Top 10 Reasons I Will Not Run the Las Vegas Marathon Again

As the information has trickled down this week and I put the pieces together, I dont know what exactly happened.  Remember, I LIVE HERE.  This is my home race.  I know that I will not be back to run this marathon for sure: here is the list.

10:  The entry fee.  I am a sucker for paying that much to run a marathon.  I get that the permits to shut the strip down at night must be outrageous but I dont have to contribute to it.  $150 bucks to run a marathon is a lot.

9:  The Expo.  If you pay that much to race, it better be a first class event.  It most certainly was not.  They gave me the wrong size shirt and would not exchange it until after the race.  There were thousands of people jammed into a very small space and no walk ways to move around.  There were no race posters.  I collect them and now I dont have one for this race.  They needed twice the space.

8.  The shirts were ugly too.  Wouldnt you think a race ran at night would have something fun about night time gear.  NOPE.  Black shirts with a little glow in the dark writing.  Black shirts for a night race? Bogus.

7.  Number of entries.  The official numbers are 44,000 people signed up.  Let me tell you that the number of people walking with bibs, yardy margaritas, and beers seemed like way more than that.  It was New Years and a race.  Except the control the cops have at new years was missing.  It was an absolute circus.  They are trying to get to 100,000 entries for the future and next year the goal is 60, 000. I will not contribute to that.  There was so many people walking they covered the marathon lane.  I zig-zagged the last 13 miles of this race.  More on that later.

6.  Timing of the half and the full meeting back up on the strip.  The shear number of people, the number of bandits, It was bedlam.  Perhaps I am too slow to experience good separation but gees, It was miserable weaving around the 3 hours plus of walkers.

5.  Aid stations.  The aid stations were horrible.  Not only were they not enough of them but they were bare when I go there.  I received no cytomax for the last half of the race.  That means I was stuck with water only for the second half of the race.  Some aid stations you had to pour your own water.  Not to mention the number of people who were sick from the water.  I had most of the symptoms other had.  I dry heaved A LOT but did not vomit.  I was so sick.  Did I make a nutrition error?  Yes, but I have never felt that way before and it lasted all night.  They tapped a fire hydrant for water.  Used a hose to pour water into cups then they couldnt fill them fast enough.  So they filled a trash can with water using a liner.  They scooped water out and served it to runners.  My symptoms were severe to me but way less severe compared to others, so I am not sure.  For that entry fee I better have the resources I need.

4.  Medals/Swag.  There are literally hundreds of people who did not get a medal.  People who finished got offered multiple medals and they took more.  Some bandits got through and took medals.  The finishers for the half were so backed up at the medals that they had stand on the magnetic strip.  Literally on the finish line.  There was nothing to eat but green green bananas and stale bagels.  Really?  For 150 bucks I cannot recover?

3.  Running at night.  Now should I have trained this more?  YES.  I am responsible for that aspect of it but it made running more of a challenge.  I didnt think I would have had that problem.  It is nice to start out cold and get warm as you run.  At night its warm to cold.  Bring extra clothes to run the second half but you have to carry it through the first have.  Not to mention the people who are in las vegas and have a vacation to enjoy.  Walking through the race or using LV Blvd to walk to dinner or to a cab with your luggage.  Runners smashing into civilians with their luggage during the race?  Really?  Why do we have to weave around those folks too?  It was cold, and even rained too.  Parts of the full were very well lit and other parts was almost totally dark.  Weird.

2.  Competitor group.  I am starting to see a trend here.  The competitor group is getting awfully greedy.  Last year was borderline and I was a sucker for coming back.  I am even considering canceling my traithlete magazine subscription so those guys dont get anymore money from me.  The tri rock series is not even close.  Same baloney with water and bikes?  NO CHANCE.  I will not be back to vegas for sure and If the competitor group is behind a race I will be very reluctant to sign up.  I am thinking the local race thing is what is important.  Big, gaudy, manufactured experience is not desirable.  Not me, No thanks.

1.  The survey we got from the healthy district.  When the health district is trying to investigate what the runners drank at a race you know its bad.  I wish I can remember when i took water to help this out.  I wish I knew when which aid station it was.  I know that my insides were twisted and all of my muscles cramped.  My middle back and shoulders?  Lower back and legs?  I have never felt like that before.  Thank god it wasnt enough to make me seriously ill but gees it still was bad.

The good news:
-It was been really smooth recovery.  Since I didnt have a strong second half, I wasnt torn down.  I was sore but not horrible.  I have been able to run 30-60 min easy and I really, really want to go faster.
-I know I can push through anything.  If I can push on through what I felt then, what can stop me?
-It is still a marathon PR.  just not that impressively.
-I know that if the race was in the morning and I had healthy water to drink  I had a great plan.  I am in good shape.
-This puts me in good position for Surf City.  I am going to have one more week of easy recovery then get back to it next week.  I am ready for the new schedule!

Cringing as I think of Goals for the Las Vegas Marathon

As today has unfolded I have been thinking about whether or not to post about goals.  I have been known to set the bar too high for myself.  At times a good thing, at others setting myself up for disappointment.  I have set goals that were unfair to myself.  This concept is a healthy thing.  I think of this problem as a root of failed health all around the country.  People who forget that striving for better pertains to them.  I am constantly reminded at how awesome it is that people with lives and families and things still do speed work, they still repeat hills, and other training that the average person just doesnt get.  I love it.  I love that only a few select people really know what work I am doing.  I love that people out there are busting their butts just to get better and they do not have a "real" competition.  Got off topic.  The goals.

A Goal:  4:15.  That is a 9:43 pace.  My Vdot said 4:15 so that has been my goal.  "A pie in the sky day" is what Karl said.  This goal is gonna take some guts.  Not only will it be at that pace but it means that I cannot walk.  I have yet to prove that to myself.  My training has not really supported this goal but it is close.  I am going to give it my all to keep this.

B goal:  4:23.  That is 10:00 pace.  This would be an hour PR at this distance.  I really, really want that.  It will be tough and again will come down to guts in that last 10K.  We always talk about the 1st race as the race just put in there to get you tired and then the real race begins.  The only "concern" that I have is what I am feeling like when this time comes.  I am practicing mental imagery on keeping my mind clear, and my body calm and rely on the hurt and pain I have endured/overcame to act like I have been there before.  Because I have.

C goal:  No walking/4:30 and beat the time cut off.  I dont think I will get picked up because the times dont add up for the race people.  I know that I can get through the first half in the allotted time no problem...but will they shut it down when they say they will?  Does not make sense.  The amount of turns and the afternoon/evening start time may make for lost time.  I feel like I can run anywhere, anytime, in any conditions, and at any time of day.  Bring it on.  Here is how my week went:

Monday-Rest.  I met all mileage goals and got all my specialty/long runs in so I rested.  It was a hard week anyway.
Tuesday-Rest.  With the start of track season and taper and all I decided not to fight to find time to run.  There is no running with the girls now.  The first 2 day stretch off I have had in a long time.  Kinda nice.
Wednesday-5 mile easy.  Just got a easy run in while the girls went easy.  Sully and i enjoyed sunset park.
Thursday-Rest, I am going to have find a way to get a run in with practice/work in there.
Friday-10 mile under 9.  I thought it would be a fun thing to see what I can do.  While I ran the first mile I thought what if I can do both?  Progression and under 9, keep that real tight.  Here are my splits: 8:59 (under 9 right? lol), 8:54, 8:52, 8:48, 8:45, 8:44, 8:42 (this is where the hill was and the terrain stays slightly more uphill then Las Vegas Blvd), 8:48 ( I was trying to keep this pace up hill, lol), and 8:53.  I was battling and went to the place I know I will be in a few weeks.  I am proud of that but I wonder how long I could have kept that pace.  This is the kind of workout that I need to make more common.  This is a character builder.
Saturday-  Hill repeats.  I have been curious.  I have run this hill on High Mesa in the past and I wanted to see what I got.  I ran it twice.  It is a 600 ft gain in 1/2 mile.  I had mixed success.  Although I ran it twice, which, I couldnt do before, I had to walk some.  Quads and lungs on fire.  I also had some shoes on that were of no help.  My feet were sore.  I got a good rhythm and I am loving that strategy for tackling hills.  A total of 6 miles.
Sunday-Long Run.  A 14 miler was cut short.  I wasnt into it.  I just didnt feel like it.  I got up to run with the girls for practice and didnt feel like it.  My feet were sore and I had other things going on and I just didnt want to put it out there today.  I am on taper and I just cut it short.  It was 8 miles at 9:21 pace.  I was with the girls and with sully and I just didnt have the "thing" to stay with the plan.
Total:  Weekly mileage 29 miles,  supposed to be 37.  I had a good specialty run, I cut my long run short and the weekly mileage was down.  Just a weird week.  Only 1 day of practice next week, off to california for the holiday where I will run a 5K and a 10K.  No worries Karl I will behave.  Quote:

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”
 Buddha

When the first race is over, what do you have left?