Running off into the sunset...

... is not as romantic as it sounds. I was a slacker today - after sitting around watching made for TV movies, eating a balanced diet of top ramen and leftover stocking candy, and attempting to catchup on my research, I looked at the time and realized it was FOUR O'CLOCK! After confirming that I had not inadvertently missed some obscure daylight savings time (wouldn't be the first time) I kicked myself in the butt, double knotted my running shoes, and hit the pavement in time to see the sun well on it's way to setting behind an urban horizon of brick buildings and telephone poles.

Shit. I don't even have glow-in-the-dark shoe laces.

But I was already out there and I was already freezing my butt off, so I figured at the very least a run might help restore the circulation to my extremities. Even better, maybe I could get hit by a car so that I would have something to blog about when I got home. In the end, it wasn't that eventful. By the time I did the 20 minutes of walking/running intervals, the last bit of daylight was all but gone but I had successfully avoided all oncoming traffic. The patches of compacted snow turning to ice under my feet were more treacherous than the darkness itself.

Being the proactive type that I am, I waited until I got home from this adventure (and had time to thoroughly de-thaw my fingers) to Google safety tips for running in the dark, and found a long list of tips for night time running. Among the many precautions that I failed to take were:

• run against traffic (I know this... but I run on a lot of one way streets! I should get points for avoiding the busy roads though).
  
• wear white, yellow, orange and other bright colors (I went for black and grey).
  
• run with a buddy (well... there was that stray cat that followed me for a few yards).
  
• carry a cell phone (I would have, but I couldn't operate the tiny buttons with gloves on!)
• wear a headlamp/reflective vest (ahh.. now THAT would really complete my ensemble).
  
• stick to a familiar route (I had the bright idea of trying something "new" today).
  
• carry identification (I misplace my license enough as it is, do I really need to stick it in my shoe while I'm jaunting around town?)

Now before you start slapping my wrists, I will say that these all sound like reasonable tips, and (hand over heart) I promise to do my best to follow them the next time I find myself trying to sneak in a run late in the day. That said.. I think I'll stick to day-time running for now, especially in this weather, where a couple of hours can mean the difference between cold toes and numb legs. So I guess that means in the future I will either need to procrastinate less and get it done early in the day or resolve myself to spending many more wonderful evenings in front of the TV with the lovely Ms. Ten Minutes.

... Neither option is particularly appealing at this moment.