ET Full Moon 10k Race Recap

What do you do on a Sunday morning at 1am? Me I ran a 10k…I joined several hundred other racers for the ET Full Moon 51k/Marathon/Half/10k just outside of Area 51 in Rachel, Nevada.  As soon as I heard about the race I thought it sounded like the funnest (I know that isn’t a word) thing ever!  Then I heard it would be a super moon and then they said that there would be a meteor shower going on at the same time.  BONUS!!

Outside the Little Alien Inn

I must say from the beginning, I have run a race put on by Calico Racing before and was totally impressed.  Many of my running friends here in Vegas feel the same way about her races.  This race in particular had so many unique qualities to it that I couldn’t wait to run it.  I am a bit of a Sci Fi geek so the opportunity to check out an area that is as infamous as Area 51 sealed the deal.  To be fair, it was dark enough that I didn’t get to see the full beauty of the desert.  From what I could tell in my sleep deprived brain and the dark there were some really pretty lake areas on the way there. 

If you recall I had wanted to run the half marathon, but after having injury after injury and feeling that my legs were not strong enough I determined that it was more wise to do the 10k.  After hearing that the half marathon was almost all uphill, I am sure it was a good idea to have changed.  I also went into it deciding that I wasn’t going to focus on a new PR, but was going to my best and just enjoy the run and the experience.  I found that mindset made my marathon experience that much better so I am trying to do that with each race. 

Before the race on the Extraterrestrial Highway

My overall place was 108 out of 193 with a time of 1:17:15, a way slower pace than my usual, and 27 out of 48 in my age and gender group.  To be honest I stopped a few times to try and take pictures and to check on a friend who was rocking the race out despite some injuries.  I am so proud of her for doing her best, she was in a lot of pain between an achilles injury and shin splints. 

It was a ton of fun and quite a sight to see hundreds of flashing/lit/glowing runners going up and down the highway.  Every time you thought there couldn’t possibly be more runners they popped up over the hill.  I wish the pictures I had taken did it justice, but it was hard to get good pictures.  By the time we got home from the race and I got to bed it was 7:30 am, and I was so glad to have taken the next day off to rest.

Despite the crazy time of day that the race is and how tired I was after I plan to do this race again next year and if I can I will do the half marathon.  Some of it depends on how I feel after accomplishing my next goal, a 50k in April of next year.  My brother has a crazy notion of doing the 50 miler, I am not so sure about that, a 50k I can see, but 50 miles is crazy!  Okay so really it’s a matter of perspective considering most people would say 26.2 is crazy. The next race that is up for me is the Rock and Roll half marathon here in Vegas, it’s a night time race as well, but done well before 1 am.  I like night races for a fun change and this time instead of being so focused on time I plan to take the stance of just enjoying the sights and sounds of the race. 

Would you do a midnight race or a night time race?  If so which one would you do?