I'm not sure about you, but my day begins and ends both in the dark. And being completely honest, I have very little time to get a run in. And lately I've only been able to get a run in once or twice a week. With that being said, during the day we are so busy already, runners often have to resort to getting up extra early to run before the run rises or after a long day when the sun has set.
Just because the sun sets doesn't mean that the world does too. Sadly for us runners, the dark makes everything a bit more dangerous and uncomfortable than we'd like it to be. In fact, 70% of pedestrian deaths occur between six at night and six in the morning. Not a surprise to most of us, right? Yes, runners are not the same as pedestrians that walk along the side of the road (I mean, we're moving twice as fast, right?) but we still can have some of the risks that pedestrians do, too. And sometimes moving twice as fast just makes things even more difficult.
You may think I'm absolutely crazy, but I don't and never have worn reflective gear. What's worse is I run on bike trails in the middle and alongside the highway where notorious attacks have occurred. That's about as bad as I get. I'll admit I'm scared out of my mind running in the dark on those trails. I'm afraid that every time that I go under a bridge where the moonlight no longer is assists my vision that somebody will be there waiting to pounce on me. But I rarely run alone in the dark, and when you can see the stars it's lovely.
Anyways, be smarter than I am and wear reflective gear if you've decided to live on the wild side and run in the dark. I'm sure you've seen a runner at some point in your lifetime running down the sidewalk or the side of the road with what appears to be some sort of an orange or yellow light attached to some part of the body. That's reflective gear. And it's designed to catch driver's attention so that they don't hit you. (374)
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