It happens to every runner training for a race. Usually towards the end of your training there’s that one long run that falls in the middle of the week. I’ve been planning today for the last 3 weeks. Whether you run in the morning or evening, chances are you’re running in the dark.

For me, 4:30 AM came fast and as luck would have it, there was no moon. For my long runs, I’ve been running a stretch of road that leads out into the Nevada desert. That means I have street lights for the first 1 1/2 miles – after that, it’s pitch black. I don’t have a headlamp and instead use one of my sons small flashlights. It’s lightweight, shines bright and has been very reliable…except for this morning.

I don’t have many reflective surfaces on my running gear (shame on me and we’ll get into this later) and was depending on my trust flashlight to get me to daybreak. I’m running in a bike lane on a paved road so the flashlight isn’t necessarily to ensure sound footing. My biggest concern are motorists speeding into Las Vegas to work the early shift. Most have coffee in one hand and are rubbing their eyes with the other. The flashlight serves as a warning beacon to those oncoming death darts of destruction.

After 2 1/2 miles (1 1/2 of those were lit) my flashlight started to dim. At this point I’m thinking about my son staying up all night playing with a beam of light on the ceiling. A slight panic started to set in. Sunrise wasn’t for another 40 minutes and I was only a quarter of the way thru my run. So I did what seems to be popular these days – I went into conservation mode. My plan was to run without the flashlight until I saw headlights. At that time I turned it on, and because it was dimming, I would half shine it directly at the car to let them know I was there.

The moral of the story is this – as runner’s, we need to advocate and practice runner safety. Over the past couple of weeks, Troy and I have become aware that runner safety is being overlooked – and with grave consequences. We both promise to take up this cause and we ask you to help promote runner safety among your running peers. We will post safety tips/articles and we’ll do our best to try and partner up with companies offering safety products for runners.

It only takes a pebble to start a wave.