Winter running: how to keep training when the nights draw in

The clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October, and by December the sun sets before 4pm across most of the UK. If you train after work, most of your running between now and the end of March will happen in the dark. Here's how to keep it safe and still get good sessions in.

Why a floodlit track is the best option

A floodlit track is flat, measured, well lit and free of traffic. That makes it the easiest place to do the sessions that are hard on dark streets, like intervals and tempo runs, where you want to concentrate on pace rather than kerbs and potholes.

Of the 650 tracks we list, 245 are floodlit: 191 in England, 30 in Scotland, 18 in Wales, 5 in Northern Ireland and 1 on the Isle of Man. The catch is access. Only 60 of those are both floodlit and listed as open to the public. The rest are restricted, which usually means you use them through a club session or a booked slot.

The big cities have the most choice. London has 19 floodlit tracks in our listings, Manchester 6, Glasgow 5, and Birmingham and Edinburgh 4 each. You can compare them on our town pages for London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Every track page shows whether it's floodlit and whether it's open to the public.

Join a club session

Many clubs train on a floodlit track one or two evenings a week through the winter. It's the simplest way to use a track that isn't open to the public, you're training in a group, and having somewhere to be on a cold Tuesday night does wonders for motivation. Our guide to finding and joining an athletics club covers how to get started.

If you'd rather train on your own, our guide to tracks open to the public explains how access works, and how long is a running track has the lap counts for common distances.

Running on the roads in the dark

When you do head out on the roads, a few habits make a big difference:

• Be seen. Wear bright or reflective kit, and add a small light at the front and back so drivers can spot you from both directions.
• Use a head torch on unlit paths and trails, so you can see the ground as well as be seen.
• Stick to routes you know, with good lighting and pavements. Save new routes for daylight.
• Where there's no pavement, run on the right, facing oncoming traffic, as the Highway Code advises for people on foot.
• Leave one earbud out, or skip the music, so you can hear traffic and bikes.
• Tell someone your route and when you'll be back, or run with others.
• Take care on bends and kerbs when it's icy or covered in wet leaves.

Staying warm and injury free

Cold muscles take longer to get going, so give yourself a longer warm up before any fast running. Wear layers you can take off as you warm up, and don't underestimate a hat and gloves. Change out of wet kit as soon as you finish, as you cool down quickly once you stop.

Save your hardest sessions for the track or other surfaces where the footing is reliable. A dark, wet pavement is not the place for flat out efforts.

Make the most of the weekends

Weekends are your chance to run in daylight, so it's a good time for your long run or anything off road. Winter is also cross country season, and our beginner's guide to cross country explains how to get involved.

Winter training isn't glamorous, but it's where a lot of spring and summer improvement comes from. Find a lit track, find some people to run with, and keep turning up.