I have heard hundreds of comments/recommendations/answers that were variations on "You should run!" or "I'll just run!" over the years when people are discussing an appropriate response to a threat.
About a month ago, I was sent a video of a seriously bad situation in Charlotte and I was posed with this question: "My first inclination is run, [eff] the ego." And followed with a what would you do? kind question.
I had to answer "I run some, but I seriously doubt I can outrun an 18 year old." Let alone about a dozen 16-25 year olds. My 45 year old 6' 230 pound ass isn't really all that impressive from a speed or distance running perspective.
My point is this, I have come to the conclusion that telling people to "just run" isn't realistic, or even reasonable for the majority of folks out there. Only a small portion of people in the defensive minded community are young enough and/or in sufficient physical condition to make running a viable option. By that I mean just run away, not move to cover, move to 3 and 9 o'clock etc.
I'm not lying to myself or anyone else anymore. Running needs to be looked at with a much more pragmatic eye IMHO. To what are you running? How far away is it? Can you outrun your threat? For how long?