Day 56 - or should I say Night 56

Today was a busy day and I didn't have time to run until after dinner and of course, that meant I was running after dark. How I feel about running after the sun has set really depends on my mood. Nights like tonight where I'm tired and worn down from a long day usually are pretty hard to force myself out the door. Other nights, when I'm feeling great, I can actually really enjoy the solitude.

Some people I know refuse to run after dark, and I understand it just isn't for everyone. Safety is a big concern. Here are some things to consider if you find you need to get a run in and it is already late (of course the same applies if you run really early!)

1. Always take a flashlight. I use a palm size LED flashlight that you can pick up in just about any sports or hunting store. They usually only require a couple AA or AAA batteries, last forever, and are surprisingly bright. Mine even has Red and White LEDs so I can choose either depending on the situation. Typically I only use the light when cars are approaching or if I am really unsure of the footing. I prefer to let my eyes adjust to the darkness for most of the run. It also saves on battery power if you don't run the light the entire time.

2. Wear reflective or bright colored clothing. I have a jacket with reflective tape sown in so that approaching car headlights will see me easier. They also make refective mesh vests that you can wear over your day time running gear.

3. Always let someone know where you are going to run and how long you "should" be gone. I emphasize should, because running after dark is generally slower than running during the day. That way if something happens, like a twisted ankle, you don't have to walk all the way home in the dark if you are late.

4. Run where you know you should have good footing. I typically run routes that I know really well and could almost do with my eyes closed.

Some of the things I like about running at night include:

1. The solitude - when it is dark, the distractions of the surroundings are gone. I find I do some of my best thinking on runs in the dark.

2. I don't notice hills - a weird effect of running without a visual cues is that hills tend to not be as hard. It has to be psychological. Tonight, I was 2/3 of my way back on the run and didn't even realize I had run one of the hills I really don't like.

3. Full-moons - Have you ever noticed how bright the full moon can be? I love moon shadows. I really like the ethereal feel to running under a full moon.

4. Less dogs - I have yet to be chased by a dog after dark. I guess most people have their dogs in or chained after dark.

5. Shooting stars - they are just too cool.

6. It's generally cooler in the summertime.

I guess, once I get out the door, running at night isn't all that bad.

Today's run - 3.8 miles - 30:43
YTD - 211.4 miles - 27:03:40

Geesh - I thought running 1000 days would be tough

Now this is impressive. I was doing a little surfing tonight and I came across JUST YOUR AVERAGE JOGGLER, Perry Romanowski's attempt to joggle at least 1 mile for 1000 straight days.

What is joggling? Well, joggling is what you get when you combine long distance running and juggling - yeah juggling. I have a hard enough time just not getting hit by cars - I can't imagine if I had to focus on three balls flying through the air.

The crazy thing - I was reading some of his recent posts and he actually tracks how many times he drops the ball while running. I guess when you don't drop them very often it isn't that hard, but for me, that would be like trying to remember how many cars passed me during a run.

I have to admit I'm really curious to see how it goes, so I added his blog to my reader feeds. Check out his site and read his story. I think it is pretty cool.

Finally a break from the wind

This afternoon the wind stopped blowing. The last two weeks have been ridiculous for running. But today I took advantage of the nicer weather and went out for a hilly 5.8 miles. On the way out, my legs were pretty dead on the way out so somewhere around halfway I decided to stop and stretch. It was just what I needed.

I spent about 10 minutes stretching out my hamstrings and quads and felt 100% better on the way back in. In fact, I ran almost a minute and a half faster on the way back. But more importantly, I felt like I was running again.

With February coming to a close, I'm excited that I logged as many miles as I have and that warmer weather is on the way.

Link Love - A post about 1000 days of running

My good friend Aaron has joined the blogosphere and he showed me a little love this morning. You see Aaron is also trying to keep a running streak going and has successfully completed 54 straight days. I also learned yesterday that his wife Jen started a streak on Jan 1. Together I hope the three of us can keep it going all year long. If you are in the midst of a streak and want to join the conversation, drop me a comment and I'll be happy to mention you in upcoming posts. If you think we're nuts for trying to run everyday - hey, I'd love to hear that too.

Aaron and Jen, good luck as you continue the streak.

Running update:

• I finally broke the 200 mile mark for the year. As of yesterday's run, I have 202 miles in 53 days. In my first attempt at 1000 days, I broke 200 miles in 51 days.



• I also hit 100 miles for the month in 23 days. In January I only ran 102 miles in 31 days. I'm still not running very fast, but I'm building my base.

The Best Part of Today's Run....

...Was the very end. I was just finishig up a very slow 5.1 mile run. Today was another day where I just didn't want to get out the door. When I finally did, I was running at a pace that barely raised my heart rate. But, it gave me time to clear my head and think about some things I need to start doing.

As I came up the road at the finish, I noticed the neighbor boys hanging out on my front porch. I figured they were waiting on the girls to come out and play, so while they were distracted, I silently ran down the hill toward the house. As Igot about half way down and broke into a sprint and about 10 feet away I screamed like a wild banshee.

Ya know, there is just something priceless about the look on someone's face as they crap their pants.

Running funk

I think I must be getting tired - I have not wanted to run the last two days. Yesterday was too cold and windy. I couldn't even get excited about it being Day 50. Today there was just too much going on. Hopefully we'll get some more warm weather soon and I can get excited again about running.

Still Running

I haven't posted in a few days and I just wanted to let everyone know the streak is still alive. 46 days and counting. The weather was pretty good this last week so the running came pretty easy. My weekly mileage is creeping up toward 30 miles a week. I'd like to get to 35 and maintain for a few weeks, then start working on getting a little faster.

Spring in February

The warm weather of the last few days has made it very pleasant to run. Today I decided to take an easy day and only run 2 miles after three straight days of 5+ mile runs. It was a nice break, but I'm looking forward to getting back out while it is warm.

Even after only getting an hour of sleep

I still managed to put two miles in on the road today, despite only getting 60 minutes of sleep last night. So, the streak continues.
37 days and 125 miles down.