[KH02]

Anyone know any safe places for a woman to run by herself in the cheshire/Southington/Wolcott/Meriden area??
There is a paved walkway in Southington and Cheshire but I'm not sure how safe it would be for a woman alone.
Dont have a dog or anything otherwise I'd just run with a dog...no running partner either..
Any tips?

[andthentherewere3]

Well, since is this is a large public forum, for starters I'd recommend that you only take people's advice about jogging in very public, populated locations. I got chills reading your post, you never know what kind of sick people can be reading them. I'm just very nervous about privacy these days!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by KH02

Anyone know any safe places for a woman to run by herself in the cheshire/Southington/Wolcott/Meriden area??
There is a paved walkway in Southington and Cheshire but I'm not sure how safe it would be for a woman alone.
Dont have a dog or anything otherwise I'd just run with a dog...no running partner either..
Any tips?

I don't know that area well but when my wife jogs she prefers to run in a suburban area over a remote neighborhood. She used to run along a busy road but the drivers were too aggressive, so now she runs in a more suburban, business friendly area. She won't go alone before the sun comes up or after it goes down either, in any neighborhood.

I've found that while drivers around here are courteous to joggers, other pedestrians are not.

[KH02]

I'm just asking in general...Not really looking for specific streets, just trying to see what others do.

I may end up just going to a gym instead even though i don't really have the extra money to do so....or I suppose i could buy a treadmill

[Tetto]

Go to your local high school track, if you can get in there between kids training.

[usmcfamily]

You can use the track at your local high school!!!


Whoops - didn't see the post before mine! Ok - totally agree with pp!

[JViello]

http://www.ct.gov/dot/LIB/dot/documents/dbikes/024.pdf

My wife has used it on her own many times before we were married.

[TouchOfWhimsy]

There is Hotchkiss Park in Prospect that has a pea gravel path going around a soccer field. Every time I've gone there there have been a lot of people there... there's a playground as well, so there are usually quite a few moms and kids.

You could jog around Hubbard Park in Meriden. With the nice weather, I would think that it is probably pretty busy even on weekdays? I know that it's really busy on weekends.

Otherwise, I like to walk in regular neighborhoods. As long as it's light out and there are people around (either in houses or businesses), I feel safe in most areas.

[Leilani Vasquez]

Originally Posted by Tetto

Go to your local high school track, if you can get in there between kids training.

This is a great idea, and it will be easier for you to keep track of how far you run. When I lived in Hartford, before I discovered the riverfront, I used to run the Bulkeley High School track all the time. You'll also find that many other people utilize the track as well.

[CrimsonHoo]

Although I am not a woman, I've run in Southington in two places.

The SHS track is visible from the main road and in a safe, residential neighborhood; probably a great, safe spot when school is not in session. As a runner, an added benefit of the SHS track is that it is a true running track, meaning it is made of materials that are easier on the legs and knees.

The rails-to-trails path (which I think you might mean by the "paved walkway" in Southington) has always seemed safe to me, though it is less inherently safe than the track. It mostly is behind buildings (old factories), near residential backyards, and perpendicular to main streets -- out of the way, which is just how the railroad tracks used to be. Since it is less visible, there is more potential for mischief -- not that I've ever encountered any. In fact, not only do I usually see more people on that path than at SHS, but I've also seen police on the path as well. You might be able to call the local police and check whether the path has had any reported incidents.