Trina's page of Blogginess: Recap of the Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon

Monday, December 05, 2011

Recap of the Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon

The Route. Click here to see it in more detail.

Oh, what a night!

What a fun and unique adventure!

Jason and I had a GREAT time walking the Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon. It was a fantastic way to see the strip in a way that you wouldn't otherwise have a chance to.

Seeing as this was my first marathon of any kind, I didn't really know what to expect. I knew it would be very different from my experiences with the SGK 3Day 60 mile walks.

I brought my trusty water backpack with me to make sure that I'd stay hydrated. I figured there would be water along the route (and there was) but I preferred having my pack with me to insure proper hydration, as well as to carry important supplies like snacks (good thing I did!), blister/medical supplies (which I'm happy that I didn't need) and for general storage. So glad I brought it.

The route was fantastic. We started at one end of the Strip on Las Vegas Blvd at the Mandalay Bay, walked down the "New Strip" (which ends around the Encore"), past the "Old Strip" (Circus Circus, Hilton, Stratosphere, and the newly closed Sahara) all the way down to "Old Vegas" on Fremont Street.

The weather was chilly (low 40s, I think) but for the most part, it was perfectly comfortable for me and my regular layers of gear that I wore. It only got really chilly once, when it started to sprinkle/light rain around mile 10 or so. Luckily, the rain didn't last long, which was lucky, because it really made everything much more cold.

The marathon is actually called "Zappo's Las Vegas Rock 'n Roll Marathon". To go along with the theme, every 3 miles or so we would pass by stages with live bands performing. That was a great way to get a little pep in your step when needed.

So, in truth, I haven't done any serious training since the SF 3Day back in September. I've kept up with my routine walks around my neighborhood, and working out on my elliptical machine at home, but it's not the same at all. I was a little nervous going in, but ended up doing just fine. One thing that I realized before this marathon was that the whole route would be flat - which is SO different than what I'm accustomed to. This may seem like a good thing to most people, but honestly, I missed having hills or stairs to climb to mix it up. My muscles aren't accustomed to walking on a flat surface for that long of a distance.

As we were walking, I also realized that this is certainly the longest mileage I've ever done without short breaks or a food stop. (When I train with the Hotties, we are all about food!) The only "breaks" we had during the marathon (of course, since most people are running, and it is a race after all!) were to use the Porta Potties - which I did several times. (Hotties would be proud to know that I stayed well-hydrated!) We usually had to stand in line for 5-10 minutes for each potty break, which was a nice little rest for our feet.

Another difference in participating in a marathon is the street closure! Imagine - not having to stop at every block for signals, stop signs, bicyclists, etc.,! Such a new concept for me. So, this also meant a faster, non-stop pace, which was quite different.

Because of all of these factors, I did manage the quickest MPH speed for any long-distance walk that I've done at around 4 MPH. I think the average when training with my team is more like 3 MPH, or 3.5 if we're with a smaller group.

We completed the 13.1 miles of the 1/2 marathon in 3 hours, 41 minutes. Not bad! We were in the very last group of runners/walkers and left the starting line at 6:10 (the first group of the 1/2 marathon started at 5:30) and crossed the finish line at 9:48. I wasn't expecting to be done before 10:00, so that was great!

What a fun experience it was to walk the 1/2 marathon in Las Vegas with my wonderful friend, Jason.

Many thanks to Jason (who is a runner) for offering to walk with me the whole time, when he certainly could have taken off at any time to finish earlier! What a guy! :)