One of the joys of running around, I think, is planning your route. For sure, I can just take off and go, a kind of 'let's see where this takes me' philosophy, but some rather core issues remain at the heart of a project like that, namely...I need to actually make it back, and more importantly, make it back in reasonable time. But I've been making good use of the head torch recently, and found my mind creating routes that are characterised by darkness, as opposed to terrain or surface. My guiding light has opened many doors.
It adds a new dynamic to the run, use of the torch, and removes barriers to running that are dictated by the need for daylight. Unless like me, you overlook the fact that a head torch only illuminates a path you know...or illustrates a route you don't. A junction in a trail...left or right, I've no idea and no other reference to work it out. Sometimes it doesn't matter, just take a punt. But while my amazing torch of many lumens can turn night into day, it doesn't compensate for those other visual cues that normally pass unnoticed. The light is only a guide.
