I am routinely a runner at my town’s local reservoir when the weather sees fit. Being a woman, my guard is always up in terms of my surroundings, I try my best to be hyper aware of the environment I am running in. At the Howell Township reservoir, the trail consists of a windy 5-mile path.

On my run just a week ago I took my dog along with me. I was about a mile and a half into my run when I began to hear something in the trees that lie ahead. In this moment I slowed my pace, not because I wanted to, but due to my mind already thinking of the worst-case scenario. My body was coming to a stop unconsciously.

I turned around to see if any runners or walkers were nearby, and the path behind me was completely empty. Not a person for at least half a mile back, which was as far as the trail permitted me to see.

My attention was quickly brought back to the direction I was headed in originally when I heard a louder noise than the first. This time the noise sounded as if it was closer than the last. Just as I went to turn back around, my dog started to run the opposite way, to go back where we came from and away from the noise.

At this point, I am realizing I am alone in the woods with a rumbling noise waiting for me just a couple of hundred feet away. I can no longer hear the birds that are in the trees around me instead their singing is replaced with my heartbeat pounding in my ears and accelerating by the second.

I am reminded of the continuous articles I dread receiving from my mother about women who fall victim to assault or actions that exceed the definition of “assault” on their runs outdoors. With this thought, I am immediately going to reach for my phone to call my mother or anyone I can think of for help, while I find my feet pounding against the ground to get me as far away as possible and back to the beginning of the trail. Through all this, I’m holding onto my dog’s leash so tightly my knuckles were white.

Just when I got far enough to turn around to make sure no one has appeared where I heard the noise, I see a family of deer right where I was standing amid my panic attack.

I let out a sigh of relief and came to a halt to catch my breath. My nerves had reached an all-time high from thinking I was running away from someone out to harm me.

Once I was able to slow my heart rate down, I continued my jog. I approached where the family of deer was standing, and they ran in the other direction. I then passed the dreaded spot where I had heard the noise to find nothing waiting for me but three and a half more miles of trees and other animals that live there.

It is too common to hear women falling victim to assault on their runs, or even having the fear that they can potentially fall victim to these horrendous scenarios.

If you are someone who runs alone, it is recommended to change up your routes and times, so predictability is not a factor in someone following you. Another tip is to share your location with a friend and tell them where you will be at what time.