A different kind of run

As I bent down to tie my shoe and then collected my timing chip it started to sink in that this was going to be a different kind of run. Everyone around me was wearing the black tank of the race, most of them paired with dark shorts - all designed to have them blend in more. Yes, blend in - because this is not an ordinary race, it's the Asuncion Night Run. As I crack my glow stick to make it shine and wrap it around my wrist, I see that I can get sprayed by Off - probably a good idea as we're running around the botanical garden. Oh - and there I can get a longer glow stick - fun! Perhaps it will work as an arm band as I'm not sure I can handle having it flap around my neck.

As the countdown gets close to the start I test my headlamp (part of our entrance package) and make sure it is well positioned on my forehead (although it turns out it doesn't stay up very well when you're sweating and running). 5 -4-3-2-1...the runners count down to the clock and then a flurry of fireworks explode overhead signaling the start of the race. And we're off. Its packed pretty tightly to begin with, but I'm surprised at how quickly the runners get stretched out. And by just how necessary the headlamp is for lighting a circle of ground ahead of me so I can jump over tree roots and avoid the holes. When I feel confident enough to look up briefly its an eerie sight to see a long line of bobbing lights in the dark. If I didn't know better I might suspect a gathering of extraterrestrials in the woods. Instead I turn my head down again and focus on a patch of ground just a few steps ahead catching a glimpse of a couple of other circles of light ahead of me and think about what an experience this has turned out to be. A much more solitary, glowing experience than I ever expected.