Running Headlamps

iplayoutside19
iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, Not sure what I'm thinking. But I entered a night trail 10K race. A flashlight or headlamp is required. I'm thinking I'm going with a headlamp, but I'm going to run with both during training and see which one I like.

Anyone ever run with a headlamp? And Which one do you have?

Replies

  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
    I hike with a headlamp all the time. Mine is an Energizer. I think I bought it at Target. It is just like the 'hiking' brand ones my friends have (Petzl, Black Diamond, etc), but I paid about 10 bucks for it! :)

    Make sure you get the one with the hing so you can adjust it as needed.
  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
    I've had two- one princeton tec something or another for like 19 bucks, and the other a petzel tika. The princeton tec worked but the battery life sucked. the other was about 25 and it has worked splendidly with no complaints.

    HTH.
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    I love my black diamond headlamp! I have used it for hiking and caving. Good stuff. :)
  • jstud76
    jstud76 Posts: 7 Member
    Good luck with the run!! I am thinking pretty hard about trail racing. I am signed up for a 10 K road race and have a 1/2 marathon and 2 marathons in my future by the end of October. Have been training up to 13.5 miles. What differences are there between trail and road, other than duh, trails! LOL! Why do you like trails over road?? Thanks!!
  • sweetmanjd
    sweetmanjd Posts: 94 Member
    I bought a cheap-o and it didn't last...you might want to pay for the quality brands (Petzl is great). Also, you might try getting two and wearing one on you wrist to use as a flashlight so you can see more directly and immediately right in front of you without awkward neck movement ...I found that helpful while doing some night exploring/hiking on a recent trip through the woods.
  • maemiller
    maemiller Posts: 439 Member
    I have a Petzl Tikka 2 from Road Runners Sports. Ran 4 miles with it and you cant even tell you have it on and it doesnt slip
  • sweetmanjd
    sweetmanjd Posts: 94 Member
    Good luck with the run!! I am thinking pretty hard about trail racing. I am signed up for a 10 K road race and have a 1/2 marathon and 2 marathons in my future by the end of October. Have been training up to 13.5 miles. What differences are there between trail and road, other than duh, trails! LOL! Why do you like trails over road?? Thanks!!

    I can't run on roads/sidewalks at all due to 3 past knee surgeries...I can barely walk the next day after just a mile on concrete. But I can run 3+ miles on a trail and not even need to ice the knees after. I feel great after a trail run!! So while trail running can be much more challenging (hills, and uneven terrain that challenges your stabilizers), it's a lot easier on the joints & impact. And of course, they tend to be infinitely more beautiful than city running:) Give it a try!
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Good luck with the run!! I am thinking pretty hard about trail racing. I am signed up for a 10 K road race and have a 1/2 marathon and 2 marathons in my future by the end of October. Have been training up to 13.5 miles. What differences are there between trail and road, other than duh, trails! LOL! Why do you like trails over road?? Thanks!!

    When I started running I signed up for my first 5K. Being a novice to the sport I thought all 5K's were the same. I didn't read the part about it being a X Country 5K. Not that I would have known what X Country meant. It wasn't till after the race that someone explained it to me, not that it needed any explaining at that point.

    Anyway, I enjoy Mt Biking (read riding on dirt) more than road biking. I just enjoy being in natural surroundings as opposed to concrete. I've done most of my running on concrete and dirt roads. I've done 2 road 10K's. It's time for a new challenge, and the particular race I signed up for looks very challenging. Although it's in Kansas. The race course has an agraggate 5000 ft of climbing on it....and it's at night...in the woods...in August.

    Look, I found a tick already!
  • shesnotthere
    shesnotthere Posts: 117
    I use one for work all the time. If you go into the woods at night with an LED one at just the right level, all the spider eyes in the forest start sparkling like diamonds. It is so ****ing creepy. You have NO IDEA how many spiders there are in the woods.
  • beccaboo1021
    beccaboo1021 Posts: 51
    I've tried running with a flashlight, but it was too bouncy. So I bought a headlamp with a hinge so I could change the distance of the lighting, but I actually have only used it for projects around the house! And my husband has used it to fix a leak under the kitchen counter...so it is VERY handy to have!! :smile: Shortly after I got the headlamp, I found a baseball style hat with lights on the brim that I liked better. I got the headlamp at ACO Hardware (found it on a whim), and found the baseball hat at Lowe's. The hat has 3 different lighting options, but not sure if the hat is something they'd let you use in this specific race...
  • DonPendergraft
    DonPendergraft Posts: 520 Member
    For the road, any old cheap light will do. On a trail, at night, you need something better than el cheapo. I have a drawer of cheap ones. But if you are going to do a night trail run, give the Petzl E87 P MYO RXP Headlamp a good look: http://amzn.to/mOdKAA
  • corimac
    corimac Posts: 30 Member
    Good luck with the run!! I am thinking pretty hard about trail racing. I am signed up for a 10 K road race and have a 1/2 marathon and 2 marathons in my future by the end of October. Have been training up to 13.5 miles. What differences are there between trail and road, other than duh, trails! LOL! Why do you like trails over road?? Thanks!!

    I just started trail running this summer and I love it! I'm signed up for a half marathon distance trail run at the end of July. Being on the trails makes you feel connected to the environment more. Also- the trails I'm training on are mostly shady all the time and the impact to my knees and ankles is lower. For me- it takes more energy to run on the trail and my splits are around a minute more off-road.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions. Too bad there's not a way to try different ones before I buy.

    Next thing is to start training late in the evenings.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    The first thing I thought about when I read the thread title were boobs in a sports bra. I really need to get my mind out of the gutter....
  • Arizona_JR
    Arizona_JR Posts: 275
    We had to use them when we did the Ragnar Relay (12-man 24 hour relay run). If you run with a hat, a headlamp present a challenge. Some of my team members used waist-lamps (like a belt).

    My only suggestion is to get one that is comfy (on your head if you go that route), and has multiple lumen outputs. When darkness surrounds you, you don't want to be messing around with a dim headlamp with only 15 feet of visibility. Also, the ones with a wider headstrap tend to be comfortable longer than the ones with skinny straps.

    Something $75 on up usually has good light output.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Ran this morning with a cheap $12 headlamp I bought at Wal-Mart just to get an idea of things that work and things that didn't.

    The run went fine. Strap was comfortable enough. Lumination was good enough. However, at the end of the run it wouldn't turn off. I think mostly because of the sweat inside the light. I just took the batteries out. I'll see if it works once it dries out.

    This run was out on the prairie at dawn. I need to find a forest to get the full effect of what I'll be dealing with. I know where there's a quarter mile trail close to my house. I've also got trips to two different mountain ranges in July. No place like those places to work out the bugs. (or attract bugs, that's the other problem I had)

    ....and there's really no need to get your mind out of the gutter. I thought the same thing once I posted the topic.
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