Spontaneity - Moonshadow Half Marathon(ish)

Trail running at night is an integral part of ultra running, yet something we very rarely get to do. So many reasons why, but it seems to be a neglected aspect of training. I’m guilty as charged! I know exactly how my bike lights work and the settings I need for riding, but running? Humm... and there’s a huge difference between running the regional trails in Bear Creek Park and actual trail running! Sure, I’d gotten plenty of darkness at Stories and Last Call, but with Sangre de Cristo coming up, I was getting a little nervous. So when I saw the Moonshadow Half Marathon months ago, I was curious. A night race at Cheyenne Mountain State Park? Fun! Bad timing for me though, since I’d already committed to the American Discovery Trail Marathon a day later. I put the race out of my mind, focusing on everything else that needed to get done. But then some friends brought up a night run at CMSP. I’m always up for an adventure! (I think they were actually planning on doing the race the whole time...)

So I found myself doing a few miles before for a warmup, then joining about 70 people to run off into the sunset. It wasn’t a thrilling course - up Talon, clockwise around South Talon, back down Talon and then two laps of Sundance. No North Talon, Blackmere or Cougar’s Shadow. Fair enough - the easier trails would be perfect for runners new to night time fun and the two loops of Sundance allowed us to stay close to the base area the entire time. I wasn’t looking forward to that when I signed up, but I can totally see why it was an appealing setup. Besides being able to see the start/finish during most of the darkest hours, runners also got to see each other. The glow of the headlamps and the two loop format at the end kept it social and far from isolated. But I am getting ahead of myself!

With the ADT Marathon in less then 48 hours, I was hesitant at the start. I didn’t want to go all in on the climb up Talon and affect my race on Monday! But at the same time, within a quarter mile, I found myself in fourth overall, with the woman leading running the 10k. Huh. Maybe I should push a little harder? No. I opted for comfortable and keeping the breathing under control. I hadn’t been really planning to race, so I needed to run smart. The climb up Lower Talon felt really easy this time. I was just running steady, keeping the pace comfortable. I decided that I’d make a secondary goal of running the entire Talon climb. Why not? It’s something I usually walk due to the steepness and distance into races. Surprising, the climb felt a lot easier then usual. I was holding my place in the group, but finding it hard to not stop and take a photo of the sunset! I’m a sucker for a decent sunset. It wasn’t dark enough for lights as I made my way around the South Talon Loop, but getting close. Given that we’d have twoway traffic for a bit, I figured I’d wait until I was back on lower Talon to turn my light on. Some of the runners heading up were all lit up with lights, glow sticks and glow in the dark paint. It was a pretty cool - something that had been missing at Last Call. 

I didn’t push the pace on the descent. I didn’t really want to beat up my quads that badly yet. Maybe if the race was close on the second Sundance Loop, I would start racing. I wasn’t thinking how the darkness would affect racing! After the bridge, the half marathoners turned right to start Sundance, while the 10k headed straight into the finish. I crossed the bridge and hit the button on my light. Time to own the night! My Exposure Lights Joystick might not be designed for running, but my homemade headband works great. I had the light set for 3/24/36 hour modes and initially was using the 36 hour mode. This is where I started (re)learning things... at Stories, 36 hour mode was fine because I’d already been on my feet for 12 hours. I wasn’t moving all that quick at that point! And at Last Call, most of the course during the darkness was Jeep roads - you don’t need that much light for Jeep roads. But even though I know the trails at CMSP very well, I was surprised. 36 hour mode just wasn’t enough, even on Sundance. Three hour mode was way too bright, especially when I was around other people. I know at Sangre, I won’t be running that fast. It will be many hours and many miles into the race and chances are I’ll be solidly into an ultra saunter at that point. So 36 hour mode should be good. An important thing to remember three weeks out!

When I headed up for my second lap of Sundance, I was starting to regret the race. It was still hot, still muggy and I wasn’t dressed for racing. Despite the darkness, I was drenched from the heat. At least I had plenty of water! My motivation was starting to fade, but since I still had the lead, I needed to keep pushing. Keep running steady, keep moving forward. I was starting to catch runners on their first loop, which kept me moving. Again, while I’m not sure I would have I would have signed up for that particular course, for a night race, it was perfect. You had time alone, just you and your light. Then there were the volunteers and meeting other runners. I wasn’t much for being super social - just enough to say nice job to everyone I caught. At the top of Sundance, the heavy clouds started spitting rain. Yah! Maybe it would cool down a little! 

No such luck. The intermittent drops just added to the humidity in the air. In hindsight I should have know. At Stories, the cold humidity turned the back half of Sundance into a glittering ice box. For this race, there was no chill, just the moisture in the air. At the aid station, I headed off  for the final stretch of the race, a section of trail I knew really well. Even in the dark. My knowledge of the trail wasn’t helping with the motivation though! I thought I had plenty of time on second place and started daydreaming a little as I climbed that last hills. There’d been no lights at all behind me since I started my second loop. At least that’s what I thought! I didn’t even hear footsteps behind me as I descended the last corners on Sundance. But as I crossed the bridge and turned left to the finish line, I heard people cheering. Some how, I’d gotten so lost in my thoughts that second place had managed to almost run me down! As it was, she was only six seconds behind me.

Overall, it was a great semi-spontaneous race. Without really planning, I’d gotten some solid night running on, as well as a slightly long, slightly harder then planned trail run. The course was perfect for the race - easy trails made challenging by the darknesss. A low key race welcoming everyone. There were plenty of people getting some training for a long race later in the season and some out there for the new experience of run of running at night. I hope the Moonshadow Races find a strong following for next year. Night running is something every runner should try at least once.