13.1 miles, 8:42 pace, 1:54:00 time
Looking at that feels amazing!
Two days after our trip from Austin, Texas Steve and I flew to Las Vegas to run the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon. Along with 44,000 other runners we were going to dominate the strip at night! We were beyond excited!
When will you ever get the chance to run down the Las Vegas strip under the dazzling lights of the city at night; no cars, no wandering tourists, just you and your entourage of other runners? That would be never. Hence one of the reasons why Steve and I signed up to run this race. It was the first nighttime race the city had hosted and it was going to be big. Ridiculous big. And it was going to be Steve's first half marathon and we wanted it to be memorable!
Mandalay Bay was the starting and ending point of the race and the gun was to go off at 5:30pm. We thought "it's Vegas so, the weather should be perfect running weather". Which according to us is mid 50's. So, we packed for the race accordingly: shorts and tanks.
We are so fucking stupid.
Why we didn't think to bring other clothes in the event that the weather would be in the lower 40's and windy as hell was beyond me. A visit to the Nike store and $200 later we were finally coordinated with the weather.
Upon arriving at Mandalay Bay we were overwhelmed by the mass of people. And the event coordinators clearly were as well. It was crazy. After we checked our bags we decided to hang out inside to keep warm.
Another fucking stupid mistake
Hanging out with 20,000 people inside an area made for 5,000 seemed like a good idea. It was go time and we could not move. People were trying to come through the doors as we were trying to get out. There was such a rush of people that a few of them were passing out and getting sick around us. It was poor planning all around by the event planners. After breaking free we headed to Corral 5, our starting point. Pushing and shoving our way through we found our spot and I was pumped!
That was the madness that was had in Las Vegas the night of December 4th. And we were part of that. Crazy, right?
Steve and I had made an agreement that we would run our own race at our own pace. So as we crossed the start line we quickly separated. I remember from Mandalay Bay all the way down to the Stratosphere I was cheesing like a kid in a candy store. It was an amazing feeling to see all the lights, the crowd cheering us on and being part of something so big. All of my hard work was paying off.
5k, 7:59 pace, 24:51 time.
Steve had just started running about 6 months ago. Most of his training for this race was done on a treadmill in Bahrain. Not exactly ideal but doable. Even though his time out training on the road was limited he still ran strong and embraced every moment of his race.
No matter how hard you train or work at something nothing is guaranteed to go as planned. Mile 5.5 and my right IT Band goes awry. My knee buckles under me and I almost fell to the ground. I couldn't believe it.
I. Was. Crushed.
I tried to get myself to run again and could only last a tenth of a mile before the pain would get to impaired. My only option was to walk a bit and run a bit. And to think I only had 8 more mile to go. Awesome.
10k, 8:15 pace, 51:18 time
As I am walking along the side around mile 7 I am relieved to see Steve at my side. By chance, luck, blessing, or whatever he found me. I was thrilled but remembered our agreement and knowing he could keep running and make his best time I told him to keep going. Reluctant to leave me he did. As I'm watching him run ahead of me something clicked in my head
Oh hell no! I am not letting him beat me!
I mustered up some strength and ran to catch up with him. I asked if he would run/walk with me as I needed him to push me to finish. And as the supportive husband he is he did. The pain in my knee was excruciating. It felt as though someone was taking a hammer to my knee. I wanted to make good time and pushed myself to run. But of course it would defeat me and I would have to walk. I felt awful that I was holding Steve back from what could have been his best race. But deep down I was so grateful that he was by my side. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have pushed myself as hard. About mile 10 Steve mentioned that he couldn't keep running/walking as it was making the muscles in his legs sore. I completely understood where he was coming from. So, I pushed hard to run to the finish line. It's amazing how strong your body and mind can be when you need it to be. We crossed hand in hand both proud of ourselves and completing the race together.
Yeah, not our best finish photo but finish we did!
After the race we could not walk our muscles were tight and sore. Our plan to celebrate our victory and go out to a fancy restaurant was quickly replaced by eating dinner at Denny's in the hotel. It was admittedly one of our best meals in Vegas.
Despite the obstacles I had during the race I had an awesome time. Running under the neon lights of the Vegas strip, feeling the heat from the volcano at the Mirage, watching a 10 year old pass me and finishing with my husband by my side was a few of my favorite moments. But my most favorite was feeling so incredibly proud of Steve and his accomplishment. I was so impressed by his determination to finish strong. You done good husband!
Next up: The Livestrong Half Marathon in Austin, Texas! Coming February 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment