Holiday schedules…

I’ve written on making schedule adjustments to handle running and training during the busier holiday season. While we’re not quite back to pre-COVID holiday gatherings and activities, we’re also not as scaled back as we were in December 2020. I’ve included two links (2018 and 2020) to tips from prior posts.

On a somewhat related note, with less sunlight during this part of the year, you may find yourself running in the dark more frequently. This morning, I was out before sunrise picking up a box of donuts. A couple of runners were on a sidewalk along the road I was driving on and had headlamps, making them very easy to see. This is good for them, and for drivers around them.

There are plenty of ways to make yourself visible. Running headlamps are available and tend to be lightweight. Also, you can get inexpensive headlamps at places like Home Depot. While they can be bulkier than running-specific ones, for shorter runs they’re fine. I also carry a second light, normally a small flashlight, in case the batteries run out on the headlamp. The other benefit with a second light is that if you’re on a particularly busy street, you can have both of them on to make yourself extra visible.

There are plenty of reflective clothes and light-up vests to choose from on the market. These are an easy and built-in way to improve the chances of being seen. I also have a small blinking light that I can clip on the back of any shirt or jacket. The brand I have is Nathan and it’s $10. The one thing to watch out for is to make sure it’s secured and that if you go to adjust your collar or a hat, that it doesn’t fall off. I lost one in a pretty good snowstorm last year and as the white stuff was piling up, running back along my route to try and find it would have been futile.

Making yourself visible isn’t too hard and not only is it appreciated by everyone else on the road or trail, it’s safer for you, too.

Enjoy the countdown to 2022.