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It’s time to look through the gear cupboard and make an honest assessment of your running wardrobe. Do you have the right reflective running gear to see your training safely through the winter months?
It seemed like summer would never end. You found yourself waking up painlessly before your alarm. The sun poked through the curtains, gently beckoning you out onto the asphalt. You’d got into a morning running habit, easy miles before clocking in. You’d relish a few hours cycling around country lanes after work. You didn’t need to bring lights, safe in the long summer evenings…
It’s always difficult to pinpoint the exact change in the season. Suddenly it’s dark before you get to work and it’s dark again before you leave. You can only wake up to the most obnoxious bleats your phone’s alarm can offer, and mainlining coffee needs to be matched by an iron will you don’t remember having if you’re to maintain your summer fitness.
Getting out is hard enough, but now you’ve got to contend with only being able to train in the darkness. To be safe training during the winter months, you need to be making yourself visible to drivers.
Reflective running gear
Making yourself visible means being reflective. Wearing clothing with iridescent panels reflects back the light from cars’ headlights, giving drivers the best chance of seeing you and avoiding potentially hitting you.
In this article I’ll highlight some of the key pieces from our reflective running gear range, designed to help you be seen and to stay safe while training this winter.
Ronhill Afterhours clothing and accessories
The Ronhill Afterhours collection gives runners a comprehensive range of reflective options to keep them safe on night runs. They go from shorts and tees for unseasonably warm dusks, layering right the way up to tights and a wind and water-resistant jacket, with long-sleeve layers to go underneath for insulation for when it’s truly miserable outside.
The standout piece for the 2022 season is the extremely lightweight Tech Afterhours Jacket. Sporting a relaxed fit that will allow for layering, and featuring a secure pocket and a rollaway hood, it has iridescent panels and detailing on the cuffs and forearms, the top of the hood and the small of the back.
The perfect accompaniment to the jacket is the Tech Afterhours Tight. Reflective detailing on the thighs, calves and shins make for excellent visibility, and a brushed inner surface makes this tight ideal for colder days.
The Tech Afterhours ½ Zip is a super soft, highly breathable piece that offers a runner amazing versatility. Ideal to put over the top of a t-shirt for warmth and visibility, boasting reflective detailing on the forearms, sides, and the lower back, this also an ideal mid-layer to pair with the Afterhours Jacket for extra insulation in rainy conditions.
For warmer nights, there are long and short sleeve tees, and gentlemen have the option of the Afterhours Twin Short.
Shop Ronhill - Best for Runs in the Dark
Brooks Run Visible clothing
The Brooks Run Visible clothing range uses high contrast colours and strategic placement of 3M reflective tape to help drivers identify the shape of a runner from up to 600 feet away. This range is giving you the best possible chance of being seen on poorly lit country roads.
Highlights from this season's range have to be the Run Visible Thermal Hoodie and the Run Visible Tight. This outfit will kit runners out perfectly for cold, dark runs in relatively dry conditions.
The hoodie features a specially constructed fabric that will help trap natural body heat without sacrificing on breathability. The tights are very lightweight, and their stretchy but supportive fabric will offer a mild compression effect to help promote blood flow to the legs. The hoodie has a secure zip pocket ideal for keys, while the tights boast multiple pockets for taking a smart phone, a debit card, and sundry.
Nightlife shoes
The Run Visible range can be perfectly complimented by the return of the popular American brand's Nightlife shoe range. The soft Brooks Ghost and softer still Brooks Glycerin both come in the nightlife colourway. These shoes have iridescent features to reflect light and make the runner more visible.
Being safe during winter
The common theme in all of the products above is visibility and reflectivity. Being seen gives you the best chance of being safe while training in the darker months, but in conditions where streetlights are absent or patchy, it's just as important to be able to see yourself.
If there aren't any streetlights, odds are there's no path or potentially a poorly maintained road surface to contend with. A good head torch could be just the thing to stop you from landing awkwardly on a pothole or tripping over a curb. If you're not sure where to begin, check out our guide on how to choose a head torch.
Music is a great motivator for getting out during the less hospitable months, but traditional headphones limit your awareness of hazards and traffic. Consider a pair of bone conduction headphones from Shokz. They allow you to listen to music but leave the ear open, so you can hear what's going on around you.
The most important thing, above all the highly visible kit, more important than having 1,000 lumens beaming out of your forehead to carve a patch of virtual daylight through the gloom, is common sense and awareness. Accidents can happen even in the best conditions, so replicating them with safety kit isn't always enough. The best piece of safety equipment you own is your brain. Pay attention to the road, look out for hazards, and take care of yourself.
For more guidance, read our six safety tips for running at night.
