What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.  But, I'll share some weekend highlights with you... (this is very picture happy and doesn't talk a ton about the race, I'm sure you've all read enough RnR Vegas recaps for a lifetime)

I flew out to Vegas mid day Saturday, with cupcakes in hand, for Allison's birthday.  Let me just tell you, if you ever want to get attention at an airport, bring a clear Tupperware container of cupcakes with you, you'll get more attention than you ever wanted. 

We dropped off my stuff at the hotel, Circus Circus - which was nicer than I expected it to be. (Although 3 women in one room makes for a lot of stuff.)

 

Then I headed over to the expo to grab my bib.  I've run a bunch of races this year, all the expos are basically the same, so I just wanted to get in, pick up my bib and leave.  The swag was pretty good - I got a blinking red light and a headlamp (perfect for Ragnar!).  Somewhere between the expo and hotel my favorite sunglasses went missing too! Sad.

  RAGNAR READY!!!

Susie, Allison and I went to a fancy dinner Saturday night to celebrate Allison's birthday at The Steak House at Circus Circus.  This joint is apparently one of the best steak houses in Vegas, and man, it was good.  And, on top of that, a friend of Susie's paid for dinner. (One of my favorite things was the steer shaped butter, so silly, but I loved it.)



Birthday desserts for all!

Me, Susie and Allison

After dinner we headed over to the Cosmopolitan where we met up with our friend Joy and a friend of hers and headed in to Marquee, where we were on the list and didn't have to pay. I'm sad that I missed the blogger meet up, but there was so much going on I just couldn't swing it.

So, I was wearing these giant heels, which I knew would make my feet hurt all night & I would pay for it during the race the next day, but I wasn't looking to PR, & they looked good with my outfit.  A little foot pain (or a lot) is no big deal, right?  I'm lying, I wanted to cry, these shoes were not meant for wandering around in a club and being on your feet all night - at least not for me, I wear flats, sandals or running shoes 90% of the time, my poor feet couldn't take it. At least I looked good!  And that's clearly what matters most, right? ;)

Me, Joy's friend, Susie, Joy and Allison

The next day we grabbed breakfast (nearly 24 hours in Vegas and breakfast was the first time I spent any money, I'd say that was pretty impressive).  Then Allison and I wandered up the strip where I bought some awesome, $10, Elvis sunglasses.  Viva Las Vegas!  (I had been holding out hope that my sunglasses would appear, but no. Also, those Elvis sunglasses are still in my purse and I keep thinking about wearing them.)

Mid afternoon we left the hotel and headed up the strip, via the light rail, to the start line.  Now you all know everything that happened during the race, the debacle of the crowds, the insanity of getting to gear check, the craziness of the corrals, the illnesses that so many people felt.  The only details you need from me are that I carried my iFitness hydration belt filled with Nuun (I am not a fan of Cytomax, but I did drink the water on the course), I wore my lululemon Run Inspire capris, my Ragnar Ambassador tank, black lululemon arm sleeves (best sleeves I've ever worn, they should really make them again), a C9 Target ear warmer head band thing (found the Friday before the race for $10.99, Targe for the win!), throw away gloves (that I never threw) my visor, and my royal blue Team Sparkle skirt (running in a sparkle skirt makes everything more fun! Same for running in a tutu, makes every race more fun.).  I tend to overheat when I run, so this was the perfect outfit for this cold weather for me, I was only cold waiting in the corrals and at the end.  Although, based on a comment on my blog post on the water in marathons I'm starting to wonder if maybe my issue was partially a little bit of hypothermia, I don't know, maybe my body just wasn't adjusting properly.  I'm not actually really even sure what the symptoms of hypothermia are, so this is just speculation. (Here's a picture of me on the way to the race, wearing my Ragnar Ambassador jacket.)

Deb (wearing a light up hat), me and Susie                          The back of my ambassador tank

That's a lot of people...  

Can you find me? It's like Where's Waldo! You can see the
finish line was a madhouse (I am in this picture)

The only other thing I'll tell you about this race is because of the crowds I got pushed, shoved, elbowed, almost tripped, yelled at and was generally crowded the whole way.  I was also sick during the race, multiple bathroom stops (which required crossing over the full marathon lane - fail) and some dry heaving toward the end.  Perfect.  Or not.  I thought about just stopping when we went back past Circus Circus but I had my bag at gear check and obviously I'm dumb and didn't think to have someone grab it for me.  Fail on my part.  I finished in 2:52, not my best time and not my worst.  I was just happy to be done.  I grabbed water, a couple bags of pretzels and a greenish banana and headed to gear check.

After I got my bag I sat down on the floor in the gear check room and dumped out my bag and sat staring at all my stuff for a minute.  I was a little confused/disoriented, but apparently aware enough to take a picture of my crap, what? (You can see my fancy blue shoes - I LOVE them, Saucony Kinvara 2.) I finally pulled myself together and texted my family to tell them I was done and alive.  A friend found me, and thankfully my gear bag was toward the end of the line of bags so I was easily able to see the signs for the shuttles.  We got on one and quickly got back to the hotel.

Post race exhaustion.  Am I alive?  Yep, just feel like crap.

sun coming up over Vegas

After a shower everyone was going to get food, and I just couldn't bear the thought of going to eat, the idea of food made me want to throw up.  So, I went to bed, then got up early and caught a 7am flight home and headed straight to work (another error in judgement, I should've taken Monday off).  I felt off and my stomach was upset all week.  I don't know what caused me to get sick.  I don't know that it was the water on the course.  Maybe it was the fact that I had been a little under the weather all week.  Maybe it was the dinner the night before.  Maybe it was the shoes from the night before (unlikely, but maybe). Maybe it was lack of sleep.  Maybe it was the beginning of hypothermia, it was cold, maybe I didn't wear enough layers.  I don't know.  It was probably a combination of things.  What's done is done.  I'm not blaming Competitor or RnR for getting me sick, but I do think we should all think about where the water / electrolyte along a race course comes from and how its handled.  Even if the water isn't something that got people sick, we should still be aware of what we are consuming and where it comes from.

What I do know is that regardless of where the illness came from, I am done with Rock n Roll events.  Actually, I had basically decided that before the event.  RnR's are very pricey and they don't usually have great customer service, I never love their events.  There are PLENTY of other races I would rather give my money to, races that have great customer service, aren't insanely expensive and are fun.

So, all in all, I enjoyed Vegas.  I had a great time with my friends, and really, that's all that matters.  I had a fun weekend and spent some quality time with women whose company I really enjoy - and George, our rockstar who showed up on Sunday to hang out with us after running his first ultra - a 50k - the day before!  So, regardless of how I felt during or after the race, I am happy I went to Vegas.  Next year, I'll go spectate.

If you were in Vegas I hope you had fun, regardless of the race outcome.