Bad Guys

Well I was running before daylight the last couple of weeks to avoid the heat. Same loop I do in the light just 30 min or so before daylight. I have to admit I was a little squeamish in the dark. I carry a light and added pepper spray to my gear this week. The last couple of days running slightly later because my daughter is now out of school. This am while running a truck waited for me and a man opened his door and offer me to get in. I took off and when safely out of range called 911. Gave the police a description and made my way home as fast as I could. Unfortunately, he was between me and the way home so I had to take the long way. The officer later told me the street I had deemed safe in fact was not. A search of sexual predators in the near region yielded 85.
Needless to say I am very disturbed. I will now need to change my route and time. No longer going to run in the dark. A self defense course is in my near future at least. It is a shame that law abiding citizens have to hide behind there gates and alarms while the bad guys roam freely. I am quite thankful for the quick response of the local police but realize their task is daunting. I love the sense of freedom running outside and hate the fact that that is being taken away to a significant extent. We do not have a trail in my town that is safe to run on and many of the roads are either unsafe or have no sidewalks. I wish there was something that could be done to improve the safety of our streets.