Saturday at 7 a.m., when I headed out for my weekend long run, it was still shockingly dark–and it stayed that way for almost the first five miles. Sure, it was partly due to fog and clouds, but it also was a sad reminder at how much shorter the days are getting. Yes, us morning runners will get a brief reprieve after this weekend when daylight savings time ends, but soon after, all my weekdays runs will be completed before the sun makes its daily appearance. Sigh. And for all you late-day runners, you’re going to be plunged back into darkness soon if you aren’t already. More sighs.
So Dim and I figured it’s time for a refresher course on how to make yourself as visible as possible to drivers–who we runners should always assume are paying more attention to their cell phone, XM radio dial, coffee, and mascara wand than on the road ahead of them–as well as lighting up our paths so we don’t trip. (I prefer a smoothie to a a sidewalk-sandwich for breakfast…) Yes, a lot of these pointers are Running 101, but as I’ve found with my daughter Daphne and reminders to not draw on the walls or furniture: It never hurts to be repeat the obvious.
Run facing traffic, sticking close to the curb. (I don’t know about you, but I’m always horrified to see runners going down the middle of a street.) I’m not a fan of running on the sidewalk–too many roots jutting up the surface and concrete is tougher on joints than asphalt–so I stick to the road. But most mornings, when I see the #9 bus barreling toward me, I hop onto the sidewalk for a bit to give it wide berth.
Wear plenty of reflective hits. Aim to have reflective trim on your shoes, tights or skirt, jacket, vest, or shirt, and even your hat. Reflectors grab a driver’s attention better if it’s on a part of your body that’s moving, so consider wearing a reflective wrist- or ankle-band (I sport this one from Amphipod), in addition to a reflective vest or hat. (I’m a big fan of this topper from Headsweats.)
Light your way. According to a recent article in Runner’s World, drivers can see a headlamp from a quarter-mile away (whereas they can only see a white shirt from 50 feet out). I get tunnel visions when I wear a headlamp, though, so lately I’ve been running with some nifty new lights called Knuckle Lights. They are comfortable and unobtrusive, and I like that I can direct the beam of light, like when I hit a rough patch of pavement. And, I’ll admit it: They make me feel badass because they are like a runner’s version of brass knuckles or gangsta bling.
Wear light colors. Yes, as I reported above, wearing a white (or yellow, bright pink, or orange) shirt or jacket doesn’t work all that well by itself, but it’s an additional tool in your high-visibility arsenal. There are several apparel lines, namely by Saucony and Brooks, designed especially for grabbing drivers’ attention. Sure, in broad daylight, they make you look like a crossing-guard, but in low light, they do the job.
Stay inside. Of course, one sure way to steer clear of cars: Run on a treadmill.
How ’bout you: How do you play it safe when you run in the early morning/night?
I just bought a zinglet from Amphipod. The reflective vest doesn’t interfere with my movements and is highly visible. I am not a big fan of the head lamp because I don’t think it lights up the pavement as much as I’d like and can wobble on my head (maybe because I share it with my husband and don’t always have time to readjust it). I am super excited to see those Knuckle Lights; too bad they are on back order. Hopefully, they are restocked by before Christmas. I also wear reflective ankle bands. My husband thought that purchase a bit wasteful as he thinks I should wear the kids’ reflective Halloween bands that we get free each year…finding them is the trick!
I carry my headlamp in my hand so I can turn it off when I get to the safety of the foot path or when it finally is sunrise. I am intrigued by the aboveentioned Zinglet and Knuckle Lights. Gotta check out that new gear.
Did you see the Knuckle Lights are having a $5 off promotion that also includes two free gifties with purchase? They should have stock in again in two weeks. Promo good until Nov. 18. Promo code KL050
I’ve never seen those knuckle lights before! I usually wear bright colors, run with a buddy, and try to stay on well lit streets.
I’m still new-ish to running in the dark, but i’ve found that a headlamp worn around my waist does a pretty good job of lighting the path in front of me. I tried to find the knuckle lights at a local sports store, but couldn’t find any! They look handy. (ha, pun not intended!)
Think of yourself as invisible! because to many drivers and cyclists no matter how lit up you are, you’re still just a blur. When I run in the dark I assume no one can see me. There have been too many times when I’ve stepped out into a crosswalk in my reflective vest and watched as a car half a block away kept barreling towards me.
And as a driver I know that coming up on an early AM runner where I least expect one can be a bit heart-stopping. Like Sarah, I detest running on the sidewalks (thanks to some spectacular falls!) but will give way to anything bigger than a possum. Yes, we often see those on the early morning streets of Portland.
Love my reflective vest because it comes with a zip pocket for keys and my Starbucks card. Stay safe, everyone!
The only time I have to run is in the morning, but I hate running in the dark! I have knuckle lights, and they are great, but I still feel nervous by myself in the dark. I live in a safe neighborhood, but very few street lights. Not sure what I’m afraid of, but I just don’t feel comfortable out there by myself! I find myself on the basement dreadmill a lot lately!
If it’s light, I wear a Road ID Firefly (I’d like another so ppl can see me coming & going). If it’s dark, I head inside. I don’t like not being able to see where I’m going & I feel blinded by the headlights.
I run most runs in the dark so visibility is key — from them to me and me to the road. I wear a reflective belt, a head lamp (my son’s cubscout campout headlamp!), and when I can find it, a flashing ring attached to my shoulder or arm. I love dark running, it makes the hills not seem so bad when you cannot fully see them!
Since joining a racing team, I now have a group of people who also run year ’round, so I won’t be confined to the indoor track and post-dawn weekends alone. I plan to run with a group on the weeknights so I can avoid being stuck indoors. My girlfriend just showed me her knuckle lights this past weekend and I’m sold, so I’ll invest in those for sure. Aside from that, reflective gear to the max, but, I’ll have to review my stuff to see what I have, and what I’ll need.
I wear a reflective hat, headlamp, reflective arm sleeves (now that it’s gettin colder I wear 2 t-shirts to keep me warm so I can still wear the arm sleeves), and bright shirts. My mom was visiting last week when I mentioed I wanted a reflective vest with a pocket. They are hard to find, but I found the Amphipod Xinglet Pocket and she ordered it for me for X-mas – now I just have to wait, but I’ll have something I can wear over my winter running clothes (that are not as reflective).
I also look behind me twice before I cross any intersection to make sure if cars are coming up behind me they can see me – the headlamp (and I can be prepared to stop). I also assume no car is going to stop. I mainly run on sidewalks because my roads are heavily traveled and all but my street has lights to sort of light up the area.
I just got Saucony’s Sonic Lite Jacket…bright orange with reflective tape and a flashing light on the arm. So far so good :)
Xinglet w/pocket…..white sleeves and a white hat….occasionally a headlamp…but those knuckle lights look sweet!!
I like running in the dark. I feel like I can focus on my movements so much more….when there are no vehicles around to swerve at me!
I love the Knuckle Lights!! I just got mine last week, and I’ve used them for 2 runs, a walk to dinner, and trick or treating! I’ve found that I only need the light of 1, and since the come in pairs I gave the other to my running partner. :)
I also only run with one (I hold it in my right hand, since it’s closer to traffic).
I have some reflective ankle bands, a Nathan LED vest (love it’s flashing lights and how lightweight it is!) and a headlamp. I have been wanting the knuckle lights — hoping they’ll light the way better than the headlamp — but they are still on backorder, darn. Guess I should just get an order in and wait!
I just placed an order for the knuckle lights. Right now they are $5 off with coupon code and 2 free items since they are on backorder and there is free shipping. I could not resist. My headlamp has been feeling awfully heavy lately. :(
You had me at gangsta LOL. I wear a head lamp and it’s just OH SO DARK! I too am an early runner girl… we gotta do what we gotta do :). Happy trails.
Even after all is said and done, sometimes accidents happen. So I always run with my road ID. That way if I were to get hit by a car or hurt in another way (God forbid), police have a way of contacting family members right away.
I do all the above but I do at times run in the middle of the road. But I live in the very rural country so it’s not for every one. I also wear my military belt or vest for added visibility. And of course, in the evening I always check the headlamp before starting out. So I know it will work after the light fades.
Lights, lights and more lights. I have white blinkers (Filzer UFO) for both of my shoes and then a red one on the back of my hat. If I’m running with the stroller it has front/back lights as well. I’m also a huge fan of reflective – more so for my husband than me since he runs outside late more often. He got a North Face jacket that has reflective tape over all the seams front and back so when he came home with it I was ecstatic!
I also assume that drivers just aren’t looking for me and am very cautious at intersections. I don’t really have the option of running on the road living in an urban area so it’s sidewalks for me…
I just got a GoMotion 1-Watt Sport Runner LiteBelt Waist Pack that I love. It doesn’t bob the way a headlamp does. It lights my way in front and has a flashing tail light. I also use the Runners World Led Armband (can you tell I am paranoid about being seen?). Those knuckle lights look awfully tempting too…
Honestly, I don’t run in the early morning or night at all–at least not in my neighborhood. I would consider it if I could run in a group, and of course I would be lit up like a Christmas tree too. The handful of times I have run at dusk, I have taken my greyhound along. She looks fierce, even though she is just a big teddy bear!
Yeah, no, I don’t run in the early morning. I don’t live in a “runner friendly” area unless I’m willing to wake up at 5am, and I am just not that amazing, yet, and during NEPA winters, you can totally forget about it. If I make it to the gym by 7am I think I’m doing pretty good …
I’ve got a bunch of gear I use, reflective vests, (even a lighted one I use when I walk the dog in the dark), tail lights, headlamps, flashlights and other colored lights I can clip on … And I still had 3 close calls this past year, the worst being a truck driving down the shoulder of the road! I had to jump into the ditch to avoid getting hit-and that time I was wearing the lighted reflective vest! When I run in the dark I always assume the car coming at me is going to hit me, so I’m prepared to jump in the ditch if necessary. It really paid off! But for the most part, especially during the winter, I take to my treadmill. =) On the other hand, when I did the Ragnar, I had all the gear for my team, and I was used to running in the dark.
Head lamp sometimes….staying on well lit sidewalks most other. Regardless…it’s CREEPY in Missouri!
I switch over to the treadmill during these months, except for my weekend runs which I’m able to do in the morning, once the sun is up.
Getting the knuckle lights. Also loving my new long sleeve Athleta shirt in bright green that coordinates with my skirt sports splash print. Also, when it comes to running WHITE is not just summer. I love my sport skirts capri/skirt in white. Why is so much athletic wear only in black?
BTW LOVE the two new winners of the RNR Vegas entry giveaways, run, rest, party!! Wait, run and party!!
I have a small flashlight I carry. I pretty much stick with the close neighborhoods when it is dark. I don’t worry so much about cars BUT it’s the people out walking their dogs I have a problem with. They don’t seem to think they need people to see them. Is it the dog that gives them false confidence? They are never lit up and today it wasn’t until a dog tried to run for me that I saw his person. Scary! Thanks for the good ideas because I want people to see ME.
I have a reflective vest, butt light (LED flashing), and a LED light that clips on the brim of my hat. During our last Ragnar relay, we wore some finger lights that I found on Amazon. They came in red blue green and yellow/clear. Way cheap. I think they are really for raves but work great for night running and for picking out your teammates in a sea of similarly lit up runners. We also tied them on our shoelaces.
In the winter I prefer to bring a headlamp and a friend.
I get really nervous running in the dark by myself, so I play it safe by running with a friend. We both deck out in reflective clothing, flashing lights, and headlamps. And cell phones. I always feel safer if we’re running in the dark together. We also try to stay on bikepaths as much as possible.
I just attended the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon expo this weekend and stumbled across a great company that had their products on display, it was called RUseen.com and they had a ton of awesome reflective apparel, you really could glow in the dark! I already ordered a long sleeve tee and a vest for the upcoming super dark months ahead!! LOVED their stuff!
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