Are you afraid of the dark?

 ..because you shouldn't be. 

Cautious? Sure. Fearful? No.

The days are short right now, and I'm trying to run twice each weekend day to bank some fodder for the 100 runs in 100 days challenge. That usually means my second run of the day is at least partly in the dark, and while that's not ideal for all purposes I firmly believe it's something every runner would do well to experience.

At your own comfort level to start, of course.

Why would I suggest such a thing? Well, there are a couple of reasons, some of which are universally applicable and some that are more specialized. Let's have a look at both, shall we?

Come - follow me down this rabbit hole..

In the context of ultrarunning, anyone thinking of attempting a 24hr/100 miler - or even a 50 miler, depending on the time of year - should be completely comfortable moving efficiently through the dark on similar (or more technical) terrain as that offered in the goal race. The last thing you want is to have your first experience of a dark, root-strewn trail come while you're carrying the fatigue of already having run for hours, especially if that's the same time you discover the headlamp you've brought along fails to illuminate your path well enough to see what you're dealing with.

For some people this is plenty of light - for others it's a broken bone or badly sprained ankle waiting to happen.

If you're planning on a multi-day race (48hr, 72hr, 6-day, 200 miler)...well, you probably don't need to hear this from me, because you're already a badass that knows they need to get their night game dialed. Training in darkness gives you the absolute best chance to minimize the surprises that will come when the sun sets and energy begins to ebb. Sleep deprivation combined with high energy expenditure does not make for good decision making, so eliminating as many opportunities for failure is key to success. Nighttime is always a different game - doubly so if you're out in the woods - so building your familiarity is key to good outcomes.

..as you make your way through the dark tunnel of night, to the coming daylight beyond.

The simple act of running later in the day can be useful, too, for building experience in running while fatigued. If you've already had a full day of shopping and cooking and cleaning and errands, then head out for a trot as the light fades away, you're teaching your body that it can continue to push past diurnal limits. That's great experience to have in your mental and physical toolkit as you push through the final miles of a 100k, desperately trying to outrun the cement filling your legs and fog clouding your mind.

The day isn't over when the sun goes down  - it's over when you're finished with it.

You may find navigation more difficult, too, especially on some of the wilder courses. You can't rely on the position of the sun for direction, and even quite well marked trails can start to pose challenges when the light fades. Knowing how to find your way in the dark is a useful skill for anyone who ventures further than their local suburban park's pathways, and it can take a bit of practice to get comfortable. If you're just dipping a toe into nighttime trail running, do so in a familiar place, or somewhere without any complexities that might get you turned around. Be prepared for it to all look different, though, and stay aware of your surroundings at all times.

See the bridge, with the blazes indicating the right turn to take it across the creek?

Even for runners who never intend to race in the dark, the sheer exhilaration of tackling a trail at night can help you build mental toughness that can be drawn on in any situation in life. I don't suggest you immediately go find the gnarliest section of the Bruce Trail and go for a blithe midnight meander; I don't even necessarily recommend that your first forays into running in the dark be on anything more treacherous than a section of paved multi-use trail or a bit of well-groomed rail trail. 

You can work your way up to something more adventurous as your comfort level grows.

You'll want a good, reliable light - I highly endorse the use of a headlamp to keep your hands free, but also recognize that the position of its light being so close to your eyes' point of view can make seeing contours a challenge due to the angle of the shadows it will cast. For racing purposes I also employ a waist belt light to mitigate this effect, but I don't actually use it in training; when I'm just out bopping around the trails after dark on your average evening, I'll just slow down to accommodate the difficulty of seeing precisely what's going on in front of me. However, more light is always better for races: it not only helps tired eyes see better, it can also trick your mind into increased alertness. Humans are - regardless of my own night owl tendencies - built to thrive and be energetic during daylight hours and restful in darkness. Every additional lumen of brightness in your view as you push through the night is like a tiny sip of coffee in its effect; fooling your brain into thinking it's day, when you should be raring to go.

Not to mention giving you a better chance of staying upright..

You'll need to make sure that light has plenty of battery power, too. If you're not sure when the last time was you put fresh ones in (or charged it), do so before you head out. Taking a spare set of batteries is a great idea - lithium ones are a bit lighter to carry and tend to last longer in cold weather - but you had better make sure you have a secondary light source to illuminate things while you change them out. A chemical glow stick is inexpensive, lasts for years (as long as the internal chamber is intact), stows easily in a pocket, and casts just enough light to let you figure out which is the positive and which is the negative terminal contact. A dark trail is no place to suddenly realize the impossibility of swapping the batteries in your headlamp by the light of your headlamp! In a pinch (if your spare batteries turn out to be dead, too), a glow stick will also give you one last-resort way to navigate your way to safety.

There are some who claim my headlamp isn't much brighter than one of them, anyway.

The other thing you will absolutely need is a willingness to take things slow. Dark trails are no place for intervals, unless you're talking "intervals of cautious running interspersed with plenty of walking over the sketchy bits". Primarily speaking to ultrarunners here, this can be some of your best preparatory training for long races: making the transition from running to walking, then walking to running, over and over again as you push through the dark - this is exactly the experience you need to prepare you for 100 miles and beyond. It's not about speed; it's about efficient movement, staying within yourself, and staying on the correct course. 

Which can - perhaps contrary to expectation - be easier to do in winter.

So dress a little warmer, throw on your brightest headlamp, take a deep breath, and get out there. Maybe you start with just a 15min walk, with no running at all - feel it out, and recognize that it may be an intense experience. Being a little scared is ok; I'm not going to say I'm always 100% confident while meandering around in the dark forest, particularly when the coyotes start howling in the exact direction I'm headed. However, I have been wandering around the trails at night for many years now, and have a 100% survival rate to date! I've also come to take pleasure in the challenges that the woods can pose when shrouded in darkness, and invite you to taste of their unique charms.

At your own pace, and with appropriate caution.

Who knows? You may even find you have a liking for it, and decide to try a night trail race!