 Does the prospect of running on the trails at night send chills down your spine? Do you want to know what the best options for head torches and lighting are for your night run? Well, we'll be talking about all that and more in this episode episode number eight of the Lakeland 100 training series But first we need to talk about last week's training And this week is our first week of ramping the miles up So this week we did a hundred and ten kilometers and it's very interesting this week looking at heart rate zone breakdown and Our model of 8020 running and how that works out this week. So up to now I've only run once on a Monday each week. Well this week We upped it to 20k a 10k on the seafront in the morning and then a 10k on Zwift in the evening Tuesday was a hill day So I did my film my run 500 in the morning and then we did a hilly trail run in the evening with my club I'd love a cup of coffee here right now Now although it looks like I did two runs on Wednesday It was in fact just a warm-up and a run on Zwift. We did about 10k on Wednesday Normally on the Thursday, I would do the film my run 500 but I had a break from that this Thursday But I ran to the shops with my son Ellis So that was 5k and then in the evening we did the bag that badge run on Zwift Which is a series I'm doing to help people get their achievement badges on Zwift and that was another 5k Friday We did 13 kilometers on the hills filming the last episode of this Lakeland 100 series And then in the evening we did 10k with Zwift on the treadmill Another cafe is so hot On Saturday we were helping out at the aid station at South Harding as part of the South Downsway 100 Now you can see a video of that up there Which meant that I only had the evening to do a run, but it was a bit of a doozy of a run Let me tell you I took myself to the track and I did my only hard session of the week five by 800 meters max effort my goodness Was iron zone five or was I in zone five that was hard in that heat and then just around off the week to make it a 110 kilometers Victoria and I did 22k on the hills on Sunday Now was disappointing if we look at heart rate zones is how little time I've spent this week in zones four and five Despite the hard effort on Saturday the fact is it was an interval session So some of that time in fact a lot of that time was still spent in zones one and two and a little bit in zone three Unlike a race where the whole race say it's a 5k or 10k the whole of that time You would probably spend in zone four and five whereas intervals It's probably just the last few hundred meters that you will spend in those top zones A much nicer way to break it down and kind of more in keeping with the 80-20 rule is You break down the number of runs you did so if we look at all the runs I did I did 12 runs or 12 sessions This week so one of those sessions was a hard effort Despite the fact that I wasn't in zones four and five for the whole session I still count it as a hard session So that's one out of 12 which works out at around about eight point something percent So we can say arguably that eight point something percent of my runs this week were a hard effort So let's talk about night running and running with a head torch Undoubtedly it is an acquired skill and the only way to get used to it You know what I'm gonna say go out and do it if you're worried about it Go out with a friend or if you've got a running club try and arrange a night run with your club So there's a few of you that all get to go out together and do the night run with each other Before we go any further do consider subscribing if you're enjoying the video and I click that like button down below Really helps out the channel one things for sure You'll definitely run slower at night because you've got to keep your eyes on the floor a lot more So during the day when you're running on trails You're looking at the floor making sure you don't hit obstacles Well at night is doubly important because half the obstacles you can't see As well as running slower and having to watch the floor more Be aware of the halo effect So when you're running with a head torch it will create this kind of circle of light And you feel like you're trapped in that circle of light and that can be quite disconcerting if you're not used to it Everything else is just a blackness around apart from your circle of light as far as safety and security is concerned Well, you know the school guys use a live track from Garmin or the beacon on Strava to let people know where you are Let people know that you're going out running at night if you're running in an urban area Make sure you're wearing high-vis clothing on the trails doesn't matter so much There aren't that many cars on the trails plan the route as well because things often look different in the dark If it's one of the first times you've run outside at night Make sure you run somewhere that you know during the day that you could easily follow Just so that you don't get lost on the trails and look make sure you take your phone with you as well That's a good idea so let's talk about lighting for your night run and I say lighting because Head torches aren't the only option So the main head torch companies are petrol at the top you've got silver Lots of people use LED lens and you've also got Phoenix as well And there are plenty of other companies the cathlon red light loads of people do head torches, but those are the main ones The main thing to look out for when you're buying a head torch is how bright it is and that's measured in lumens Do not get anything less than 200 lumens Most of the decent head torches will do at least 200 lumens then for something like the petzl now Which is one of the top head torches? You're looking at 750 lumens and there are head torches that go way up a thousand lumens 1,300 lumens many races that you enter will have mandatory kit which requires you to have a head torch over 200 lumens Next you need to look at how your head torch is powered and that's only relevant when you start to run long Distances over multiple hours Some head torches come with a non-removable Rechargeable battery and that means if you're running for a long time You may need to carry a battery pack and a cable to recharge your head torch head torches like the petzl now come with a Removable back so you can take the back off and change it for another one Which has a full battery in it other head torches just use triple-a batteries Which you can replace as and when you like but it does mean carrying a ton of Batteries with you in your backpack if you're going on a long run Do bear in mind that some races will specify in their mandatory kit list two head torches and spare batteries So what you will often find is runners will get a main head torch like the petzl now And then they'll supplement it with a spare one Which is small like the petzl bindi for example now I did mention at the beginning that head torches are not the only option Some people like running with these chest straps that you can see Victoria wearing here The advantage of these is that the light is lower down and the reason for that is that it shines on branches and rocks on The floor and casts a shadow and that shadow allows you to see what's on the floor a little bit clearer The problem with these torches is that they do bounce around a lot if it's stuck on your head It's pretty stable if it's on your chest It does tend to wobble and the light bounces around all over the place So we're not done yet You can also get hand torches that you can carry small ones put in your backpack if your head torch dies You can use that as an emergency. You've got your phone But also now if you have a Phoenix 7 watch They now come with a little flashlight on the watch Which if you are in an emergency it will cast a decent light in front of you so at least you can find your way So get yourself a head torch and get out there and do some nighttime trails Next week on the Lakeland 100 training series. We'll be looking at race specific training So what training am I doing which is preparing me specifically for what I'll encounter on the Lakeland 100 mile race That's it. Take care until next time Please do click the subscribe button and we'll see you on episode 9 of the Lakeland 100 training series. Bye. Bye