You Saw Me: Runner Safety {+ product review}

"I didn't see you."

As someone who regularly runs in the pre-dawn hours of the early morning, I don't want a motorist to be able to say that to me — ever. Worse, I don't want that motorist to have to say that to a law enforcement officer at the scene of a crash.

According to Road ID, a company that makes identification bracelets and shoe tags for runners, 122,000 runners a year are taken to the hospital after being hit by cars. ... In a report by Transportation for America, a public policy organization promoting improved infrastructure investment, between 2000 and 2009 more than 5,300 pedestrians were killed each year in vehicle-related accidents.

Source: Competitor

Runners need to take precautions to not only be seen but recognized as a person. There's reflective vests, illuminating night gear, blinking lights, LED bands.

And I've worn all of them, thinking I was doing my best. But there were still close calls. There were times when cars took longer to get over than I would have liked. Fast cars swerved just a few yards from my feet. The blinking lights, the vest only visible when the headlights hit me at just the right angle.

My early morning gear included other things, too. Things that helped me see the path in front of me and avoid dangers such as sticks, walnuts and snakes — a head lamp, Knuckle Lights — but on the side of the road, to a motorist, the lights can seem fixed or a part a landscape.

"I didn't see her," the motorist might think as he approached me.

But that's no longer the case.

For the past month, I've been wearing the You Saw Me vest. The vest is unlike anything I had ever seen, with 60 embedded LEDs to refract an active lighting source with the ability to dim, flash, and automatically cycle between colors. It also has an ANSI-certified reflective outer layer to reflect oncoming light (i.e. headlights). The lights, according the company, can be seen up to a mile away.

There are front and back pockets that allow you to store cellphones, keys, cards, money, etc. and an adjustable waistband for comfort.

When I run in this, I never have to think, "Does that car see me?" I know they do.

BRF Tami, who bought the vest after seeing mine, and I both notice that cars get over sooner and farther when they approach us on the road. The lights, which are in a V-shape on the front and the back, also illuminate our faces. Motorists don't just see the vests — they see us as people. We've also found that lights are bright enough that it helps us see the path before us. With Daylight Saving Time, we've been able to manage with just the vest — no other lights.

I don't just love this vest for its safety; I love it because of the company. You Saw Me is a small outfit out of Lexington, Kentucky. When I shamelessly approached them to review the vest, I didn't get an email. I got a request for a phone call. The next week, I spoke with co-owner Seth McBee for more than a half-hour. We talked about the vest and social media, running and close calls. I learned about the craftsmanship that's put in the vest and how his partner Kevin took years to develop what is now being sold.

I also learned that this company couldn't, and wouldn't, give its product away to any blogger willing to shill it. The vests cost money to make and as a new company, You Saw Me isn't selling them with a large profit margin. If I wanted to get it, I needed to be authentic and enthusiastic when it comes to sharing the product on my social media channels and in my running community. It's a deal I was willing to make.

So, full disclosure, this vest is not mine for free. If three readers/friends purchase it using the code "healthy strides" (free shipping!), I can keep it. Otherwise, I ca pay for the vest full price — $60 — or send it back.

But I already know that I will happily send a check to Seth and You Saw Me if you aren't into it. My safety and peace of mind is worth $60.

A couple of FAQs/notes:

• The vest does feel heavier than other reflective vests because of the lights. I was worried that it would feel burdensome when I ran but to my surprise, it did not. I do know it's there but my arm swing and pace are just fine.
• There is a wide, adjustable elastic band with a snap belt to secure the vest. It goes through two loops each on the front and back. I have not had a problem thus far with the belt chafing. I do make sure it is snug so as to keep the vest itself from not moving and chafing elsewhere.
• The power source for the vest is a 9-volt battery. I thought this was a bit weird, and it can be awkward to put on if you haven't had a full cup of coffee. It is nice, though, that you don't have to seek out the manufacturer for replacements and can use rechargable batteries, as well. 
• The vest is washable though I have yet to do that. I put it on my passenger seat, over the head rest. I'm sure both smell like Macintosh Apples thanks to Yankee Candle air fresheners. 
• Seth also suggests these vests for cyclists and motorcyclists. I say if you need to be seen, you need this vest.

A cautionary tale on safety and fear

It's a rare occurrence that a headline makes me angry. Having spent nearly the first 10 years of my career as a copy editor, where one of my main duties was to write those headlines, I became kind of ... well ... numb to them. Unless there's a blatant spelling error or it doesn't fit the story (and appears in my section), no headline is likely to raise my eyebrow.

Except this one.

Of all the stories we've heard about concerning attacks on female runners, this one hit home. A woman who was "jogging" (don't get me started on that one) was attacked on the trail system on Saturday. The trail system that I regularly use.

Mother figgin shit heads.

I had heard a snippet of the story on the evening news and immediately went to the newspaper's website to check out the story. I had to know what happened.

Was she out at dark?
Was she on a secluded part of the trail?
Was she doing something wrong?

And before I answer the first two questions, I will answer the last. No. No, she was not doing anything that would seem outside the norm. She was running at 11 a.m. in an area that is not particularly isolated. In fact, it travels alongside a fairly busy road and it was a driver on that road who saw what was happening and intervened.

I can't imagine how this woman feels. To be so violated and scared during a time when she had a reasonable expectation to feel safe and happy. I say that because even though it wasn't me - it very well could have, I feel violated and fearful. The section of the trail where the attack occurred is one I'm familiar with, and I use it on a somewhat regular basis when I'm finishing up the last six miles or so or a long run. I would have been running it by myself and in the morning but, admittedly, quite a bit earlier.

In an instant, the uneasiness I felt about my long run today was no longer about the distance but my safety. No longer did I feel confident just winging it, and I wanted to avoid the connection sections of the trail that used to be blissfully lonely. After poring over the news,  Mark and I gave a second thought - and a fifth - to how my 20-mile run would play out.

Thought 1: I would carry my cellphone. I know a lot of people do this but it always seemed a bit unnecessary to me. I usually am within a mile of home at any given point and stick to fairly well-traveled areas. However, I learned that no place is safe.

Thought 2: I would plan each section of the route - turn-by-turn - and share the maps with Mark. Usually, I will tell him that I'm going to head to a certain neighborhood or toward downtown but he would now have the smarts (if needed) to drive around looking for me.

Thought 3: In addition to knowing the route, Mark also had a fairly specific time frame to expect me. I break up my long runs into three sections, running the first and last parts by myself. Mark knew that I would take 100 minutes to run the first part and about 60 minutes for the last but he was to give me a 5-minute cushion each time for pee breaks.

Thought 4: Maybe it's time to look into a defensive spray as Mark has periodically suggested. Alas, it is 8:30 on a Saturday night and I'm in my sweatpants and oversized hoodie. Make mental note and carry key between fingers to act as a weapon.

Thought 5: You can't live your life in fear but you can't live your life in ignorance. Be mindful of your surroundings.

Three Things Thursday: Ready to be seen

Once. Then twice. And then it was three times.

Three times in less than a half-mile when Miles, Denali and I slowed or stopped on our run this morning. It was a minor annoyance as I struggled to hit my stride after previewing BODYPUMP 83 last night but I had known it was coming. "It" being school year traffic.

Running this summer - if you take away the record heat and oppressive heat - was bliss and not just because Mark was around. The break in school meant a break in traffic in our neighborhood where we have two schools within a quarter-mile. Often times, we could run the mile to the park/trail without stopping once (unless Denali needed to, ahem, well, you know).

With school in session for some of the private schools and Fort Wayne starting Monday, stops like this morning will become much more frequent. Thankfully, I only hit the traffic on the out or the back but it's enough to pause, take notice and make a few changes in our running routine.

1. Color run. This morning, I ran in my favorite offensively bright Nike outfit (as seen in a run from our Colorado trip). Wearing easy-to-spot colors helps drivers see me blocks away and brings attention that I'm not running alone. As the days get shorter and mornings darker, I will start to clip on my Supernova lights from Road ID for added safety.

2. Mindfulness. It would be nice to think that people are paying attention to what they are doing when they are driving but the truth is that they aren't. Mark saw a driver blow through a four-way stop on a run last week, and it's an intersection where I rarely do more than pause when I run through. I will definitely be paying more attention to traffic as I'm sure a car full of kids can be distracting as well as rerouting runs when possible so that we can cross at traffic signals.

3. The rules of the road. I run in the street whenever I have the stroller and while I 99 times out of 100 follow the guidelines, I do sometimes - gasp - run on the right side. As traffic picks up, I will be in the park path when possible or the left side of the road, opposite traffic. It not only allows oncoming traffic to see you but it allows you to see what traffic is doing and react appropriately. I can't tell you how many times I seriously questioned whether a car was going to make room for me.

For more rules of the road, check out this page on the Road Runners Club of America site.

How do you stay safe?