Dawn on the Run

Ah yes, finally the post you have all been waiting for….

I didn’t sleep much the night befor the race and woke up around 4am. I tried to go back to sleep but gave up and got up about 4:30. What an ungodly hour to get up at. Just whose idea was this anyhow. As I had laid all my stuff the night before it didn’t take long at all to get ready.

I wasn’t really hungry but ate the fruit bread I had brought back from the Elvis Pasta dinner and a couple of small fruit bars from the Expo. I had a swig of diet coke and drank a small bottle of water. Yup I was breaking all the rules by eating different foods but well at 4:30 in the morning the choices were somewhat limited. Oh yeah, I had a banana.

Elaine got up shortly after me and was also quick to get ready. We headed down towards the starting line just after 5 am. The start area was just outside our hotel, the Mandalay Bay. Lots of runners were already there as we lined up. We saw the Elvi gathering at the front. I thought were to be corals but didn’t see any so we lined up behind those already waiting. The crowd behind us continued to gather and before you know it there were more people behind us then in front of us. Elaine and I wondered if our friends had made it yet. I looked around and our friend Craig was just over to the side of us. Amazing we found him in this crowd. We joined him as we waited for he race start.

We heard them count down for the Wheelchair start, then the Elites were off and it was our time to go. We wished each other luck and headed out. Craig was doing the full so he disappeared quickly. Soon both he and Elaine were out of site. No worries. I was too busy watching the fireworks. There was like 10 minutes or more of fireworks as we headed out. The race started with a real bang…lol. What a way to start. It only took about 5 minutes to cross the start line. I started out doing set so run 4, walk 1. For a while I passed walkers and was passed by runners. I tried to take photos only when walking but there was so much to capture the camera was basically glued to my hand for almost the entire race. No matter, I had already told myself this race was not about a PR, it was about having fun.

Good thing I decided that early as at mile three I made my first stop. Not for a potty break but to watch the Blue Man Group. AWESOME!!! They were well worth the extra 5 minutes I added to my race time.

Of again and running. It was hard to pull away. Man, if these guys ever come to Calgary, I’ve gotta go see them. Anyhow back to the race. Still lots of people both behind and in front of me. I passed a few potty stops but the lineup were ridiculous so I kept going. I passed a Casino and saw a runner exiting. He had gone in there for his pit stop but knowing most Casinos the bathrooms would be way way way at the back and would likely cost more time then some of the lineups. Funny I spotted an Elvis outside drinking a beer…lol. He passed me shortly after. Hmmm maybe a beer would have been a good idea.

Finally ahead I spotted an I Hop. They were runner friendly and no lineups. Yeah! My first stop was a quick one. Gotta like that. Running the Vegas Strip is soo cool. I used up one set of batteries before even completing half the race. Good thing I had spares with me. I joked with others that my neck was gonna be sore from looking up at everything.

The race also took us past a “Run Thru Wedding Chapel”. It was being torn down so I suspect the ceremonies were all over. Later I was passed by a runaway bride and her groom shortly after. By now we were pretty much at the end of the strip. Round a few corners and ahead a cop was yelling “Marathoners go straight, half to the left”. No sign, just this guy yelling. Very strange. As I turned left I joked “Half to the left….right?” The 2nd cop said “Don’t confuse me like that” and laughed. I heard later a lot of runners went the wrong way at that turn. Earlier on a friend of mine from Calgary had been walking back as he was one of the runners doing the half that had mistakenly run part of the full instead so he gave up and opted for a DNF.

The back half of the course was a bit boring. The only thing that made it interesting was the other runners and walkers I met along the way. There was the Pink Dragon ladies who made me an honorary member cause I was wearing pink. There was the Elvis family – a Dad running with his 12 year old daughter and 13 year old son. They were from Kamloops BC and I used to live there. There were lots of Elvi (plural for Elvis). Oh yeah mustn’t forget the 16 & 17 year old boys that I joked with “You aren’t gonna let a little ole lady beat you are you!” as I jogged past them. A few minutes later they laughed and sprinted by. I saw them stop a bit ahead, winded and out of breath. Not long after I went by them again smiling. By the way I did beat them…lol.

I made another stop for a photo with some Fireman and Paramedics (above right). Tell me, would you have stopped…lol. I think it was worth it. Off again and running. Somewhere along the way I found a potty with no line and made one last pit stop. There were a couple of other bands on the back of the course but I didn’t stop other then for a quick photo. I was thankful for my own music that kept me going at a nice pace. My sets were getting a lot longer then the four minutes I started out at earlier. I was feeling good except for my left foot which felt a bit weird. I ignored it and kept running.

Somewhere along the backside the marathoners rejoined us. Most sped by in the lane on our right. A few took walk breaks. Just ahead there was a “Beer Station”. What the heck, why not, I was having fun. I downed a small glass of beer and continued. I had taken water at earlier stations and also washed down a few pretzels & sharkies. I was feeling good, strong and happy. Heck I was either laughing or smiling most of the race. That did get me some funny looks as after all “runners don’t smile” right?!?!

An occasional runner or walker would go by and yell “Heh Pink Chick”. Gotta love a shirt with your name on it. Some were also the Canadians I had met the day before. One last stop at the Kiss wanna be band. They were cool. Not long after my friend Craig came up behind. He gave me a quick hug and was off to beath his 3:40 goal time. I checked my watch, yup at the pace he was going he would do it. I picked it up a bit myself. I wanted to beat 4 hours, which is my worst half time. I didn’t care about getting a PR but I didn’t really want a PW…lol.

The finish was just around the corner and I saw a clear path where I could finish the race solo so I passed the remaining walkers in my way and smiled for a great photo finish. Wooohooo I was done. I got my medal. What a cool medal – little runners and the Vegas sign. I found Craig in the lineup for a massage. We congratulated each other and I went off to get some food.

It was a good race, I still felt great and I wandered around the finish area for a bit. There was a band and lots happening. Eventually I headed out but that’s stuff I’ll leave for another post.

Oh yeah, finish time…

More photos over at my Flickr site – www.flickr.com/photos/dawn-pinkchick/sets/