Hi all, I’m Stephanie and I’m new to The Run Commuter community, but I’m already hooked! I wanted to share my thoughts about night safety, since nothing has been blogged on the topic yet.
The shorter daylight hours of the winter months forces many runners onto the streets, sidewalks, and maybe even a bit of trails during non-daylight hours. This adds extra elements to runner safety. Vehicles have a harder time seeing you and the runner may have a harder time seeing potential dangers. This blog post is to give everyone a few ideas as to how to mentally and physically gear-up for these extra concerns. My expertise is admittedly limited. I am a scientist by profession, a running hobbyist, and luckily have no real-life experience with “unknown dangers.” However, I am my father’s daughter, so I’m a worry-wart who is constantly thinking of my safety. My love of running outdoors, loathing of treadmills, boredom of lunchtime runs, and horror at losing my running skills over the winter makes me conquer my fears and run in the dark. Sometimes I run both to and from work in the dark or dusk-ish light depending on celestial positioning and my work schedule. Below I describe the gear I carry and the things I do to stay safe out there. Continue reading “Night Safety (that includes dusk and dawn, people)”