Running in the dark

I can tell I truly have the “running bug” – although my wife would say she could have told you that 1-year ago! So over the weekend the weather was really foul so I opted to go to the gym to get some miles done on the treadmill, been doing that for a long time but this trip to the treadmill was different… I thought I was going to go crazy running in place. I listened to two podcasts of Chip Ingram, great messages and helpful to engage my mind but still I ran for 50-minutes and never go anywhere!!

So off to the running store I go, talked to the folks there and I came away with a “headlamp” and safety vest. Now most aren’t familiar with the roads of Bainbridge Island but two points clarify the challenge I face; (1) no street lights and (2) no sidewalks and limited shoulders. So in the daylight in can be dicey enough on many of the roads but add in the dark and I told the sales guy, I want to be lit up like a Christmas tree. Ok, so we didn’t go that far but the headlamp and safety vest were deemed to be a good choice. So tonight I got home at 6:45 and put on the new gear for a “run in the dark”. I was really surprised, the headlight gave plenty of light to see the road and any hazards (branches, potholes, roots, etc) as well as serving as a light for oncoming traffic. The safety vest must have been very visable as many cars slowed way down 50+ yards in front of me as the driver was trying to figure out what the heck was on the road, as they got closer they realized, Wow it’s an old guy running in the dark! So I’m pretty pumped that the gear worked so well, I look forward to getting many more night runs in during the fall and winter. The interesting notes from the “first run in the dark” were that it was hard to judge pace, my field of vision was limited to about 10’ and no peripheral vision, trail running was hard to see small rocks and roots in the leaves (fortunately my 5-mile route only has about 100-yards of trail), and finally I’ve got to adjust the headband – kept it tight to hold it in place but could feel my head pounding towards the end of the run – yes a bit too tight. In closing, would give the night running experience a solid “two thumbs up”