SIKESTON -- Summer often provides an ideal time for walkers and joggers, but it also creates a few safety issues.
"Hot weather running is certainly something you have to be cautious of because you can dehydrate quickly," jogger Wayne Corse of Charleston said, which is why he sometimes carries a fanny pack with a water bottle.
Corse is known for strapping the game football on his back and running about 16 miles from Charleston to Sikeston or vice versa when the two high school teams play each other in the fall.
Cully Bryant of Sikeston agreed heat is a real issue.
"It's much easier to run when it's 20 degrees and sleeting than when it's 95 degrees and 100 percent humidity," Bryant said. "People have to be very careful in heat."
Bryant said there are specialized belts made to hold water bottles, hats or whatever.
"And run where you know a neighbor in case you get too hot," Bryant said. Bryant, who is a medical doctor, has run off and on three to four days a week for about five years, he said. Most of his running is geared toward training for triathalons.
In the summer, running in the mornings or late evenings is much better than any other time of the day, said Corse, who's been running for 26 years. "Most runners or walkers get hit at dusk or dawn," Bryant said. He recommended finding roads with shoulders to run on.
If running in the later evening or early morning, wear reflective clothing or patches, Corse said.
"You'd be surprised at how much traffic there is in the morning," walker Linda Daugherty of Sikeston said. "The one thing I've found that helps is I wear a fluorescent vest. In the winter, I wear it over my coat, and in the summer, over my T-shirt."
Also the number of sexual assaults tend to increase during the warmer months -- one reason being that summer lifestyles increase a woman's likelihood of being outside "safe" places, according to pepperface.com.
"For women, run with a friend if you can. Don't run in secluded areas and wooded parks," Bryant said.
In Sikeston good places to run with a low risk of abduction is around Salcedo Road and the Sikeston Jaycee Rodeo grounds because they're usually highly populated, Bryant said.
One of the safest ways to run or walk is indoors on a treadmill, which is what Darla Myrick of Sikeston does. But Myrick also offered advice for women who exercise outdoors.
"As women we have to be aware of our surroundings and not be plugged into an iPod," Myrick said.
Daugherty said she's walked 45 minutes, five days a week in the early mornings for the past 30 years in Sikeston.
"The only thing that will keep me from walking is snow or ice. It's never too cold," Daugherty said.
Throughout the years, Daugherty said she's come across raccoons, foxes and opossums, but she's never encountered anything bad. During the times her routes included the potential for dangerous animals, Daugherty said she would carry a stick with her.
"I'm too trusting. I really don't have a fear," Daugherty said, adding she walks in town, where she feel safe.
Runners or walkers who see a person, a group or situation ahead that makes them uncomfortable should change their routes, pepperspray.com said. Carry pepper spray and a cell phone in case of emergencies.
Other common, year-round running/walking mistakes made by exercisers include running the wrong way in traffic-congested areas and wearing headphones.
"If you're wearing headphones, you don't hear that car coming," Bryant said. Running publications advise joggers to run against the traffic so they can see cars coming, Bryant said.
"In general, vehicles don't show a lot of respect. Most don't care you're out there running," Corse said.
Wearing sunscreen is also a good idea, Corse said.
Wearing appropriate shoes will help prevent injuries. A good rule of thumb is shoes can get 500 miles a pair, he said.
Food intake can also impact running, Bryant said.
When beginning to run or walk, start slow and gradually increase mileage to prevent injury or burn out, both Bryant and Corse said. They recommended increasing time by 10 percent each session a week.