One of the hardest parts of running in the early morning this time of year is finding your way in the darkness. Many runners prefer to run along the edge of the road and sometimes on the sidewalks. And low light is just ahead in the evening too! This Sunday will see darkness by 6 p.m.

Here are some tips to make sure you stay safe as we move toward more darkness in November and December. As I have said before, early morning is my favorite time to run and I’m paying attention to all of these. And as always, if you have the option to run on well-lit streets, take advantage of them.

Make sure you’re seen! Run or walk facing traffic while wearing bright reflective clothing. Plenty of options exist with today’s bright dri-fit colors. I even found a reflective toboggan and a pair of gloves with reflective fingers. Countless times, motorists have stopped me on the road when I couldn’t be seen, and I am glad they did.

If you like them, wearable lights are available for the head, chest or waist area, both to illuminate the road ahead and so you can be seen. Also, don’t forget about vehicles coming from behind. Leave the music at home so you can hear approaching cars from behind because you will likely be focused on the vehicles ahead.

Slow down if you are unsure of the terrain and the edge of the road. Country roads often haven’t had the white edge lines repainted in years. Not only for runners, but for vehicles too, I would love to see these lines repainted regularly. Be ready to shade your eyes should the approaching vehicle be unwilling to dim their bright lights, something that seems more frequent as the years go by. Many of the oversize pickups have extra light bars which can blind runners or walkers in the dark.

Beware of sidewalks, especially in dark areas. Any long-time runner will share their stories of sidewalk crashes due to uneven concrete. The cool refreshing weather and stillness of the morning make for great runs! An evening run makes for a perfect time to reflect on the day. Make them both fun and safe too!

Last week, in the printed edition, I listed the wrong date for the year I began running. I wrote 1999, and never caught it as I edited the column several times. The actual year was 1979, when I began running while training for my first New York City Marathon in 1980. Look for the 2024 New York City Marathon on Sunday at 8 a.m. on ESPN2.

This past Tuesday was a special day in my life. Many of you have followed my journey since the back injury from a farm accident on May 15. I wrote last weekend about the reasons I have for running and the blessings it brings to my life overall. An extension of that is the great fun that I have had exploring America by bicycle since 2011.

Both running and cycling got a big boost on Tuesday when I met with Novant’s Sports Medicine Orthopedic Back Specialist Dr. Eugene Eline for the follow-up appointment after his work on my most damaged vertebrae. I had been anticipating this appointment since Dr. Eline completed the kyphoplasty process. He used glue and cement to stabilize the vertebrae, a minimally invasive process that I had hoped for since the accident happened.

Dr. Eline showed me the new X-rays of my back and the work he had done. We were both ecstatic with the results and I admitted that I had been running since last Saturday morning with no discomfort, 12 of the best miles that I’ve ever completed. We both had huge smiles throughout the meeting. Mine might have been bigger but not by much! What a wonderful day and I’m still on cloud nine 12 hours later! Thank you to all of those who sent prayers and other support since the accident! Praise to God for showing us the way on the journey!

Look for the Clean Water 5K and other events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.