Last March, a running friend directed me to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. It was the kind of article that I'd rather not read. It cut too close to home.

Ashlyn Dyer, 27, was training for the City of Los Angeles Marathon in the early morning of March 2. She was struck by a hit-and-run driver on a lightly traveled road in the San Francisco Presidio. Dyer lived in a coma for 12 days before dying with brain injuries.

Stories such as this one are always immensely tragic and sad, but Ashlyn's is distressingly so. Dyer was an experienced and enthusiastic runner. She had finished several marathons. Police said that she was running, apparently alone, through the Presidio, listening to her iPod. She was on the wrong side of the road (running with traffic) when she was struck by a speeding vehicle from behind. The runner was discovered not long after, face down in a ditch. Dyer wasn't wearing an ID tag, but police were able to identify her from the serial number and registration information on her iPod. As of this writing, there were no witnesses or description of the car or driver.

In the days that followed, a number of runners told me that they, too, felt the weight of this accident, even though they didn't know Dyer. As a fraternity of athletes, we suffer her loss.

A few weeks before Ashlyn's death, I was driving down the Foothill Expressway to an early afternoon appointment in Palo Alto. The speed limit on this stretch of road is 45 mph, but it's a haven for speeding drivers. I approached a runner who was running in the narrow bicycle lane, with the flow of traffic. The runner was wearing headphones.

My heart skipped a few beats as I braked and drove by. The experience unnerved me. I felt like stopping on the spot and giving the runner a stout lecture. I might have if there had been a parking space nearby.

In almost 30 years of running, I've seen runners negotiating dark streets in black clothing (no reflectors), darting across intersections to beat stoplights, running in groups three or more across on crowded roadways, seemingly oblivious to danger. But danger strikes, even on runners who take precautions. While on the run, I've picked myself up off the asphalt after involuntarily hugging two moving bicyclists. On a separate occasion, a car bumper became a little too intimate with me. I was fortunate to escape both instances with brief- but-painful visits to the emergency room.

Do humans become numb to dangerous situations upon repeated exposure--such as daily road runs in traffic? Cats have nine lives, but they're smart enough to steer clear of automobiles. Sometimes it takes an experience behind the wheel, like the one I had on the Foothill Expressway, to realize just how vulnerable runners, bicyclists, and pedestrians are to motorists.

That's not all. I'm particularly concerned about the convergence of two recent cultural phenomena that threaten runners as a species: a growing number of new runners and the ubiquity of MP3 players. Right or wrong, personal audio devices seem to be everywhere--including on runners' heads. I don't believe runners and these devices make good marriages--at least not on the roads. Apparently, others don't either. Both USA Track & Field and the Road Runners Club of America recommend against their use by road runners.

"While there have been great advancements in portable music devices, wearing them on the run is simply not the safest choice," says Jean Knaack, executive director of Road Runners Club of America. "We recommend against their use because they limit a runner's ability to be aware of their surroundings, especially things going on behind them and in their periphery."

Besides dealing with bicycles, strollers, and pets, sensible road race organizers are now setting policies that prohibit the use of personal audio devices in their races. As an occasional announcer at finish lines, I can't help but notice that these policies often fall upon the deaf ears of some finishers. I'm not sure why.

I prefer to think some beginning runners simply lack awareness of safe running practices, or the laws that govern the roadways.

The California State Vehicle Code makes it clear that runners are guests on public roads. Section 21954 of the code is entitled Pedestrians (that's you!) Outside Crosswalks. It reads: "Every pedestrian upon a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway so near as to constitute an immediate hazard."

So, if you're accustomed to scurrying across streets mid-block--as many runners are--think again. You could end up in the hospital with a hefty legal case against you. The law is on the motorist's side.

Here's another one to keep handy: CVC Section 21966, Pedestrian in Bicycle Lane: "No pedestrian shall proceed along a bicycle path or lane where there is an adequate pedestrian facility."

Hint: They don't mean the traffic lane.

These laws, and others, exist not to limit our freedom, but to deter us from actions that threaten the safety of others and ourselves. So please choose running routes that are away from cars, and don't run in bike lanes. Consider leaving your MP3 player at home.

I guarantee you'll be safer.

You might even hear birds singing.

Note: The family of Ashlyn Dyer has created the Ashlyn Dyer Fund for Neurological Research and Support. For more information, visit the Marin County Foundation's web site at www.marincf.org/page28529.cfm .

Mark Winitz welcomes your comments and contributions for this column. Contact him at 650.948.0618, or via e-mail at winitz@earthlink.net. Mark has written for CTRN since the mid-1980s and has been running, writing about running, and organizing programs for runners for almost 30 years. He is a longtime activist within USA Track & Field. He also assists road racing events through his company, Win It!z Sports Public Relations and Promotions, in Los Altos.

The RRCA's Tips for Running Safety

Provided by the Road Runners Club of America.
Web site: www.rrca.org

1. DON'T WEAR HEADSETS. Use your ears to be aware of your surroundings. Using headphones, you lose the use of an important sense: your hearing.

2. Always stay alert and aware of what's going on around you. The more aware you are, the less vulnerable you are.

3. Carry a cell phone or change for a phone call. Know the locations of call boxes and telephones along your regular route.

4. Trust your intuition about a person or an area. React on your intuition and avoid a person or situation if you're unsure. If something tells you a situation is not "right," it isn't.

5. Alter or vary your running route pattern; run in familiar areas if possible. In unfamiliar areas, such as while traveling, contact a local running club or running store. Know where open businesses or stores are located.

6. Run with a partner. Run with a dog.

7. Write down or leave word of the direction of your run. Tell friends and family of your favorite running routes.

8. Avoid unpopulated areas, deserted streets, and overgrown trails. Especially avoid unlit areas, especially at night. Run clear of parked cars or bushes.

9. Carry identification or write your name, phone number, and blood type on the inside sole of your running shoe. Include any medical information. Don't wear jewelry.

10. Ignore verbal harassment. Use discretion in acknowledging strangers. Look directly at others and be observant, but keep your distance and keep moving.

11. Run against traffic so you can observe approaching automobiles.

12. Wear reflective material if you must run before dawn or after dark.

13. Practice memorizing license tags or identifying characteristics of strangers.

14. Carry a noisemaker and/or OC (pepper) spray. Get training in self- defense and the use of pepper spray.

15. CALL POLICE IMMEDIATELY if something happens to you or someone else, or you notice anyone out of the ordinary. It is important to report incidents immediately.