Running in the Dark (Read 1213 times)

Im sure some of you all run in the dark. I have tried to get used to it a couple of times, with the short days I can only run on a Dreadmill or give it up to the darkness four days a week. Where I run it is rural America black top streets with no street lights, oncoming motorists rarely dim their lights trying to figure out what this nut is doing running in the road in pitch black. The upsides are you cant see the smirks on the faces of the FatA** drivers when they go by giving you the " I can run that fast look", and no UV rays. summertime please come back anyone else?

Im sure some of you all run in the dark. I have tried to get used to it a couple of times, with the short days I can only run on a Dreadmill or give it up to the darkness four days a week. Where I run it is rural America black top streets with no street lights, oncoming motorists rarely dim their lights trying to figure out what this nut is doing running in the road in pitch black. The upsides are you cant see the smirks on the faces of the FatA** drivers when they go by giving you the " I can run that fast look", and no UV rays. summertime please come back anyone else?

I only run in the dark on extremly low traffic streets or deserted trails. Sounds like you might be running on dark high speed streets. The oncoming headlights totally blind you to road debris, not good. Over time, skipping a few night runs if streets like that are your only option is going to be more healty for you than getting hit by a car or tripping and breaking something or falling into the path of an oncoming car.

Yeah, running in the dark sucks. I tripped over a chunk of our well maintained roads yesterday morning and did the old tuck and roll thing. Surprisingly enough I came through it with minimal gravel rash. It may be time to check out some of the newer headlamps. LED technology has made some major advances lately. Tom

I do it every day, except on weekends, and have to admit I sort of like it. As with spaniel, I wear a headlamp, back flasher and vest. Typically, I run after my kid goes to bed, which is about 9:00. That means sometimes I don't get out until 10:00 or 11:00. I know some folks have trouble sleep right after excerise, but it doesn't seem to bother me. I used to run right after work, but I'm starting to like running later at night better. I'm not sure what I'll do in the spring when I have the option of running in the day light. I'll probably go back to running right after work. So far running in the dark has been trouble free. I should mention, however, I live in a suburb with a lot of other runners, and I think most of the auto traffic around isn't that surprised to see a guy running at night.

I do a lot of running at night also. I don't wear the lights - because I get less heckling when the drivers can't see me. I'm fortunate that almost all my running routes have sidewalks. I do the headlamp thing for a park trail, though.

For some reason, in my neighborhood, deer seem to love running in front of me and cutting me off when I'm jogging at night. Almost having a huge heavy animal t-bone me kinda messes with my heart rate just a bit.

Im sure some of you all run in the dark. I have tried to get used to it a couple of times, with the short days I can only run on a Dreadmill or give it up to the darkness four days a week. Where I run it is rural America black top streets with no street lights, oncoming motorists rarely dim their lights trying to figure out what this nut is doing running in the road in pitch black. The upsides are you cant see the smirks on the faces of the FatA** drivers when they go by giving you the " I can run that fast look", and no UV rays. summertime please come back anyone else?

Sounds a bit like my neck of the woods. I did my first after dark run last week and 6/7 cars (on otherwise deserted road, so no reason for them to not move over into the facing lane a bit) gave me no space, so I ended up having to run in snowbanks (the shoulder wasn't cleared at all). I had a single LED flashy thing, but now have ordered a reflective "harness" thing to use in addition to an LED blinky thing. I kind of liked running after the sun set, but the safety issue made me nervous. I know the cars could see me, I think they just didn't care. The one car that did give me a wide berth was a Suburban--the vehicle that had the least to lose if he had hit me. runner92, I hear you on the deer thing...though it is often I scaring the crap out of the deer (apparently I run pretty quietly...?), not the reverse. k

Hi, I have accepted running in the cold and dark and it's really not that bad. Most drivers are respectful and get out of the way. A headlamp is key for visibility. Also, check out www.illuminite.com for some really good night running clothes that will make even the worst driver see you.