RnR Las Vegas Half Marathon:::: #10 of 12 in 2012

rock n roll las vegas half marathon, las vegas, nevada

half mary # 11

race# 10 of 12 in 2012

time:  2:12:01

division:  338/1901

gender: 2531/13487

expo::::

we arrived in vegas on saturday and after going to in and out and checking into our hotel, we headed to the expo. we were staying at new york, new york and the expo was all the way down at the venetian, so we took the monorail. i bought discounted tickets for the monorail on RnR's website. the expo was pretty much the same as the RnR Savannah expo. I quickly grabbed my shirt, bag and bib and we headed out. I usually enjoy the expos but for whatever reason I wasn't really feeling it. Brad's never feeling it so we just got in and out quickly. here's a beautiful, no make-up, been traveling since 5 am picture of me [it's the only one i got at the expo so that's the only reason i'm posting it]. 

race morning evening::::

this is the first race i've ever done that didn't have a morning start and it was so odd. i had no idea what to do/how to eat/etc. the half marathon started at 430 so around 3 i headed to the room to get ready. 

i was a big pink mess! 3 different colors of pink on, oh well! my only regret as far as my outfit was that i wish i'd added something fun. i saw so many lighted headbands, necklaces, and stuff like that and also so many sparkle skirts! i've made up my mind, i'm getting one!

after i got all my stuff together i headed to the start line. i took the shuttle from the MGM Grand to the Mirage (start line). i had a little trouble getting into my corral, i somehow ended up on the side that didn't have any entrances so i had to walk back then up to get in. 

the race::::

what is there to say about this course that hasn't already been said? it was definitely a once in a lifetime thing, running down the las vegas boulevard at night and seeing all the bright lights! i was too busy checking everything out and stopping to take pictures to pay any attention to my pace or mileage. i carried my phone for the first 6 miles or so, just because i knew i'd want to take pictures!

the course was flat and the temperature was perfect. my only complaint weather-wise was the crazy winds! i literally almost tripped over my own foot at one point because a huge gust of wind blew my foot into my leg. there were also several times when i just had to put my head down because dust was flying into my eyes (i wear contacts and if they get too dry they fall out and i'm pretty much blind without them!). 

the course was an out and back, beginning and ending on the strip. one of my favorite parts was that we ran through the old downtown part of las vegas which has a lot of casinos and lights too. i'd never seen that part so i really enjoyed getting to see it. we even ran by the pawn stars store! 

the best part was that there was only about a mile or so in a residential area. all the rest of the course was in an area with so many distractions. the course was FLAT too. would be great for PRs if not for the large crowds. 

compared to the horror stories i read last year, RnR really worked out a lot of the kinks. the marathoners had a separate finishing chute for the last 2-3 miles that we ran alongside them. I completely agreed that this was necessary, however there was no on policing it and most of it was just divided with tape (easy to cross). also i felt like the last two water stations were not staffed as well as the first ones. there was water on the tables, but no where near as many people handing them out. 

my race::::

i went into this race wanting to have fun. this race was on my bucket list and i'd been looking forward to it all year. i wanted to soak up every drop of the experience. i stopped to take a lot of pictures and even waited in line for the official photographers to take this pic:

even doing all that, i finished with my second best time ever [brad actually says it's a PR because he doesn't count my downhill race as a PR]. either way, i'm over the moon. it was such an amazing life/running experience

what i'm wearing::::

nike miler shirt

nike running capris

mizuno wave riders (14s) with sweat pink laces

lululemon headband

road id

iPod nano with yurbuds headphones

iFitness double pouch belt

my recommendations for this race::::

get a monorail pass for after the race if your hotel isn't nearby. no one wants to walk the strip after you've run it!

RUN THIS RACE FOR FUN AND SOAK UP EVERY SECOND!

dress up or do the race with a group of friends!

vacation part 1::: vegas

last saturday b-rad and i were up early to fly out to vegas. i got some gorgeous pics of the fog/mountains/sun coming up as we were leaving.

we landed in vegas as scheduled around 1 (via atlanta) and took a shuttle to our hotel, new york new york [no we did not plan this, it just worked out that way!].

our room wasn't ready yet so we dropped off our luggage and made another important journey [the most important thing on brad's vegas list].

he'd been talking nonstop of animal style burgers and fries since we booked the flight.

after in and out we went back and checked in. we were pleased with our room, it was smaller than the last room we had in vegas [at the venetian] but the price was great and the rooms were clean and had everything we needed. well, scratch that, i would have loved a fridge, but no dice.

we took the monorail down to the venetian for the expo and packet pick up. [i bought two monorail passes via the RnR website at a discounted rate and they came in handy. i don't mind walking but the strip drives me crazy because you can't just walk. you have to go up and down stairs almost every block].

dinner the first night was okay. we ate at chin chin which was a sushi/chinese type place in our hotel. then we played some blackjack.

on sunday [race day] we got up and ate breakfast at il fornaio [in ny,ny]. it was convenient and really cheap because they were doing a 2 for 1 deal for runners. i had a waffle with strawberries and it was delicious! kind of nice to carb load at breakfast since i never get to. after breakfast we played some craps then went to a sports bar to watch some of the football games. brad stayed there while i went to get ready for the race [full post on that coming later].

after the race i met up with brad and we took the monorail back to the hotel so i could shower and get ready for dinner. we had reservations for julian serrano [in aria].

most of the tapas were great but those meatballs were not. they were apparently made ahead of time and were served after they were reheated, however mine didn't get reheated. yuck. we have an amazing tapas place in asheville though, so i'm pretty partial to it. [if you're ever in asheville you have to try it, it's called curate].

after dinner... yes brad has on a suit and i have on jeans. my only dressy outfits required heels and that was not happening an hour after 13.1 miles.

on day 3 we mostly walked around and looked at the shops.we had a great lunch at max brenner [in the forum shops] and i fell in love. we split a chicken caesar salad and a bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwich [and those fries with the sandwich were the best!]. then for dessert we had this chocolate lava cake with ice cream, berries, and a mini shake. the little tin had warm chocolate sauce in it. sooooo good.

 after lunch brad went to play craps and i went to the atrium in the bellagio. it was decorated beautifully for Christmas.

i can't remember what we did or ate on monday night, so obviously nothing too exciting! we went ahead and packed up because tuesday morning we were flying out to NYC. more to come!