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Do you run in the dark? (Read 404 times)

    Now that we are back into Standard time and it dark for longer, I started to wonder how many runners are out there in the very early morning or late in the evenings.  Respond to the poll to see what other members on RA are up to.

     

    I run in the dark occasionally with a headlamp, but generally I don't like it.  Of course it is always more fun and feels safer to run with a group at night than solo.

    "Shut up Legs!" Jens Voigt

      I enjoy it most of the time, which is good, because I have an 8-5 job and hate the dreadmill.

       

      Running roads by moonlight is fun, and running trails by headlamp is an enjoyable change of pace.  (Also, I have dreams of completing the VT 100 some day, and I figure it's never too early to start practicing that particular skill.)  I don't care for running roads on moonless nights, however.  That little circle of illuminated pavement gets old fast.

      jerseyrunner


      Half Fanatic 12680

        If I need to get a run in before work, I'll run in the early morning dark. And in the summer, I'll run pre-dawn to avoid the heat. It's a little hard to get myself out of bed in the dark, but once I'm on my run I actually enjoy the calm of the pre-dawn and I get to see the sunrise.

         

         

          I like running in the dark about as well as I like running in the light.  The only exception is workouts--I would hate to do intervals or a tempo in the dark.

           

          Running during sunset or sunrise, during that twilight-hour border, is my favorite, though.

           

          Trail runs in the dark are especially fun, too--but require a stronger headlamp.

          "When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." 
          Emil Zatopek


          Best Present Ever

            Doesn't everyone?  I really don't take light into account when running, except for trail runs (which makes me feel a bit like a wimp, as most of the trail runners in my parts just remind folks to bring headlamps when they plan early morning mountain runs).  I just run in the early morning and sometimes it's dark.

            LedLincoln


            not bad for mile 25

              Kind of None of the Above.  I often run in the dark, and enjoy it.  I enjoy my day runs as well.

                I fall somewhere between "Always" and "Sometimes". For 6 months of the year most of my running is in the dark. If you live somewhere a there are a lot of runners and you run before sunrise, you will probably find out that A LOT of other people run in the dark.

                 

                My observation is that running on roads in the dark at night is way more dangerous and nerve wracking than running in the dark in the morning. There's way more traffic in the evening, the drivers are going faster and they are more distracted.

                Runners run


                Oh roo roooo!

                  Running during sunset or sunrise, during that twilight-hour border, is my favorite, though. 

                   

                  I almost always run in the dark, since I run very early in the AMs.  I like seeing an owl drop down off the chimney of a subdivision house and silently float across the road only feet in front of me.  I notice the animal tracks in the snow or mud.  I see the great blue herons and sandhill cranes in the ponds in the industrial park across the road.  I hear the coyotes way off in the distance (and sometimes not that far off at all, kind of gives me a chill).  It's like I get to see the secret life that most of the people still asleep in their houses don't have any clue is going on in their backyards and driveways.  I like it, like being invisible and part of the night. And the really golden prize is, as mentioned above, when you time your run so that the last couple of miles are during sunrise and you finish up just as the sun clears the horizon, returning you to the regular daytime world.  That's the magical aspect of it, for me...

                   

                  On a different aspect of running in the dark, I firmly maintain that you are faster when no one can see you, and hills are smaller when you can't see how far to the top!


                  Walk-Jogger

                    I drive to the indoor track when it's dark, and run where it's well-lit and warm. I gave up running outdoors in the dark long ago after a couple of  falls and one injury. I've bought a headlamp since then, and  I'll do a group run in the dark just for fun, but that's slow so there's little risk of tripping and falling.

                    Retired &  Loving It

                    redleaf


                      None of the options really fit. I run when I can and usually that's early morning so often it's dark. I don't think I prefer it to daylight but I run a certain way (on sidewalks beside a busy road) in the dark and on a multi-purpose trail when I run and it's light out and I kinda prefer that route.

                      First or last...it's the same finish line

                      HF #4362


                      Best Present Ever

                        I fall somewhere between "Always" and "Sometimes". For 6 months of the year most of my running is in the dark. If you live somewhere a there are a lot of runners and you run before sunrise, you will probably find out that A LOT of other people run in the dark.

                         

                        My observation is that running on roads in the dark at night is way more dangerous and nerve wracking than running in the dark in the morning. There's way more traffic in the evening, the drivers are going faster and they are more distracted.

                        yes to all of the above, but especially the last.  We will often decide to slightly earlier than we might have otherwise (5:30 instead of 6 for example) to make sure we aren't running on certain stretches once traffic picks up in the morning.  I'd never run in the same places in broad daylight, much less in the evening dark.


                        an amazing likeness

                          From October to April; Mon through Fri, Yes.

                          Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

                          TJoseph


                            How many people wear a headlamp?  I haven't really tried one.  I have a small handheld light I throw in my pocket and usually don't use it too much unless it is a really dark night and the road/trail is uneven.


                            Wandering Wally

                              September - April, pretty much every run is in the dark unless I can finagle some time on a weekend to go in the afternoon.  I wear a headlamp and a reflective vest.  If I am on a road I also attach a red blinky light to my back.

                              Run!  Just Run!

                               

                              Trail Runner Nation Podcast

                                I've started a lot of runs in the pre-dawn dark, and ended up after sunrise.  It's a beautiful time of day, especially where I run on a woods/prairie bike loop.  If it's dark I wear a headlamp, mostly so the other illegal runners/bikers can see me coming.  The park is officially closed after dark, but I'll often see someone else out.

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