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| night runnin can be dangerous (Read 318 times) |
| view log Slow-smooth-fast |
posted: 12/11/2006 at 10:48 PM |
I plotted a route today, and set off tonight after work. The thing is 3 miles into it, I had to turn back because I was going through long roads with no lighting on them. It would have been foolish and dangerous to carry on.
Is there anything you guys do, carry a torch?
Also the reason I run at night is that it seems a lot easier for me, Unsure why, is this the general findings?
I have my first race soon, and I am apprehensive as it is the day, and I have done little training during the day. Should I be getting up super early, as it starts at 11, to condition my body? |
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| view log 27 weeks up duff! |
posted: 12/12/2006 at 3:41 AM |
Hey Paul,
I can't give you any advice as I am totally new to this running thing but I thought I would tell you that I too find it much easier running in the evening. There must be a reason (but I can't think of it) why races aren't held in the late afternoon/evening because it sure is easier to pelt out the miles at the end of the day! My first race is next month and it starts at 10am so i have been wondering the same thing. Should I get up really early and go for a very short run or a walk to warm my body up or will some simple stretches be enough?
It's summer here at the moment and so I have never faced running in the dark. I guess the best thing that I can think of is finding better lit routes!
How long is your first race?
Claire xxx |
| jlynnbob "HTFU, Kookie's distal tibia"
Where's my closet? I need to get back in it. |
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posted: 12/12/2006 at 3:57 AM |
It really all depends on the neighborhood. If you feel it is safe and the only problem is dark route then by all means carry a torch and run. I used to run mostly in very early morning hours carrying a head light and blinking mini bike lights just to make sure I am visible to all the drivers out there.
As for the time of day the biggest difference could be the temperature. After I started running at various times during the day I noticed how even a few degrees can affect my running. By 11 am it can get pretty warm so you might consider getting your body used to effort in higher temps.
Ewa |
I would rather wear out than rust out.
- Helen Klein
You create your own universe as you go along.
- Winston Churchill |
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posted: 12/12/2006 at 4:37 AM |
Time of the races: I actually talked to someone here in Nashvegas who does a lot of race organizing who told me the reason they are all held at the butt crack of dawn (7 or 8 AM on average) is because it is much easier to close roads when most people are still sleeping and the police and city officials are much cooler about it. Which actually made some sense to me, except for the fact that I too would like to still be sleeping. (Why not have them at 10 at night? Roads are quiet then, too, right?) And some folks like to run and get home to spend the rest of the day with their families. I think it has also become a tradition.
I do love showing up in synagogue (I am notoriously late or absent due to sleeping!) and seeing people's faces when I tell them not only am I there earlier than normal, but I just ran 6 miles. (And for most of them anything over 2 miles seems idiotic - as it did for me too a year ago!)
As for evening verses morning - I find I run better when I am actually awake. Which usually doesnt happen until around 10 at night. Seriously, though, I just have trouble doing much of anything in the morning, and unless I am meeting someone, no way am I getting up to run. I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe. Also, I am always thirsty in the morning. And rushed to get back to get to work\class on time. And did I mention I just dont get along with anything that happens before noon. 
I would recommend trying a few morning runs so you can try out your race-day pattern. They dont have to be long or fast, but enough to find out what sits well after a few miles. Breakfast? Fluids? I would probably get to the race a bit early, run a few minutes (5 or so), stretch a bit, and then head to the start line. Then again, I would probably over-sleep.  |
| How I feel these days...
This helps too! |
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Mile Collector view logAbs of Flabs |
posted: 12/12/2006 at 4:48 AM |
If you have to run at night, the best thing to do is to make yourself as visible as possible. A reflective vest is a must. I also carry a flashlight or a headlamp (depending on the route and how much light I need). I also have a blinker, the kind that cyclists put on the back of their bikes for night riding. Anything to make drivers aware of your presence is a good thing. You should also run against traffic so you can see what's coming. I shine and wave my light toward the cars coming toward me to let them know I'm there.
Your training should mirror that of your races. If your have morning races, then you should run in the morning at least a few times. If you're running a marathon, you should run as close to that distance as you can (without getting injured, of course). I'm a night owl myself, but drag myself out of bed every Saturday morning to go for my long run. I hate it, but until marathons start at noon, I'll have to continue to get up early. Even the Boston Marathon has changed its noon start to 10 AM. |
| Beantown Runners | On the Bench |
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| view log Slow-smooth-fast |
posted: 12/12/2006 at 9:12 AM |
it is a 10K that I am doing, need to calm down on the alcohol over the festive period. My partner is giving me a lot of ear ache as I am being a bit of a humbug as I am totally devoted to my running. I have got a big lads night this sat, then one more next fri, and then there is xmas dinner and pud! AAAHHHHH
Nightmare, why does xmas have to be synomynous with long late drinking binges and festive gluttony? I am going to stay focused however and keep up the hard training.
On a side note, running at night gives you the illusion that you are moving quicker. |
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posted: 12/12/2006 at 11:07 AM |
| Wal-Mart sells an armband light that has 3 setting Constant on, slow flash and fast flash. Works well for me |
To paraphrase an old poster: Today is the first day of the rest of your training. It doesn’t matter where you started or how far you’ve come. Today is the day.
Your training didn’t start 6 weeks ago. Your training started the last time you hit the road.
John “the Penguin” Bingham
Life is not tried, it is merely survived if you're standing outside the fire
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posted: 12/12/2006 at 1:58 PM |
Where are you people finding all these 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. races? I don't think I've ever seen one after 8:00 a.m., ever. Getting up before dawn seems part of the racing thing. Maybe it's different in Europe and elsewhere. (Although I did just sign up for a night race, but that's a strange one ...)
But Abbaroodle brings up a question with this:
Quote from AbbaSnail on 12/12/2006 at 4:37 AM:Time of the races: I actually talked to someone here in Nashvegas who does a lot of race organizing who told me the reason they are all held at the butt crack of dawn (7 or 8 AM on average) is because it is much easier to close roads when most people are still sleeping and the police and city officials are much cooler about it.
She's right. There are always two reasons given for early runs. 1) The traffic problem - if a course is closed for 7 hours, starting at 7:00 a.m. gets the roads open before dinner, and 2) The weather - earlier started means earlier finished, before it can get too warm. I was definitely wishing last year's CMM had started at 5:00 a.m.
So, TRENT ... can YOU guess the question the above called to mind?
(Pause while Trent realizes the question and scampers away to the nearest fruit-bearing tree ...)
Okay, Mr. Race Director .... if a race is held in, say, mid-November, and it's frickin' cold, and the course is held somewhere with no roads, no traffic ... and it isn't going to be closed anyway ... any idea why the @#%!% I'd have to get up and be at the starting line by 6:30 a.m.?
Just sayin'. Your excuse should be enlightening. I suspect it boils down to friendly sadism. Which is always fun.
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E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
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posted: 12/12/2006 at 2:00 PM |
I also ran into this problem, but at the opposite end- I get up and run early mornings, but it's still dark.
It took some getting used to, but I'm quite comfortable now running in the dark. I wear reflective clothing, a blinking light, and I keep to well-lit, busier streets. Probably easier to do in the city. The hardest thing to get used to made the most difference in my comfort level- I feel much safer running without my ipod in the dark. Just being able to have that sense of hearing what's around you when you can't see particularly well really made it a much more relaxed running experience. And, surprisingly, I really thought I'd hate running without music, but I now enjoy the silence.
And just to throw in another opinion- I hate running at night. I absolutely have my best, fastest, easiest runs first thing when I wake up. The second something goes in my stomach, I start having issues. I occassionally have to run after work, and everytime I am slower and less comfortable. So for me, I love the fact that races are early morning  |
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posted: 12/12/2006 at 9:53 PM |
I carry one of those blinking armbands when running at night.
Races usually start anywhere between 10.00 and 14.00 hours here. A race that starts at 8.00?? A race that starts at 6.30??? I can hardly walk that early in the morning.
bas |
| 52° 21' North, 4° 52' East |
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| view log Funky Monkey |
posted: 12/12/2006 at 10:41 PM
modified: 12/12/2006 at 10:49 PM |
I'm thinking that the answer goes something like this: If you start a marathon in Mid November at 7AM in the cold, you will be sure to be finished in time for your Church service that starts at 10:30 AM. That's the answer you are looking for, isn't it? 
That and nobody said the Monkey was meant to be friendly. In fact, I thought the Monkey was meant to be dang tough. What, you want Monkeys should carry you up them hills too? Sheesh. |
| It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack. |
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posted: 12/12/2006 at 10:59 PM |
| Quote from Trent on 12/12/2006 at 10:41 PM:
That and nobody said the Monkey was meant to be friendly. In fact, I thought the Monkey was meant to be dang tough. What, you want Monkeys should carry you up them hills too? Sheesh.
Good call. You should probably just start it at 3:00 a.m. next year, so most of us can finish BEFORE the sun comes up. That way we'll be really hardcore, and impress more chicks.
Bas - afternoon races? Geez. Get out of bed, you European slackers. If a race starts that late, how do you squeeze in a siesta? 
Seriously, on this side of the pond I don't think I've ever seen one much past 8:00 a.m. I think it's just part of the tradition for the American running scene. Because while it may make sense for a marathon (due to the traffic/heat concerns), there's no reason a 5-k has to start that early. But the last two I've run have both been at 8:00 or before.
Another theory is that we just have sadistic race directors. See, for example, Trent. Who doesn't seem to care that even the monkeys would prefer to sleep in. I should call PETA. |
E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
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