I am breaking my silence to simply complain about daylight savings time
ending. Ever since I can remember, I hated the "fall back" time change.
And it all stems from one thing: running. When I was in high school, I
ran outdoors year round. In cotton clothing no less. I would make it
home in time to run quick before it got dark, and still get to my job
which usually started at 5. There were the days where the weather forced
me to run at the local senior center indoor walking track. It was a
bargain, but I got bored and it smelled funny. I also got sick A LOT
that winter. Just sayin'.
(Insert goofy clip art of clock falling back here.)
In college, I was able to keep my class schedule outdoor running friendly
for the most part. That's right, I planned my schedule around not too
early classes and not too late classes. It worked until the final year
when my thesis was from 1-5pm, 4 days a week. That year was also the year I
did the least amount of running in my life. Not a coincidence.
Which brings me to today. The modern era of the working woman who
doesn't get home before 5pm. Guess when it gets dark here? 5pm. Now that
I have my own treadmill, it makes things easier, but let's be honest.
It's still a treadmill.
I'm sure most people don't see why this is a problem and I agree, I could explore some options.
For
instance, I could find some friends who also like to run. We could run
together in the dark, thereby making it safer. Sort of. Depends on where
we would run. I like running alone and finding a friend who runs at the
same pace and wants to run in the winter is harder than it sounds.
I could join a running group, again with the same goal. I am apprehensive at joining a group because a) I am not that
fast, b) I am not a joiner c) it intimidates me and d) I don't want to
pay for it.
I could find somewhere safe to run. This is doable, but I would have
to drive quite a bit out of my way. Not exactly a time efficient
activity during rush hour. And even then, is anywhere really completely
safe? Is anywhere safe in the day light for that matter? Finding
somewhere safe also involves finding safe surfaces. One the snow and ice
are here, the streets are pretty much the only option. I worry about a
car not seeing me more than stranger danger.
Where/when do you run in the dark, cold days?
I might
venture out in the dark on some higher traffic streets with sidewalks
before the snow is here. Once the snow piles up, you can't guarantee
sidewalks will be kept clear unfortunately, as it's up to the homeowner.
I need to get a sweet reflective vest or maybe a blinky light first!
