Vegas Rock n' Roll

December 6, 2009

I was so excited for the Vegas Rock n' Roll Half Marathon! I had friends flying and driving in from Oklahoma, California, and Utah. For some of them, it was their first half marathon. After we went to the expo on Saturday, we all went out for Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Later that evening we met again for dinner at PF Changs. We made our plan for most of us to meet at my friends' hotel at 4:30 a.m. I knew parking would be a bear the morning of the race.

I think I made it to bed around 1:30 a.m. and my alarm was set for 3:30 a.m. I really don't recommend that little amount of sleep before a race. Unfortunately, I do this quite often. I made it to their hotel and we hung out as everyone got ready.

Rachel and I sporting our Athleta Twist Tops


We all had a little bit of a breakfast, stashed our belts with some "fuel", and we were ready to go!

Eric, Aaron, Joe, Leanna, Rachel, and Cathy


I have to admit, that was a pretty miserable morning. It was freezing outside, it was overcast, and it was NOT fun! Thanks to Joe and Leanna, my hands stayed warm for awhile because they brought hand warmers. I never would have thought about that. Jackie was at a different hotel on the strip, so we never caught up with them that morning. The rest of us huddled around our starting corrals.

Once our corrals started, I loved the first 6-7 miles of the race. I was running a great pace and felt great. Unfortunately, around mile 8-9 I began experiencing some sever stomach cramping. I started to think that my choice of food at Buffalo Wild Wings was not my best idea. I had to stop and walk from time to time until the feeling would pass. On the way back towards Mandalay Bay I started feeling better. I could see the hotel and I thought the end was near. Unfortunately, you can see that hotel from MILES away! It's a huge tease to be able to see the finish line, but be so far from it at the same time.



My goal for this race was to finish in under 2 hours, but I pretty much knew that was shot since I had to walk for a bit. I ended up finishing in 2:03. Even though it was not my goal, I made a personal record. I shaved off about 3 minutes from my first race at Disneyland. I was still proud of my run!

My friends and I picked a spot to meet at after the race. Wouldn't you know they had taken it down by the time we finished?! Eric, Aaron, Rachel, and I met and decided that we could not wait for Joe and Leanna (SORRY GUYS!). We were freezing, our bodies were aching, and there were two kids waiting for us back at the hotel. That's our excuse and I am sticking to it.

There has never been a funnier sight, than watching the four of us wobble back to the hotel. Every curb, even if it was just 4 inches tall, was like climbing a mountain. I am not too sure why I hurt so much, but Rachel and Aaron had a GREAT excuse---something along the lines of not training?!

Even though the weather wasn't ideal, and we were all in some pain, I loved having my friends there!