Las Vegas Marathon!!!!

Santa Run Start

Breaking through the wall
Triumphant Finish
Connor in the desert

So last weekend I spent in Vegas with DH, DS and MIL ... and I completed my 10th marathon ... AND I got to meet a whole pile of people from a message board I've been posting on for the past 2 years. That could have been really wierd or wonderful ... and it was WONDERFUL! Here's a report of the trip (and some photos!)



Thu Nov 29

• left home at 8 for 11 a.m. flight to Vegas


• crossed border with no issues


• flight delayed getting into Vegas due to headwind but non-stop is GREAT!!!


• arrive in Vegas at 2:30 and rent a car for the entire time we're there get to Mandalay Bay - BEAUTIFUL rooms!!!


• unpack, explore the hotel


• try to find a restaurant for dinner that someone on the board works at but can't find it - so we head to old Vegas


• see Freemont Experience - 2.5 million lights and 5500 watt stereo system


• enjoy 99c margaritas and 7.99 prime rib special


• back to hotel and in bed by 9:30 Vegas time

Fri - Nov 30

• up at 7:30 Vegas time


• Starbucks coffee in hotel - fancy places don't have coffee in rooms :-(


• breakfast at Ellis Island Casino coffee shop - I head about it from someone on theboards - it was good


• drive out to pick up Santa Run race kits for the boys which included a Santa Suit \back to hotel for race kit pick up for me - and meet up with folks from the message board in hotel and at expo - quite cool


• off to Hoover Dam with MIL - and it was torrential rain!!! - We did the tour of the place


• stop in Boulder City but it's cold so we decide to head back to Vegas


• Dinner in old Vegas again - more 99c margaritas ;-)


• back to hotel and in bed again by 9:30 Vegas time
  

Sat Dec 1 - Santa Run Day

• up at 7 to get ready for Santa Run


• quick breakfast in hotel based on provisions bought at grocery store on Friday


• Get to Freemont Street and we are besieged by Santas!!! There were 7500 of them! So we had to hang on to each other to make sure we didn't lose each other! There freebies galore too!


• post-race head back to hotel room for shower and rest-up and small snacks


• visit to Liberace museum - VERY cool - costumes, pianos, cars ... wow!


• Women to LV Outlet mall - nothing to write home about - and DH & DS to Bodies show at Tropicana - they won tix to it at the Santa race in the morning


• Pasta Supper with folks from message board - met tons of people I've only corresponded with - very cool - it was like a weird sort-of family reunion ...


• home and in bed by 8:30
  

Sun - Race Day

• up at 4:30 for quick bite to eat and heat out to meet message board folks in warm up room in Mandalay Bay Hotel


• 5:00 a.m. get to room and hang out with folks - decide to run with Teri from Chicago


• 6:07 fireworks for race start - it's cool maybe 38F - fireworks wake up DS, DH and MIL ;-)


• having fun on the strip - mile 3 blue man group is performing and Teri is hugging every cop she sees ;-)


• Mile 4 - we meet up with FimFam and Cpak from the board and exchange hugs


• Mile 5 wedding chapel - this time there were 50 couples doing it shortly after mile 5 Teri and I meet up with Huichi (dressed as Elvis) from the board and she joins our group


• Mile 5 - do we turn for the half or keep going for the full - we take the plunge and we're in it for the duration!


• Mile 6 - we pick up Don (also dressed as Elvis) and also from the Boards so now we are 4


• Mile 8 - we come up on PA Plodder also from the board and he decides to join our crazy group for more fun and frivolity I swear we took a photo with Huichi or Don's camera every 1/4 mile!!!!


• Mile 13 - we're half way at 2:52 - nice and slow


• Mile 15 - we hook up with Rob also from the board and he joins us for a while but he's having difficulty so he sends us on


• Mile 17 - pain spray on the course - works wonders!


• Mile 20 - the wall - and it was - they put a cardboard wall up on the course and we took advantage and took a photo of us "breaking through"


• Finish at 5:56 for a PW (personal worst) time but an PB for most fun in a race for sure! It was a blast


• After the race back to the hotel room for a bath and then we all went to a bar in the MB hotel for the 'after-party' and met more folks from the message board. And DH & MIL both said they enjoyed meeting folks - whew!


• Dinner at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion - still delicious and MIL really liked it esp the pineapple martinis!


• back to the hotel and bed at 9:30 ish
  

Mon - Dec 3

• up at 8 to pack


• check out of hotel at 10 then dinner at the - get this! - Egg and I (too funny eh) on the way to Red Rock Canyon


• it's a BEAUTIFUL day - sunny and warm unlike the time we were there - so we took our time and really enjoyed it ... lots of photos


• after Red Rock we stopped at the Whole Foods Market to get provisions for the plane


• take the car back and hang out at the airport - DH & MIL did a couple of slots for the first time on the trip and lost a whopping $20


• flight out to Buffalo at 5:15


• arrive Buffalo at 12:35 - get luggage by 1:10 and we booked in to stay over in Buffalo remembering how much fun it wasn't driving back last time


• get to hotel at 1:30 ish - ready for bed by 2:00 a.m.
  

Tues - Dec 4

• Awake at 7:30 flights are starting to arrive / leave from Buffalo airport


• breakfast in hotel


• hit the road at 10 with a stop at duty free


• home by 11:45 ... ahhhhhh

A SPECIAL half-marathon

So on Sunday I did my 3rd 1/2 in 4 weeks but it was special because I did it with DS!

We started off doing R3/W2 and did our first few K in 7 min/K pace ... we were doing AWESOME ... hit 10K in 1:15. Then at around 12K we hit a hill ... and then at 14K the ascent to the finish started. It was pretty well ALL uphill from there (stated 6% grade) including a HILL at 2K to go. The marathoners weren't happy with the hilly finish.

DS got TONS of applause ... people were blown away by him. In fact at the turn around hill a marathoner was coming up to him and I was trying ot encuorage him on ... the marathoner said "Hey guy, I'm having a bit of trouble can you run me up the hill?" How sweet is that? And then told Connor that he was awesome and that his kids never did anything like this! Connor was (I'm pretty sure) the youngest one out there today!

This was the first of this race ... it was in support of two charities in Hamilton - City Kidz working with inner-city kids and Joy and Hope of Haiti building schools and orphanages in Haiti. The organizers were hoping for 3000 runners in all events (5,10, 1/2 and full) and it looks like they got them! Way cool!!!!!

The lead marathoner did it in 2:22. Lead in the 1/2 was 1:04. Total purse for this event was $7000 ($1200 for the winner of the full and $600 for the winner of the 1/2) ... not bad for an inaugural event eh? A local running store was the organizers.

DS and I did it in 2:55! I was expecting a 3:30 finish.

Check out this link ... it has an elevation chart for the 1/2. HOLY MOLY!!! http://www.runnerschoice.on.ca/newsletter/2007-11-06.htm

Here's a pic of Connor and I coming into the finish ... how cool is that?!?

Toronto 1/2 Marathon Report

So I ran the Toronto In'l 1/2 Marathon as a Pace Bunny yesterday ... it was FUN!!

I stayed in Toronto with my friend Cathy in a room at the Sheraton we got at a good price by my brother (thanks bro!) Race morning we get up at 5 ... after fitful sleeping. We check the weather and its cool 9C with not much wind. We get our food and changed and head out at 6:20 to catch the bus to the start.

We wander around race start .. me with my HUGE pink bunny ears and sign ... a couple of people ask me smirking if I'm the 2:45 MARATHON bunny ... like I look like I could run a 2:45 full?!?

Then we find the start line ... a bunch of people come over to talk to me to see how I'm doing it and what it means to be a pace bunny. Cathy and I hug and wish each other a good race and she moves up in the pack.

Starting off I have a Scottish couple and another woman from NZ with me. I tell them I'm doing R3/W2 consistently and it works. The Scottish couple say they'll see how they do. The hub is having hip issues and it's the wife's first so she's not sure how she'll do. We hit the first K in 7:15 .. 30 sec ahead of pace! Then by the time we hit the mile marker it's 10:50ish instead of the 12:36 pace I'm supposed to be doing! The bad bunny syndrome is starting.
But we carry on ... we pick up a fellow who stays the whole race. He's run a bunch of marathons before and is getting back to it after injury. I'm still carrying my sign and in fact carried it the whole race. (Am I tough or what!??!)

By 3K we're 2 mins ahead of pace ... but everyone's feeling good. We hit Hogs Hollow hill which is the hilliest part of the course a approx 41/2K and walk up it ... we're having fun! I'm singing and talking ... asking if anyone needs groceries when we pass a grocery store and doing the math of how much we've got left.

At 8K we make a turn onto a lovely park-like area. And at this point I've got quite a pack of folks with me. Funny thing is that there were a bunch of other small groups doing 10/1 and we kept catching up to them! One woman doing 10/1 asked what we were doing and when I told her she didn't believe me until I did the countdown to a walk!

At 10-12K the crowd around me got quite quiet whenever I asked how everyone was doing so I started a new song and ask them to fill in the words during a walk break. I'd sign at the top of my lungs "We are Strong, We are invincible, We are Half-marathoners, half-marathoners". It was fun!!!

15K in and we're 5 minutes ahead of pace. I think to myself that this is a little quick ... so I decide to slow down my walk pace and not tell anyone. We carry on ... also around this time my baby toe on my R foot gets "hot" ... not a good sign.

Some folks have dropped off ... but there's approx 6 folks with me. We are carrying on and having fun. We hit 18K and one gentleman looks to me and says "thank you so much it's been great! I'm going to go" and I say ... my pleasure have fun! So he takes off.

The rest of the crew I tell them that when we hit 20K I expect them to take off and finish and everyone says that the R3/W2 is good so we'll see what happens then. We hit 19K and someone on the side says are you the 2:45 bunny? cos the 2:30 just went by not long ago! I say sheepishly "yep we're ahead of pace, I'm a bad bunny" and the folks with me say "no she's a great bunny!"

We're getting close to the finish ... everyone's doing really well .. the Scottish couple has been with me the whole time and the woman says that it was sooooo much better than she thought. She said to me "you kept us laughing and looked after when we needed to walk ... its been great" and the husband says "this is the best time I've had during a race"
So the bad bunny did it again ... 2:38:36 is my official time ... and it's my longest run since the achilles difficulty in JULY!

My plan is to see how the blister is tonight and maybe drain it 'coz I'm going to a conference tomorrow and will need to wear hard shoes. Then do a little 5K on Wed/Thu and then on the weekend another 20K ... the 28th is the Niagara 1/2 where I get to do it again and I plan to tack on another 5K after it ... and then another 1/2 Nov 2 with DS and I'll tack another 10K on after it for my longest run before the full Vegas. It won't be a PB ... but it should be fun!

So it's been a bit ...

I'm a little bummed lately ... since I did the 10 miler my Achillies tendonitis has been acting up. (Read - I'm not running!) which is totally annoying!

I am getting out for long walks (last weekend was 17K) but it's not running! I really, really want to get back at it soon. The PT said not yet so I'm listening but it's HARD!!!

Also ... I have 3 1/2 marathons this fall ... Oct 24 I'm the 2:45 bunny for the Toronto Int'l Marathon, Oct 28 I'm the 2:45 bunny for the Niagara Marathon and then with Connor I'm walking the Hamilton Marathon on Nov. 2.

THEN ON Dec. 2 I'm doing the full marathon in Vegas and looking forward to seeing ALL my LVM friends. It's gonna be a BLAST!!!

Well ... all for now.

Cheers

Updates

so ... yesterday I did a 10 mile race. It was great fun ... and despite my achilles acting up lately I did okay. I picked up an achilles compression band to wear during the race and did an R2/W2 strategy and came across in 1:51:03 not too bad really! I know I could have been a good 5-10 mins faster if I was feeling good.

DS and DH also ran yesterday in the 5K ... DS did a 30:43 and DH a 34:18.

Also, I'm reading a GREAT new book ... PD James Children of Men. I'm really enjoying it. Yes it's the book that the recent movie was based on. I didn't see the movie but considering what I've heard of the plot the book is very different.

Check out the opening sentence ... Grabs you right away! "Early this morning, 1 january 2021, three minutes after midnight, the last human being to be born on earth was killed in a pub brawl in a suburb of Buenos Aires, aged twenty-five years, two months and twelve days"

Reallly good ... I've alreay got another PD James to read after this one!

Cheers

Good news and bad news

First ... the good news is that I am OKAY.

The bad news is that my lovely 8 week old new (to me) car is likely totalled. I was in a car accident last night ... in Hamilton not on the highway.

So ... reports filed, insurance contacted, car rental made,trying to contact witnesses and wait for adjuster to find out.The collision place said it's on the verge of a right off ... so we'llsee. And the insurance company said ANY fault on my part = 30% increase!BUT ... I'm OKAY ... that's the main thing.

Long and short ... I was pulling out of the parking lot to get into the parking lot across the street ... a car was stopped to get into the parking lot I was in ... she stopped ... I looked no one coming ... I went and a large Dakota truck smashed into me at high speed causing my car to spin. No airbag deployment ... apparently because of the spin. I was shocked ... cried (somewhat hysterically) ... one person said she thought he ran the light ... he’s 22 ...

Thank heaven for small (or isthis one large?) mercies.

My first ULTRA!!!!

So my first ultra is now complete. Hard to believe … 50 friggin’ K! I can say it was fun and gruelling and amazing all at the same time.

So the night before was the first home game (albeit pre-season) for my beloved TigerCats so I elected to go to the game and then get up early to head to the race. The game was great … our starting QB Jason Maas looked so much better than any time last year. And they won … I left at ½ time came home had a relaxing bath while listening to the game on the radio, got my gear ready for morning and then hit the sack about 9:30. At 11 my boys came home and told me about the win.

The alarm went off at 5:15. I got up and collected all my stuff and headed downstairs so as not to wake the boys. I put the coffee on and had my usual breakfast. Then at approx 5:40 I headed out the door. The race started in Niagara-on-the-Lake which is approx 45-1 hour away. Of course, on the way I stopped at Tim’s (J) for a coffee. I was amazed how much traffic was on the road at 6 on a Saturday morning!

I got to the race start at 6:45 with the race to start at 7:00. There were quite a few cars there as there was a ½ marathon and the 50K. Not a big race though. Picked up my kit which included a hooded sweatshirt. Get my sunscreen on and my bib on and head to mill around.

Talked to few people and then the race director calls everyone together and gives instructions. He says the course is all along the Niagara Recreational Trail and where there’s a curve there is black and yellow tape indicating where to go. He also says there are aid stations every 5K and if you decide to pack it in to stay at an aid station and they’ll come and pick you up. He also said that the volunteers at the aid stations will be keeping track of each runners time. Then he says if you do decide to pack it in tell someone! Apparently one guy decided to go shopping with his wife and didn’t tell anyone and they spend 4 hours looking for him!

So there’s a “go” and we’re off. It’s a small race approx 110 people. The group spreads out fairly quickly. There’s a bunch at the back and we keep in pretty close contact most of the race. I’m doing R3/W2 since it worked so well in Ottawa. I hit the 1 mile marker at 10:24 … oh my that’s a little fast! But I keep going. Feeling good … the course is LOVELY … you can see the Niagara River almost the whole time. Hit 5K at 32 … again too fast. Keep going … lovely homes along the way. Hit 10K in 1:03… again too fast. Shortly after I hit 10K I come to the turnaround for the ½ which started 30 mins after us … as I get there so does the lead for the ½ … what a way to remind me I’m slow!!!!

Keep going … just after this point we hit the HILL on the course. We have to climb a good distance to get up to the Brock monument in Queenston Ont. LOVELY town … BRUTAL hill … I walked it as did many others. As I’m walking up I’m talking to this fella Paul deBiasi who’s 72 and doing this one! WOW! We chatted for a while and then he says he needs to go for a leak and wishes me a good race.

Before I hit 20K I see the lead runners. These guys (and gals) are AMAZING. The led finished in 3:05! I hit 20K in 2:20 which is 10 mins ahead of pace and I’m feeling good. Coming up to the ½ way point which is at the crest of the Horseshoe Falls (how cool is that?). As I’m nearing the falls the tourists are out in force so you have to either weave in and out or walk. I hit the ½ way mark in 2:57 which is still ahead of pace J I ask the volunteer at the aid station if I’m the back of the pack and I’m told that there are at least 5 behind me … but that I had the biggest smile J At the ½ way a tourist nearby calls out to me “how long is the race?” When I respond 50K he gives me a look like I have 3 heads and says “WOW!” Just after the ½ I see 72 yr old Paul he’s doing well.

The aid stations are great … enthusiastic volunteers and they are stocked with PowerAde, water, Pepsi (EW!), chips, pretzels, candy, cookies, cheese etc. Nice. And they offer to fill up water bottles too. Toward the end of the race the folks just ahead of me I could see stop and linger for a few minutes at the aid station to “stock up”.

Carrying on … I hit 30K in 3:35 and I’m slowing down some. My calves are feeling really tight but I keep it going. I hit 35K in 4:09 I think one fella just ahead of me says “Thanks for chasing me!”. My calves now feel like ROCKS they are so tight so I decide to walk a bit. I’ve got 15K left in this thing. The sun is up and it’s a little warm now. Likely around 23C /72F. So I’m walking and start chatting with another fella. We are just around the Brock monument when Mr. 72 year old comes by. I think to myself I really don’t want him to smoke me so I start running a bit. Down the hill is relatively easy and then I start trying R2/W2 but that’s not working so I’m doing R1/W1 until 40K in approx 5:05 ish … After this point I realize that I’m likely walking the last 10K because I ran for a minute and felt my head go woozy. I’m so close to the finish that I’m not going to lose it now!

Shortly after the 40K mark I meet up with another runner … most of the crowd support came from other runners and water station volunteers as it was a small race. Richard and I walked pretty much the last 10K together. Chatting and talking … he’s done more than 60 marathons and another fella in the race Joe Cleary has done well over 100 … he’s done Canadian all provinces & territories and all 50 states and is now working on his continents! CRAZY!!!!

We hit 45K in 5:45 … and I start to choke up especially when Richard starts talking about women he’s run with who did their first marathon and were telling him that the feeling is close to the feeling after childbirth. I’m in “magic time” (aka longer than I’ve ever gone before) so I tear up … and say that the comparison is so dead on … the feeling of physical exertion and achievement is so close!

We are carrying on … and then we see the 1 mile marker … We’re almost there! I look at my watch and we’re at 6:12 and I say “Richard we’re gonna do a sub 6:30!” He says … I didn’t think that was possible by you’ve got one heck of a pace so I’ll take it! We carry on and see Fort George … both of us didn’t remember seeing it on the way out and then we see the finish. (The finish/start area was in a grassy field with 2 orange pylons) … I say Richard what say we run in? So we do … WOW … 50K done in 6:26:52! Hard to imagine!

AND I came in 96/104 … not bad indeed! Click here for a link to a finisher photo ... I'm thinking triumphant is a good adjective :)