Wanted: Running at Night Advice

In a lot of rural areas there aren't many cars. You really just have to assume that they can't see you and get out of the way on your own, then you should be fine. If the moon is out it makes for great runs.

You've got to assume the cars you do see are drunks, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. In rural areas, high schoolers have nothing better to do than to go on "tour"-that is, buy a few suitcases of Busch Light, cruise the backroads, and get wasted. Be careful.

be very careful about dogs. if you moved to a legitimately rural area, the kind with dirt roads and woods and such, some of the properties will have dogs who are free to roam about (because their owners do not have to worry about traffic, etc). even when the people are nice, their dogs can be large and vicious. this is my only concern when I run on trails or dirt roads in nh, because crime is not much of a factor, and the kids (at least in my experience) aren't out to cause any serious trouble.

Where in NH do you live?

Get a reflective vest. Run in the AM instead of PM. Still dark, but less likely have drunks on the roads; mostly just people going to work. After a while, those people will know you. But always, always, always, assume they DO NOT see you.

Good advice about dogs. When trying new routes, carry pepper spray as a backup. But not every dog that runs after you going to bite. A lab barking and wagging his tail is not the same as a shepard with his head down and hackles up.

i wonder how heavy this headlamp thing is or if they make a lightweight version... it would kind of be cool to run with.

AM running is working great for me, too. I go out the door at 5:15 every morning. I have a reflective vest, and run out on the country roads, mostly in the middle of the road. On an hour run, I might see 5-6 cars, tops, and it's easy to see them coming and move to the other side of the road to give them lots of room. I don't need a light, the stars and moon are plenty to see by. Best of all, nothing that comes up in my day is going to cause me to miss my run.

I think PM running is a lot more dangerous after dark. Lots more traffic, drunks, etc. The roads I run with no problem in the AM, there's no way I'd run at night. I think if you want to run after dark, it's better to do so within the city limits on lighted streets. Out in the suburbs, there are plenty of streets without much traffic after dark.

1) Wear a reflective vest that is pretty new, because old ones don't reflect much of anything. You won't need a headlamp, your eyes will adjust to the low light.

2) Scout your loops ahead of time in your car so that you know where the sketchy turns are. Don't explore at night. Also, you can usually scout where the dogs might live, but most dogs are inside at night... I've never had a problem with this myself and I have been running at night forever.

3) This is a no-brainer, but don't run with headphones. I wouldn't even wear them on a bikepath after a buddy of mine got slammed by a roller blader- and he wasn't even running with headphones. You don't need the extra handicap.

4) Someone already mentioned this, but cross the road when a car comes. Give them plenty of room. Even if they see you, they won't see you until the last second. Assume that they are drunk, on meth, and they have their eyes closed.

banered