Running /Walking at Night
Your usual routine or your training schedule will invariably involve running or walking at night. Winter has short daylight hours and to get the miles in or keep up your fitness. Pacing along the paths, tracks and pavements can throw up some additional challenges over and above your daylight routines.
But don't let the dark put you off, take sensible precautions and you will soon find the peace and tranquility all consuming and you may even prefer it to daytime!
Safety Tips For Walking at Night
According to an article I have read I have taken some relevant points from the full article by Mark Lindsay from myfitnesspal.
I have added my thoughts to it and to more suit the UK. Thanks for his information and do link on to the above blog for lots more information like it! JANUARY 3, 2019 Running or walking at night has a number of benefits including to your imune system, aiding sleep and reducing stress. But because of limited light especially in our long dark winters, you’ll need to take extra precautions ranging from using and wearing proper gear to having a safety plan. Here are top tips to help you stay safe at night while still enjoying your workout:
INVEST IN DECENT GEAR TO KEEP YOU VISIBLE TO OTHERS, ON ROADS, PAVEMENTS AND TRAILS
When it’s low-light or dark outside you’ll need to take extra precautions to make sure pedestrians and motorists see you. In areas where light is limited, you’ll also need to make sure you can see where you’re going to avoid an unnecessary injury. Uneven pavements, curbs and roots on trails are all out there to catch you out! Remember too it's not just night-time, bright early morning sunshine in Spring or Autumn when the sun is low in the sky it can be very dazzling for motorists making it almost impossible to see someone running or jogging along the side of the road. Best to avoid road-running altogether on these days and stick to another route in a park or on nearby trails. Here are a few items that will help keep you safe and seen: Headlamp: While a bright beamed torch may do, a good headlamp or chest-lamp frees your hands during exercise and provides a steady beam of light in your direction of travel. A high-powered LED light is especially helpful for all areas and especially trails or where there might not be any street lamps. (Lesley is using an excellent chest-lamp purchased recently from Decathlon and says she prefers it to her headlamp!) Reflective clothing: Hi-vis jackets, shorts and shoes are must-haves if you walk or run at at night. Hats and gloves, jackets, shorts, running vests and jogging tights all have options of a luminous stripes or flashes. So for winter especially it pays to choose wisely. It's no good having hi-vis tops if you cover them up with a dark jacket to keep you warm! Simple light-weight high-vis vests will go over any jackets and it's good to keep one or two in the car-pocket, just in case. Arm/ankle/head bands: The more reflective gear you have the better, and these small bands are easy to wear. There are adhesive or velcro strips to attach to a backpack or camel-back type bag if you intend to go on longer treks. Flashing LEDs : The chest-lamps are available with a flashing red LED at the rear and headlamps also have this option. If not, running shops and sports shops will have small and inexpensive clip-on LEDs that are excellent and can be seen from behind for quite long distances. DON'T WEAR ALL BLACK: we have seen walkers and joggers wearing black or dark grey....everything! They carry no torch or headlights and no high-vis. To spot them, when driving, on a dark wet night, facing away from the traffic with dazzling headlights of cars coming the other direction........is a recipe for serious injury or death! Whilst the Darth-Vader look may have perceived street-cred you don't want it to be the last workout you ever do and at least Darth Vader had a bright wand with him! RUN / WALK WITH LOCAL CLUB or at least a like-minded friend: not only will it be more enjoyable, but it’ll also be safer. Workout partners helps make you more visible and provides backup in case of injury or other eventuality. If you don’t live near a club or have anyone willing to go out with you, go with a dog is another good option. If you haven't got one, borrow a friend's or neighbours, they may like the opportunity to skip the nightly dog-walk, every now and again but keep them on a short lead and watch they don't trip you up! Animals are clever and able to sense dangerous situations or other approaching pedestrians before you can and will also help you to be seen by others. Just make sure you keep your pet just as visible, too, by using reflective collars, LED lights and other gear specific for our canine friends.
- ABIDE BY NIGHT TIME SAFETY RULES:
While it’s always important to follow basic traffic laws, at night it’s especially important to stay safe. Here are a some safety rules you should always abide by when it’s dark: Proceed, facing traffic so you can react quickly and take to the verge if necessary. Always try to use pavements and off-road, multi-use paths when possible. Stay off the street and bike lanes to avoid danger. Avoid lonely spots like remote canal and river paths, you know, the ones you wouldn't even use in the daytime! Don’t assume others can see you. Take extra precautions and always be alert when crossing the street or using pedestrian crossings. Its tempting to just push-on but walking or jogging on the spot may loose you a few seconds but may just save your life. Keep your head up, looking ahead for hazards, say, 10-15ft in front of you. Always looking down at the ground may be too late for you to see the lamp-post or overhanging bushes and branches! Avoid distractions that can cause you to lose focus. Looking at your Whatsap on your phone or even listening to music should be avoided at night so you can be more aware of your surroundings and react when needed.
- HAVE A SAFETY PLAN:
If something goes wrong, you’ll need to have a plan. Start by letting a family member or friend know exactly what route you’re taking and what time you plan to return. Have a way for them to contact you (carry your phone) and let this person know what they should do if you don’t arrive at or close to a specified time. You can also download an app like mapmyfitness and use the MVP feature, which offers live tracking. When possible, choose areas that are well-lit and in familiar neighbourhoods or places you’ve been before or perhaps use regularly.
- TAKE EXTRA SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
You should try to prepare for the worst-case scenario. This could be a dead battery on your phone, an unexpected encounter with an animal on a path or trail or even an injury. While you can’t prepare for everything, there are a few things you can bring on your walk that might help out in the event things don’t go as planned. These basics are: Identification: You don’t need to carry your full wallet or purse, but having your ID on you at all times is a must. We have those handy stretchy belts that you can zip your phone into and zip your house/car keys into. This takes a credit card, emergency £10.00 note and ID like a drivers license, parkrun barcode or in our case, a bus-pass! A whistle: This can help scare off attackers and animals or draw attention to yourself. We have one out walking as part of our "survival" kit and also to get ramblers to stop talking and gather round! Personal Alarm:
The link here will take you to a recommendation of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust that also has some excellent advice for UK citizens. Smartphone: This helps you stay in touch with loved ones if you are running late or need to call for help or reassurance. Most modern phones have an ICE facility, quick dial numbers, camera and even a torch. Google has a feature on its Googlemaps app to show where a friend or family runner are in real time. It's an opt in and opt out feature so use it as much and as little as you wish.Apple map and other location apps are now available.
So the above advice is not to put you off but just to prepare you for most eventualities. Despite the occasional headlines, it's generally a safe place out there so get out at night and put in the miles!
