Daylight savings has left us, we are heading towards the winter solstice. Only five weeks away from the shortest day of the year and then two-three minutes of light get added to our life per day, culminating in spring. Winter does not have to be dull and dreary. There is so much to hope for. We need to recognize that it comes and goes in those daily two-three minute increments.
So with this hope, and the energy to run, much of it will be in the dark over the next couple of months. Here are the rules I run by during this period.
1 - Never run a route in the dark that you have not run at least a couple of times in the daylight. You should be familiar with the route, and not just the turns, but the surface you are running. I have mostly run in a built up area whether city or town. The sidewalks can be a challenge. The road side gutter can be a challenge. Knowing where the sewer covers are, the pot holes, the low spots will help when you try to navigate the route in the dark.
2 - Avoid the blackest black. Darkness is really the absence of light. When running in the dark, there can be sources of light from houses, store signs, street lights, moving vehicles. But where there is no light, there is dark. And the less light, the darker it is. Where two shadows cross, it is darker. In that dark, you might find the black hole. This hole could easily cause a stumble or twisted ankle, etc.
3 - Avoid all puddles, especially in the rain. Water is a wonderful thing, the substance of life, but in the dark, it shows one of its other powers. It fills holes. When it fills the hole, the surface is smooth, shiny and reflective. But seriously deceptive because you can not tell how deep it is from the surface. It may be shallow. It may be deep. You won't be able to tell running along in the dark. Avoid it.
4 - Wear reflective clothing. It is important to be seen by any of the moving vehicles that will share the road with you during the run. Your senses will be sharper so you'll see their headlights, and hear their motor or tires as they approach. But is is equally important that they see you. Do not be afraid to be over visible. It is better to be a luminous object and run again.
5 - Run with the traffic, not against it. This may cause some discussion but I have found it so much safer to run with the traffic than against it. I don't get blinded by their headlights. Their lights are behind me and help show me the way. Just as important, the lights can allow me to pick out what my options would be the closer they come to me. Blinded, you have little choice but to stop, pull over until you can see again. The one serious fall I took was the last time I was running against the traffic. I had followed all my rules, I was familiar with the course having run it frequently during daylight hours. I was coming over a little crest and the approaching vehicle flipped on their high beams to get a better view of me. The high beams blinded me. I slowed and remembering the sidewalk was just over there stepped into the wheelchair curb cut to get out of the way. Unfortunately, right in the middle of the curb cut was the galvanized steel street sign. I hit it directly, nose first. Drawing some blood with a nice cut on the forehead and ending up in a heap at the foot of the pole wondering what had just happened. A lesson learned, never again have I run facing the traffic.
I hope this helps. If you have your own rules, I would be interested in hearing about them.
Originally posted on November 6, 2004.
