How does everyone feel about running in the dark? I had looked forward all day to going out for a run this evening but I didn't get in until 8ish now running at 6.30 in the dark I can cope with as there's so much traffic around but I couldn't go out at 8 despite really wanting to.
I have hi-vis stuff so its not cars but more personal safety I'm worried about.
Just wondering how others feel?
I know how you feel. Good question.
This is what I do:
1) stick to well lit roads
2) keep an eye on people I pass/cars that pull in near me
3) pay special attention to any shadowy areas
4) let my husband know roughly where I'm going and how long I'm going to be (if he's in)
5) and, although I'm still listening to Laura and the music, I try to keep my wits about me
If anyone has any other ideas, I would also be happy to hear them.
If my post shows multiple times, I'm not doing it deliberately! Is anyone else having trouble with the site today?
I'd be worried about the risk of tripping over something or falling into something if the route's not well lit.
Saw a guy doing circuits of his local 24h supermarket parking lot recently...
No chance of a "buddy", even a friend on a bike..? Offer to take a neighbours dog for a run?
Yep. Keep getting double-vision, then having to delete the duplicates. Very slow reaction time. Maybe they're doing some site maintenance?
In my whole 2.5 weeks of doing this, I've only ever gone out at around 8.30-9pm. The dark doesn't bother me as I feel less constrained by people watching. I stick to well-lit main or residential streets though and I don't have the podcast on very loud. My area although in a city is pretty safe - I'd feel much more nervous running around a quiet village. I try to be aware of people I see too. Borrowing a dog is a good suggestion (as long as you're not scared of them!).
Is safety a concern in terms of being seen by cars or personal safety from an attacker?
I find running with an Armalite helps me relax quite well in terms of personal safety.
My son runs at 9 or 10pm wearing a head torch and high vis jacket. We live in a large village but he runs both in a well lit area and on dark country lanes. I know his route and roughly how long he takes but I do worry about him and I'd be out looking for him if he was longer than usual.
Most of my runs are after work in the dark at the moment. I agree with all of Pams suggestions though I prefer not to have headphones in but then I am running "free" and dont need to listen to Laura. However, you can buy solo earbuds for sports like OneGood Earphone for about £15 which is a good idea.
I always wear a high-viz jacket, mine has a Ronhill flashing light on the back, and always run facing traffic. My runs are urban rather than country so always traffic around and though I did worry on my first dark run I now have no problems with it at all and feel safer running than walking in the dark. 
Its all a matter of being sensible and being aware of your surroundings.
Sue
I go out at 6am and its still quite dark so I run on the main roads that are well lit, and I only use 1 earphone (so that I can hear noise around me as well as Laura!) and hubby knows to expect me back in 30 mins.
Thanks, I have a dog but worried about killing him off expecting him to run for 25mins without having a sniff or a wee or generally miss behaving! Might trying and work on him over the summer so I don't have this next winter for ow I'm just hoping it gets lighter! Thanks for all of your sujestions
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