Let There Be Light

Ok, this blog will sound like I'm preaching, but hey I'm a pretty religious guy! Last night while running through the frozen tundra of Cherokee Park, I repeatedly saw runners who had no reflective clothing nor lights on. In fact, our group almost bumped into a couple of runners because we could not see them until they were about three feet away. I know a lot of people who run at night, but I would venture to say that only half of them wear any type of reflective clothing. I'm being somewhat hypocritical here because only recently did I purchase a blinking light and I still don't have a reflective vest, though I still feel more secure with the light.

To make matters worse, many drivers treat Cherokee and Seneca Park like the Indy Speedway South (note to any police officers reading this!) Last night, several cars sped past us and got dangerously close to us, even as we were in the pedestrian lanes in Cherokee Park. Veteran runners know that these parks get very dark at night.

Bottom line to any runner reading this, paying $8 for a blinking light or $25 for a reflective vest is a worthwhile investment. Unfortunately, we have had some real tragedies in the biking community over the past couple of years with bikers being hit by automobiles. We need to take every precaution we can when running in the evening (and daytime for that matter) and that starts with what we wear and how we make ourselves known to drivers and other runners. Happy Running.