night runs

So I'm really interested in trying a night run. Advice/suggestions?? Do I supply my own lights? Head lamps? Glow sticks?

I generally use a small, lightweight headlamp. If you are running where there is the occasional bear sighting then maybe some bear spray... I have run into bears on more than one occasion while running late in the evening or at night.

Head lamp and reflectors is the best advice. I wouldn't run with head phones on either while running in the dark. I think you would want to be able to hear if there are any big animals walking around you.

An ancient thread, but a goody! At a certain point, night runs become an essential training exercise that allow for the experience and resolution of issues unique to those lonely dark hours (remember how much you learned about hydration, salt, calories, lubricant, pace, and equipment during your early daytime runs? Same principle here!).

First and foremost, LIGHT with multiple back-up sources. I run in a remote area of the SE Appy Mtns and the loss of light - especially on a dark night or an unfamiliar trail - could be catastrophic. I've got my Petzl headlamp and a second backup unit, as well as a multi-setting handheld with fresh batteries.

Additionally, while black bears are commonplace, as are a variety of rattlesnakes and the coyote packs that usually hunt from 10pm - 4am (or a few hours before dawn), the predators that send cold chills down my spine are the mountain lions and a newly photographed black panther in our local national park. The stealth of either, combined with darkness, pretty much stack the odds against you if targeted, which is why I preemptively let off intermittent blasts of a small airhorn, run with bells around my hydration belt or camelback straps, or run with my indefatigable terrier (who'd get mauled, but who's absolute fearlessness might also confuse a big cat sufficiently to abort stalking or an actual attack).

P.S.: Black bears jump to priority status during cub season and they apparently love those nighttime family outings...I've actually turned around and changed routes or even venues entirely after spotting cubs.

Great thread...definitely called for a bump!/Kate

This evening turned into an unintentional night run, which is entirely a result of my substandard observational skills over the last week.

Pup & I hit the trail by 1745EST and though a clear sky, it rapidly began darken in the shadow of the range. Within a half hour night began creeping out from the already darkened shadows across the forest floor...honestly, after 7+ months w/o requiring light before 1930hrs, habit and true surprise at how quickly Mother Nature is now throwing the switch caught me entirely off-guard.

Yet, salvation came in the form of an unimpeded 2/3 silver moon that within minutes cast a pale glow through the largely barren trees rendering artificial light unnecessary! Awesome! We pulled back around to the car about 90 minutes later after 8.5 miles of running up and down the foothills (shut up! I know I'm slow...).

What's odd is that I headed home along a rural route that borders the park in an area sans nearby businesses or residences and the interior looked absolutely foreboding without a hint of light and only the darker mountains rising distinguishable in the pale sky against the otherwise indistinguishably dark shoulders and forest. Yet, I'd just been miles inside that place and it hadn't felt like an intimidating fortress then!

In the past, I've started intentional night runs around 2100 or 2200 and really disliked that feeling of dropping into the dark woods. After this outing, I think I'll use the quick waning light of winter to my advantage and schedule my starting time for night runs around 1700-1800hrs, while easing into the night - it felt so much more comfortable that way this evening. Plus, that way, even long runs of 6-7 hours are done by midnight or shortly thereafter.

The only down side to this method is that I won't be challenging my body's circadian rhythm as dramatically as a late start that runs well past bedtime and, therefore, really exposes me to that "3 a.m. fatigue"...ah well, we'll see!/Kate

Okay, I put my Rx to the test and doggy-do & I hit the same trailhead this evening at 1800hrs EST...HOWEVER, this time, we took a route that drove straight to the park's hear of darkness - that is, directly back toward the mtn. range. Gotta admit, this one phreaked me out! I actually cut the ipod off so that the boogeman wouldn't get the drop. Even so, what was a scheduled 10 miler (5 out-n-back) was reduced to a mere 7 miles when I told puppy, 'screw this' about a mile over halfway to turn-around, and we high-tailed it back to the 4-Runner.

Not only was the trail different, but as that massive front approaches (check out radar - the one stretching from the Great Lakes to Texas), my lovely moon was obscured by increasing cloud cover. Plus, I'm not currently carrying mace, a blade, or an airhorn....and, as it's a nat'l. park, I can't stow the Glock in the camelbak...oh well, life is simply a matter of acclimatization and, with at least 4 months of 'heavy' winter left, I'm sure I'll begin to adapt!/Kate