Running 25k Uphill In The Dark
What are your key motivators? We have several. One of which is our health and our ability to do things. In order for us to do this, we have made our physical fitness a major priority in our lives. When it comes to travel, this becomes a little more difficult to achieve. So we set the goal of running a half marathon at each of the locations Amity get a contract at. Arkansas threw us a little curveball, there were no half marathons scheduled during the time we are here, probable because it is so hot here in the summer time. This didn’t stop Amity from finding us a run to do to keep our streak alive and to stay true to our goal. The Full Moon 25k run close to Little Rock, Arkansas. We would just need to add a few more miles to the total to get this run done. Instead of the 13.1 miles in half marathon, this is 16 miles long. So, technically we would continue our streak of running a half marathon at each location, just had to add a little more spice to this one. Since we were so close to Little Rock, we planned to just stay there and catch a game with the Arkansas Travelers minor-league baseball team.
Mile: 43,677
Quote of the Blog: “Keep pushing forward, even when the path is uncertain, for greatness wait for those who persist.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Song of the Blog: “Till I Collapes” - Eminem
The Full Moon 25k is a night run that takes you out into the Ouachita National Forest just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. This run starts at 8:30pm and runners must have their own water bottle and a headlamp or flashlight in order to be able to start the race. Night running was going to be a whole new element that we have never encountered. Usually by 8pm after a run that long we are asleep or enjoying some beers! Another added element that we didn’t realize until months into our training, was that this run was going to have over 1600 vertical feet in it. It being an out and back style course, that meant we would be running uphill for 8 miles in the dark. What was Amity thinking?!? Nonetheless, we did what we could with our training and set out for Little Rock.
We were able to check into our hotel before we headed over to the race venue. After we got into the hotel, we headed down to Downtown Little Rock to check out a couple of the sights. The first on our list was the “Little Rock”. Down along the Mississippi River there is a spot where the early French explorers had identified a land mark to help them while traveling along the river. This would later be known as the “Little Rock”, though it was far from anything little compared to most rocks. We went down to La Petite Roche Plaza in Riverfront Park and did a little walking to find the rock. It was really fun to imagine what this area was like when it was all wilderness. Kind of like what Montana is like now, but hundreds of years ago! We found the rock and got some pics! It was fun! We then headed over to Little Rock Central High School. This is where a flashpoint in the United States Civil Rights Movement happened, known as the Little Rock 9. This is when 9 black students were the first to enter a desegregated high school in the south. Seeing it was surreal! I am happy how far we have come as a society and seeing places like this only reinforce the fact that we have to keep fighting for equality. We then headed back to the hotel for some relaxing before the race.
As we were getting our things together to go to the venue, I realized I had made a massive mistake. I had forgotten my running shoes, and only had a pair of strap sandals with me. Amity and I quickly found a sporting goods store right next to our hotel. This was not the biggest luck of the draw. That was the fact that this store happened to have the very running shoes I use, in my size and ON SALE!!! Thank the heavens! I won’t be getting blisters! We were able to pick them up, and head out to the venue with more than enough time to spare. This will go down as a classic “Marcial Move”!!!
As we walked into the venue, we got a vibe that we have never had at any other race. Everyone was just chilling in their lawn chairs, while a DJ was blasting music at the start of the race. The sun was still up, but it was starting to get darker by the minute. We got all geared up and ready to go while the DJ played all the pump-up hits! I have to say, it was really weird to be motivating myself to go this hard at this point in the day. We were able to harness the energy of the venue to get fired up!! Amity and I don’t see each other on the run other than in passing so this was the last time we would see each other before the end. We wished each other good luck with a hug and a kiss and turned on our music for the run.
When the run started there was a lot of people and some serious congestion. We both took our time getting started and wanted to set a good pace, but not too fast. I did not follow this mentality at all. I went for it right away. It took about 20 minutes into the run before it started to get dark enough to need a headlamp. Once we got our headlamps on, it was now one of the craziest running experiences ever. All you could see was what was in the beam of light, and everything else was black. As we came into hills, you had no idea how long the hill was, as you couldn’t see the top. This actually made running uphill for so long easier. We never had that dread of looking at the massive hills in our way. People started to spread out pretty quickly. I found myself alone for most of the run, while Amity ended up making some trail friends that she ended up chatting with for quite some time. As we pushed up the hill and started tacking on the miles, the run when through its standard progressions. Motivated and strong to start, then you mind goes into the “why the hell are we doing this phase”, then you shift back into the “I got this” mentality, before letting it all go and saying “this sucks, but I am crushing it!”
It was about the point in the why the hell are we doing this phase when I hit the 8 mile turn around. I was stoked! There couldn’t have been many people in front of me. As I hadn’t seen many people headed back downhill. It was not many minutes after I turned around that I heard a voice behind a headlamp yell out “Billy?” It was Amity, and she was KILLING IT!!! Before the run we had read about how some of the aid stations had beer. I was set to find one of these stations and crush a beer on my run for the hell of it. It was at the last station on the run that I found one of these beers. They initially tried to give me a small cup of it, but I was able to get the whole beer and smash it. I was about 12 miles into the run and had less than a quarter of the run left to do! It may have felt like we ran uphill both ways for 25k, but it did eventually come to an end. With my calves screaming at me, I was able to come across the finish line and complete the 25k run. I waited for Amity as the last turn and jogged into the finish line with here in the complete darkness! What an experience!!!
We enjoyed the complimentary breakfast dinner buffet at the end of the race, some cold beers and the music from the DJ. As we did this, we checked out times to find out that both of us had finished in the top 10 in our genders (Amity was 6th out of 84 and I was 7th out of 103). This has never happened!!! We CRUSHED this run!! I am so proud of both of us for our ability to take on such a crazy run and to excel at it! We headed back to Little Rock to crash out and get some rest!
The next morning we headed downtown for some much needed brunch. Amity had found a fun spot called, Big Bad Breakfast. Breakfast was amazing after a night like the night before!!! Not to mention their amazing free cards that said, “I did not have eggs with that woman!” Featuring a picture of Bill Clinton’s famous Monica speach. We died laughing at it, and enjoyed our breakfasts!
Following breakfast, we set out to check out the minor league baseball team in Little Rock. They are known as the Little Rock Travelers, what a fitting name!!! They have a really funny mascot that is a Possum named, Otey the Swamp Possum. Amity did her best to dress up like Otey, while I took the opportunity to pick up a new baseball hat with Otey on it. Who doesn’t love a baseball team with the name Travelers and has a Possum mascot? WE DO!! The game was fun, and the stadium is beautiful. It sits right on the river, with views of the over the right field fence. Tickets and beer were cheap too. Gotta love minor league baseball!
With sore legs and belly full of corndogs, we headed back to Fort Smith. We are so proud of ourselves for keeping this streak alive! I am proud of Amity for doing he longest run of her life, and crushing it. My feet could not have been luckier than they were this weekend! Gunna have to put those shoes in storage for a while before pulling them back out! Living Rad is not always pretty, but it is RAD and that is what matters. Get it done and then, DTRMF!!!