Safe on My Feet: Technology for a Single Soul

Until November of 2013, I lived in New York City for my entire life. Born and raised, I am a proudly geocentric New Yorker. As a breed, we come replete with candor, dry wit and a superhuman ability to dodge dog poop on sidewalks.

Trust of fellow humans and public transit, sold separately.

I didn't grow up in the nicest part of our fine city. I didn't grow up in the worst part, either. But I certainly didn't grow up in a gated community or sheltered enclave on the edge of an outer borough.

I took the subway from Queens to Manhattan to get to school and sometimes I fell asleep, waking up in Brooklyn. I walked around alone on the Bowery, long before John Varvatos moved in to CBGB's old space and the junkies were shooed away by yuppies pushing ergonomic baby strollers.

And, by gosh, somehow I survived. In fact, I thrived. After three decades living in the largest urban area in the United States, I escaped unscathed to the warm sands of Miami Beach.

Within nine months of relocating to my new zip code, I was physically assaulted twice, stalked in a parking lot and followed into my building. Of those four incidents, three happened within 100 yards of my home.

All of them happened in clear daylight.

Miami is a beautiful city. Its weather is undeniably better than New York's, its sunshine makes people happy, and that strip of soft sand running along A1A gives way to a stunning ocean. For a beach bum, surfer and swimmer like myself, there isn't much to complain about.

Aside from jellyfish, there didn't seem much to be wary of.

After the first assault, I wondered if I was to blame for letting my gritty city guard down. It had served me so well for so long; why had it failed me now? I wondered. I was walking my dog, a sweet rescue pup who was as startled by my assailant as I was, only a few yards from my front door. Had I become one of those horribly naive, laissez faire individuals I so loathed?

Of course, I hadn't.

In a current list of the 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S., Miami is number 46. New York is no longer on the list.

After that first incident, I invested in self defense. I got pepper spray. I signed up for gun classes and learned how to shoot. I discovered that I had a latent gift for it: ironic, given my liberal politics.

Enter serendipity: A few months ago I was contacted by GTX Corp. GTX makes running shoe insoles embedded with GPS tracking devices, called SmartSoles. Currently marketed to people with cognitive impairment like those with Alzheimer's, the company also works with athletes suffering from traumatic brain injury. The consequence of concussions in professional sports has been an unfortunately common theme in the media, and GTX approached me in connection with it.

SmartSoles are linked to individual accounts which can be shared with caretakers to track the wearer's movements in real time, which is useful for those in danger of wandering off. My personal interest in the product however, was not in connection with sports injury or cognitive impairment, but with security -- particularly, security for active women of all ages.

I told GTX I wanted to try these newfangled insoles for myself.

Every 2-3 minutes a woman is sexually assaulted in the United States. On the list of common recommendations for avoiding assault, "do not jog or walk alone, especially at night" is always featured. "Do not run with headphones connected" is another common tip.

I can say, unequivocally, that I do not know one person who works out without being plugged in to music. While logical suggestions, neither are convenient.

We all have smartphones. Most of us carry them everywhere, including on daily runs and dog walks. The wearables bubble is massive and most devices are embedded with GPS locators. But iPhone batteries die hard, and I forget to wear my wearable sometimes.

Unless I'm surfing, I always wear my shoes.

In a worst-case scenario, I want to know that someone knows where I am. I move about freely and only selectively post my whereabouts on social media. Conceptually, a product like GPS-enabled insoles works because I get to choose who can access my data, and because it is part of something I literally cannot leave the house without.

It's a no-brainer. The day I forget my shoes to go running in, is the day I'll need something more than just a run. Technology may not yet prevent humans from harming one another, but it can help to protect us when bad things happen. That, at least, allows me to run easy.

*Author's note: I am not professionally affiliated with GTX Corp; this article contains a review by choice and is and unpaid.