"Hooray, another night race so I don't have to worry about sunscreen." Yep, that's what I thought about at the start of the Twilight Red Rock half marathon — not getting sunburned — well, I do live in the desert! What I wasn't thinking about were the elevation and hills that come with running in a canyon. Even if the road is paved!
I wanted to break up the monotony of my weekly long training run with something fun!
I'm in training for my next bucket list marathon in Disney World, which will be marathon #5. Yes, folks, there was a time when I was certain I'd never be capable of running a full marathon, but here we are! In order to break up the monotony of my weekly long training run, I wanted to replace it with something more fun! That's why I decided to run Calico Racing's Twilight Red Rock half marathon in Red Rock Canyon. Ever since moving here, I'd wanted to run a race in Red Rock Canyon and I love night races, so it seemed like a win-win!
The race began around sunset and watching the sun settle into the mountains was beautiful. Since the race is at night, there are gear requirements. We were required to wear a 360-degree reflective vest and either carry a flashlight or wear a headlamp for visibility. Since there is no parking at the start line, you have the option to pay for a roundtrip bus from the Las Vegas Strip or drive to the free bus pickup at the RC Willey store about 15 minutes from the start line. I chose the free bus since I'm local. Since packet pickup was at the start line there was a tarp laid out to stash your labeled race swag bags until after the race.
The course, with elevation starting around 3800 feet, ran along a public scenic drive and was well marked with cones. There were multiple aid stations, one every mile or two. Since the race was out and back, we ran 6.55 miles from the start/finish line to the turnaround point, (which, I might add was on one of the steeper hills), then back to the start/finish line. Though not as steep as the hill I call the "hell" in Lovell Canyon, the course was anything but flat, so I used the downhills to my advantage. I'm just ok at running uphill, but I let the course set my pace on the downhills — I imagined running with the terrain like Caballo Blanco in Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run.
If you haven't guessed by now, Calico Racing is one of my favorite racing companies (Not a sponsor), and this was my 5th race with them. While I enjoy the energy, spectators, and expos at the larger races, I love the intimate local races even more. Initially, I was anxious to run this race solo since the hubby had to work, but once I got wrapped up in the beauty of the scenery and started chatting with a few other runners, I had fun! Though I wish I had eaten a larger meal prior to the race start since night races tend to run into my dinnertime. I didn't feel nearly as fueled as I would have liked.
My speed goal has turned into a distance goal.
Overall, I had a great time running this race! Ever since training for my first marathon, the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas in 2019, I haven't tried going for a half marathon PR or personal record, so my finishing time of 2 hours 22 minutes was much closer to my 2017 half marathon finishing times. I've also been delving into the world of 50k's this year. (Click here, if you'd like to read about how I prepared for my first 50k). My goals have changed over the last 2 years. Now pacing myself safely is what matters most as I slowly increase my mileage. I've been working hard to maintain a consistent speed to avoid injury. Considering the hills in this race, I feel I did pretty well.
I'd love to do this race again. Thanks for reading everyone!
Do you have a favorite half marathon?
Do you have any bucket list races coming up?
Have a great week of training!
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