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After a busy day at work, night running can help relieve the day's work stress and make you feel more relaxed. At the same time, the oxygen content is higher at night, and the air quality is relatively better, making it more suitable for exercise. Exercising before bed can also help us achieve better sleep quality.

The benefits of night running are indeed many, but there are also quite a few night running accidents every year, constantly ringing alarm bells for us. Although these accidents may seem like isolated cases or a minority, if they happen to us, they are 100% disasters. To run more safely at night, we need to understand the potential dangers of night running and how to prevent them, especially female runners who should pay more attention. Today, Wuyan Zu will share some related issues about night running.

The most important thing about night running is to have a safety awareness. We have always encouraged running with companions because it increases safety. So try to run with friends or join a formal running group. Your presence will be stronger, and you can help each other if something happens. If you have to run alone, make sure there are a certain number of passersby, drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, or other runners around you. This is very important for running at night. Also, it's best to tell someone you trust about your running route and return time, the more the better. Keeping in touch with family and friends is very important, for example, sending a message before running is a good choice.

In addition to choosing popular running locations, runners should also choose well-lit places, such as professional tracks at major sports centers or school playgrounds, which are comfortable and well-lit, always attracting many runners. Choosing places close to the city center and with convenient transportation also makes night running safer. If you want to explore new routes, do it during the day; sticking to your regular route will help you avoid unclear road obstacles. Being familiar with every building and corner on the road will also help you escape flexibly if you are unfortunately followed. Additionally, you can choose several different routes and times to run during the week. Potential attackers often target female runners with regular routes and times.

Is it necessary to look beautiful while night running? Experienced runners would definitely say no. Outfits like short skirts and tight shorts are too conspicuous. For night running, it's best to wear a jacket, hat, and tight long pants. Such neutral outfits are less likely to attract attention. Carry small and handy self-defense tools, such as pepper spray, alarms, or anti-wolf spikes. These small tools can give you peace of mind and provide protection when necessary.

Carry a mobile phone to ensure you can make an emergency call with one click if an accident occurs. Also, you can wear a small running flashlight. The running time should not be too long or too late, preferably ending before 10 PM. It's worth mentioning that many people find running boring and listen to music with headphones while night running. If you are running alone, immersing yourself in music can make you ignore changes in your surroundings and whether there are strangers following you, which is quite dangerous.

Since night running is done at night, the darkness is an unchangeable factor, making night a time when many traffic accidents occur. Even under streetlights, blind spots can be created, making it hard to see if you're not careful. So, doing the following can protect your body, which is more important than anything else.

Reflective vests, reflective bands, reflective wristbands, reflective shoes... Considering the safety of night runners, major sports manufacturers have launched many reflective sports gear to ensure the safety of night runners. These gears are designed to make you noticeable to pedestrians and vehicles while moving at night, avoiding traffic accidents caused by insufficient lighting at night.Below, Wuyan Zu recommends some commonly used night running gear

It's hard to see the road conditions at night, such as route turns or uneven ground, which limits visibility and can easily cause accidents. Even on familiar routes, road repairs or obstacles can lead to safety hazards. To solve the visibility problem at night, you can carry lighting equipment. Trail runners know that headlamps are mandatory gear, and road runners should also consider having a headlamp ready.

In the bustling city streets, cars are not the most terrifying for night runners; the most dangerous are electric bikes and motorcycles. Their speed is astonishing, and they often run red or yellow lights. Pedestrians are the most vulnerable at intersections. To avoid becoming a target for these road killers, first, you must follow traffic rules; second, equip yourself with reflective armbands. Their reflective brightness at night is comparable to car headlights, clearly reminding vehicles at intersections.

When night running, vehicles coming from behind find it hard to see you. Without reflective markers, it's easier to be ignored by vehicles behind. Cyclists often install LED red flashing lights on their bike tails to alert vehicles behind. Now, there are similar LED red flashing lights designed for night runners, which are very durable.

In cold weather, we usually wear gloves to keep warm. For safer night running, you can choose a pair of reflective gloves that keep you warm and enhance your safety. With high reflectivity, they can make you a shining light while running at night, greatly improving your safety.

Night running can be exhilarating, and some people might get so excited that they run red lights or run along with traffic on motorways. Accidents often happen when you're not paying attention. Even on bike lanes, night running can be dangerous if you encounter careless electric bike riders. To avoid 'courting disaster,' be a good citizen who follows traffic rules.

Besides the personal safety hazards mentioned above, wearing headphones while running can also make you miss the sounds of other vehicles' horns. During night running, you should learn to take off your headphones. If you really love music, do it on school tracks, community park paths, or other places where motor vehicles are unlikely to appear and where professional runners gather. On roads or streets with motor vehicles, take off your headphones immediately, pay attention to traffic, and run against the traffic flow so that drivers can easily see you.

Interactive topic

That's all for today's sharing.

Finally, our interactive topic:

What time do you usually run?

You are welcome toparticipate in the interactionin the comment section of the article,

and chat with Wuyan Zu. Looking forward to your comments!

Today's book recommendation

"Skin" is an essay collection with the texture of a novel, and it is a book that 'recognizes the heart and the person.'

The author, Cai Chongda, with emotions towards his hometown and relatives, tells a series of stories engraved in flesh and blood in an objective, detailed, and calm manner. The local customs and changes of the times in a small fishing town in Fujian are reflected in these warm yet cruel stories. Using the title "Skin," which has an essential meaning, the author expresses his nostalgia for his parents and hometown, his concern for his friends' fates, and answers those questions we always need to answer.

The book includes 14 works such as "Skin," "Mother's House," "Disability," "Christmas in the ICU," "My Divine Friend," "Zhang Meili," "A Xiao and A Xiao," "Genius Wen Exhibition," "Magnolia," "The Sea Cannot Be Hidden," "May Every City Not Be Castrated," "Questions We Always Need to Answer," "Going Home," and "The Train Is Leaving."

In the essay "Skin," the character A Tai, a 99-year-old illiterate old lady and a shaman, teaches the author an enlightening attitude towards life: 'The body is for use, not for serving.'

In "Mother's House," the mother wants to build a house, a four-story house, because 'no one around here has built a four-story house. If we build it, we will really stand up.' She does hard labor, picks vegetable leaves, and refuses everyone's sympathy, even knowing that the house will soon be demolished, just to 'have a home to return to for a lifetime.'

In "Disability," the father leaves home, returns, gets sick, struggles, fights for dignity, then fails, regresses to a child, and finally passes away. The father is illuminated. He is illuminated with disdain, love, reluctance, pity, and longing. During this process, the author grows up. Since the 1970s, the image of the father has disappeared in literary writing. In Cai Chongda's book, this image reappears.