Who would have ever thought that we would be searching for hats and mitts in Vegas? While we missed the snow storm in Calgary, we arrived in Vegas to learn that it was a balmy 5 degrees. Randy was no longer laughing at me for bringing my winter jacket. I wore it the entire time we were away.
Having taken shorts and a t-shirt to run in, we were now spending Saturday afternoon looking for running pants, mitts and a hat. I had already bought a hoodie when we registered for the race. Luck would have it and we found all the warm clothes we needed.
Arriving Friday afternoon, we decided to walk to MandalayBay hotel to register and explore the running expo. That was the beginning of our continuous walking up and down the strip. First the expo was excellent and not overly crowded. Rumor has it on Saturday it was a zoo, as the bulk of the participants tried to register. Thank goodness we went Friday!
Have you ever seen the Blue Man group? A show like no other! Funny, musical, a bit like stomp, a bit comedy act and very very entertaining. We had excellent seats, just behind those that needed to wear rain coats. One of the best shows we have ever seen and a bit creepy starring into his eyes. He won the blinking contest.
After the show, dinner, more exploring, including seeing the city from the top of the Eiffel Tower. A little unnerving going up so high, but looking out over the city was amazing, and the cage helped. More walking, a little gambling and it was time for bed. Really it was 2:30 am and we need to be up at 7 for a trip to Hoover Dam.
The Dam is amazing! More site seeing, some shopping at the outlet mall for warm clothes, dinner and it was 10:30pm. Time for cirque de soilel "O". Interesting but similar to others we have seen. Maybe we were just tired?? To bed by 2 am, since we were running at 6:15 am. What were we thinking?
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Up at 4:30 and standing at the starting block by 5:45. OK it was cold so into the hotel we went until 6:15. As 30,000 participants waited to get started fireworks marked the beginning of the race. It was awesome! Racers for a far a you could see. Positioned in corral number 23, it took 45 minutes for us to reach the starting line. Running down the Strip provided all the distractions a person could want. The first 10K was over in a flash. Well a long flash, but we felt good. Taking pictures with racing Elvi, passing couples who chose to get married during the race.(maybe they were passing us LOL)and enjoying the music of the bands positioned every mile along the route made the 2.41.50 hours pass quickly. Up to the last 2 miles. Thank goodness for my coach, who ensured I stayed hydrated and energised and then pushed/ pulled me through the last mile. Farther than I had ever run before it was becoming difficult. My knees felt like 50lbs each but we kept going. No way was I going to quit. I had a goal to finish in 2 hrs 45 minutes and we did, with a small sprint at the end. Feeling every muscle in my feet and legs I was exhilarated. What a sense of accomplishment!
Tired, yes we were!! No sooner did I sit down in my seat on the plane than I was asleep. With only a few hours of sleep over 72 hours and a 1/2 marathon, what a weekend in Vegas it was!!
Time to get home and start preparing for our next adventure. Christmas in Abbotsford.
