1. 

   Kate H.
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   Greetings, neighbors!
   My partner and I just moved to Seattle from NYC a few months ago so that he could attend medical school at Bastyr. All in all, we are loving Wallingford! To keep in shape this winter, I have decided to train for a half marathon. Given that it's getting dark so early now though, I want to be smart about my solo runs. I'm a pretty fit twenty-something woman, and I don't run with headphones. I'd like to be trusting, but after hearing about the person getting robbed at gunpoint recently, and having a friend's car broken into back in September, I'm cautious too.

   Do any of you have advice on specific places or times that are best for running after dark in our area? Any thoughts on running around the lake? Anyone want to partner-run for increased safety on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays? Thanks for your insight!

2. 

   Wallyhood
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   Hi Kate and welcome to the neighborhood!

   I'm very hesitant to say "oh yes, it's safe everywhere, don't worry about it" because, if I'm wrong once, well...

   On the whole, though, Wallingford is a very safe neighborhood. We have more than our fair share of car prowl type crime, but the incident that you read about recently is very much an anomaly.

   That said, it's always safer to stick to lighted areas, etc. As a guy, I wouldn't hesitate to take a run around Green Lake at night (and have), but I don't think I'd recommend that to a woman running alone.

   Hopefully some other readers will have recommendations for good night time runs...

3. 

   esr
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   I do not run alone when it's dark. This fall when it was still light out until 6 or so, I had a couple of times when I left for my run too late and was still out when it was became dark. I felt extremely vulnerable and realized how easy it would be for someone to assault me.

   Now that it gets dark so early, I have to limit my running to just weekends, since I'm at work during all of the daylight hours during the week. While I do think the neighborhood is realtively safe as long as you're taking all the right precautions, I am careful not to put myself into positions where I'm more vulnerable than I already am (as a woman of small stature). There have been way too many violent crimes around lately to ignore!

4. 

   MASteck
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   Hi Kate! Welcome!
   I wanted to respond to running around the lake at night. I belong to a running group and we run around the lake on Tuesday evenings, around 6:30-7:30, so if you wanted to go for a run around that time, you would find a ton of people there. Aside from our group, there seems to be quite a few other groups out there during that time.

   If you're interested in joining a running group, drop me a line and I can give you the skinny on ours. We've got 100+ people all ages/stages of running and we're almost always training for half marathons. It's a great way to meet new people! (masteck@gmail.com)

5. 

   eeh
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   Kate, I agree with MASteck, joining a running group whether formal or informal is a great way to go. Lots of groups train at Greenlake -- either running around the lake or running at the track. I see groups meeting to train most every night. But what about when you just want to go for a run after work -- when it's dark in winter. Re running around the Greenlake after dark, I do not -- as a woman, it makes me too nervous since it is a hang out place for various types that I'd rather not run into at night. I do run solo after dark (well it gets dark by 5pm so I have to). I do a circuit on streets through upper Wallingford and Green Lake. I feel totally safe running in our neighborhood up to 9pm or so (though usually I'm running between 5 and 7pm). Not that anything happens after 9pm, I just find myself feeling nervous and it makes running un-fun. My favorite place to run is Woodland Park and around the zoo. I run there during the day on my own and at night with a running group.

   Welcome to Seattle!

6. 

   mjkelly
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   Hi Kate,

   If you can muster it, running in the morning feels, to me as a woman, like a safer time to run in the dark. I live in the Tangletown neighborhood, and recently there were some armed muggings just north of us around Green Lake that occurred in the evenings, all after 9 p.m. It really bothered me, thinking about running solo at night.

   There are a suprising number of runners and walkers at Green Lake at 6 a.m., even now in the dark and wet. At first I didn't like it much, but my biggest concern now is visibility and tripping, not crime.

   When I do run in the evenings, I stick to the busier, more well-lit arterials. I tend to think runners don't make attractive mugging victims; we rarely carry much on us, and we're already running, so harder to assault.

   M.J.

7. 

   Sharon
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   Hi Kate! Welcome to the hood. I've often gone running in the evenings at Wallingford Park (they have this psuedo track) but it sounds like you run a much longer distance so not sure if that would be boring. I'm actually writing a new "Notes from the Playground" post about this exact topic so you might want to check out the comments (if there are any) in case folks post other running locales/ideas.
   - Sharon

8. 

   katie
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   I've been running around the Fremont/Greenlake/Wallingford area for the past 9 years and have felt pretty safe. I tend to run with my dog to make it even safer, but the nights I venture out without him - so long as I pick a good route - have been fine.

   The outer trail around Green Lake from 4-7pm is very busy with runners and I have never heard of issues. Doing the 6-mile loop around Lake Union around the same time has been fine too. I agree with mjkelly - if you stick to main routes during busy times with no headphones, you'll probably be fine.

   I'd be happy to lend my dog for extra runs if you want the extra security and safety! I'm generally free Thursday nights for running too if you want some company. (I'm not sure how to exchange information outside this forum if you are interested in either)

9. 

   fitbyfocus
   Posted 9 months ago #
   

   Katie,

   I've always been impressed with the neighborhood. I encourage running down the strip of 45th and Stone Way. I run classes in the park and whenever the dark is close (am/pm) I am quick to end class, simply because my ladies feel safer. The park seems to attract transients.

   Much luck! I know a running group if you ever want to join one.

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