Happy Winter Solstice!
The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. I don’t know about you, but the shorter days are hard for me. I really love winter. I was born in the winter. I love the cold crisp air and the stormy weather, but there is something about less daylight that really affects me. Two years ago I committed to running my first 50 kilometer race. I had never even ran a marathon before. I loved racing 5K up to half marathons and I had been nervous to commit to a longer race. But two years ago I decided to train for a 50K.
The 50K I was racing was in April, so I started my training in October to get a good 6 months of training in. I really like to be prepared and feel good when I race. I was nervous about running such a long distance. And I was nervous about getting all my mileage in during my work week throughout winter. I work very long hours for my full time job as a Registered Veterinary Technician. I also really love to run alone. The time I set aside for my runs is sacred to me. It is my Sarah time to listen to my thoughts and my soul. So my training journey began and the days got shorter and shorter as the months went on. I realized I was going to have to run in the dark. And I love running alone. Those are two things people tend to tell you not to do. Don’t run alone in the dark! But I did. And I loved it!
How come it took me so many years to be brave enough to run at night? I had the voice of those that love me saying, “Sarah, it is not safe to run at night! And it is definitely not safe to run at night alone!!” But I do feel very safe when I run at night. I keep my smarts on point when I run at night. I listen to my intuition. I am aware of my surroundings and I keep my eyes and ears open. I do not run with music. I do carry mace and my cell phone. I also wear a headlamp and reflective clothing. I am very cautious around streets because I know the cars will have a hard time seeing me. I know the area very well that I run in and I let others know where I will be. I now have a hard time thinking about not running in the dark through the winter now. There is so much beauty to find out in the darkness.
Running through the dark winter months helped me embrace the shorter days. I found beauty in the trails at night. I’m really lucky to have a river trail right behind my house. My favorite night runs are when there is a full moon! The full moon shines so bright it lights up the trail and reflects onto the river. It really is magical. I also love when the fog hangs low over the river and then the clouds part to show off the beautiful stars above. It makes me feel so connected to this amazing Universe. I realized that running through the darker days has help me with my struggle with less daylight through the winter season. I realized that my soul really just needs to be outside year round. I find my seasonal depression has lessoned when I get outside even if it is outside in the dark. I have grown from the challenge to push myself out of my comfort zone. And through this growth I have completed two 50K races and I found the light that the darker days bring.
You do not have to find this light by yourself. If you like to run with your friends then plan a weekly evening winter run together. Run with friends to help you feel more comfortable in the dark evenings. Find the beauty of the darker nights and keep your running heart happy! I’ll be looking for your headlamps on the dark trails!
I try to run in that Winter sunshine whenever I can!