Las Vegas Half Marathon

The alarm went off at 4:00 am. I jumped out of bed, threw on some sweats and went down to get Starbucks and scones before the race. A 6am start is early for most people, but as a coach, I’m used to getting up at 4:30 to train people.

I woke up Phil and we began getting ready to go to the start. We slathered anti-chaffing cream on our feet etc. I got my GPS heart rate monitor on and decided what to wear. The temperature was in the high 30’s, but it was supposed to creep up to the 50’s by noon. I wore dri-line tights and a long sleeve technical shirt with a light jacket that could be tied around my waist if necessary. I left my music at home. I like to run with an ipod on my long runs, but didn’t want to be weighed down for the race. I grabbed 2 gu, my room key and headed out to meet the group.

It was cold and dark and all the runners were itching to get started. Nobody wanted to get there early, but it’s always better to have plenty of time in case something goes wrong. We met at 5:15 am, which gave us plenty of time to use the port-a-potties and find a good spot in line. It’s always difficult finding people at the start, so we designated a spot, but still weren’t able to hook up with everyone in the group. We were staying a different hotels and that can be tricky.

We had 2 people running the marathon. Brad was hoping to qualify for Boston by running 3:15. Andrea was shooting for a qualifying race as well. Her goal was 3:50. Brad’s other goal was to beat Phil, who was walking the half-marathon. Phil would have to walk a 15 minute mile to make 3:15 for the half. Michelle. a seasoned runner, was hoping to beat her last years time of 1:45. Kim, Paul, Steve, and Kyle were running their first half marathon. Tina and Beth came down for a fun race in Vegas.  My goal was to return to racing after injury, have fun and support everyone in having an awesome race.

The gun went off and we began our shuffle towards the start. Las Vegas was the first race to use a throw away timing chip. The chip is bar coded like they use at the grocery store. You just feed it through your shoe laces and you are good to go.

Steve and I started together. We went out at about 9:15 pace. We both had our HR monitors on with GPS. Mine was set to give moment by moment pace. Steve’s gave us our cumulative pace. Steve was hoping to break 1:56 that he ran back in Seattle on a training run.  We weaved through the Elvis impersonators and gradually picked up our pace each mile. There were over 200 Elvis’s running, including 2 boys of about 10 or 11 years old. We passed them running with their dad, who was also dressed up as Elvis. At mile 5 there was an opportunity to get married. Therefore we saw a lot of brides and grooms running too. By mile 6, Steve and I had our average cumulative mile down to 8:55 pace. We continued to increase the pace each mile. We took gu every 45 minutes to keep our energy up. Kyle was right behind us up until about mile 7, but we never saw him.  We kept a strong pace up through the end.  We rounded the last corner coming into the Mandalay Bay parking lot.  We kicked in hard, Steve increased his stride and I had to pour it on to keep up with his 6 foot 3 frame.  We finished with a PR for Steve.  I beat the time I ran last year on the course and felt great.  This was my first race coming back from an 8 month struggle with plantar fasciitis.  It was a win/win for both of us.

Kim and Beth ran together. They had done most of their training together and so they supported each other through the race. Tina and Michelle were staying at a different hotel, so we didn’t see them before the start of the race. Michelle and Brad saw each other on the course, but Michelle was running the half marathon and Brad, the full marathon. They parted ways around mile 6.

I knew Michelle was ahead, so I didn’t look for her at the finish. After Steve and I finished, I went back to see everyone else finish. Tina, Kim, Beth, Paul and Kyle all finished within minutes of each other. Unfortunately, I didn’t see them finish. I changed my clothes and went back to see Phil, Brad and Andrea finish.

I am sure that you’ll read everyone’s race report.  It was a great day for everyone.  4 runners ran their first half marathon yesterday.  They all kicked butt.   The weather was perfect.  You couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Training on-line was a lot of fun. I knew some of the runners, but met many of them for the first time on Saturday night at our pasta dinner. We supported each other through the forums, tracking our workouts and commenting on each others blogs. It was great to connect faces with names at the party. Thank you all for being part of the team.  Congratulations to everyone on a great race!

Resistance training or weight training builds strength and helps prevent injuries. Muscles and connective tissue become stronger. The repetitiveness of running places bio-mechanical and anatomical stress on the body. Muscles and joints feel the strain of overuse. Hamstrings and lower back tend to get tighter from running. Glutes and deep core muscles aren’t recruited much in distance running. Muscle imbalances occur over time. Imbalances can lead to compensation, which leads to injury.

Strength training helps keep the body in balance. Stronger core muscles improve running economy and form. Muscles that function efficiently perform better.

Stronger muscles resist fatigue. Towards the end of an endurance event, the musculoskeletal system breaks down. The cardiovascular system can continue as long as there is fuel in the body. The muscles and bones get tired. Strength training helps reduce fatigue, which helps get you to the finish line.

Here are some simple exercises:

Squats on The Wall With A Stability Ball

Place a stability ball between the small of your back and a wall, squat down as if you were sitting in an imaginary chair, distribute your weight evenly through your feet as you push back up to standing.

(Works glute maximus, hamstrings, quadraceps, abductors and adductors)

Monster Walks

Place a theraband or piece of stretchy tubing around your thighs, just above the knees.  Get into a squat position, making sure that your hips stay even and knees are lined up with your ankles (you should feel the resistance of the band). Side step to the left, while maintaining a squat position about 10 steps, return by stepping to the right 10 steps.

(Works glute minimus, abductors, adductors)

Push Ups

In a prone position place your hands at a width which will allow your forearms to be perpendicular to the floor when your elbows are flexed to 90 degrees.  Come into a plank position, while keeping your spine in a neutral position.  Lower your body by flexing your elbows to 90 degrees push back to the starting position.

(Works chest and core)

Ball Crunches

Sit on a stability, slowly roll down so your shoulder blades are touching the ball, and your feet are placed in front of you.  Draw your navel towards your spine. Place hands behind your head to support your head.  Curl the spine towards your hips, while keeping the abdominals engaged and head in neutral.

(Works transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, external obliques, spinal erectors)

One Leg Squats

Engage core by drawing your navel towards your spine, lift one leg up, and dorsi flex your foot, intitiate a squat by bending your knee, keep shoulder blades down and together, as you bend your knee flex forward slightly, while keeping your chest up. Be careful not to let your knee go beyond your toe. Squat in a controlled manner as deep as you can, while keeping proper alignment.

(Works balance, hip knee ankles)