Running in the dark

I find that those who run at night without some sort of reflective gear or lighting of some kind are usually being chased by the po-po

I run in the early mornings - and LOVE it!! There's a small park near me that I just run cirlces/8s around, so I don't have to worry about traffic. Even the walk there and back only crosses little neighborhood streets, no busy roads. I've run on roads in the dark before, and I have reflective straps to wear during those runs. I do wear a headlamp, since not all of the park is lit, and I do carry a whistle on a stretchy wrist strap, just in case. There is a busy road along one side, and the park is surrounded by a gas station, a church, and an elementary school - so I'm pretty confident that if I have to blow that whistle, someone will be able to respond pretty quick!

If you don't mind running on a track at least for this time of year, you should check with local middle/high schools or a college. I run at a football stadium at night and the lights are on and other people are always out there as well. I've gone to high school tracks before too. The scenery isn't as nice and your are just running in circles but you can still get in a good workout even though it's dark out.

I love to walk and jog in the dark - but if you live in an area where you don't feel safe doing that, then what about bringing your running clothes to work, changing at the end of the day, and running before you drive home?

Then when you DO get home, you'll be done and can save that time you'd have spent getting home running before dark.

I almost took a job in Rockville, seems like there's a lot of traffic and people around all of the time, though. Although I'm hardly familiar with all of it!

Mia

thanks for the tips i'm trying to start runnng but iffy because of the dark. i'll have to invest in a headlamp!

thanks for the tips i'm trying to start runnng but iffy because of the dark. i'll have to invest in a headlamp!

I got a pretty fair one at Wal-Mart for $15. There are better lamps but this one works just fine and it stays in place when I run.

Headlamp and reflective vest. I put a red flasher on the back of my headlamp too. Looks pretty stupid, but not as stupid as getting run over.

I run at night but I stick to the sidewalks. Also, my gym is part of a hospital and the complex has a sidewalk going around it that is a little over a mile. I often run that when it's dark, snowy and icy. They keep it clean all winter long, it's well lit, and it's open to the public. So look for a hospital or corporation with something similar.

I enjoying running at night but the bats flying around my head, helped me in making my decision. Back to the gym I go!

I love the stars, the smells of the night air, the briskness. Not a fan of the fear of ending up in someone's trunk... but I do have my cell phone in case that happens.

Hopefully your cell phone has a knife that folds out. Okay that would be awesome

I love the stars, the smells of the night air, the briskness. Not a fan of the fear of ending up in someone's trunk... but I do have my cell phone in case that happens.

Hopefully your cell phone has a knife that folds out. Okay that would be awesome

The new Swiss Army Phone, from Motorola. Coming in December.

I run on uninhabited dirt field roads. I just ordered a headlamp as the daylight hours are getting shorter and time change is in my future. I'm not really concerned about being visible to other humans as these roads are only used at harvest time but I am worried about what types of creatures await me. Hopefully only vegetarian ones.