I was Running in the Dark today because I had to wake up super early to get to work on time. I left for my run at 5:30am – which I’ve done before, but for some reason the sun was making no attempts to rise yet!
I was actually scared because it was so dark! I couldn’t even see the lines on the sidewalk – which is dangerous because in some places it’s very uneven.
Here are some tips for Running in the Dark:
- Wear light/bright/reflective clothing. A lot of running shirts, shorts and shoes have reflective strips. Make sure your geared up with light colors and you can also wear runner head torchers.
- Don’t run in “la-la land”. Pay attention – cars may not see you, you have to watch out for them.
- Bring a flashlight or wear a light. In my case I couldn’t see the bumps in the sidewalk, a flashlight would have helped. Hats with lights built in are available too.
- Stay on the sidewalk or paths. Streets + Dark + Runner = Bad Idea
This morning was surprisingly cool – which I enjoyed 🙂 It was a nice break from the sticky humidity that I am not used to yet!
Since it was cool I thought warm oatmeal would be a good idea. Wrong. For some reason hot oats in the summer just make me feel sick. Ugh. I think my body gets super heated up from my run and adding something hot and dense to my stomach sits like a brick. Weird.
I’ve got to go because I still have this mess to clean up…I dropped the container of oats when I went to grab them off the fridge. What a way to start my Monday. I should have taken it as a sign that oats were a bad idea!
Have a great day, see you in a bit 🙂
I try not to cry over spilled oats but it can be hard sometimes
Grad school starts next week and I’m going to have to run early from here on out. I plan to pick up some reflective items at the running store. I’m worried about the dark being sketchy more than being seen. Are other people?
Things like spilled oatmeal always happen on Mondays!
Great tips! The sun doesn’t rise here now till 6:30, so my runs have been getting darker and darker (I normally head out some time after 6am).
Funny, I find oats are most satisfying after running 🙂
this must just be a bad monday. my electric window thingy on my car broke this morning, so i had to duct tape the window shut, ended up being late for the gym and consequently for work.
i’m ready for the weekend again!
i don’t mind running in the dark as i have a large dog who is my running buddy, but i also make sure to wear lots of reflective and blinking gear. the doggie and i always look like x-mas trees… 🙂
i totally freak myself out when i run in the dark and i get all paranoid! and what a way to start a monday, i almost dropped my cereal bowl when i was walking to my desk this morning. i think i would have cried if all the cereal, banana, and milk had gone everywhere!
Funny Evan 🙂 I didn’t even think to talk about “spilled oats…”
I’m afraid to run in the dark because people can’t see me. We do have a nice trail near here but that would require a head lamp. Hence the reason I run on the Treadmill most of the summer. But good for you for getting out and learning what you need to do to make an early morning run better.
Bad oats for falling and making a mess. That’s why I got one of those containers from BBB that has a sealed lid. I push the button and it can get thrown around no problem.