After not being able to let the idea go I explored some options. First, time off work-yup available. Second- my friend that lives there-yup place to stay. Third-race entry-yup got it. And my friend was willing to watch my kids race day!
So the plan was laid, I would drive out with the kids Friday, do the tourist thing, race Sunday & head home Monday or even Tues. Once my plans were set, even more exciting details happened-my cousin from Colorado was going to do the race too! This is Patty the same cousin I met earlier this year & did the triathlon with. I was so happy to see her again & her and husband Kelly could meet my kids!
As the race got closer EVERYTHING CHANGED! My kids were reluctant to go, so they were staying home. Instead of driving I was flying!
I will spare all the Vegas vacation details (you know what happens in Vegas...stays there) & focus on race stuff!
I was so thrilled to go to the race expo without kids! I couldn't wait to take my time & look at everything! In the past with kids in tow, the expo was an in & out as fast as possible event. We got to the expo & quickly got our race bibs & shirts. The expo was packed! It was set up very strange. There was 2 sections the first section if you make a purchase you had to check out at one main register area before entering the other section where purchases were made at each vendors booth. I originally grabbed water bottles for my fuel belt AND compression socks. By the time I reached check out I had talked myself out of the $50 compression socks! In the other section I made some small purchases. The expo was so crowded and our group dwindled quickly, the boys headed out & eventually everyone was over it...except me! But I went along & left expo prematurely this time too..
It is so different doing a race at night! Usually you get up early & by mid morning your done! My family was stayin in a hotel near the race start/finish so the plan was for me to head over there & hang with them pre-race & stay over after the race. I packed my little over night bag & got dropped off around noon. Good thing I did because as roads were closed getting to strip was impossible! My cousin planned to wait until the last moments to go over, as we knew it would be freezing! We ended up going over sooner as we heard that the crowd was insane! My friend John actually came & met us & said even walkin down the street is not an option there was so many people! So we went through the casinos/hotels to get there! We used the ports potties & it was time to get in line! We didn't get a chance to meet our speedy friends in corral 4 so we said a quick prayer on our own before we jumped in line to wait to get in our corral 22. This is when the chaos began! The race organizers gave up counting down each wave start. It kinda ended up you just made a running start at the start line. There was a fun band at the start line! I ja abandoned my outer layer as I knew I would quickly not need it...but while waiting I got cold! An angel happened to drop a sweatshirt in my size on the ground...so yes I did pick it up & throw it on! Within my first mile I ditched the angelic covering but it served its purpose well. Also with in the first mile it was impossible to stick with my cousin. We had both agreed it was not essential to run together & starting together was nice. But with the crowds & both our desires to run our own race we split promptly.
I LOVED running the strip at night! I had myself so psyched out of the cold temps! I was freaked out for nothing! I had layered well & I get so hot anyway I was stripping layers with in a few miles! I had my little race belt to store my iPhone, & goodies for fuel & stuffed my headband & sleeves in it. It ended up looking like a fanny pack!
The race was tough to maneuver like an I sticks course! People dropped their clothing all over the road, there were walkers everywhere, the marathon lane had orange cones that appeared outta nowhere is seemed! I had fun with it & just kept bobbing & weaving around. I tried to take in all the sights & enjoy the race I waited so long for! It helped that I wasn't freezing like I feared! It was totally a flat course & super easy route. The water stations were a cluster & kinda lame so I barely got fluid :( I felt pretty good the whole time & took my fuel at the right time I felt. My biggest frustration was with my runkeeper! I was trying to keep my pace plan the TNT coach made me but the gps kept pausing & givin me wrong times! The hotels seemed to block the signal & mess it up. My finish time & averages were correct when I finished but while running I couldn't keep accurate pace with the numbers they were giving me :(
All in all I had a great race! My best official half marathon race time (although when I did the full marathon my half time was better) I loves racing with my cousin again & spending time with family/friends.
After the race was TOUGH! It was so crowded!!! They had plastic foil beets for us to wrap around us. Getting out of the race finish was insane! I did start to feel weird cause I needed to keep moving but was trapped in the sea of people. We grabbed some electrolyte drink which helped but it was so cold & claustrophobic! We got out in the open area I had no cell service & couldn't meet up with my friend! I got in the hotel & it was wall to wall people trying to get through! It took me over an hour to walk to the lobby & meet up wih my friend. Sadly by the time we got back to the room, showered & changes there was no place open for our victory dinner! Pizza hut was the dinner of champions haha!
Overall I am so glad I went & did this race/mini vacation & hope I get to head back next year!
