Barefoot running in the dark - Great run tonight.

[Barefoot Gentile]

I had an awesome 6 mile barefoot run tonight in the dark, it's been awhile since I ran in the dark. I rarely run in the evenings, but with a newborn in the house I need to get my runs in when I can.

I am normally a early morning runner, so winter time all my runs are in the dark. Summertime is different though, I have light then. Anyways something about running in the dark takes me back when I was a young kid, I always thought I could run faster in the dark.

I did some fartleks tonight from telephone pole to telephone pole. Then I ran the last mile at a 7:00 pace, first time ever I reached a 7:00 pace barefoot, pretty psyched about that.

Funny thing is I have no clue what the road ahead of me looks like, so I am super relaxed. I can be plowing through glass or whatever and have no clue. But when a car comes the headlights show everything. I caught myself tensing up at times. Actually it looks worse than it really is, I learned that last winter.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I've been running a lot at

I've been running a lot at midnight lately. I feel like a criminal getting away with doing something naughty. I, though, am a slowpoke in the dark. My speed goes right out the window, and it has nothing to do with what may be lying on the road ahead, since I am totally relaxed; it has more to do with feeling like I am running through a tunnel. The dark robs me of my perception, and I like it.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

I can totally relate to the

I can totally relate to the criminal part!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Oh no.  That can't be good. 

Oh no. That can't be good. ;-)

 

[capmikee]

I went for a nighttime run a

I went for a nighttime run a couple weeks ago. It felt great and I think I was doing pretty well, but then I had a problem.

Let's just say I have digestive issues, and one thing I do to make things better is that I only eat once a day. My one meal is dinner. I'm used to working out on an empty stomach (and empty small intestine too) and I like it that way. I went for my run about 2 hours after dinner, and on the way back, about a mile from home, I had to stop, just to keep my pants clean.

Never again, I said! If I ever go for a nighttime run again, I'm skipping dinner.

 

[Blind Boy]

capmikee: And then you took a

capmikee: And then you took a picture of yourself in that "state" and decided to use it as your avatar, right?

I love running at night. As you say, my form is never as good as when I can't see where I step so I have to be prepared for anything. Also, I really am an evening person and with two small children it's pretty much the only "guaranteed" time I have for a run, when they're both asleep.

 

[babysteps3446]

  I'm pretty much forced

I'm pretty much forced to run in the dark for two reasons. One, I have to be at work @ 5:45 am. and two, I live in Phoenix. My real early morning runs are routine from May through September. Not only is the sun and heat brutal, the temp. of the asphalt makes it impossible to run barefoot. I have come to love running this time of the day. It is so quiet amd peaceful. I can hear my feet (barely) touch the ground. Hardly any cars stinking up the air. And because of that, if I want to, run right down the middle of the street. I have noticed that the texture on the white painted line is smoother than asphalt, which is nice if the ol' pads are feeling a little hot....

 

[Matt]

I still don't know how or why

I still don't know how or why running in the dark works so well barefoot, but it does. I think it really forces me to run with my best form, given that I don't really know what potential dangers lurk. But my feet always seem to know what to do.

Many times I use a headlamp, which is like cheating, but other times, I just enjoy the darkness for what it is, and let my feet guide me, instead of my eyes.

 

[capmikee]

Blind Boy wrote:capmikee: And

capmikee: And then you took a picture of yourself in that "state" and decided to use it as your avatar, right?

Yech! Now I want to change my avatar...

 

[Blind Boy]

Yeah, sorry about that. My

Yeah, sorry about that. My sub-concious gets little too much power over what I do and say when I'm barely awake...

 

[The Ramzev]

   I got a night time run in

I got a night time run in last night and I think I'm a convert. With kids and work it is hard to find time for anything let alone a run but going out at 9:00 when all are in bed is perfect.

The only problem I had was seeing the speed bumps, almost stubbed a toe a couple times.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

barefoot ramzev wrote:   I

I got a night time run in last night and I think I'm a convert. With kids and work it is hard to find time for anything let alone a run

You're not kidding! I have a newborn, I think you have a very young as well, so I have been running at some strange hours. I actually ran at 4:00am last week after a feeding. I knew if I went back to sleep I would wake up just in time to get ready for work, and not be able to run that day, or have time after work.

Amazing what we do to run.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I love you dads who take part

I love you dads who take part in helping to raise the children, feedings, changings, midnight rockings. My hubby is great too. And what's best is he loves being their daddy.

 

[SillyC]

So, um, I'm not a dad so this

So, um, I'm not a dad so this doesn't count. When my youngest went through a phase when she was UP FOR THE DAY at 4:30 am - around 9 months old - guess when I ran? I popped her in the stroller and out the door we went.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I did that a lot too.  Then I

I did that a lot too. Then I got a double jogger when my second came along. Then my oldest turned six. Then I was like forget it! Then I let my hubby do all the pushing! Ha. Good man, I tell ya.

 

[Blind Boy]

I'm looking at decent jogging

I'm looking at decent jogging strollers right now as I'll be home with our little one until New Year's.

I always find it strange that it's such a big deal when a dad actually does their part in raising a child but then again, over here we've got more than a year's child leave and each parent pretty much has to use at least a couple of months worth so my perspective is a little different from yours. Also, this does not mean that I'm trying to take anything away from you dads who stay at home, I just find it strange that it's not a given to do your part in your children's upbringing.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Are you a stay at home dad,

Are you a stay at home dad, BB? My hubby works 12 hour shifts at Delta and for years was on a rotating shift, sometimes working midnight hours. Understandably, he would be very tired but prefers to help out when he can. To me, it is a big deal when a working man helps with raising the kids during his off time. Most people think it's "women's work," but that shift seems to be changing as well, thank goodness.

 

[Blind Boy]

TJ, at the moment I guess you

TJ, at the moment I guess you could say that I am. I'll be home with our youngest from her first birthday (9/1) until we can get her into daycare, then I'll go back to school most likely.

The thing is, over here in Sweden stay at home moms/dads barely exist, at least not full time. Like I said before, our social security system gives the parents the right to stay at home for, I think, about 480 days from the day the child is born with reduced pay and it's fairly common that those days are shared equally between the parents. Either way, 60 days are reserved for either parent so you pretty much have to do your part for that period of time. We also have a very good pre-school system where every child above one year of age is pretty much guaranteed a spot so there's really no need to stay at home with the kids and the average salaries here reflect that. Most families need to have two working parents to make ends meet.

I might have come off as a little bit more abrasive than I'd liked before, it's times like these that my English fails me. What I really meant to say is that I don't get how it could become the norm that men don't share in the caring of their children, I mean the kids are theirs too. The translation might not work but I usually say something along the lines of "50% of the genes means 50% of the responsibility." It might be a bit crude but I think you get my point here. I'm all for equality and to me there's really no other way to function, both as a person and as a society. Sure, there are individual situations where this does not work, as you say your husband works 12 hour shifts and so on, but that should be the starting point, not that men are great because they pitch in once in a while.

Then again, I live in a country where even the most conservative of the major parties is way more socialist than the democrats will ever be so like I said, my view on this might be a little skewed.