13 December 2012

Tips for running in the dark and getting (un)lost!

Last night I had a longer run planned.  The sun takes longer to come up in the morning and sets much too early for trail runners around here! I'm super lucky because my work schedule is flexible, super flexible.  I can come in early and leave early and some days I work later to get caught up when I only get 8 hours in because of a scheduled run.  Yesterday, I didn't get out of work when I needed to but I was still dedicated to my route and my run. I could have gone to Euclid Creek but that is where I do most of my runs and anything over 2.5 miles requires laps and it can get boring.  I had picked one of the bridle trail loops, NC2. While I've never run the complete loop, the western side of the loop from the Bird Trail to Blue Flower is included in my loop when I do NC1 so I am familiar with part of it.

As much as I tried, I got out of work much later than I had wanted to so I didn't start my run until 4:45pm.  What time was sunset you might ask?? Weeelllllll, sunset was around 4:57pm.  So here's the thing, I don't have a headlamp, although I did ask Santa for one, so obviously I knew I'd be running in the dark.  Which isn't too bad if you live in the city and there are street lights but I was in the woods.  The run was awesome, even if I did get lost and it became progressively pitch black.  I'm pretty good at getting lost, whether it is dark or not, so this is nothing new for me.  But I began thinking about how my directionally challenged self could help other people when they're running goes a bit off course?

I present to you, Tracie's Top Three Tips for Running in the Dark! :)

Tip 1: Take advantage of your resources! So many of us have smartphones and they can be sooo helpful navigating many life adventures.  One of my favorite apps is RunKeeper.  It not only tracks your mileage, pace, avg pace, elevation, avg calories burned and duration but it has GPS so in a pinch you can flip to the map screen and see just exactly where you are and where, let's just say, you should be.  Through this app you can create mapped routes and then later run them so it helps if you've planned an actual route to help keep you where you are supposed to be going.  The map feature is helpful whether you've designed a route or are doing a random route!  Another cool feature that this app offers is RunKeeper LIVE.  Although this is a paid feature it can help make your runs a bit safer and possibly influence people to give you early xmas gifts, but more on that later! I do most of my running on trails and alone.  This freaks out my family and friends sometimes.  Through RunKeeper LIVE the people that I've invited to see my private RunKeeper profile can watch my run in real time.  That way they know when I start, how far I am and when I finish.  It gives them a little more piece of mind than my texts letting them know I've just finished my workout.

Tip 2: Be prepared! Running accessories can be just as important as the right shoe.  Hats, headbands, gloves, fuel belts, etc. can make a huge difference in the quality of your run.  One accessory that I don't have is a headlamp.  As a result of my mother watching me get a bit off course last night, I'm going to receive an early xmas gift.  The trail markers were harder to make out in the dark without standing exactly in front of it.  At one point, I lost the trail completely and as I pulled out my phone to look on the map where exactly I wasn't, it dawned on me that I had a flashlight app.  The app or 'flashlight' really I suppose, was pretty much worthless and every time I saw a headlamp somewhere between the trees I hoped it was heading towards me, but alas none came.  However, the light was just enough for me to watch the immediate terrain that my foot was about to strike.

Tip 3: For night running, stick with what you know! I purposefully started my run yesterday on the portion of the route that I wasn't familiar with.  That way I could easily see the trail and read the markers.  Unfortunately, the sun left me a bit too soon so it was well into darkness before I found the part of the route I knew well.  The only advantage I had last night in the dark was that much of the section I ran in the dark I knew like the back of my hand.  I've run that stretch enough that I knew exactly where I was, how much farther I had to go until I got to my car and exactly how the trail twisted through the woods.  If I hadn't known this, I probably would have had to walk much of the end since I could hardly see. It also gives you piece of mind! You know you've got this when you feel comfortable in your surroundings so when things don't go as planned the mental 'stress' is lessened and you can still enjoy the experience.

Hopefully, many of you are waaaay more prepared than I was last night! That way you won't need my tips. However, if you ever find yourself in my situation you have a few pieces of advice to pull out if you need them.  Happy running!!!

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