RUNNING Against the OdDs: Red Moon Run Recap 2021:

Everything in life is training for our next something. Such is running. Each race dedicated is to help improve you as you reach your "A" race.

I many have gotten a lil carried away with races. I scheduled 3 races in 9 days. This isn't the dumbest thing I have ever done and I can't really say I would do it differently.

The trick, don't run like a knucklehead. Run Smart. That I can do, sorta.

RED MOON RUN

Date: Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021

Location: Midland City Forest

Time: 8PM

Distance: 5K and 25K

Company: Melissa, Erin, Andy, Chris

Terrain: "wide trails (not single track)." A 5K loop in the woods.

Andy and I arrived at the course a little after 7pm. Melissa and Erin were there waiting for us and Chris arrived right behind us.

It was stifling hot, I was trying to be tough about it. It was way too early to start whining, I mean we hadn't even started running!

I bailed on running the 5k I was signed up to run before the 25k. I thought that was one of my better ideas for the day.

I followed that idea up with my race plan, a FUN race with little suffering. After all, I did bring a light up tutu, no one would be seriously running in a TUTU?!

READY SET GO!

As the National Anthem finished, I quickly turned around grabbed the girls and prayed for a safe race.

I headed to the front when I heard the race director say "If you are competing you should get in the front because it is a gun start."

As I took off with the runners I quickly thought, "WHAT are you doing Anita? Your here to have fun, you can't compete you moron, you have a big race next weekend..."

After about 2 minutes of conversing with my crazy self I brought my pace down. It was then that Chris caught up to me.

LAP ONE:

Chris and I chatted, laughed, encouraged the runners on and discussed our plan.

Chris and I were on the same page only I was out of breath with a plan that sounded good on the first lap.....26:53 Pace: 8:40.

LAP 2: 3-6 miles.

It was still light. This was good because I didn't have my headlamp. Melissa was going to bring it out to me after she finished her 10K, that and my skirt!

The sun was setting fast. A lil too fast. As Chris and I came around a turn in the trail, the roots were tangled across the path. BOOM! Down I went! I was running so fast I didn't have time to think about it, I rolled out of it and bounced back up trying to catch back up. Just as I settled down the guy in front of us tripped like I have never seen. We asked if he was ok, we slowed down but he told us us he was "Good". Let me just say, I was haunted by the image of that man displayed across the trail. I am pretty positive he was not "GOOD" the way his legs split in half was totally not natural.

53:13 Pace: 8:34

LAP 3: 6-9 miles.

This is where fear settled in. Chris and I were running pretty strong but I knew I was running TOO fast. "Chris, we are not even half way...."

"Chris, I had that mile at 8:22..."

Then BOOM! down I went AGAIN in the same stinking area. By now it was dark out and I was literally falling apart.

I knew I would see Mellissa with my head lamp and skirt, I just had to stay upright. As we made those gnarly turns Chris pointed them all out for me and navigated me through them. I was hanging a little behind Chris because by now it was black out and I had no light. I stopped at the aid station to get a drink of what I thought was Gatorade and quickly found out it was FireBall. "OH OH, that's not ..." PSST".. I was spitting it out and trying to catch back up with Chris.

In the dark, like really dark, I had a brain fart and remembered I had a flashlight, YEAH!

"CHRIS and Anita.." we now heard them announce us for the 3rd time and there was Melissa with my skirt and headlamp.

1:20:20 Pace: 8:38

LAP 4: 9-12 miles

With my skirt in my hand I did a quick change, slipping my legs into the skirt and trying to catch back up to Chris.

Chris was slowing down a bit making it a little easier for me to locate my "ON" switch to get my skirt to light up.

I was having anxiety about the last half mile to the loop end. All those knotted, twisting roots waiting to grab me again while all I had was my silly flashlight because I decided not to take my headlamp from Melissa. But I made it without falling!

1:48:18 Pace 8:43

LAP 5: FINSH

Chris and I had been taking turns leading each other. The entire time we continued cheering for almost every runner.

The dirt and sand were stuck to the sweat across my legs and back were I fell. My hands were grimy from my nutrition gel and I was trying not to gag at all the sand in my nails. GROSS. I felt so nasty.

"Hey, is that rain?" Chris asked.

And with less than a mile to go the evening sky OPENED UP. The rain came down so fast that I was blinded with all the sweat dripping in my eyes. It truly was by the grace of GOD I didn't fall. My eyes were stinging so bad and I had nothing dry to wipe them with. I could barely hear Chris trying to direct me over the roots as we closed in on the finish.

But just like that we heard our names for the last time!

Full Course 2:16:46 Pace 8:49