It’s sad to be closing the chapter on so many of my favorite races here in Anchorage. (We’re moving, if you missed it.)
The Twilight 12K is one of my favorite races during the summer here in Anchorage. It is fun and different because it happens at 7:00 p.m. on a Friday night, but since this is the land of the midnight sun, it is bright as day–even as I was finishing up my cool-down run after 9:00 p.m.
This recap is coming a little later than planned as I have been busy purging + packing, plus trying to do all of my work, and care for both kids now that Cullen is out of school. But here is my recap of the Twilight 12K–one of my favorite summer races: super competitive, a fun route through downtown Anchorage + Government Hill, and a big block party at the end.
The weather for this race ended up being a beautiful warm summer evening. Definitely a little on the warm side for racing (low 70s), but I didn’t feel hot racing and there was a breeze for some portions of the route. But honestly, we couldn’t have asked for better weather.
I was hoping to set a new PR in the 12K and came oh so close–but missing it by a mere 8 seconds. I think if it had been just a tad cooler, I would have been able to do it as you can’t deny that anything above (or below) about 50*F is less than ideal for racing temperatures. But I was still happy with my performance, placing third for the women, and getting a little prize money in the process.
All-in-all, I felt really strong throughout the entire race and thought I did a pretty decent jog pacing myself. My pace definitely did start to drop during the last 1/1.5 miles, but I know the warmer temps plus having raced six days prior played a role. I, unfortunately, ran by myself after mile two, which can be hard to stay in-the-game, but I pushed myself as hard as I could during the race.
My Garmin GPS splits:
Mile 1 – 6:03
Mile 2 – 6:25
Mile 3 – 6:15
Mile 4 – 6:22
Mile 5 – 6:14
Mile 6 – 6:21
Mile 7 – 6:33
Mile 0.4 – 6:34 pace
Time – 47:20
Average pace – 6:21 min/mi
Place – 3rd for the women
This is one race I will miss. While I wouldn’t always want to race in the evening, it is fun to do it once a year. The after party feels like a big block party under the never-setting Alaska summer sun, which is always a good time with free Bear Tooth, music, and a lot of familiar faces.
I did a one mile cool-down run at 9p.m. after talking to friends, my athletes, and the awards ceremony, and you would have thought it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon with how bright the sun was. Of course, it was hard to go to sleep right away after that, but I eventually fell asleep close to midnight that night.
