Night Running a Success

Last Sunday night I finally got around to trying a substantial night run. I had purchased an inexpensive headband flashlight, which I put on my head over my cap (to keep it slipping due to jarring caused by running). Then I boldly set out into the darkness.

There is a long stretch of asphalt sidewalk near my home, running along NW 53rd Avenue from 34th Street to 43rd Street. And it's nice and hilly. In the day, there's no problem; at night, though, much of it is hidden in complete darkness. I wanted to be able use this path for my night running since I wouldn't then be setting off the loud dog barking in the dead of night, which would happen on my traditional residential neighborhood course.

The experience running down 53rd Avenue was all positive, with my light illuminating any dark patches of pathway ahead of me. That's good, because there were plenty of dark patches. I covered a total of 4.41 miles during the night run.

This course, run at night, will be very helpful for me during the summertime when daytime temperatures peak in the mid to upper nineties. But it already gives me much more flexibility as to what time of the day I can run. Now it's a 24 hour range of possibilities!

I do need to pick up one of those reflective shirts I see sold at running/sports shops. Once I accomplish that, look out world! Marathon training will resume in full force.

Were it not for the fact that concrete sidewalks present a much harsher, harder surface for running, I wouldn't be needing a headlight for my night running. There are many stretches of road in town where sidewalks are under streetlights, adequately lit so that runners could see where they are going. The only problem is that almost all of the sidewalks are made of concrete, not asphalt. And it has been my personal experience that I experience more soreness after running on concrete. If I am planning to cover a lot of miles, concrete simply isn't the way to go.