Running on quiet country roads at night with a head torch

Peckham

Just discovered the joys of this last week, and went out for my second night-time run on quiet country roads tonight. Love it!

I have a 3 mile route from home that's lit. As all my training is now in the dark, for safety purposes I try to use this loop, but anything more than 6 miles I head off onto the country roads. May use country roads more after that 3 mile loop becomes too repetitive.

henryporter

You're lucky - our 'quiet' country roads are nothing but rat runs for people more interested in getting home at high speed to sit in front of the tv, than the safety of others on the road - means that me and the mrs. have to drive to town to run loops there both summer and winter!

hot to trot

Know what you mean Peckham. I did a 10 mile run under the stars last night. Out with the headtorch running down the white line. HOnestly it is so much safer at night cos you can see the cars coming. IN the daytime you have to practically run in the ditch in case something comes along. Scarey though when the cows start mooing from thte other side of the hedgerows and you cant see them.

TFBubendorfer

Having run uncounted miles with a headlamp on country roads I'd say it is at least as safe as running on a lit road. Drivers can see you from a mile away, which isn't the case during the day.

You might get a reputation as a complete nutter, but that's a different issue.

misty floyd

Can anyone recommend a decent headlamp? Ebay have ones for £6 and some as expensive as £50! Thanks.

There is a canal near my house that would be great for running at night but I would need some kind of light to see the ground.

thebouldwhacker

I call it 'silver road running' and its so relaxing, no distractions bar the stars on a clear night. My running is definitely much easier and smoother in the dark as your not looking up the road at the next hill or long straight... its all about the running:)

Re: headlamp; what I use is pretty basic, its a three bulb LED, probably about 5 years old so basic basic, so long as I can see obstacles 2/3 strides ahead I'm happy (no point running in the dark country roads if you have a 200 lumen's radiating ahead of you:rolleyes:). I also have two flashing reflector arm bands, one on my left leg, one on my left arm and a non flashing reflector on my right arm so well lit up. Winter is a great season if you play to its good points:D

nerraw1111

Outsider magazine recently did a small review of running head torches

http://outside.away.com/outside/gear/gearguy/200911/20091109.html

donothoponpop

Some points specific to headtorch running quickly become apparent:

*On cold nights you exhale out the side of your mouth, to stop the torch from lighting up your breath.
*Hills can be a killer, since you can't see where they end. This makes for a nice transcendental "running in the moment".
*The retinas of some creatures are red, some green.
*On a clear night you can switch off the torch and run by moonlight, and this is about as good as running gets.

I use the Petzl five bulb: but those cheapo ones in Aldi do the job just as good.

the_syco

donothoponpop wrote: »

*The retinas of some creatures are red, some green.

Rabbit eyes are red. They'll freak you out whe you're deep in thought, and suddenly see one Or the entire family :eek:

hot to trot

Mine is a cheapy lidl one on its second winter with no problems. I just breathe normally but I aim it slightly to the side so I am not illuminating the fog or my breath.
I also wear a vizzyvest . A proper one with lots of big fat grey stripes. Lots of the farmers here walk on the roads with a torch and it is not easy to see them til the last minute where any of the reflective stuff works brilliant.
Gear with little reflective logos or piping are a waste of time and give runners the idea that they can be seen , Get something proper. I have a netting type one for summer in the 2 euro shop and the winter one is a heavier fabric whic also adds a layer of protection against wind or rain.

griffin100

I wear a fairly basic head torch - €12 in the local hardware and really does the job. Its the type with a small bright light at the front and the battery pack at the back of the head band linked to the light by a wire. I have spare batteries taped to the battery pack just in case. I also wear a flashing arm band on each arm and also have two pinned to the back of whatever top I'm wearing. You can see me a mile off. Whenever possible I run in the middle of the road. You can't beat night time running - I have a 5km out and back from my house that after about 8pm rarely has a car on it - I love ir.

Pharma

I have a petzl headlamp. Have to dim it on the roads for cars it is so bright. Its not possible to do speed work with the headlamp but anything above 630/mile pace is ok. After 10miles the eyes can get a bit sore. If the wind is coming from the wrong direction it can be hard to see through your own breath. Lifesaver all the same. Still much prefer daylight.

As for funny looks, at the start when I started running at night had people in cars stopping, winding down the windows and starring at me as I ran past. It also absolutely terrifies walkers when you come up behind them. Great fun.

robinph

I feel like I'm missing out on another gadget by using those big yellow lights on sticks which have conveniently been installed along the side of my routes by the council to light my way.

toomuchdetail

Tried this twice and had some slight problems that may be resolved here .
When you say roads does this include lanes or one car roads as we have here in the west . Found issues here regards spatial awareness in that I can never tell if I am on the ditch/middle the road etc .
Do you light yourself up from behind or is a headlight sufficent ?
Have been clocked twice by low hanging branches - maybe resolved by running in the middle of the road I suppose.
Any particular method in spotting pot holes ?

hot to trot

If you can drive the route during the day to check out any major craters , that will help you stop disappearing intoa big one in the dark. RUn in the middle of the road as much as possible.
Headlight is sufficient as you will be looking about 5 feet in front of you mostly rather than 20 yards down the road.

I run a 5 mile leg and only 1 mile of it has white road markings. The rest is usually covered with slurry run off, cow poo and leaves mostly. I aim my light slightly to the side so I can normaly see the road margin and this makes it easier to see where you are .

Maybe you could do a few dusk runs just to get used to it where the light levels are low but not totally pitch black. Good luck.
Or wait for a moonlit night- they are magic.

ciaran_kdc

Another pleasant option is to seek out your local Coillte wood, and run on the forestry tracks. No cars at all, very quiet and peaceful. But rougher underfoot, so a bigger headtorch can help.

Peckham

Okay, I've fallen out of love with headtorch running.

Was running in to some bends this evening and could see a truck coming towards me. As the road was bendy I wasn't 100% certain the driver could see me, so made a move towards the left hand side of the road, and <splash> up to near my knee in flood ditch water. Then two miles later straight into another puddle.

Hopefully all this was just an unusual occurrence given all the surface water around from last night's heavy rain.

dna_leri

donothoponpop wrote: »

*The retinas of some creatures are red, some green.
*On a clear night you can switch off the torch and run by moonlight, and this is about as good as running gets.

.

Deer are white/yellow and a bit human like as I found out last night.
Are the red one's really rabbits, tell me they are not rats...

I like the moonlight stuff but there was none around last night, cold and wet about as bad as it gets but strangely enjoyable once warmed up.

hot to trot

Oh Peckam:( How miserable. I hate getting soaked in puddles.
Day or night I usually wear one of the yellow vests with the grey reflective stripes and if I am still worried that the traffic , sparse though it is, might not see me. I usually just stop where I am and keep in tight to the side. I rekon that if I try to cross the road I will probably trip and end up roadkill; unless I have lots of advance warning.

If you have no option but to run at night- dont let this put you off. Wont be long now til full mooon. Hang in there.:)

TFBubendorfer

Getting up to your knee in flood ditch water isn't something I'd fancy, but splashing through puddles after the weather we've just had is simply part of running. Get some technical socks. Even better, revert back to childhood when running through puddles was the most fun thing ever.

Slogger Jogger

ciaran_kdc wrote: »

Another pleasant option is to seek out your local Coillte wood, and run on the forestry tracks. No cars at all, very quiet and peaceful. But rougher underfoot, so a bigger headtorch can help.

Coillte forest about 1 minute from the house. Tracks are wet and muddy at the moment but once you're going you get into the flow (or the splash) of it. A great way to unwind.