Fall is here with its chill of the morning and the changing color of the leaves. For those of us who run outdoors,  the fall brings new challenges; wind, rain perhaps, but the biggest challenge to runners is the shortening of the days.

Early morning runners don’t see the sun rise until they have emerged from the shower, post run.  After work runners are in the dark before their warm up miles are completed.    You could run on a treadmill or incorporate the “lunch hour run” but for many of us, those options aren’t, well, options.

So while you venture out into the darkness before the dawn or waning light of the day I’ve provided a few tips to make your run safer.

Headlamps

REI, Big 5 or even Home Depot sells headlamps that you can easily run with.  These lights throw off a remarkable amount of light and you can also use them while camping or if you bbq in the winter.  Costs range from $20-$60.

Reflective Gear

You can buy vests or straps with reflective strips at any sporting good store.  I also have flashing bicycle lights that I attach to the rear waistband of my shorts.  The key here is to be visible to cars and bicycles in the dark.  You want to be a glowing ball while you are running.

Headphones

Leave them at home.  You need to be uber-aware of your surroundings when you run in the dark.

Buddy Up

This is a good tip for early morning runners, female especially.  Grab a pal with you on your run and vary it up a bit.  I am only a semi-paranoid person but there are bad people in the world and as a runner, alone, in the dark, you are vulnerable.

Step Carefully

Potholes, sidewalk cracks, curbs can all be avoided during the daylight hours.  In the dark you can become disoriented with your surroundings so step carefully.

Now go run!

Keli 🙂