Marathon Me

The Running from an Angel marathon took place in Boulder City, Nevada, right by the Hoover Dam, which is a damn big dam. It is a fairly hilly course with a few 8% grade hills thrown in there just for fun.

 

Shelley, and I flew into DFW and met Scott and then we all flew to Las Vegas. We got into Vegas pretty late because the flights were about a third of the price if we arrived 9:30pm on Friday and left 6:00am on Monday. So, of course, I opted to save that money for the blackjack tables. Way to coach Al!

Upon arriving at the Hacienda Hotel and Casino (which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere) we checked in. I asked for a late checkout because we were doing the marathon, and since the regular checkout was 11am, the 8am race start made it so we would have no chance of making the regular one. The lady was very nice and asked how Sunday sounded. I informed her that if I didn’t have to pay for the extra night that it sounded pretty damn good. So she said okay, buy one get one free, super late checkout. Best late checkout Ever!

We woke up the next morning and drove the 2 miles to the start of the race. It was really windy and pretty chilly. We picked up our packets and took the obligatory (obligatory that is when Shelley is with us, otherwise we are too lazy) pre-race photo.

We saw Bart and Laura Yasso (who was doing her 100th marathon) before the start of the race and since they were celebrities they held the start of the race until they were ready to go. When the gun went off I used my famous high school trick of knowing where the cameras are burst to the front so I could have a good picture. (This is a feat that I pulled of twice in high school, getting into the paper for a race that I didn’t come close to winning, ahhh good times, good times.)

The race has a total of 2839 feet of climbing, but since it was an out and back and you have a net zero, that basically means the course was flat, right? We started up a slight incline out of Boulder Beach and then got a little downhill to mile 1. We would spend most of the race on SR 166 and have good views of the water. Marathon Guide had a review that compared this to Big Sur, and I have to say it doesn’t compare to Big Sur. Big Sur is way prettier. This course is like the pretty person who is pretty when they hang out with ugly people but not when compared to someone really pretty. But this was still a very fun and challenging race.

Miles 1 and 2 rolled and then gradually went up until mile 4. By this time I couldn’t hear anyone’s footsteps behind me, and I didn’t want to turn around and see where everyone was, so I just decided to see how many miles I could “win”. I figured if I got past at mile 14 then I could say “well, you know, if it had been a half marathon I might have been able to win”, to myself. So at least I had that going for me, which was nice.

0-1 6:58
1-2 6:58
2-3 7:19
3-4 7:15

Mile 4 gave us a little downhill action to rest the legs and I dipped back under 7:00/M pace. But then it took it all back as we headed up to mile 6, as I crested the hill at mile six I saw a sign that said danger 8% grade. Great. So I try to stay in control while careening down this hill, knowing that at mile 20 this hill is going to suck. I wish I could run down hill like Joe and then this would have been a four minute mile.

4-5 6:55
5-6 7:42
6-7 6:49

I’m still in the lead and now I make a pact with myself to not get passed before the halfway point. I start to push it a little harder up the hills through mile 10. My legs are starting to burn and I am breathing pretty heavy for this early in a race.

7-8 7:22
8-9 7:27
9-10 7:42

My legs are tired now and my right calf is starting to feel like an overstuffed sausage, but mile 11 is downhill so I relax and get a good mile in. Mile 12 is back uphill and even though it isn’t as steep as the others it feels longer and I go over 8 minutes for the first time.

10-11 6:57
11-12 8:23

I cruise into the halfway point and then get to turn around and now I see no one is right behind me.

12-13 7:54

I time how far the second place guy is and I catch up to him in 60 seconds, so he is 2 minutes behind me at this point and looks very strong. He is 18 years old, I would learn later, and he looked like he could run at that pace forever. The wind is absolutely insane at the turn around, there were 20-30mph gusts slamming you right in the face trying to push you off the course. Cups that weren’t placed deep into the trash cans had no shot of using gravity to make it in. I can feel that my face is tight, red and wind burned. The second place guy is probably 40-50 pounds lighter than I am and so I figured he should be less able to handle the wind. I decide to do my Ivan Drago impersonation and attempt to “break him” over the next 6 miles.

13-14 7:14
14-15 7:42
15-16 7:27
16-17 7:40
17-18 7:27

I am redlining it big time at this point. I am sure that I have broken away from him, but not so sure that I feel safe enough to turn around and check. I am moving as fast as is physically possible for me at this point. I normally don’t ever push it this hard this early in a race and it is taking a toll. My breathing is ragged, lungs are on fire, the sausage in my calf is threatening to pop out, but I’m just trying to take it a mile at a time.

The next five miles are tough as I am approaching my limits, combined with the 8% grade hill I now have to go up, I’m getting hammered, my form is falling off, I would not be a good endorsement for running at this moment.

18-19 7:42
19-20 7:51
20-21 8:06
21-22 7:29
22-23 8:14

I’m in the home stretch I refuse to lose this race at this point. I only have a little over a 5k to go. I think that is only 13 laps around the track, I know I can do that. I charge hard down the downhill knowing my pursers still have a couple uphills and that they are running out of miles to catch me. My mouth is hanging open, I’m breathing like a caveman, I want to hit the course with my club and drag into my cave so I don’t have to run anymore.

23-24 7:21
24-25 7:22

I can see the finish, there is no way I am going to lose. I have been fighting with my GI system the last 6-7 miles and I decide that this hurt so much to get here I will not be stopping for the porta-potty this close to the end, no matter what happens. Then I think that is pretty disgusting and why am I even thinking things like that. I turn to see if anyone is behind me with a mile to go. Hoping that there is not some punk right off my shoulder just waiting for me to call him out. All I see are a couple of ladies who started 2 hours early that I just passed, it’s in the bag. I back off a little, but not really consciously, mainly because the tank is empty, nothing is left.

25-26 8:07
.2 1:28
===========
3:17:04

I finish but am not sure if there were any other fast people who had an early start so I wait to see if there will be a Nike controversy here today, but in the end there wasn’t, the fastest early starter finished in close to 5 hours. The victory was mine, I grab my finishers medal and stumble into the potta potty. I don’t feel right at this time. My systems are all out of wack. I head to get some food, I drink a sprite and have a PBJ sandwich, and then find my wife. I pick up my interesting slate trophy in the shape of Nevada and go sit down again.

It turns out I set the course record by over 5 minutes, but I don’t really care right now.  I feel out of sorts and very cold. I go sit in the car for a while waiting for Scott. I’m freezing and have to turn on the heater. Then I get up and go get some hot soup. It doesn’t taste that great (what kind of hippie puts cauliflower in soup?), but it is warm and I drink it. Back to the porta potty. Then back to the car. Shelley and I drive out to find Scott and take some pictures and wish him luck head back to the finish. I stay in the car feeling very green. My breathing is still a little ragged.

Scott comes along and gives his sister the I Love You sign (at least I think that’s what it is, I’m not very good with sign language outside of the sign for More and Eat).

 

We get in the car and head to the hotel, I feel wretched at this point. I get to the hotel and immediately throw up (thankfully not black unlike after my 2nd marathon). I am unable to keep anything down for the next hour or so. We start packing and it takes me 3 or 4 times before I can finish. I pack my shoes then have to lay down, I’d pack my dirty clothes then have to lay down, etc.

Finally we shuffle out of the hotel and I know I need sugar badly. I am calorie deprived and dehydrated. But nothing sounds good. I know I need pure unadulterated sugar goodness and I need it now!! So we head into Dairy Queen and I get a Mint Oreo Blizzard, within 4-5 bites, I start feeling better. I finish the Blizzard and my spirits begin to rise. I need some carbs, and Shelley and Scott are also hungry so we hit Taco Bell. I only get a bean burrito as I don’t want to risk anything else, but the magic healing powers of Ice Cream have come through again and I am able to keep this down as well. We get to the Planet Hollywood hotel and head to the check in desk. 45 minutes later I’m checked in (I thought Vegas was supposed to be empty now with the economy…) and we head to the room. I veg out watching the Top 100 Hard Rock Songs of all time on VH1. This is the limit of my capability at this point. We rally for dinner and have a pretty expensive nice steak and some wine. I am able to keep all of this done too. Go me!

I get up about $200 at the blackjack table Saturday night and then we turn in. The next morning we get up and eat breakfast and then Scott and I hit the tables again and watch some football while Shelley gets some work done in the hotel room. Way to coach Al!

After about 6 hours, I’m up another $50 and about 12 Jim Beam and Cokes. We got out to dinner (for much less money) at Batista where they give you FREE garlic bread, soup, salad, red wine, white wine, and cappuccino. The entrees are about $20, so all in all a great value and the free wine actually isn’t bad.

I head back to the tables after dinner and get up about another $300 or so and then the cooler sits next to me and I give half of it back. I decide to quit while I am ahead and go to bed.

So I leave Vegas having won the marathon and then managed to avoid dying, and up $400 at the tables. Best trip I’ve ever had in Vegas.

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Tags: Marathons, Race Reports //