I really like to have one lamp on my head, and one lamp somewhere between my waist and chest (I'll hook one to my pack waistrap, or my vest chest strap) It gives me a much better perspective of the ground. When I'm using only a head lamp, it doesn't cast any shadows and I tend to trip a bit more.

I'll use a very strong spotlight on my head, and use a wide pattern light for my chest/waist light. I also will often times take the headlamp off, and wrap the strap around my hand and carry it like that, pointing at the ground of course.

It won't take very much time at all to decide what you like, and what you don't.

If the sky is clear, take some time to turn off the lights, and enjoy running in the natural moonlight.

I'd take the bright lamp. On the trails at night, the light makes all the difference. You don't need much of an illuminated area, just the bit ahead of you, but you want to see the small obstacles quite clearly.

My headlamp is only 40 lumens, and I can't run on trails with it, except non-technical trails which are rare in my area. When I ran the Stone Mill 50, I used the light casted by other runners' headlamps, and I was surprised how easy it was to run trails with a good light. (The trails there were not technical, but with my lamp, I was still struggling).

However, a second light source might be helpful to get a better "3D" feel. With just the headlamp, you run in a "light bubble" around your head (especially in rain or fog), and you don't get much of the spatial resolution.

+1 on turning off the light every once in a while and run in the moonlight - priceless experience!

Watch out for the trail markers, getting lost in the dark is not so great. So no, you don't stare at your feet all the time. But it takes a lot of concentration and can be quite exhausting, depending on the terrain, trees, how well the trail is marked, if it is overgrown, etc..

...  I have spent a lot of time in the woods at night (camping, hunting, hiking, etc.....so the dark doesn't bother me at all but I have never run in the dark.

 

any advice on night running would be greatly appreciated.  do you just stare at your feet the whole time?   look ahead?  any other concerns?

 

The dark has never bothered me neither.  It's the things that are out there.  It's the eyes

that look back, the shuffling you hear, the almost seen shadow as the light beam catches

movement.  The moving pile of leaves that turned out to have a porcupine under it.  It was

the great horned owl with the sense of humor--it was only about ten feet away when it

decided to announce its presence... very loudly.  Something carried Kathy off one night,

but dropped her after about a hundred feet.  As Ken Chlouber told us the night before

Leadville, "Remember, there are things out there that will eat you."  The guy next to me

asked, "Is he serious?"  Given a straight line like that I replied, "Yes."

I use just the headlamp (whichever one Kathy lets me use, she always gets the bright

one) when of easy stuff--(adding) turning on the handheld when on the rooty rocky stuff.

Night vision training from long ago:  move your eyes a lot, staring will mess things up.

I rarely look at my feet.  The mind is a wonderful computer that translates what your

eyes are roving over and adjusts your feet accordingly--not a conscious effort thing.

I use a light attached to the chest strap of my vest, and a handheld light for extra illumination.  I don't like having a light on my head.

The chest light is aimed in front of me.  The hand held, helps me avoid the feeling of tunnel vision.  It's quite different at night since your world shrinks down to the area outlined by your light.

Go slow, get comfortable.  With more night running, you can add speed.

Thanks all!   i'm heading out in about an hour.  im heading out alone...but at leadt two people know exeactly where im going and when i'll be back....and i'm pretty familiar with the trail.

I probably missed you so I hope you're having fun out there.

I also like the perspective with two lights.  I use a headlamp and a handheld combination.  I'm pretty good at keeping the handheld steady, but see that some folks swing their arms so much that the handheld light shines all over the place.  When I'm running near someone doing that I start getting dizzy...

Let us know how it goes.

Almost all my runs lately have begun or ended in the dark on trails.

I have a Fenix flashlight but my favorite is my bike light (Light and Motion Urban 550). It is easy to hold (the rubber mount is like a handle); it is 550 lumens on high, and lasts 1.5 hours at that level (and is rechargeable). Weight is 1/4 pound. Normally medium or even low (3:00/6:00 hour run time) is fine, with high reserved for technical downhills. It also fits in my back pocket easily for parts of the run where it is light and I don't notice it when it is there.

Have fun!