Women Should Not Be Scared To Run

When I first came to Tampa three years ago, it was definitely an adjustment to run in a city rather than my suburban hometown. Stopping for lights, yielding to other pedestrians, and lots of cement were things I eventually got used to. One thing I still haven't gotten used to and will never allow myself to get comfortable with is the sexual harassment. 

Some instances it's a creepy, "Hey baby". Other times it's whistling. Occasionally it's a car slowly following you. A lot of the time, it's eyes roaming up and down your body while you have no choice but to run by and pretend you don't feel violated. 

Earlier this week as my coach was sending me and my teammates out for an easy run, he warned us to be cautious because there were reports of a man on a bike who's been groping female runners. This made my teammates and I uneasy. Tampa is an active city, there's lots of people on bicycles. For the entirety of that run, we all tensed up every single time a bike sped by us. That man may not have even left his house that day, yet every female runner was on high alert.

I went through a period my sophomore year where my goal for every single run I went on was to call out the creepy guys who would stare at me as I ran by them. My hope was that calling them out would somehow deter them from ever doing it again, and make them feel guilty for being pervy instead of making me feel guilty for running in a sports bra. But then I read cases of women getting attacked while running and I became fearful; god forbid I trigger the wrong person and end up in a life threatening situation. I now bite my tongue when I get creepy comments and remind myself it's better to be safe than sorry. 

But that's the problem. I should never feel unsafe. I shouldn't have to plan my runs in populated areas, during only daylight. My male teammates can decide to run at 9:00 p.m. by themselves, but for me that would be out of the question. My heart shouldn't leap into my throat when I approach a man while running and see him eyeing me up and down. My coach shouldn't have to tell me, "You really shouldn't run by yourself". 

Running is something that brings me comfort and solace. It clears my head, allowing me to sort of my life problems. When I run, I want to escape, not worry about having to escape.