Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Morning Dark vs. Nighttime Dark

When I had originally planned this weeks runs, I did not take into account that the kids had a day off due to Veteran's Day.  I didn't worry too much about it because Mr. RWM is home and I would still be able to run. Or so I thought.

I totally forgot that George marches in the parade with the Cub Scouts.  We were supposed to have him at the meeting spot at 9:15 for a 10am parade.  The weather was iffy. I may have prayed that it would all be canceled.  I prayed so much that I didn't really sleep.  Finally, at 7:45 am I got the message that the parade was canceled. I finally fell asleep.

I knew my running group was planning to meet at noon for a run so I thought I would just make that.  Then, we got the call that all the kids friends were meeting at Launch and well, I felt bad that my kids would miss out. We hurried and got ready to meet everyone at 11.

BRF#1 texted me that she would be at the track at three. I knew it would be close but thought that maybe I could make it.  That was not to be. We were starving after the kids jumped for two hours and we waited way too long at a restaurant for food.  Mr. RWM and George both had an appointment for a hair cut and then from there, we had to get George to choir practice.

By the time we were home, and I got dressed to run, it was 5:30 and dark.

I put on my headlamp and reflective jacket and hit the road. It didn't take long for me to realize that this was not a good time to run. There were a lot of cars on the road. The lights were bright. I knew they could see me but I was having trouble seeing the road unless I put my head down for the headlamp to hit the road. This was not working or me.

After a mile, I decided to get off the main road and just run in my neighborhood. The workout was 4 x 400.

I live on a hill as most of you know, so of course I worked it out that the 400's were on the downhill and the recovery was back up.

Here is the thing, running at night when it is dark is not the same as running in the morning when it is dark.  It's busier and scary when you are alone.  I couldn't see that well and I may have freaked myself out because of noises they may or may not have been there.  Not to mention, the weird thoughts going through my head about unknown scary things that could have happened but, of course, did not.

I decided to cut my two mile cool down short and just go home.  I don't feel bad about it. I am happy to be home and safe and will think twice before I do that again.

My 400's were good and I can count on one hand how many runs I have between now and my marathon.  Crazy.

When do you prefer to run? Do you get freaked out in the dark? At night? 

Mr. RWM is a veteran and we are very proud of him.  Thank you to all the men and women serving our country. God bless you all.

One last thing, my I Run 4 buddy's grandfather sent me this today.


These little things really mean a lot to me right before I tackle my marathon. I have a big goal in mind and some days, it just seems like an impossible task. The support and love from all of you is overwhelming and much appreciated.  Thank you!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

5 comments:

  1. Freaked out by the dark? You bet. I don't do it.
    These last two training weeks since Daylight Saving Time is over have been stressful. I'm glad I have only one more run after work. And it's a two miler. I may be able to squeeze it in before dusk arrives.

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  2. Oh yeah, there's a huge difference! Night running always freaks me out. I'm afraid of people and animals (bears and moose come out at that time) and always worried I'm going to trip over something and no one will ever find me! I only do it when I can run with other people.

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  3. I love running in the dark. I don't do it much though. My favorite run in the dark was during the Bourbon Chase, and it was me a foggy windy road and cows watching me. I felt like I was being watched, and i was, I looked over and there were all these cows lined up along the fence, looking at this odd human! It was so cool!! Running around town after dark has challenges, you have to be super aware of cars and people without headlamps walking. Cars aren't expecting people to be out, let alone runners. I remember one run where I scared a boiler repair man. I stopped because I knew he didn't see me as he was backing out of a drive way at about 9 p.m.. He stopped his van with a screech when he saw me in my glowing vest and my headlamp and said 'Crap, lady, I nearly shit my pants, don't do that to people." I couldn't help but laugh.

    Partly it's not so scary because I do walk a dog most nights with my headlamp and reflective vest so I'm used to the activity outside and keeping aware for people not lit up or having on reflective gear and especially drivers, it is hard enough to see at night driving, let alone watching out for pedestrians not taking the appropriate safety precautions.

    My goal this year is to get a trail run in the dark! Maybe a night run during a full moon by you would be fun!

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  4. Night time runs freak me out, because we also get skunks in our neighborhood! No, thank you! Mornings are a little better, but not much. I've resigned myself to indoor running during the week for the time-being.

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  5. Night time dark is completely different from early morning dark. Early morning dark has most everyone asleep. The roads are quiet. Maybe the sun comes up at the end. Lovely. Night time dark at 6pm is both full of traffic and creepy. You are going to KILL IT in Philly!

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