On a somber note we often hear of athletes injured or killed by being struck by vehicles whilst out training. A couple of years ago when I started triathlon training in earnest, almost half of my sessions were done without club mates (restrictions of work, family etc.) and now most of my sessions are lone efforts.
At the back of my mind is "what happens if I'm unlucky to be in an accident?"
Most of us go running or cycling with the minimum amount of gear possible, usually a GPS watch, iPod and possibly a reflective vest, spare parts for the bike and so on. You are unlikely to run without the phone, but then there is a growing trend for people to use training apps to map routes and pace. Something I've advised people to do for a long time is to use an ICE contact in their phone (good to have in any event).
ICE is In Case of Emergency.
So just edit the name of the person that should be called if you happen to be in an accident by inserting 'ICE' in front of their name. It is good manners to leave the first name in an ICE contact so the caller knows how to address you. So don't do: 'ICE Hubbie', 'ICE Wifey' etc.
For different reasons don't do 'ICE Mum' either better off that its a brother / sister or father who tells your mum face to face that you have been in an accident, than her getting a phone call, if I did that to my mum, she'd kill me!
A second option which I use all the time, as I only carry the phone on the bike, is a Road ID wrist band
RoadID is a series of different products but the basic and by far the best for anyone running, cycling, swimming, climbing is the Wrist ID. Put it on, leave it on.
Its $20 that could save your life.
Update - 30th April 2013
Just to let you know there are coupons available for little discounts on RoadID. A quick search on Google will turn up a few. At the end of the day whether you pay $20 or $19 for the wrist ID matters little, its the potential life saving aspect that is Priceless. Some good comments on the LinkedIn Triathlete group if any one is a member there.
UPDATE June 2013 - We have agreed a referral system with Road ID. Simply Click on any of the RodID images above and you can buy your RoadID directly from the manufacturers. ALL Commission from your purchases is passed onto Croi Charity in Galway.
