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There are four factors to consider with a running light; location, the beam pattern, regulation and brightness.
==Location==
The three locations for first step in choosing a light while running are handheld, waist mounted and head mounted. I do not recommend handheld lights for several reasons. The biggest problem is that keeping to work out where you want the light pointed ; in the right direction changes your arm movement and messes up hand, at your waist, or on your running formhead. In addition===Head Mounted===Most people use head mounted lights, handheld lights occupy one and they have a number of advantages:* Head mounted directs the light where you point your hands head, making it tricky easier to see where you're going. * Head mounted also works better for directing the light to do anything things in the darkyour hands, though like putting on gloves or looking at your [[http://wwwBest Running Watch| Running Watch]].knucklelights* Head mounted lights are better at showing up branches or spider webs that are about to hit your face.com/ knuckle * Most of the lights] overcome thisare head mounted, so you have the widest choice. There ===Waist Mounted===Waist mounted lights are advantages much better at showing you the shape of the ground, and disadvantages to waist mounted and head mountedany obstacles are a lot more apparent. Because This is because a head mounted light is aligned with your eyes, itso there's hard to see the shape few shadows. Below are sets of photos taken with the ground[https://apps.apple. This is best seen in the images belowcom/us/app/stabilized-night-camera/id1433896496| Stabilized Night Camera app] that allows for long exposure. <gallery widths=500px 300px heights=400px300px class="center" perrow="2">File:RXP Eye LevelComparing waist and head mounted lights (1).jpg|The light at eye levelJPGFile:Comparing waist and head mounted lights (3).JPGFile:Comparing waist and head mounted lights (4).JPGFile:Comparing waist and head mounted lights (5).JPGFile:Comparing waist and head mounted lights (6).JPGFile:Comparing waist and head mounted lights (7).JPGFile:Comparing waist and head mounted lights (8).JPGFile:Comparing waist and head mounted lights (9).JPGFile:Comparing waist and head mounted lights (10).JPGFile: Notice how 'flat' the path looksComparing waist and head mounted lights (11).JPGFile:RXP Waist LevelComparing waist and head mounted lights (12).jpg|The light at JPGFile:Comparing waist level shows the texture and shape of the pathhead mounted lights (13). JPG
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If there are insects about, a head mounted light causes them to fly into your face, which is even more unpleasant. ===Handheld===I don't recommend handheld lights for several reasons. The biggest problem is that keeping the light pointed in the right direction changes your arm movement and this messes up your [[Running Form]]. In addition, handheld lights occupy one of your hands making it tricky to do anything in the dark, though knuckle lights overcome this. ==Beam Pattern – Spot vs Diffuse=={| class="wikitable"|- valign="top"|[[File:RXP Spot.jpg |none|thumb|350px| The spot beam illuminates further.]]|[[File:RXP Eye Level.jpg |none|thumb|350px| The diffuse beam illuminates wider and more evenly.]]|}Many lights project a narrow spot beam that illuminates longer distance, which can be handy for navigation, especially on ill-defined trails. Most of the time I prefer a light with an evenly diffused beam, even though it does not reach as far as a spot beam. ==Regulation– Light output over time==With a regulated light the light intensity will stay constant over most of the life of the battery. When the battery is nearly depleted, and it the light will then grow rapidly dim. This can be seen graphically (see the graph below. ) The regulation is nice, but when the end of the regulation period is reached, the light intensity can drop very so quickly, so you need to have spare batteries with that you if you expect to run get caught out of power. [[File:Light Regulation.jpg|none|thumb|250px350px|The difference between regulated and unregulated light output.]]
==Brightness==
The brightness you need depends on your situation. In many cases you just need to see what's immediately ahead of you, so brightness is not critical. If you're on trails, then a really bright light can help see what direction a trail is taking, or help with navigation. Many times I've found that having a dim A bright light can work bestalso help psychologically, as it helps me see what's ahead without compromising my night vision, allowing me overall better visibility. A very bright light will create a small pool of light that can become mentally confining and isolatingclaustrophobic. Having a light that will go both very bright and very dim is idealHowever, and the [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=LightRXP&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-E87-P2-Myo-Headlamp%2Fdp%2FB004OYTOA0 Petzl MYO RXP] stands out for this. =Recommended Lights=I have tried over a dozen different lights, from the bad old days of incandescent lights that give a patchy yellow glow to new regulated LED lights. My two favorite lights are both Petzl as they have an effective diffuser. Iif there've also tried lights from other manufacturers, but I've consistently found Petzl lights to be better. ==Highly Recommended - Petzl MYO RXP==The [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=LightRXP&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-E87-P2-Myo-Headlamp%2Fdp%2FB004OYTOA0 Petzl MYO RXP] is s a regulated little more ambient light, as described above. The light will flash a few times when the battery drops too low, which gives you some warning before it runs out of power. The RXP also support brighter output that is unregulated, which is useful when you need a lot of light for a short period of time. The regulated output can be used so that you will have power for an overnight run, and on its lowest power setting it will run for 96 hours. The RXP is also nice because it can output then a very dim light. I've found this works well near dawn, where the light from the RXP on its lowest output and with the diffuser is enough to see by, but allows my eyes to adjust so that I can see a little further using the available light. I've found the RXP works well in heavy rain as long as it is in the normal position. If you run with it wrapped around your hand, the rain can get in the underside and cause problems until it dries out. The RXP uses AA batteries, so it is a little heavy, but having the batteries on the back balances things quite well. It also allows the batteries to stay warmer in cold conditions if you wear it with the back under a hat; you'll probably need two hats to make that workbest. <gallery widths=400px heights=300px caption="Petzl MYO RXP">File:Petzl MYO XP Full.jpg|Full view of the RXP. Note the battery pack on the rear of the strap.File:Petzl MYO XP Close.jpg|A closer view, showing the diffuser over the dimmer light. The diffuser flips down for a spot beam. There are two controls; the level button and the high power button. File:Petzl MYO XP Regulation.jpg|This is the chart of settings for the RXP. You can only have three levels programmed in, but you have quite a variety to choose from. </gallery>==Highly Recommended - Petzl Tactikka XP Adapt==The [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=lightxpadapt&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-E89-TacTikka-Headlamp-Colored%2Fdp%2FB000JUB2QC Petzl Tactikka XP Adapt] is not as bright as the [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=LightRXP&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-E87-P2-Myo-Headlamp%2Fdp%2FB004OYTOA0 Petzl MYO RXP], but it can be waist mounted. This works best with compression shorts/tights provide enough to prevent the light wobbling around. I've found this works far better on trails than a head mounted light. The XP Adapt uses AAA batteries, so it's lighter than the Petzl MYO RXP. If shoe you don't need the waist mounting, then the [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=lightxp&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-E89-PC-Tactikka-Camouflage%2Fdp%2FB000J927AS Petzl Tactikka XP] is the same light without the adapter kit, and itwhat's quite a bit cheaper than the MYO RXP. <gallery widths=400px heights=300px caption="Petzl MYO RXP">File:Petzl XP Adapt Overview.jpg|The XP Adapt comes with a head strap and a clip for use at waist level. There is also a mount for use on a helmet which works well cycling. There are colored diffusers that I've not found useful. File:Petzl XP Adapt Diagram.jpg|A diagram showing the XP Adapt with the waist mounted adapter. </gallery>==Petzl Nao==The [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=Nao&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-Nao-Reactive-Lighting-Headlamp%2Fdp%2FB007K03OU6 Petzl Nao] is a sophisticated light that automatically adjusts the brightness. There are two bulbs, one with a diffuse wide beam and the other with a narrow focused beam, along with a light sensor. When the light is pointing slightly down, the wide beam is used, and when you look up, the focused beam comes on as well. When you look at something close up, the wide beam comes on at a dimmer level. This works quite nicely when running, as it uses the wide beam when you're looking near your feet, and a longer throw when you look up to see further ahead. If you look at without compromising your watch (or anything else close up) it uses a dimmer lightnight vision. You can also program the light using a computer (PC or Mac) to set the intensity of the three beams (wide beam, narrow beam and wide beam close up). However, the close up mode is also activated if Having a light is shining at you, making it a poor choice for running near oncoming cars. You can change to a constant mode, but that defeats the purpose of the light somewhat. The Nao comes with a rechargeable battery, but can also take 2 AAA batteries and you can buy [http://will go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=NaoB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAccu-Rechargeable-Battery-YYYY-Petzl%2Fdp%2FB007K03LCC spare batteries] for about $60. The battery life varies on usage, so if you're doing a longer run, you'd want to carry spare batteries. The rechargeable batteries probably make this unsuitable for many overnight ultras. The headband is different to other Petzl headlights, and it works okay. It's easier to adjust, but I didn't find it as comfortable as the RXP. There is a$30 [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=NaoE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-Extension-Cable-For-Size%2Fdp%2FB007K03PLY optional kit] to put the battery on your belt, which is great for extreme cold conditions. Overall the Nao is a nice light, and worth considering if your style of running would benefit from the adaptive lighting. [[File:PetzlNao.png|none|thumb|600px|The details of the [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=Nao&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-Nao-Reactive-Lighting-Headlamp%2Fdp%2FB007K03OU6 Petzl Nao].]]==Petzl e+Lite==The [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=lightElite&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-E02-P2-Headlamp-Integrated%2Fdp%2FB001SARHV6 Petzl e+Lite] worth considering as a backup light, but don't use this as your primary light unless weight is of paramount importance. It's not both very bright enough and the lithium batteries are pricy. However, it will fit in the pocket of my shorts, so it makes a great 'oops' light. [[File:Petzl e+lite.jpg|none|thumb|400px|The e+Lite showing the small case it fits into.]]==Saucony USB Clip Light==This light very dim is tiny, but will provide enough light in an emergency. It's so small it's easy to clip to clothingideal, and you can get the light included with other Saucony gear. I have the [http://go.fellrnr.com?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=Ultimit&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSaucony-Mens-Ulti-Mitt-Small-Black%2Fdp%2FB006ZW6JGQ Saucony Ulti-Mitt] which comes with the light and has a place for it to clip on that works well. (These are one several of my favorite gloves, with the convertible cover to turn them into mittens.) One caveat is that the light does not hold its charge well, so leave it plugged in.<gallery widths=400px heights=300px caption="Saucony USB Clip Light">File:Saucony USB LED Light.jpg|This light is tiny and recharges via a USB socket.File:Saucony UltiMitt.jpg|The Ulti-Mitt that comes with the LED light, showing how it clips onto the glove/mitten.</gallery> ==Petzl Ultra==lights I don't believe the [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=lightultra&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-E52-AC-Ultra-Headlamp%2Fdp%2FB001N0ETU8 Petzl Ultra] offers good value for money, but it may be worth considering if you need the very best in head lighting. This light is also available as the [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=lightultrabelt&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetzl-E53-Ultra-Belt-Headlamp%2Fdp%2FB002SQPXYW Petzl Ultra Belt] with the battery on a long cord so it recommend can be waist mounted. This is a good idea if you need a light for use in extreme cold, as low temperatures sap the battery power. (Petzl used to make the MYO XP Belt, but it's been discontinued.)<gallery widths=400px heights=300px caption="Petzl Ultra">File:Petzl Ultra.jpg|The Ultra – Ultra nice, Ultra expensive.File:Petzl Ultra Belt.jpg|The belt mounted battery pack is ideal for extreme cold.</gallery>=Safety Light=A flashing red light clipped to the back of your waist band is a worthwhile addition for running in urban situations. The [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=lightrear&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FNathan-Clip-On-Deluxe-L-E-D-Safety%2Fdp%2FB000MQ99GS Nathan Clip-On Safety Strobe] is less than $10.[[File:Nathan Safety Light.jpg|none|thumb|300px|The Nathan clip on safety strobeprovide both extremes.]]