A brief safety message

I would happily shout from the rooftops about how crucial it is to carry identification while exercising outside if it meant more people would do it.  I run many, many miles by myself, which I know can be unnerving to my loved ones.  Having an ID both identifies myself (obviously) if I have a medical emergency, but it also is an opportunity to communicate those loved ones' phone numbers so they can be reached.  

Over the years, I have been partial to a pink ankle Road ID. But lately, I have been forgetting it/leaving it at home/stashing it with my summer sports gear, instead of velcroing it onto my ankle.

Dumb!  Dumb!  Dumb!

This really had to change.  Even though I often carried my driver's license and phone on days I forgot it, it just doesn't replace having that information as readily accessible as my Road ID.

Finally, I decided to fix this problem.  I ponied up for a new Road ID - they're very reasonably priced, actually - and selected the Shoe ID.  This nifty little guy is light and smaller than a driver's license, still holds up to five lines of text (for me: my name, three phone numbers, and a "no known allergies" line), and velcros right onto my shoelaces.

Yes, that means I never have to take it off my shoe, so it will always be with me when I'm running.  It came in yesterday's mail.  Check it out!  (No, don't get distracted by my fab new pink shoes.  I prefer the turquoise, but that's a story for another post.)

This one ran me about $20, but they last for years. Come to think of it, I imagine this one will last even longer than my ankle ID.  (That one got mangy, but it's my own sweaty fault.)  I've been hit by a car while running before, and I've been at a race when a runner suffered a medical emergency and his family was notified more quickly because he was wearing a Road ID.  I really believe in this.

The odds are one-in-a-high-number, and I hope that you readers are never, ever in a situation where it's needed.  But if you are heading out on the streets, be safe and smart.  Please consider a Road ID or something like it.

I am happy to have it in time for my long run this weekend - and beyond.  Happy weekend to you, Reader!