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Running at Night Safely
By Jen, on December 7th, 2012
Wednesday night after work I braved the cold air and darkness to go on a run. Running has been hard for me lately. I’ve been struggling with motivation to run since I’m loathing the treadmill and dreading running in the dark (more so for my safety…) and the cold temperatures.
Wearing our reflective gear during Ragnar Relay was a must!
Since I figured I have a bunch of running safety gear already, I’d do it. Here’s what you need if you want to run at night:
- Headlamp – mine is a Totes headlamp that isn’t running specific, but you can find special running headlamps at specialty running stores or sporting stores like EMS. I got it for Christmas from my parents one year!
- Bright clothes – I have a ton of neon green running shirts that I’ve gotten from past races, so I make sure to throw one over my long sleeve running jacket for extra visibility. There’s nothing worse to wear then dark clothes when running at night.
- Reflective vest – my mom gave me two reflective vests–one is an LL Bean brand and one is Nathan–I think they are older so I couldn’t find the exact ones online, but one like this Nathan reflective vest is great!
- Reflective arm straps -again, my mom gave me four of these reflective straps to wear on my arms and legs when running at night. They make you super visible to drivers!
- Blinking tail light – I acquired a few little blinking red lights somehow, probably with some race swag bags over the years, but they flash red and its great to put on the back of the vest for some extra visibility. This Nathan blinking red light seems like it would work perfectly.
I realize I never had to pay for any of my safety gear. I have no excuse to not run at night. Thankfully I run mostly on sidewalks, but its still great to be visible to drivers when I’m crossing streets. I felt like a glowing beacon when I was running. At least drivers could see me! Nothing makes me angrier when I see runners/walkers/cyclists riding/running in the dark at night with no reflective gear. Be safe, runners!
Now, handling the cold is another ballgame.
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About Me My name is Jen and I'm a twenty-something living in the Capital Region of Upstate New York. I work full time, love eating delicious and healthy food, running, and attempting to maintain a healthy lifestyle! Follow me as I document my journey of maintaining an 80 pound weight loss.
2013 Race Calendar 1/1 - Bill Hogan 3.5 Miler 35:21
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2/3 - HMRRC WS#5 - 10M 1:38:54
2/17 - Winter Marathon Relay 1:37:38
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9/27-28 - Ragnar Relay Adirondacks
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11/10 - Stockade-athon 15K
2012 Race Calendar 1/1 - Hangover Half Marathon 2:08:57
1/8 - HMRRC WS #3 - 10K 56:07
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2/5 - HMRRC WS#5 - 10M 1:32:37
2/19 - Winter Marathon Relay 1:34:00
3/11 - Shamrock Run - 19:34
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7/4 - Firecracker Four 37:44
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9/28-29 - Ragnar Relay Adirondacks
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12/9 - HMRRC WS #1 - 15K 1:29:25
12/15 - Albany's Last Run 5K 29:18
2011 Race Calendar 1/1 - Sober-Up 3.5 Mile 30:53
2/5 - Florida Today 8K 46:59
2/20 - MHRRC Marathon Relay 53:45
3/13 - Shamrock Run 20:40
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10/30 - Squirrelly Six Trail Run Race canceled!
11/13 - Stockade-athon 15K 1:26:04
11/24 - Troy Turkey Trot 27:07
2010 Race Calendar 5/20 - Workforce Team Challenge 33:30
5/23 - SPAC Rock & Run 27:18
6/5 - Freihofer's Run for Women 27:18
6/12 - KeyBank Run for Pride 5K 26:10
7/4 - Firecracker Four 37:59
7/11 - Utica Boilermaker 15 K 1:39:18
8/7 - Chingachgook Challenge 10K 59:33
9/12 - The Dunkin' Run 10K 57:48
9/19 - The Warrior Dash 47:37
10/10 - MHR Half Marathon 2:04:35
10/31 - Squirrely Six Mile 1:08:33
11/7 - Stockade-athon 15K 1:27:06
11/25 - Bethlehem Turkey Trot 25:05
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I am the worst at keeping up my running in the winter. The cold, the dark… it’s just too much sometimes. But I’ve been building up my cold weather clothes and will be adding more to my night-running arsenal, so maybe that will inspire me to get out there? Great post!
Christine recently posted..the little things I’ve been up to
I find whenever I buy cute, bright new running clothes, I’m definitely more motivated to get out there and use them!
It’s hard for everyone during this time of year, Holidays,and the time change making it darker earlier. All my ‘runnerkids’try and make it a point to meet up and run together either couples or group runs, this keeps them motivated and safe!
Ruby recently posted..It’s that time of year!