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After dropping my son off at school one dark-skied day last week, the school custodian asked me if I had been running that morning. “Because if you were, I was the one who almost hit you,” he said. “These crazy runners out in the middle of the road in the pitch dark.” He shook his head.
I rarely run in the dark. But unlike many, I have the luxury of scheduling my workout in the middle of the day, if I like.
In these days of diminishing daylight hours, this is a good opportunity to send out a reminder to take care on the road as you run. There’s an interesting New York Times article about road runner rage which is comical from a front-of-the-screen perspective, but not so funny when it’s just you in your New Balance runners vs. several tons of vehicle under the control of an enraged driver. The jelly doughnut incident makes me chuckle – mostly from the realization that the driver must have been very angry indeed to sacrifice such a precious carbohydrate delight in the name of runner retaliation.
Author Christopher Percy Collier makes a great point: altercations between runners and drivers can and do happen. And when a close call happens, vulnerability can morph into anger. The bottom line: motorists and runners both need to be hyper alert and try to see the road from the other’s perspective. And that means play nice and share.
Still, it’s hard for motorists to remember that they aren’t the only ones on road, especially here in Detroit where car (or intimidating SUV) is king and pedestrians are increasingly an endangered species. Runners also forget to use common courtesy when sharing the road – remember, we don’t have turn signals or mind-broadcasting devices that let drivers know which direction we are headed.
The D.C. Running Examiner offers some great tips on running in the dark, and the one I keep in my own mind while running is “try to make eye contact and acknowledge a driver. The interaction, however brief, could save your life.” Locking eyes for a second translates into “I know you are there; you know I am here.”
Here are some other tips for road running, any time of the day:
- Wear bright clothing. It’s hard to see neutral colors, even black, but not so hard to miss neon yellow.
- Just expect the driver to not see you and act accordingly. This is especially true when you are behind the vehicle, such as crossing a driveway where a car will back up.
- Stick to the sidewalks.
- Stop, or at least slow down, at intersections. Every single time. Look around. Be alert.
- Try to run without headphones. If you are addicted, turn the volume low. You should be able to hear birds twittering and squirrels foraging above your music.
- Be aware that hybrid vehicles are nearly noiseless when in electric mode. Bicyclists are quiet, too.
Have you ever had a run-in with a motorist while out running? Share with us about what happened and what you learned from the experience. We want to know!
For more info:
Read this interesting Cool Running.com banter between runners who hit the roads after dark. Learn from their experiences – then share your own.
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