All The Better To See You With, My Dear!

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I’ve changed a LOT in the 6 years I’ve been running.  In the beginning, everything had to match.  The shorts, my shirt, my visor….everything.

My goodness how things have changed!

In the beginning, I shied away from bright colors.  I thought they were garish.  I wouldn’t be caught dead in them!!!  Now, they’re a bonus!

Seeing as I almost always run solo, I WANT to be seen.  I NEED for people to notice me.

Don’t get me wrong!  My objective isn’t for people to say, “Awww…look at you out there running. Isn’t that sweet? Good for you!”  Not at all! I want/need to be noticed by the guy driving the logging truck so I don’t get mushed.  I want/need to be noticed by the distracted driver who is messing with their cell phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, driving with their elbow or knee.

Getting hit by a motorist while running isn’t at the tippy top on my list of “things to do.”

I want people to see me so I stay safe and unharmed.  That’s why my clothing selections have changed so much since I started running.

All my long training runs during the summer begin around 1:00am.  This is due to the heat/humidity in Mississippi.  I can get the miles in during the dark o’clock hours…before the sun comes up.  Once that sun is shining, I’m fried.

How to be seen during the night?  Light!  BRIGHT light!

I run with a Petzl NAO+ headlamp.  This thing puts out 750 lumens.  You can see me in China when I’m running with that thing on!  *slight exaggeration* It also has a blinky red light on the back of my head so people can see me from behind, too!  Sweet!

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I almost always carry on my night runs an extra stick LED flashlight.  I pick these up at Lowe’s.  They’re only $8.00 and hold up to sweat!  I’ve never had one short circuit out due to sweat.  I learned a very expensive lesson with one particular flashlight product marketed to runners.  It would not hold up to more than 3 hours of sweaty running during a Mississippi summer before corroding and dying.  At $60.00 a pair, I decided that wasn’t going to work for me.

This LED light is 250 lumens.  It clips onto the straps of my hydration vest so I can pull it off easily when I need to alert a driver during a night run of my presence.  It  work like a charm!

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Here you can see it on my hydration vest:

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When a car is coming towards me OR behind me, I turn in that little LED and wave it around a bit.  It’s terrific for snapping the driver alert!  Between my headlamp and LED, I feel pretty comfortable about my safety in traffic.  Accidents can and do happen but I try to run smart.

The other thing is BRIGHT clothing!!!

I love, love, love Zensah compression gear on my legs for my long runs!  Trial and error brings me back to the super duper bright pink!  There’s two reasons I love the pink.  First reason, pink is a happy color and when I’m struggling on the miles, I catch sight of that pink and it makes things feel easier.  I know it’s just a mind thing I do, but hey, whatever works, right?

The second reason is because it’s almost blindingly pink!!!  MFH told me just the other day that he could see me a long ways off due to my pink leg compression sleeves!  #success  #PrettyInPink

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You are more noticeable in the brighter colors when you’re running close to traffic.  Things I wouldn’t have worn in a zillion years are now the staples of my running wardrobe.

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The last thing I wear every. single. run. is my RoadID. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have some form of ID on you.   I wear the “Stretch” version of the RoadID when running.  I wear it when racing, too!

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My RoadID has MFH’s (My Favorite Husband) cell and my sister’s cell on it.  It also says, #IRun4Aiden.  I don’t ever want to lose sight of the real reason I’m out there.

Every single training run and race is all for my buddy, Aiden!

Aiden, buddy!!!  10 more days until our 100 Mile race!  You all rested up?  We’ve got our biggest race ever ahead of us!   Let’s do this, you and I!!!

#IRun4Aiden

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