Forums >General Running>Do you run in the dark?
Rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor dark will stop me from running. Any of the above I love to run in.
And no, I don't work for the US Postal Service. (They weren't hiring... ),
The Plan '15 → /// "Run Hard, Live Easy." ∞
Latent Runner
I live in Nashville, but I grew up in a rural place. I think I have good vision and a healthy dose of natural confidence.
Up here it is not only rural, but the trees are so thick that even at noon in high summer it can be pretty dark on the trail; at night, regardless of how good your vision is, regardless of how bright the moon is, there simply ain't nothin' to see.
Fat old man PRs:
Craig
I mostly run after sundown, but most places in the city it is not really dark. I have run other places where there are not street lights and city lights and been amazed at how dark it was - I thought the moon or stars would provide at least a bit of light.
Old, Slow, Happy
I run when I get off work, so about 5:00 in the evening. When the time changes in the fall, I am always in the dark. On Sunday mornings, I'm usually out at 4:30 am. So except in the middle of the summer, that's dark too. However, Sunday mornings are my favorite run. No traffic. Also, I can moon the Amtrack passenger train if the timing is right. If you're ever on the train through Northwest Ohio, look out of your window when you're about 35 miles west of Toledo. That big, white butt is mine!!
flashlight and sidewalk
I live in a suburban area and I am an evening/after dinner runner for the most part. I frequently run at night. I don't run at dusk ever....visibility is just too poor and everyone is on their way home from work and distracted. I avoid main roads and run through neighborhoods, which is nice except during Halloween season when everyone goes out of their way to make it seem like someone is standing in their yard. I carry a handheld flashlight, which I turn on when approaching/crossing streets or if it is very dark out.
**Ask me about streaking**
Consistently Slow
Run until the trail runs out.
SCHEDULE 2016--
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
http://bkclay.blogspot.com/
I'm a part time care taker on a horse farm, and some mornings are so dark even the horses trip on the way out to the pasture, other mornings, like when the moon is up and full and bright, I can see so well I can make out the morning stirrings in the two-foot tall hornet's nest ten feet off the path.
The above said, the brightest and most enormous moon I ever encountered was driving through southern Utah back in November of 1987, I could literally turn the headlights off and see better than most days at dusk.
Florida weather pretty much requires running in the dark from May through October -- at the 'cool' time of the day at 5am when it's usually 78 degrees w/ 97% humidity.
After confusing a black bear with a garbage can (and almost attempting to move the 'garbage can' blocking the sidewalk), I decided to invest in a very strong headlamp. Requirements: rechargeable, lightweight, rechargeable, front and rear lights, and rechargeable.
I highly recommend the Black Diamond Sprinter headlamp. It also serves as a nice sweatband for most of the year, too. I do not use the top strap because it stays in place perfectly without it. About $55 on Amazon. I've used it for about a year with no problems. USB rechargeable.
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamond-Sprinter-Headlamp-Titanium/dp/B003PQW4LO
PRs: 5K 19:41 (5/2017) 10K 45:27 (1/2017) 10m 1:10:41 (4/2017) 13.1 1:36:00 (6/2017) 26.2 3:31:58 (10/2017)
I know I'm in the minority, but I hate running in the dark and will do anything possible to avoid it. I will run on a treadmill inside if my only other option is running in the dark outside.
4:30am before wirk.
Ouch. That hour is hardcore.
"Shut up Legs!" Jens Voigt
While I'm not much of a fan of trail running after dark, given the alternatives of A) missing work, B) running on pavement at lunch, or worse still, C) running on a dreadmill; I'll take option D) running after dark.
Slower than I look
Timely topic for me. I used to always run after work, but when I moved to AZ in mid summer, I quickly realized that I'd have to run in the morning to avoid heat stroke. My routine now has me up no later than 4:00 AM every morning, and sometimes as early as 3:30 AM for mid-week longish runs. It is obviously dark the whole time but my neighborhood is fantastic for running and there is enough light to not need a lamp. I am usually running by 5am for long runs on Sat so it's dark half the time and I always get to see the sunset come up over the mountains.
However, I travel a lot for work so sometimes this can get interesting. Running in the evenings usually isn't even an option due to having dinner with colleagues, etc. This morning (out of town on a business trip) I ran at 4am, with a headlamp on an extremely dark path that I'm unfamiliar with, and in the rain. The whole experience was rather exhilarating and I felt a little more alive by the end of it. Sure it would have been easier to hit the dreadmill but...screw that. One of the benefits of being able to quickly traverse distance on foot is seeing and experiencing new places in a different way. Might as well take advantage of that when I can. To that end, if you haven't run the Las Vegas strip at 5am, I highly suggest doing so for the experience. The lights, the sounds, the crazy drunks...it's a fun time.
To that end, if you haven't run the Las Vegas strip at 5am, I highly suggest doing so for the experience. The lights, the sounds, the crazy drunks...it's a fun time.
That comment brought on an quick flash-back for me. One of my last runs before I broke my leg in January 2003 was up the strip at Oh-Dark-Thirty; until you mentioned it, I had completely forgotten about that run. Thanks for that.
A Saucy Wench
I put down "sometimes" although the answer is really more "most of the time". Probably only 3 months out of the year is it light when I run since I usually go at 5 am.
I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
Florida weather pretty much requires running in the dark from May through October -- at the 'cool' time of the day at 5am when it's usually 78 degrees w/ 97% humidity. After confusing a black bear with a garbage can (and almost attempting to move the 'garbage can' blocking the sidewalk), I decided to invest in a very strong headlamp. Requirements: rechargeable, lightweight, rechargeable, front and rear lights, and rechargeable. I highly recommend the Black Diamond Sprinter headlamp. It also serves as a nice sweatband for most of the year, too. I do not use the top strap because it stays in place perfectly without it. About $55 on Amazon. I've used it for about a year with no problems. USB rechargeable. http://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamond-Sprinter-Headlamp-Titanium/dp/B003PQW4LO
100+ One of the 2 best running purchases I've ever bought.