Amanda Deibert, a writer for TV and comic books, recently shared a thought on Twitter that immediately went viral.
The fact that it did, she told BuzzFeed News, made her "sad" because of the subject. She asked women to describe what they do to protect themselves while out running.
Deibert said she used to be a runner, but now she mostly hikes and walks.
When she read the question in a Facebook group she's a member of, she began to reflect on all the things she does to protect herself while out exercising, such as staying in well-lit areas at night, going with friends, walking with keys between her knuckles, and pretending to be on the phone.
She said there have been times she pretended to go into a building to avoid a man following or yelling at her.
"It just hit me like...wow, this is something most women think about every time we go out to get exercise or even just walk to our car," she said.
Her tweet now has more than 1,000 responses, mostly of women sharing their own strategies to protect themselves.
Some have nifty gadgets.
And others have engineered their own weapon carriers.
I need to see the hammer lady immediately.
Of course, there are a LOT of good dogs.
Including this one, who has a sidekick dressed as a ninja.
Deibert said she has mixed feelings about the thread going viral, but thinks it is good to talk about these realities.
"It makes me sad that it is so common for us as women to feel the need to take extra safety measures, but ultimately I feel like discussing it is a good thing," she said.
Even men said they are learning something from the thread.
"I've had so many men respond to the thread saying they have never even considered it because when they go for a run, they just go for a run — and it made them sad to realize it was different for women," she said.
She added, "I think that kind of raised awareness is a good thing."