Who is crazy? Las Vegas Race.

It started on Saturday wit Santa Clause 5K run.
For me the most important event of the Vegas trip happened one day before the Marathon. My Dear Wife was participating in Santa Clause 5K run, in an attempt to break World Record for largest Santa gathering. 7269 Santas participated. It was great event. I am proud of my wife doing this race without a lot of training due to injuries.

Before the race with small bells provided by organizers:


Shortly after the start:


She is somewhere:




Finish:

More pictures from Santa Clause race.


Sunday. It was shortly after 5 a.m.
The elevator was full of runners, as we exited more runners from different directions headed toward exit. Race would start at 6 a.m.
Casino on the lower level of the hotel was full of players. How crazy you have to be to enjoy gambling so late at night?
On the other hand you could see the look in the eyes of players thinking how crazy you must be to go out for run so early in the morning.


It was fun. My final training before the race.
I enjoyed meeting with my virtual, known only from web forum, friends on Saturday night. I met a lot of new friends. I was able to speak to some. I am sorry I didn't have time to speak with all of you - I am sure there will be another time.
Shortie I am sorry if I was frustrated to much when we were stuck in traffic on the way to the hotel. I run to my room, my wife left me my ticket. It was 7:57. Andreas Bocielli concert was starting at 8 p.m. I run fast - about 1 mile from Luxor to MGM Concert Hall - via internal hallways. It was my final training before the race. It wouldn't be so bad if I had my running shoes I entered the Concert Hall around 8:20 - the program started with delay so I didn't miss a lot. Second part of the concert was fantastic.

Goal. My second training session.
After I set my PB at Niagara Half I wanted to go to Vegas without any time goals. A few days later when all pain was gone, and my running felt great I have decided to go for PB again. I trained hard for it.
I had to correct my plans when I contracted viral infection on Tuesday in Vegas. I needed to rest but we were doing tours to the Death Valley, Zion and Red Rocks. We went to the Canyon in the Zion Park. After half an hour of walk without jacket I realized that this Canyon doesn't get the sun, water was freezing on the walls, and my hands started to freeze also. I knew only one way to warm up. I did run to the end of the Canyon and than all the way to the start, total approximately 2 km. It was my second training session.




Race.
I started strong. All fireworks and great number of people cheering on the Strip helped a lot. I stopped coughing and I felt great. I was hopping to get a PB. Around 2nd kilometer I have spotted orange RM shirt in front of me. I moved closer and met Dwayne, we chatted for a kilometer or two. It felt great to run with another maniac. I realized that his breathing was so quiet compared to mine, but I was still aiming for PB. I didn't miss the split between the full and the half, but my breathing become much heavier. After 10th kilometer I wasn't able to hold my pace - I was drifting back. It felt like I was near moving sidewalk, with other runners using it
I though that I will be able to get on pace starting with kilometer 11, 12, 13..., but I didn't have it in me this time.

I crossed the finish line and started coughing for 5 minutes, realizing that I am not the only person doing that, there are more sick or .... crazy people



Clock Time 01:46:05
Chip Time 01:45:54
Results

Half Marathon - my running anniversary

Last year on 30 of October, after 83 km of running on treadmill for a little over a month I went for my first run outside since year 2000. I did run 5.1 km in 25 minutes. I did try to run hard and this result, although not in the race, demonstrates my running ability at that time, developed after a few years of biking mostly. So today I run Niagara Falls Half Marathon to celebrate my first year of running.

My goal for this race was to simply match McMillan prediction of 1:40, based on my 5K run of 21:31 in July. I did train hard for this event. I want to thank klewlis for pointing to Half Marathon training plan, it was my first structured program. It was really challenging but helped me to get desired result.

I visit Niagara Falls very often, especially during the summer, it is 40-50 minute drive from my home in Burlington. This race was very important to me - I promised myself if I do it right I will go just for fun in Las Vegas during my backup half, if not I will have to work hard for the next month. Race kit pickup was scheduled for Saturday or 6-7 a.m. on Sunday morning before the race. My manager and me didn't like to go there and back on Saturday, we didn't like also idea of getting up around 5 a.m. to pickup kit on Sunday. For that reason we have booked room in Sheraton on the Falls. I was watching weather forecast in the last week. It wasn't good. I took plenty of clothes, being ready for cold temperatures, rain and high speed winds. View from the Sheraton was fantastic and it helped me relax well before the race.



I woke up around 7.a.m, had light breakfast and good warmout. We were in our hotel 24 km from the start line, but we made it to the drop off area, 2 km from the start, just 10 minutes before the start. I didn't have time for planned 3 km slow running warmout, I made fast run to the start, and heard Canadian anthem before I have reached start area. I made quick washroom or 'bushroom' stop and I joined the HM crowd in the last moment, coincidentally near the 1:40 pacing bunny. I didn't even know that there will be pace bunny for HM. It was good luck as I found out later. And here it starts. I made good decision dressing, I had t-shirt and light wind jacket, any sings of predicted rain vanished and the sun was shining nicely. Wind wasn't very strong initially.



My pace to reach my goal of 1:40 should be steady 4:43. I decided long before the race to run negative splits. My plan was to run 4:44-4:45 for first 10 km and then go for 4:41-4:42 or better :). That was just a plan, but early on I decided to keep with pace bunny for a moment. I wasn't sure how he will run, he had 10:1 marked on one ear. I though that it was 10 minutes run 1 minute walk, but 15 minutes into the race and he didn't make any walking breakes. I figured out that it must be 10 km run and 1 km walk, because his first km splits were 4:38 and 4:40, and my thinking was that he runs faster now to save time for the walk breake, so I decided to slow down and stick to my original plan. But around 4 km in sudden burst of excitement I charged ahead of bunny, I don't know what I was thinking, but I liked the extra seconds in a bank for unexpected ahead. I kept zipping and unzipping my jacket as the wind intensity begun to increase. I remembered to take liquids at almost every station.



I felt great and was holding myself to not repeat mistake of the past in running to fast early in the race. Around 10 km my right hip started to bother me, last time I had hip problem was in August near 20 km of the long run. It scared me somehow to feel it that early. Around 11 km I knew that negative splits will not happen, and I was happy to run 4:44 pace. I try to stay positive remembering from somebody's signature 'Pain is temporary, glory is for ever'. I didn't want any glory just to finish the race. I kept drinking water and Gatorade, I also had my own liquids as well. I needed it twice when people in front of me mishandled the pickup and I wouldn't be able to get liquid without stopping, so I used my own.

It wasn't good around 16 km, I kept with some people in front of me but some went faster ahead. Wind was getting stronger and my pace went up to 4:47. The wind become really strong and in the middle of 17 km my pace was about 5:05. I struggled and started to question my ability to set correct goal for the race. My hip didn't bother me any more than the bottom of my feet hitting small rock on the bottom of my shoe with every step. I was sorry for myself I wanted just to finish. How stupid can I be to set such unrealistic goal I should aim for 1:45 in my first race and I would be happy.

I somehow managed to get my pace to 4:47 in that 17th kilometer and it didn't look like I was going to run any faster for the next 4 km, I was ready to give up my goal of 1:40. And than the 1:40 pace bunny, whom I left around 4th km and forgot that he exist passed me and shouted 'just 20 more minutes'. It give me suddenly extra burst of energy. He went 50 meters ahead of me, but I was able to be close for the rest of the race reaching pace 4:38, and 4:39 on two of last 4 km. 20 meters before the finish I rejoined the pacing bunny to thank him for helping me reach my goal - He didn't hear, he just run to be at exactly 1:40 at the finish line. My time 1:40:05 (Chip time: 1:39:55). I am so happy.

I have to thank my manager... Stop. I don't have a manager but I have very supportive wife - she is my manager, driver, trainer and everyday confidant, she isn't a runner but she runs sometimes harder than me, she run to make photos at the start line and she run hard to reach the finish area to take the finish line photos, this time she couldn't make it on time to the finish. Even if she would make it she would not have a medal waiting at the finish. I love her for that. Thank You.



I have planned goals for this year early in 2007. I wanted to run 5 K below 22 minutes, 10K below 50 minutes and 1/2 marathon below 2 hours. I have reached my 5K goal in July and readjusted my goals, for 10K below 45 minutes, and HM below 1:40, based on McMillan calculator.

It was good running season. I achieved all my goals, learning a lot about running. The one goal I didn't achieve was my dream goal to go below 20 minutes in 5K. I might try it next year :-)

Results

Time 1:40:05.8
Chip time 1:39:55.6
My GPS time (21.2km) 1:39:57
Place 166/1514
Category Place(Man 45-49) 21/111

More pictures:

Niagara Falls Marathon