November 6, 2022, is the End of Daylight Savings Time. If you’re like me who likes running after or even before work for an hour or two, but the end of daylight savings time hinders you, this article is for you!
Should I Run Outside When It’s Dark?
You should not run in the dark unless you’re training for a particular race that may have some parts during the night. The risk of injury is significantly increased, especially if you’re a trail runner. As a trail runner, I constantly trip over roots, rocks, and other debris scattered on the trail, and that’s during the day, in the dark, these hazards increase tenfold.
Where Should I Go Running Now?
The good news is that we still have weekends when we can run outside. On our days off, we can utilize them for long runs outside. On the other hand, the week is an excellent time to work on speedwork, hill repeats, and weaknesses uncovered during the season. All this can be accomplished at the local gym; hopefully, most of us have access to some gym nearby.
All the running can be accomplished on the treadmill. We can set a treadmill to whatever settings we want. If we’re going to work on speed, we can set the treadmill to the interval setting. If we’re going to improve at running hills, we can use a Stairmaster or set the treadmill to a higher grade. Being at the gym allows us to work on weight training. One of my most significant weaknesses is having weak legs, so I plan to work out my quadriceps.
We can also cross-train. We can do low-impact exercises such as a stationary bike or a rowing machine. Cross-training will ensure that our cardio does not suffer during this time; it may even improve.
What Do I Do If I Have To Run In The Dark?
If, for some reason, you may not have access to a gym and must run in the dark, then here are some safety tips:
- Make sure you’re wearing Bright Reflective Clothing. This tip is most important for all those road runners. Wearing reflective clothing will prevent you from getting hit by a car.
- Bring a Headlamp or a Flashlight. Even if you’re not a trail runner, some areas of the road are not well-lit, and depth perception is difficult in the dark; something that seems easy during the day is a different story at night.
- Make sure you don’t wear Headphones. At night our eyesight is out of commission, so we have to use our hearing to hear footsteps, car traffic, and other things that lurk in the dark.
- If you can, try to run with Someone. Unfortunately and rarely, predators use the dark to their advantage to attack runners, mostly in cities. I usually run with Mace attached to my waist—better safe than sorry.
- Lastly, and most importantly, make sure you Let Someone Know Where You’re Going. This is an excellent rule to follow even during daylight because you never know what can happen. You may get injured, and there’s no reception, and if no one knows where you are, no one will be coming. So, let someone know where you’re going.
Summary
The End of Daylight Savings Time doesn’t mean we should stop running. We can use this time to target our weaknesses. We can utilize treadmills for speedwork and hill training. We can cross-train with weights, stationary bikes, rowing machines, and even go skiing. If we must run at night because we don’t have any other option, then we need to be as safe as possible, wear reflective gear, headlamps or flashlights, avoid wearing headphones, try running with a partner, and always let someone know where you’re going.
Conclusion
It’s that dreaded time again for some, the end of daylight savings time. Don’t stop training just because it’s dark and gloomy, change up the routine a bit, and maybe you’ll even improve. Stay strong during the Off Season.
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