Night Moves

A few days ago I decided to try a run at night after my wife came home from her evening college class. I was a little hesitant regarding running at night. I want to stay in shape, but I also do not want to accidentally be hit by a car while running. The temperatures are generally warmer at night versus the early morning. I have developed an addiction to running. I don't feel well if I don't go on a run for a couple of days in a row.

The temperature was not very cold on this night, so I did not have to contend with trying to keep warm. At the onset of the run, I had echoes of my father's sentiment "nothing good happens at night" running through my head. Running on the streets in the daylight is not normal in my neighborhood. Running at night is even less normal. I was a little anxious.

After about a half mile, I realized this was an excellent time to run. Since it is dark, cold and the middle of winter, no one is outside. At 8:00 pm everyone is home and has run their errands for the day, such as going for groceries. The neighborhood kids are most likely either surfing on the internet, playing video games or watching television. There is no traffic or outdoor presence of anyone. It is very calm and peaceful.

I was wearing sneakers with a fair degree of reflective material. I also had on a jacket and pants which contained a reflective stripe. After reading a Runner's World article about being seen at night I decided to buy a small hand-held flashlight to carry on my next night run.

Reflective material is only effective when a car's lights are within about a tenth of a mile. If someone is driving very fast, it does not take a car very long to traverse a tenth of a mile. A flashlight bobbing up and down in my hand while running can be seen from a distance of over a half mile. I feel much safer with the flashlight.