I want each of you to try something I have enjoyed for quite a while. Drop what you are doing for about 15-30 minutes tonight and wait till the hour strikes 7 or later and then go running or even walking. Yes, I know it will be cold. Yes, I know it will be dark. Yes, I know it will seem eerie. The cold will seem to disappear in a little while. The dark will stay, but it will become easier on your eyes and it will transform your walk or run into something magical. The eeriness will also fade as you become comfortable with the night.
The reason I want all of you to try this is because running at night will transform your experience. You will be almost completely alone and will be able to focus on your run and on your surroundings like you have not been able to do in a very long time. You will have time and the quiet needed to truly digest what you did that day and plan for the next. You will see or notice things in your own neighborhood that you have never seen. You will (if you are lucky) see a tremendous falling star like the ones you see only on t.v. You will burn more calories as you body maintains homeostasis. You will feel as if you are flying through the silent city streets and won't know if you aren't because it will be too dark to look at your watch. You can see the Christmas lights in the dark as opposed to wishing you could turn off your headlights. You will skip getting chased by dogs because they are too interested in sleeping close to something warm. You will have to fight almost 85% less vehicle traffic. And for those who feel a little defeated after a bad day, like mine yesterday, then you will end the day accomplishing something good instead of going to bed feeling as if you have spent the whole day spinning your wheels and then going nowhere.
However, please be smart. It is dark. It is cold. Watch your step. Dress warmly. Wear clothes that can be seen at night. Get a wife like Mel who makes me wear this:
Which makes you look like this:
Except you will hopefully be wearing a shirt and will skip the tiara and the medal. (Sorry, for this pic. I ran a half marathon this summer called, Make It Before Midnight, in which you had to start as close to midnight as possible and try to finish before you turned into a pumpkin. I stayed a princess and got my tiara. It was 100 degrees outside and the humidity was at 99%. I should have brought more than one shirt. Hopefully, you weren't mid-bite as the pic popped up. If so, there will always be other meals. Right?)
Anyway, run smart. Make sure cars, people, etc. can see you. Have a great run or walk tonight. I will because I will be going at night.
David
Too awesome to even say.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
ReplyDeleteFound you at The Lettered Cottage...I too love running (or these days, walking and mild jogging is more like it) at night.
I started doing this back in high school when I ran cross-country. I couldn't bear to run in the intense summer heat in the pre-season, so a night run was much more enjoyable and easier. And you're totally right about not focusing so much on the time or how far into the run you are when it's nighttime. I remembering feeling like I had endless stamina when I ran at night as a teenager (probably because I did at 17!)
I continued to run at night in college since that's usually when I had the time.
And now, though I don't run as much as a I walk and jog, I love being out in the countryside at night when all is quiet (save for the few house lights) and I can enjoy the smells and the sounds of the season as I plod along.
It's a joy too many people forgo and I'm glad you wrote about it!
Erin