What is your night running routine now that it gets dark so early?

I stay in my little hood which approximately. 5 mile loop. I do it over and over again. I don't mind the loops. It's the darkness that gets me. The price to pay I guess.

I run in the dark. Is it really a big deal to run in the dark?

physics defiant wrote:

I run in the dark. Is it really a big deal to run in the dark?

If you're trying to do faster speedwork it's not ideal.

I was having this conversation the past weekend about running in the darkness this time of year and the question came up of this...Do you feel you are running faster or slower in the dark? I've always said I feel like I'm running slower, even if I'm not.

Its scary at night. Wild coyotes and rabid deers could get you quick.

physics defiant wrote:

I run in the dark. Is it really a big deal to run in the dark?

Since my daylight run consists of mostly a trail in the woods, it's not really a desirable option at night considering the coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons. So I run in the dark too but not where I usually run when it's not dark.

Unfortunately I'm tied to the sidewalk because where I live right off the bat. It does come in handy though, as the street lights give me all the vision I need.

I like it! When it's pitch black whether early am or evening.... it makes the other senses stand out

Get a headlamp on Amazon or wherever, maybe $25 for all you need.

New AAA batteries every week to ten days, good to go. Just don't look straight at dogwalkers or whatever, they're quite blinding, but are AWESOME for street crossings. Look at the car, and freeze them.

I forgot. There's a park only 2 min run away from my front door. It has 2 baseball diamonds and is about 400-500m loop depending on which loop you take. It's often very lit up with softball leagues going until 9-10pm some nights. Even when it's not that lit, it's light enough to run at night. But it's all sidewalk/concrete. Doable but not ideal for my old ass.

FFF wrote:

Get a headlamp on Amazon or wherever, maybe $25 for all you need.

New AAA batteries every week to ten days, good to go. Just don't look straight at dogwalkers or whatever, they're quite blinding, but are AWESOME for street crossings. Look at the car, and freeze them.

Get a charger and some rechargeable batteries...

FFF wrote:

Get a headlamp on Amazon or wherever, maybe $25 for all you need.

New AAA batteries every week to ten days, good to go. Just don't look straight at dogwalkers or whatever, they're quite blinding, but are AWESOME for street crossings. Look at the car, and freeze them.

Get one with a usb port. No batteries.

I hate it. I run at 6 pm after work and now it feels like running at 10 at night, with headlamp or flashlight. I run on an asphalt bike/commuter path and last week I twisted my ankle on a big rock and bruised my forefoot. Also there is significant safety concern with unlit walkers, dogs, and cyclists. The high school tracks are usually closed for football and soccer practices this time of year so that is not an option.

physics defiant wrote:

I run in the dark. Is it really a big deal to run in the dark?

Back in the day when I was in college doing two-a-days it never bothered me to run in the early morning in the dark. It was just my morning run of 5-6 miles so it was ok. It's nice because there were very few cars out and not many people. Running around 4:30 or 5:00 sucks because it is dark, lots of people around, and too many cars. Running on forested trails at night aren't too good either as they are very dark. Lighted parks are better and can do a few loops there. A HS track that has soccer practices going on is nice. Just gotta watch out for all the balls moving around.

I run endless loops around a couple well lit neighborhood blocks or go to a 2.5 mile lighted path near me. The path gets closed to foot traffic for some holiday lights thing from thanksgiving to early jan and then its boredom city. Sometimes I use a treadmill if I really need to hit a certain pace.

Run outside at lunch when it’s light out. Break from work and few people out.

Run at gym. Podcasts, music, lots of eye candy, nice treadmills.

Run on treadmill at home in AM before work. Podcasts, music, climate controlled, can shed clothing as necessary. Energy levels still high and sun may come up late in run.

Shout out here for permanent DST.

A few weeks back it was dark at 6 a.m. and light at 6:30 p.m. when I ran.

Now it's light at 5 a.m. when I'm asleep, and dark at 5:30 when I'm still driving home.

Thanks idiots who prefer 'standard time.'

I work at night so I’m getting NO daylight at all now. This makes me groggy, I’m blaming the fact that I’m not in sub 5 mile shape right now on the fact my vit D is low...

My running routine is swearing like a sailor when I fall on my a$$ after tripping over a root in the dark.

I see headlamps mentioned and OP, I see you do trails. How’s the headlamp for downhill in the dark? As in, how far out in front of you can you see the trail?

I’ve been doing way too much road and treadmill lately. My 43-year-old bones don’t like the former and my brain finds the latter mind numbing.