Tomorrow I will be running early morning. It has been very dark at 5 am. But you know, Running in the dark has a certain magic which makes me feel fast and carefree. Im suddenly aware of everything that is around me and I feel very alive.
I have done some things that make me feel ok with running in the morning. Of course it is freezing cold here because we have snow on the ground and the temps are around 20-30 in the morning.
I have thermals, I have mittens and my hat. I also Just bought some reflective straps for my legs as well as a Head Lamp. They sell them really Cheap at Walmart!! Thanks to my friend Sean who told me this one!!
There are some things I think about before I go out in the morning:
-I try to find a partner, but sometimes I know there are slackers out there not interested in getting up at 5am for a morning run.
- I try to stay alert as much as possible. I DO NOT wear an Ipod for the simple fact I've almost been hit twice by cars already. I need to assume drivers do not see me and be very cautious around cars pulling out of streets, driveways, etc.
- If it is way too snowy and cold, I head to the gym. I'm not going to risk some person sliding off the road into me.
I am also thinking about getting some trail running shoes as a friend of mine pointed out they are better grippers in snow and ice. So this week I am going to search for those pink and Black Saucony Trail shoes that I have been eyeing.
This week has kind of been a BLAH week and Im hoping this next morning run will have me refreshed!!
Next week I have been thinking of doing a GIVEAWAY of some of my favorite things! Stay tuned...
Happy Training!
A Blog about Training for my Third Ironman, dabbling into other sports and eating Paleo. I am a Full Time Nurse Practitioner at a highly Successful Family Practice, Mother of a toddler and tween, a wife and everything in between. Follow my journey to see the craziness and dedication it takes to be an Ironman Triathlete!!!
Enjoy your morning run!! I have one scheduled too! But 5 AM is a little rough for me. Mine starts at 8 :-)
ReplyDeleteI do love running in the dark--there is a certain peace to it and I think your tips for STAYING ALIVE are important when sharing the road with early morning drivers!!
ReplyDeleteI run in the snow in the winter too. Try YakTrax; they'll really help with footing and much cheaper than new shoes.
ReplyDeleteThe pink and black trail shoes sound awesome! If you get them please put up pix!
ReplyDeleteYou have made some great decisions about running in the am. It is always a great idea to be safe. And Kudos for running in the morning! I am one of those slackers and can't get out of bed!
I started running without an iPod for safety reasons, too, but now I really love it. You can hear the birds, the crunch of the leaves and the snow, and you can pay more attention to how you feel. Now, I think it would be weird to run WITH an iPod. As for traction, I've heard some folks have had luck with Yak Trax or by making ones own winter running shoes - although I'm nervous about trying this myself: http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm (and of course you have to have a good packed trail to utilize this!!!
ReplyDeleteBut kudos to you for the 5am runs!!!
Good luck with the early running! There is a sense of peace running the dark.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet there is that constant fear of Zombies... ;)
You are tough. I have been such a wimp about getting outside! What kind of base layer do you run in?
ReplyDeleteI love running in the dark too for the same reasons. Good advice, btw.
ReplyDeleteI like running in the dark because nobody can see me. It feels more "private". But, I swear, once this knee situation is fixed, I will join you on a long Sunday run!
ReplyDeleteYes, something special about running in the dark. I'm donning my headlamp reflective vest as we speak for a run. Glad I found your blog!
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