February 17, 2008 Notice where the sun is when running near high-traffic areas Today the AT&T Austin Marathon is being run; and the news is that the marathon is “sold out.” That means that the run will have as many runners as organizers feel that they can handle on the streets of Austin. Registered runners will number around 35,000 at the starting line this morning. There may be a few that felt that with the weather yesterday, the cold front and rain, it might be better to watch it on TV or with a warm jacket along the sidelines. That should be a very few, as training for a marathon takes several months of some very intense training; and a little chill in the air is not about to make a runner let all of that preparation go to waste. I will report on the local and area runners who braved the distance next week. I was talking with Dawn Robarts at work the other day. Dawn is an avid runner, and we have known each other for many years. Talk is frequently about running when we meet in the halls of Jowers in the Exercise and Sports Science Department. She mentioned something the other day that I was not aware of, and it made me think how many other runners need to know this for running safely. Most runners are taught to run against traffic, so that they can see a car approaching and make adjustments if necessary. About the only time you run on the side of the road with the flow of traffic is around a tight curve, where running against traffic creates a situation of cars being unable to see you because of the bend in the road. Many cars tend to hug the inside lane going around a tight curve to avoid any car coming the other way that might also be moving to the inside lane on their side. There is one other time that running with the flow of traffic might be warranted that I had not thought about. When a runner is on the road in the early morning or early evening as the sun is just coming up or going down over the horizon is another time to think about switching sides. Think how many times you have driven to work and had the sun strike you directly in the eyes. You pull down a visor on the car and put on some sunglasses to cut the glare from the sun. At stoplights you try to peak around the visor or hold your hand in front of your face so you can see when the light changes to green. Think about how good your vision is at this time and what you can see in front of you. Now imagine a runner running against traffic as it is facing a rising or setting sun. Dawn was running in Austin one day, and the cars kept honking their horns and yelling at her. She was not really aware of why there was so much commotion, as there are lots of runners in Austin and cars are used to seeing runners on the roads. One driver made an effort to go out of his way to get close to her and talk to her. He asked her to turn around and see where she was coming from. As she turned around, the sun was directly in her eyes, and she had to turn her head away to get away from the glare. This is what the drivers in the cars coming toward her were seeing; and she was a blind spot in their vision until they were alongside and able to see her when it was almost too late. I had never thought of this as being a hazard when I ran against traffic, but it sure makes sense. From now on, I will do a double check on the position of the sun when I run in a situation where there might be traffic on my route. It is dangerous enough running in the street as it is; but running when a car and driver can’t see you makes it a very scary scene. This is just a mention to other runners who are not aware of this time at sunrise and sunset and the glare of the sun. This is one time when running against traffic might be a wrong choice; instead, move to the other side of the road where a driver can at least see you. One other safe running tip is for those runners who might not make it back before it gets dark. I see more runners with reflective gear on their clothes and shoes these days; but occasionally I still see a few runners wearing dark clothing and on a poorly lit street who are almost invisible until the last minute. Wear that light-colored shirt and get some reflective material on you if you know that you will be running after sunset. This goes for those individuals who ride a bike to school or work and are on the streets after dark. Reflectors and blinking lights really help promote a safe ride at night, and light clothes make you much more visible to a driver. Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. 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