Ready, Set, GLOW!

It would feel more strange to be writing about Saturday's Glow Run if not for the fact that my necklaces from the run are still glowing. I know this because I saw them at 3 a.m. which is a weird thing to find at that hour, just sayin' ...

Let me give you the word that summarizes our Glow Run experience:

FANTASTIC!!

This wasn't just a run; it was an event, and those putting it on did it up right complete with pre-run face painting and Zumba warm-ups and a post-run dance party! We didn't necessarily know what to expect even with all of the event information, but we were excited to do it!

Our excitement escalated when we arrived almost 2 hours before the run. We got there so early because the face painting was free, and I wanted to make sure we were in line in time to have it done (priorities, people!). My excitement waned a bit once in line because that's when I realized I had my camera but no memory card. What was I going to do without my cam-er-aaaaaaaaa?! *sigh* Aaron offered to buzz back home to get it as we had plenty of time before the run began. But, I feared he would return to a face painting line so long that he wouldn't get through it. And, prior to the event, I had already been thinking that most pictures in the dark would be grainy at best -- cool with the glow, but grainy nonetheless -- so, perhaps this was a sign that I could just skip this one ... maybe ... maybe not ... maybe ... maybe not ... seriously, this was hard! But, with quite a bit of self talk to restrategize my experience, we concluded face painting trumps camera in for this event.

Aren't we supposed to be running?

Ha! That specific topic was another awesome vibe for this event -- Publicity and pre-run information very specifically outlined that this was not a timed event, and all forms of forward movement were encouraged including running, jogging, walking and dancing. Indeed: Dancing! The whole point was to have fun!

We arrived to a sea of hot, hot, hot pink shirts with a smattering of black dots throughout the crowd. There were as many patterns of day-glo sock patterns as you could imagine, day-glo tutus worn by women, men and children (one would have been on Pit Crew #3 had they not been $10), and there was even a Mohawk wig that, as I recall, had blinking lights. It was a feast of color making standing in the face painting line very entertaining!

As slow as the line was going, Aaron probably could have just made it home and back with a memory card, but, if he just missed our turns, he wouldn't have gotten to do it as the line had double the number of people in it as they had time to paint by the time we got to the front. And, it was more important to me that we all get to participate in this, so I decided a photo shoot when we got home would do the trick!

Besides, without Aaron, we couldn't have been partners in totally confusing the make-up artists! We didn't mean to ... For whatever reason, his request for a fish seemed a bit confusing to his artist, but that was nothing compared to the degree to which I completely confounded mine when I said, "Picture a ball made of rainbow colors, now picture that ball hitting me in the face and exploding." My artist literally took a step back like, "Whuuuuuuut ?" So, I said it again, but I used my hand to demonstrate colors radiating outward moving my fist toward my face then opening up on impact. No dice. She was so mystified that she passed me over to a different artist whom she said would be much better at what I was asking.

Given the art I'd seen on others, I honestly thought my idea would be easy and, perhaps, a little boring to such artists. So, I changed chairs, and I repeated my request. In response to her clear confusion, I said, "Think 'firework exploding.' " Again: Nothing. So, I said, "Here's the thing. If there is a lot of color on my face, then you did it right." At that, my artist was completely relieved, and she went on to do her thing. While it was nothing of what I described or expected, it was very cool and most definitely met the 'color on my face' criteria ... complete with glitter!!

We still had about 40 minutes after face painting for the run to start. Zumba started, but I wanted to walk the parking lot to look for money instead (scored, too, by the way!). We also scoped the post-run goods including super-awesome finisher medals that GLOW. I don't tend to look for a medal after a 5K, but the kids were totally stoked knowing they'd earn one. And, seeing their excitement made this mama happy!!

At line-up time, as at all races, the runners were asked to go in the first wave, then the joggers, then the walkers. There were hardly any participants in the running corral which made me realize that our collective family pace was going to be more than enough to start closer to the front. What I didn't expect was that my family would take off like a shot out of the gates! I mean, they were OFF to the point I had to tell myself to kick it up a notch! Both kids were full of adrenaline, and Aaron's fast-walk pace rivals many joggers (especially when he gets his arms going because his big ol' elbows could knock someone out behind him. I was almost a victim to such a moment.). He specifically told me that if was going to be in the first wave of those expecting to run, then he wanted to make sure he was moving.

even our collective family pace was probably considered running in this crowd. What I didn't expect was that my family would

Do you want to know I was hoping to go at a pretty chill pace so our make-up wouldn't come off before we got home for pictures? That's also why I'd thrust my face into an open area when gusts of wind would come -- to keep my face dry. Oh, and I coached anyone along the course, it was, "Don't wipe your face if you get sweaty so your make-up doesn't come off. True story. All of it.

The route was a nice out and back that did seem to keep its glow on with all of the participants. There were two "glow zones" with black lights, but (a) my family was not about to stop and admire their glow factors because they were totally into this running thing, and (b) there were a number of cars parked along the street in the second which kind of defeated its purpose. It was fun décor either way!

Once we were near the finish line, we decided to follow the suggestion to dance. So, once in the black light zones that preceded the finish line, that's what we did. All four of us got our own groove on to cross! I have to say it was almost impossible to actually see the finish line, but it was a fun way to wrap up our route!

From there, we got our medals and granola bars before heading to the Glow Zone for a picture that, evidently, will be on their website for viewing and downloading. I have no idea when that will happen, but with the pics we got at home, I'm not that concerned about it. I mean, who could beat this?!

It was a totally different kind of experience, and it was totally worth it!!! We all had such a great time that I'm keeping my eye out for the 2015 date! I'll be better prepared at that one. You know, with a camera and a memory card!

There's lots of running still going on well before then, though, and it resumes tomorrow! Have a great rest of your Monday, and thanks for coming along the Glow Run tales with me! I'll check in tomorrow!