Night Running: running with the Boruit head lamp in the woods

I went for my first night run and it was an awesome experience! In part inspired by the blog Run With No Regrets , and partly inspired by a work colleague who is training for the London Marathon...I bought a powerful "Boruit"  head lamp borrowed a Karrimor belt with water bottles from my sister (who is one of those long distance walkers, does Nijmegen 100 miles and all that malarkey), and, took for the first time in my life my mobile phone, and gave detailed instructions to my wife just exactly where I was going (in case i did not return) and disappeared into the night with my high-vis running jacket, a spare head lamp, and my old Helly Hanson cap...

I did my usual 7.3 miles run through the woods, there was not a soul about and I saw a decent display of fauna. I stuck to my usual forest run and was reasonably secure in the fact that no other person would be in the woods at that hour, I switched on my head lamp and disappeared into a familiar if disorienting world, for although I knew the route well at times my imagination got the better of me.

What did I make of night running?

First of all it is a myopic adventure a little like scuba diving. where your attention is focused just in front of you. Second it seems a very long run as you cannot gauge your speed; third, you find your olfactory sense compensating for the poverty of vision, I could smell the forest and the trees: Earthiness, pine leaves, conifers which I noticed smelt like myrrh; resinous, leafy smells all about. And then the feeling of isolation and feeling of being all alone.

It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, in a way it was exciting and relaxing, knowing I was alone in a wood in the dark with nothing but trees and animals...OK I did feel a slight twinge of fear too. In any case my animal instinct was so increased I think I could have smelt if anyone else was about! But no human scent was present. A field mouse ran past, a couple of squirrels, a millipede! I started to contemplate wild boar when....

Two eyes shone out of the darkness, penetrating pin points of light...I slowed down to a trot, transfixed by the eyes staring at me...suddenly two large deer appeared from the darkness, apparently captivated by the head lamp.

I realized that this wood must be a vestige of that ancient woodland once part of Sherwood Forest and contiguous from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire through to Nottingham - of course there would be deer, they have been here since the times of Robin Hood! I got quite close to  them before they ambled off.

Having a drink of water from the Karrimor belt really helped me as I ran through the blackness but I must have been slower as it seemed to go on forever...until finally I was back in town and feeling elated. It was like a mini adventure and very satisfying...a bit scary too!

The head lamp worked better than expected and I realised I was now hooked on running in the dark!