Morning Dark vs Night Dark: The Great Debate

I was recently part of a #RunChat conversation on Twitter (Catch us at @RunLeelanau!) During this discussion, I learned that I’m not as odd as I once thought. See, I always thought that running in the ‘morning dark’ was scarier than running in the ‘night dark.’ All this time, I believed I was the only one who had a preference between the two different times of darkness.

(Side note, I’m mildly* afraid of the dark

*severely)

What a pleasant surprise to discover that others have a preference, too! Some people find night darkness more scary than morning darkness. Others are like me and find morning darkness more scary than night darkness.

What is the reason for these preferences? It’s hard to put it into words and I most certainly don’t want to speculate for others. For me, it’s more of a feeling. Sometimes the feeling of being scared while running in the ‘morning dark’ is so overwhelming that it takes some of the enjoyment out of the run.

Perhaps it’s because the ‘morning dark’ for me usually falls around 4-5AM. When I run in the ‘night dark’ it’s around 8PM. In general, there are more people awake and around at 8PM than 4AM. I feel comforted knowing that there are others alert and nearby should I need help for whatever reason.

All in all, I’m just happy to know other people feel that weird vibe while running in the dark as well. Heck, if I can help it, I don’t run in the dark at all. But can that really be avoided when you work full-time and the sun is only up for an hour in the winter? (That is hardly an exaggeration).

So do tell, fellow runners: do you prefer ‘morning dark’ or ‘night dark’ ? Or do you hate running in the dark altogether? Are there any exceptional people out there who prefer running in the dark? How do you feel safe running in the dark? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. Please advise.