. It also shows that two in five (40%) women feel limited because of this and that more than a quarter (27%) feel sad or frustrated.

This research sadly shows us what most women already know: trying to get your runs in or just go about your life becomes a lot more complicated during the winter months. It shouldn’t be down to women to modify their behaviours to feel safe from violence. We should live in a world where violence against women and girls just doesn’t happen.

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How can we feel safer?

We’ve written before about how men can help women feel safer. With fear of harassment and assault the biggest barrier to women running in the dark, the onus is on society to change. GoodGym has put together a training guide on male allyship to help improve women’s safety at night, which may be helpful to share with male runners you know.

Until society changes so that every woman and girl is safe from from harassment and violence, there are other practicalities to consider when it comes to running at night.

1. Learn how to use emergency features on your kit

Most phones will have a feature to make an emergency call. On the iPhone, for example, you press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears. Garmins have an emergency assistance feature that you can enable too. Look up how to use the safety features of whatever kit you currently own.

2. Traffic

Running in busy areas where there are lots of other pedestrians and cars around is likely to make you feel safer than running alone in the park. Make sure you’re visible to cars, bikes and pedestrians with some reflective or high-visibility kit. If you are running with a dog, think about their visibility too and consider getting them an LED collar.

3. Be aware of your surroundings

While you might want to plug in your headphones and power through your run, being aware of your surroundings can help you feel more in control. If you want to listen to music or a podcast, bone conducting headphones can help you hear what’s going on around you while still enjoying your tunes.

Being able to see where you’re going it vital too. Even on routes that have streetlights, visibility is reduced. A headtorch or chest torch will help illuminate your path to avoid trips and falls. Look for one that you can angle downwards so that you don’t have to keep looking down.

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4. Consider joining a running club

While safety shouldn’t have to be a motivating factor for joining a running club, there are plenty of other great benefits to running with a club or group. You’ll have access to coaches to help you with your training, you’ll do sessions you might not otherwise have done and discover new routes. So while you may have come to avoid running alone in the dark, you might find you keep running with them all year round.

How to train without running in the dark

If you don’t feel comfortable running in the dark, and you’re not able to alter your schedule to run when it’s light there are still plenty of ways to stay active. Many gyms now have flexible memberships or pay-as-you-go options so you could join up for the winter and run on a treadmill.

Alternatively you could look at cross training options such as swimming, or do home workouts. It’s not the same as running, and you shouldn’t have to stop doing the ting you love, but it’s a way to stay active without the anxiety of running in the dark.