I got back from Vegas twelve hours ago, and I am still overstimulated! That was the loudest, flashiest, and most interesting race I've run to date, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I was lucky enough to have a friend go with me for the weekend, and while we didn't party afterwards like planned, it is a race that I will forever treasure.
We attended the Fitness Expo first thing on Saturday. The energy level was through the 200+ foot roof and everywhere we looked people were excited, friendly, helpful, and proud to call themselves runners. Knowing we had a full weekend ahead, and having bought the merchandise we came for, we didn't go row by row through the expo. We chose an ally, walked down it, made a turn and headed for the exit.
On our way out, I saw a sign sitting next to an expo table, "Scott Jurek, Author of Eat and Run, here today at 4:00." A volunteer was pulling the sign down and I mumbled to my friend, "Scott Jurek? Holy cow! He is amazing!" While continuing to move forward, I glanced behind me to see where he probably once sat. Like a star struck 12 year old girl, my heart raced. "WAIT! There he is!" I ran over, waited a few seconds in line, talked to him for a few minutes, got a great picture, and had him sign my racing bib. I am sure I looked like a crazy person because I was so excited to meet him, but that was by far one of the biggest surprises of the whole trip. For hours, I couldn't stop smiling.
That night, we got dressed, saw Le Reve and took it easy - Sunday was bound to be exhausting.
Neither of us knew exactly how to eat for a night race. We knew we had the entire day to make decisions that would impact our run directly and we were careful not to mess it up. Each of us had a large but healthy breakfast, but opted to snack for lunch. I didn't want to repeat the cramping nightmare that ensued during the Boulder Half Marathon. Figuring it was better to run on a emptier stomach, we had Cliff Bars and fruit salad a few hours before the race.
When we toed the line, I heard my stomach rumble violently. "That's not a good way to start!" I told Monica. But the crowds were enthusiastic and the lights from the strip were flashing beautifully. No matter how hungry I felt, I wasn't going to let anything take that moment away.
Before the gun, we reminded each other one more time that this was wasn't about a PR, it was about the experience and sticking together. We were out to have fun. Each corral was separated by about 90 seconds. This provided enough time to spread out. I only felt boxed in a few times during the race and it didn't last long. When we started, I was pleasantly surprised how much open space each runner had between them. We took off at a good speed and I felt the lower altitude working towards my advantage immediately. We ran for 4-5 miles at a 8:26 pace, faster than I usually start.
By mile 3, we were heading down the newest part of the strip. The hotels, live shows, flashing lights, thousands of spectators, horns, whistles, music, and smiles were more than I could have imagined and I couldn't help think, "Man this is GREAT!" My muscles, lungs, and heart all felt okay. We had a nice 20mph wind right behind us which gave a nice push to our speed every few feet. But I worried about the near future when that wind was going to meet us head-on as it was an out and back race.
The last time I went to Vegas, we stayed at Circus Circus as I was only 10 years old. Various movies have brought the city to life, but running the strip at night gave me a tangible understanding of the most vibrant and lucious city in America. We ran past all the major landmark hotels, drive through wedding chapels, statues, and Elvis impersonators. Nothing that screams Vegas was left from the run and I was in awe throughout the experience.
While my mind revelled in all the excitement, my body wasn't so happy. I was starving by mile 5, and my knees, ankles, hips, and toes regretted the treadmill stress tests I completed only days before we left for the race. I started too fast and I didn't taper properly. Between September 22 and December 2, I ran 4 half marathons and 1 duathlon. I desperately wanted to PR in my final race of the season, and while I missed it, I am proud of my accomplishment. Monica and I wanted to run together and we did. When my legs felt like they were literally on fire, Monica looked at me and asked, "You okay? Want to walk a few?" Because she was there, I didn't walk. I wanted to finish strong. She kept me going through that awful wind and I while I am sure sticking with me slowed her down significantly, it meant the world that she stayed. As we said from the beginning, it wasn't to beat any personal records.
I found it appropriate the finish line was the Mirage Hotel and Casino. In Vegas, distances are much farther than they appear. Monica said, "See there it is! Almost done!" I laughed and thought the hotels were moving away from us with every step we ran. We finished in 2:02:05. Bands filled the air with live music, strobe lights flashed, and fans screamed passionately. We were immediately handed water, Gatorade, and warming space blankets. The walk to the food was a bit longer than expected, but there was an ample supply of bagels, smoothies, apples, Marathon bars, and pretzels.
The after party didn't start until 11:00 that night so runners had ample time to go back to their hotels, shower, and dress properly for a night of drinking and dancing...in theory. In our case, we returned to the hotel, showered, snacked, got dressed, did our hair and makeup, and somehow ended up lying down "just for a few minutes." One and a half hours later we woke up, debated heading to the after party and decided it would be better to sleep. Both of us planned for weeks on dancing and enjoying the post race festivities, but we knew we would regret it the next day if we rallied.
The race was very well organized and more fun than I can describe. Getting the chance to vacation and run with one of my friends was amazing. Together we had a lot of fun and we enjoyed the views. Monica kept me centered at the finish and reminded me we weren't out for a win.
I need to take each race as a new opportunity. You can't compare one race time to the next because each has very different circumstances. I can't think of a better race to take it easy and admire the views. Furthermore, Vegas taught me a lot about racing at night and planning pre-race food more appropriately. It also reminded me how important it is to spread out races. My body took a beating this year. I ran 10 races, only 2 of which were less than 10K. I am proud of my racing season and Vegas was the best way to solute 2012.
We were both excited to return to our kids, but sad our ladies vacation came to an end so quickly. On our trip back home, we agreed one race away from home a year is a must!
On our way out, I saw a sign sitting next to an expo table, "Scott Jurek, Author of Eat and Run, here today at 4:00." A volunteer was pulling the sign down and I mumbled to my friend, "Scott Jurek? Holy cow! He is amazing!" While continuing to move forward, I glanced behind me to see where he probably once sat. Like a star struck 12 year old girl, my heart raced. "WAIT! There he is!" I ran over, waited a few seconds in line, talked to him for a few minutes, got a great picture, and had him sign my racing bib. I am sure I looked like a crazy person because I was so excited to meet him, but that was by far one of the biggest surprises of the whole trip. For hours, I couldn't stop smiling.
That night, we got dressed, saw Le Reve and took it easy - Sunday was bound to be exhausting.
Neither of us knew exactly how to eat for a night race. We knew we had the entire day to make decisions that would impact our run directly and we were careful not to mess it up. Each of us had a large but healthy breakfast, but opted to snack for lunch. I didn't want to repeat the cramping nightmare that ensued during the Boulder Half Marathon. Figuring it was better to run on a emptier stomach, we had Cliff Bars and fruit salad a few hours before the race.
When we toed the line, I heard my stomach rumble violently. "That's not a good way to start!" I told Monica. But the crowds were enthusiastic and the lights from the strip were flashing beautifully. No matter how hungry I felt, I wasn't going to let anything take that moment away.
Before the gun, we reminded each other one more time that this was wasn't about a PR, it was about the experience and sticking together. We were out to have fun. Each corral was separated by about 90 seconds. This provided enough time to spread out. I only felt boxed in a few times during the race and it didn't last long. When we started, I was pleasantly surprised how much open space each runner had between them. We took off at a good speed and I felt the lower altitude working towards my advantage immediately. We ran for 4-5 miles at a 8:26 pace, faster than I usually start.
By mile 3, we were heading down the newest part of the strip. The hotels, live shows, flashing lights, thousands of spectators, horns, whistles, music, and smiles were more than I could have imagined and I couldn't help think, "Man this is GREAT!" My muscles, lungs, and heart all felt okay. We had a nice 20mph wind right behind us which gave a nice push to our speed every few feet. But I worried about the near future when that wind was going to meet us head-on as it was an out and back race.
The last time I went to Vegas, we stayed at Circus Circus as I was only 10 years old. Various movies have brought the city to life, but running the strip at night gave me a tangible understanding of the most vibrant and lucious city in America. We ran past all the major landmark hotels, drive through wedding chapels, statues, and Elvis impersonators. Nothing that screams Vegas was left from the run and I was in awe throughout the experience.
While my mind revelled in all the excitement, my body wasn't so happy. I was starving by mile 5, and my knees, ankles, hips, and toes regretted the treadmill stress tests I completed only days before we left for the race. I started too fast and I didn't taper properly. Between September 22 and December 2, I ran 4 half marathons and 1 duathlon. I desperately wanted to PR in my final race of the season, and while I missed it, I am proud of my accomplishment. Monica and I wanted to run together and we did. When my legs felt like they were literally on fire, Monica looked at me and asked, "You okay? Want to walk a few?" Because she was there, I didn't walk. I wanted to finish strong. She kept me going through that awful wind and I while I am sure sticking with me slowed her down significantly, it meant the world that she stayed. As we said from the beginning, it wasn't to beat any personal records.
I found it appropriate the finish line was the Mirage Hotel and Casino. In Vegas, distances are much farther than they appear. Monica said, "See there it is! Almost done!" I laughed and thought the hotels were moving away from us with every step we ran. We finished in 2:02:05. Bands filled the air with live music, strobe lights flashed, and fans screamed passionately. We were immediately handed water, Gatorade, and warming space blankets. The walk to the food was a bit longer than expected, but there was an ample supply of bagels, smoothies, apples, Marathon bars, and pretzels.
The after party didn't start until 11:00 that night so runners had ample time to go back to their hotels, shower, and dress properly for a night of drinking and dancing...in theory. In our case, we returned to the hotel, showered, snacked, got dressed, did our hair and makeup, and somehow ended up lying down "just for a few minutes." One and a half hours later we woke up, debated heading to the after party and decided it would be better to sleep. Both of us planned for weeks on dancing and enjoying the post race festivities, but we knew we would regret it the next day if we rallied.
The race was very well organized and more fun than I can describe. Getting the chance to vacation and run with one of my friends was amazing. Together we had a lot of fun and we enjoyed the views. Monica kept me centered at the finish and reminded me we weren't out for a win.
I need to take each race as a new opportunity. You can't compare one race time to the next because each has very different circumstances. I can't think of a better race to take it easy and admire the views. Furthermore, Vegas taught me a lot about racing at night and planning pre-race food more appropriately. It also reminded me how important it is to spread out races. My body took a beating this year. I ran 10 races, only 2 of which were less than 10K. I am proud of my racing season and Vegas was the best way to solute 2012.
We were both excited to return to our kids, but sad our ladies vacation came to an end so quickly. On our trip back home, we agreed one race away from home a year is a must!
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