Vegas Marathon Weekend

A bunch of people on a diet/running board started talking about this race a year ago. I decided to join the group and signed up. Then I convinced my neighbors, Kim and Michael, to race. They in turn got Pam and Mark to sign up also.
Pam and Mark went on the Vegas on Thursday but Kim, Michael, Ronnie and I waited until Saturday. The weatherman had been forecasting snow all week for Friday night and for once they were right. We woke up Saturday morning to a dusting. We got about 30 miles then came to a standstill. They had the interstate closed in both directions. We were sitting in the left lane and watched pick-up truck after pick-up truck make the turn around across the median. Some of them almost got stuck and we knew there was no way my van would make it. We inched forward as each truck left the line up. I call TDOT 511 and found out they didn't expect to have the road open again until 10:00 (our flight was at 9:55). A car came up from behind riding halfway on the rubble strip and halfway in the grass. We watched them and saw they looked like they could make it to the paved turn around. So we followed them. We got turned around and make it to the airport at 9:00. Luckily we all planned for carry on and ran to the gate. We got there just in time to board the plane.
We had a great flight with 28 racers on the plane. There was a group of guys with a pile of drink tickets and they drank every beer on the plane. Ronnie got in on the free beer but Michael, Kim, and I exercised self control.
We went straight from the airport to the expo. We picked up all our stuff and this time we all partook of the free beer.
From the expo we went to the Luxor and checked in. Then we went in search of a place to watch the rest of the Florida/Alabama game. We drank a few beers and ate some popcorn at the bar. Jeff and Elizabeth from the diet/running board dropped in for a bit. Then we decided we better get some real food and went in search of a place to eat. All the pasta places were booked solid and couldn't seat us until 8:00 (which was 10 our time). So we went to Dick's Last Resort as our last resort. They were able to seat us right away. We ordered more beer and were each given a hat. I ordered a huge cheese burger and fries and ate the whole thing!!!!





Ronnie wimped out and left his hat behind while Kim, Michael, and I wore ours all over the casinos. We walked over to meet the running/diet group and say hi. I think we were way ahead on our alcohol intake and am sure we made quite an impression.
We finally decided to call it a night and went back to our rooms.
I woke up at 3 and could not fall back to sleep. So I went ahead and got dressed. It was suppose to be cold so I went with tights, long sleeve tech shirt and a throw away shirt. We all walked down the the start line then found a warm hallway to sit in inside. Michael had to pee so he went to the port-a-potty line while the rest of us stayed in the warmth as long as possible. But we stayed just a little too long. Kim and I had to jump bushes to make it corral 12 tomeet Michael before the gun fired. I was suppose to start in 6 but decided to stay back and run with Kim. I knew I wasn't trained for a PR and figured I would enjoy the race a lot more running with someone.
It took forever for us to get the the start line but we got to enjoy fireworks and the Blues Brothers while we inched forward.
Finally we were under way. The first mile was slow because of the crowd. 10:35
The second mile thinned out a little and we were able to pick it up closer to pace 9:15
We spotted Ronnie as we ran past the Luxor.
We picked it up a little too much for the 3rd mile 9:02.
Michael kept that pace and went ahead while Kim and I pulled it back down.
mile 4 9:10
mile 5 9:11
mile 6 9:13
mile 7 9:15
mile 8 9:26
mile 9 9:15
mile 10 9:37
I said good-bye to Kim and took the split. She said she would try to be at mile 23 to run it in with me.
mile 11 9:12
mile 12 9:13 I was missing my company and couldn't seem to strike up a conversation with anyone.
mile 13 9:32 Hmm these tights are rubbing me
mile 14 9:26 Nose won't stop running. My sleeves are covered in snot. I could really use a tissue.
mile 15 9:06
My stomach started getting that feeling and I worried that the Imodium that I took wasn't going to do the job.
mile 16 9:39
mile 17 9:23 I really need to learn how to do that snot rocket thing
mile 18 9:47
mile 19 9:39 Made the turn around and was in the final stretch. But my stomach was getting worse. I couldn't get Gu down. The dry air was making me thirsty but didn't trust putting anything in my stomach.
mile 20 10:08
mile 21 9:32 I HAD to stop at a port-a-potty. It was then that I discovered just how raw my tights had rubbed my privates. OUCH. But I did get some tissue to blow my nose
mile 22 10:23 One more mile til Kim is there
mile 23 9:57 Ok here I am where is Kim????
mile 24 9:49 KIM!!!! She is there waiting on me and jumps in. She tells me I have to make it up this overpass then there is one more.
mile 25 10:43 Ugg look at that HILL!!! Oh, there is beer. I grab a beer and then see the guys cheering.
mile 26 11:03 I can't run anymore. I HURT. But Kim yells at me and says to finish it running. So off I go. She leaves me and says she will be waiting at the exit.
My Garmin said 0.40 miles to finish at 9:37 pace.
I got my metal, blanket, water, food, and found Kim.
She directed me along and I got my can of free beer then we shuffled back to the hotel.
total time 4:14:20. Not my best and not my worst.
I got cleaned up and we went for margaritas, 2 for 1. I had 4!!! We ate some lunch. Kim wasn't feeling great so wanted to go lay down. Ronnie and I went on an adventure to meet up with the running/diet group. We took the tram, then rode the monorail, and walked everywhere but just ended up lost. We had been walking forever when Ronnie says "Hey, isn't that the hotel next to ours?" We had gotten off the monorail and gone the wrong direction and had just walked back the direction we came from. But we did see the whole strip.
By then Kim was feeling better and we went and played some games.
That night I got up to pee and felt like I might throw up. I laid down on the bathroom floor and when the feeling passed I discovered I couldn't get up. I rolled over onto my stomach and sorta crawled/drug myself back to the bed. I then used the bed to pull myself back up and into the bed.
Monday we got up early and walked the strip more. Well I shuffled, but I think we saw just about everything.
The one thing Ronnie wanted to do in Vegas was go to In 'N Out Burger. It was raining so we had to take a cab there and back and it still turned out to be our cheapest meal.
Monday evening the boys watched/bet on the Green Bay game while Kim and I played penny video poker. $6 kept me entertained for 4 hours!!
We went back to the Mexican place then called it a night.
Tuesday we went home and had to make the drive from the airport in the pouring rain.
All in all it was a great weekend. I have tons more pics and stories to tell but this report is sooooo long already.