Las Vegas 2012

Training for a marathon is tough enough without the added pressure of all the Christmas stuff that needs to be done. Training, trying to shop, mail packages, wrap gifts, & plan our annual Christmas party, really took a toll on my body.
 The day after Christmas, I woke up with a severe sore throat. I think everything has finally caught up to me. I took some ibuprofen, waited for the rain to stop, and went for a 5 mile run. My husband says, "being sick is always in your mind". We were heading for Las Vegas for a few days with some friends. There was no time to be sick.
The first day of the trip, I still had a sore throat, but not as bad as the first day. My nose was running and I was beginning to sneeze. We stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Hotel http://www.hilton.com/search/gv/us/nv/las_vegas?WT.srch=1  .
 It doesn't have a casino in the hotel and the suites include a full kitchen.  It also is a smokeless hotel which was refreshing to come back to after spending the nights in smokey casinos. The valet parking is very affordable and it's only a few dollar more than regular parking. The service is amazing and the amenities are high end. It's a home away from home. We loved this hotel and can't wait to return.
The first night we ate Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace http://mesagrill.com/las-vegas-restaurant  . I ordered the Fire Roasted Veal Chop and my husband ordered the Cascabel Chile Crusted Rabbit. The veal chop was decent and probably the biggest veal chop I've seen! My husband's rabbit was dry and the crusted coating made it taste worse. One of our friends had the Grilled Chicken. It too was dry. The restaurant is pricey and the decor is modern. The drinks were good, the service mediocre, & because the food was displeasing, we will not be returning.
My husband didn't want me running on the strip no matter what time of day it was. The second day, I did do a 5 mile run on a treadmill. The fresh towels and easy sanity wipes to clean of the machine was plentiful. I am glad I came down early to complete my run, because out of the 6 or so treadmills available, there were people waiting for an unoccupied treadmill by the time I finished.  I was feeling pretty good. My sore throat had gone but I still had a stuffy nose.  I have already made up my mind, I wasn't doing a long run and would consider the weekend a wash.
That night we went to Old Las Vegas on Fremont. This place was crazy and fantastic! We gambled a lot at a place called the Golden Gate http://goldengatecasino.com/ . We loved this place because the atmosphere was welcoming with good gambling and a party atmosphere!  The cocktails are plentiful just as much as the bottle water when you wanted it. Hehehe, I have no idea what kind of cranberry cocktail they use, but it turned our mouths red like we had been drinking cherry kool aide! Our friend is photo bombing our shots! Later that night, we ate late that night at a place in the Four Queens Casino called Magnolia Veranda http://www.lasvegas.com/listing/magnolias-veranda/2132/  . My hubby and I had a thin crust pepperoni pizza. The food is cafe style. It helped us all after a night of drinking and gambling. My husband has eyes like an eagle!  From inside the restaurant, then looking through a smokey casino, he spied a large girl dressed in a pirate costume wearing a smile and tassels on her nipples on the street. She was taking photos with tourist. Sorry, I didn't pose with her or get her picture. She was charging $20 per picture.
By the Saturday, a cough had set in and I officially had to admit, I had a cold. DayQuil helped minimize my symptoms. We ate brunch at the Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant http://www.blueberryhillrestaurants.com/ . Afterwards we all took a naps, showered, and went back to Old Las Vegas.  For dinner, we ate at Binions Steakhouse http://www.binions.com/dining/steak_house.php.  It was delicious. The service was amazing, friendly, and seemed to know what I needed before I did! The atmosphere was warm and inviting. I ordered the rib eye. The chefs know how to cook a steak here! Thanks you Binion's for the best food night of our trip!

We came home Sunday and my husband began to complain of a sore throat. I still have a cough and will try to run a few miles tomorrow. Las Vegas was a blast! We had such a great time with our friends and can't wait to go back soon!

Temecula Turkey Trot 2012

My son just turn 13 years old and is now eligable to participate in races!  I entered him into the Temecula Turkey Trot, held at Cougar Winery. It's become an annual local race. The last time I did the 5k and walked with some friends of mine who were figting horrible colds. This time my son was running the 5k and I was doing the 10k .
The morning was cold but in California, as soon as the sun comes out, it gets warmer. The 10k starts first and it's a late start. The organizers wait for everyone to register before starting the race. My son will start 5k afterwards. Some friends of ours will be walking their dog in the 5k race.
The 10k is hilly, but nothing too bad. The roads are a different story. The grading on the dirt roads is bumping and uneven. It's hard to go fast in these segments and there's no flat surfaces to escape onto. My friends witnessed my son almost falling because he took his eyes off for a second to say hello to them on his way back to the finish line. If you're one of the first racers, then there was water avaiable, but heading back, there was no water available for racers or their dogs. It's about 80 degress. I heard a lot of people complaining.

My son said it was easy. He was video taping as he ran on the flatter sections and had a great time!  Everyone had the same start time.  He finished the 5k : 0.24:32 minutes, placed 4th in his age group, and 22 out of 397overall. I ran 10k 1:03:00, placed 6th in my age group, and 118 out of 201 overall.  Review of the photos show only one of me with two other guys I don't know and one of my son at the finish line. Aftewards there's a wine tasting hosted by Cougar Winery. It was a wonderful race for my son's first race. He was excited and got great experience. Thanks for a beautiful day!

Marathon Recovery November 2012

The day after Malibu International Marathon, I went for a walk with my labs, Dallas & Cowboy. I was sore but no injuries. My princesses lead a rough life.
The following week I took it easy, by running only a total of 4 miles. The weekend of November 17th, I got up to go running, began stretching and heard a ripping sound! It was my Saucony Triumph 9's. The shoes were ready to be replaced about 3 weeks before Malibu, but I wasn't going to swap shoes that close to the race.
After researching running shoes, I brought the subject up to my hubby. He's response, "Why are you changing the style of shoe when it works for you? I told him about wanting a shoe that lasted longer. He said, "Babe, I don't think you should switch." My running pal, Ann agreed with my hubby.
I went to the Road Runner in San Diego. I wanted to get a shoe that had an enforced seam along the bottom where the mesh attaches to the sole. Not listening to my hubby, I found the Brooks Ghost 5. It's a heavier shoes than my Saucony. I do get the customs inserts with my running shoes to avoid a foot problem I've had in the past.  The Brooks Ghost 5 is suppose to have more cushion. The laces are rounded and not flat.
My first run with the Brooks Ghost 5, I noticed the weight change right away. I ran slower to test them out. My feet didn't feel like they were quite inside the shoe. I wear a size 6 and always go up a half a size because of my past experience with runner's toe. With the Brooks, I had to go up to a size 7 because the toe area was smaller. Running around in the store and running outside isn't the same. There's always occasional cramping of  various muscles when I run but it goes away pretty quick. I began to experience muscle cramping in my right calf heading into the 3rd mile. It didn't go away and I stopped, stretched (for the first time in my running history). I found if I ran on the right insole of my foot the calf pain was a little less. Most of my training during the winter is at night after I get home. When I got home, I found my right shoe laces had come undone and the left shoe laces were beginning to come undone. Two days later, I double tied my shoes, removed the inserts to see if this helped the fit, and headed out.
My second run, with the Brooks shoes, I went slower. At mile 5,  my left thigh began to burn. I want to mention, I have trained carefully for my first marathon by training the required miles needed to complete a marathon and not sustain injury. I couldn't figure out why I was getting muscle strains. My only explanation was the Brooks shoes.
I woke up the next day with a right calf, left thigh, and left knee strains in one week of running in the Brooks shoes. The Brooks shoes were going back to the store!
These are the new Saucony Triumph 10's. They are light and also state they put more padding the heel. In these shoes, I wear a 6.5. My inserts are trimmed fit the new shoes. The Road Runner staff never asks why I'm returning my Brooks shoes. I wanted to tell them about my experience but the subject isn't brought up. The staff there has probably heard a thousand stories like mine.
The Sauconys shoe is amazing! There's no more pain and it's like old times again. I hate, Hate, HATE to admit it, but my husband and Ann were right! I'm back on track and training for the Carlsbad Marathon 2013 in January!  See y'all there!