Rock & Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon + Las Vegas + Early December + Taking Over The Strip + Nighttime Start + Good Charity + Best Race Web Address Ever = Possible the Coolest Race in the World

Check out the details for the Las Vegas Rock & Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon at… wait for it… StripAtNight.com.

This year’s race is scheduled for Dec 4. Yes, they are actually closing the Strip in both directions for the race. The organizers expect 30,000-35,000 people, making it the largest nighttime race in the world. For a variety of reasons, I don’t plan to go this year, but I might next year. We’ve talked about renewing our vows in Vegas for our 10th anniversary, so we might combine the two trips and bring some friends and family.

This morning my alarm went off at 4:45am, the time I normally start sending some of my flight releases at work. I should have been a zombie. Good sleep eluded me, as it often does when something forces me to arise at the time normal people do. But this was race day. Adrenaline covers a multitude of complaints.

I left in the dark, my family comfortable and warm in their beds. I arrived in the dark as well, joining thousands of others just as crazy. After picking up my bib, chip timer, and swag, I shuffled to the back of the giant corral to await the starting horn with the rest of the herd. In all, 3691 runners showed up early for the Cowtown 10k, huddling together in the morning cold.

This is what 3000+ runners look like. See how far away the starting arch is?

Soon we were off. Since I got stuck in the back with the walkers and slower runners (poor planning!), it took a while to break free and reach my target pace. But soon I found myself running through the park with my pace group. The sun had emerged. Shallow fog hung like glowing ghosts over the grassy hills. I looked ahead and saw dozens of tiny breath clouds emerging from the runners, also glowing in the morning sun. I found the sight quite beautiful. We were a pack of wolves on a morning hunt. Our prey was the finish line. And endless boxes of free bananas.

I had three goals for the race. In order of priority and difficulty, they were:

1. Cross the finish line under my own power
2. Set a personal record (PR) for this distance
3. Break 50 minutes

I succeeded in the first two, and barely missed the third, finishing in 50:01. Close enough, says I.

As part of my efforts to eventually run a half marathon, I’ve been trying to stretch out my long runs. I did eight miles a couple of times, but I kept hitting a wall when it came to nine. Twice my leg was the culprit. One week I ran eight miles with zero pain, and the next I had to stop at seven because my knee started complaining. I didn’t get it. On Monday I tried again, but this time I was simply out of gas due to a very busy weekend with a total of eight or nine hours of sleep.

Yesterday, I finally did it.

When I start a long run, I never know what to expect. Will my leg hold up? Will my abs cramp? Will I start off too fast and burn out too quickly? Or will I start off too slow and slip into poor running form? What pace should I set given the weather and how I feel? Do I have enough water?

I really think that distance running is one of the best teachers for life. I rarely have perfect circumstances for a run. It might be too hot or too cold or too sunny or too dry or too muddy. Perhaps I’m tired from my wacky work/sleep schedule. Perhaps I can feel a blister forming on my toe toward the end. Maybe some dog took a giant dump on the trail and his owner was too lazy to clean it up. Things happen.

However, if I really care about running, I go out anyway if possible. Once I’m out there, I ignore the inner voice that tells me to quit. Over time, step by step, the miles tick by. That’s life.

I really had to grind it out yesterday, which made reaching the end even more satisfying. My body felt tired after only a mile or two. The beautiful sunshine sapped my strength a bit. Although the temperature was only in the mid-seventies, it was a big change from the fifties that had spoiled me recently. But I pressed on. I took a conservative run-walk approach, jogging about 90 percent of the time at a decent pace and walking a bit after every mile. During each walk, I took a hit from the nice strap-on water bottle that Jenny got me for Valentine’s Day. I wanted to quit but never did.

Finally, after one hour, twenty-three minutes, and twenty-five seconds, I reached mile marker nine. It wasn’t a pretty run. My time was much higher than I’d wanted due to all the walking, which I hate to do. But I finished. And my knee felt fine, giving me hope that I might be able to go even farther someday.

What a difference a year can make. This time last year, I was struggling to finish a mile without major knee pain. I can’t tell you how awesome it feels to be able to run like this.

I actually consider myself a real runner now.

Not in the Usain Bolt sense, of course. I won’t be setting any world records at any distance. But I’ve been able to run pretty consistently for about six months now, and I’m both running faster and running farther. It feels fantastic.

I have an iPhone app called Runmeter that tracks my runs – date, pace, distance, etc. It also provides an easy way to see my best time at any distance. When I feel well and it’s not too hot outside, I often try to shave off some time on each run. I’m very goal-oriented and love data, which makes running a perfect activity for me. I’d rather compete against myself than another runner. Turning in faster times feeds my inner geek and gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I’m surprised I haven’t created some Excel graphs yet.

Back when my knee had problems and I could only walk-run, I tried to finish a 5k in under 31 minutes, about 10:00/mile. This spring, after my rehab program, I could finish in less than 28 minutes if I pushed myself. The summer heat slowed me down a bit, but one relatively cool evening in June I broke 27 minutes for the first time (about 8:43/mile). Then the 26 minute barrier fell in July. That one held up for a while due to weather, illness, timing, and my focus on longer distances. Then yesterday, I finally broke 25 minutes at 24:55 (8:02/mile).

See how easy it is to geek out on running stats?

The men’s world record for 5k, in case you are wondering, is a mind-blowing 12:37 by an Ethiopian runner named Kenenisa Bekele. That’s about 4:04 per mile. Sure, even a high-school runner would be disappointed in my record time of 24:55. But for me it’s huge. It represents growing victory against my asthmatic lungs, my troublesome knee, and my tendency to be a slug.

I am soooo thankful for that victory.

I hope to continue this trend over the next several months to take advantage of the cool weather, ideally dropping my personal record (PR) times in all my distances and trying some longer runs, too. If all goes well, I might even attempt the Cowtown half-marathon in February. A half-marathon is on my bucket list. Maybe I can check it off in five months.