I was really nervous that I would get to Vegas and all my training for the race would somehow disappear. This wasn't the case at all and I am very happy with how it all went down. I am sure I drove Mike crazy with how many times I told him I was shocked we were actually in Vegas and how the race was mere hours away. The morning of the race my blood sugar was running high which worried me. They say not to exercise if your blood sugar is 250 or above and I woke up to a 210. I gave myself some insulin, ate some oatmeal I brought from home, and tested again around 530AM and it was 140. I felt confident it was going down at that point though. There were 11,000 people or so running the half marathon and Mike and I managed to get rather close to the front of the group at the starting line. There were a ton of fireworks at the beginning and the race was started off by Robin Leach from the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous which was entertaining. We ran together for a few mins and then Mike went off to run at his pace. I was excited at how well the first three miles went. There was plenty to see and it was cool to just look up at all of the casinos. I usually need some time to warm up, and occasionally walk, but I think the intensity of actually being there helped me to feel much better about my running and just keep on going. The plan was to stop at mile 8 to check my blood sugar. Starting at mile 6 I felt that the area we were in was somewhat shady and that there wasn't much going on anymore. I kept thinking I might stop early then 8, but I decided that I needed to stick with my plan. I saw the mile 8 flag marker and went to the first bathroom I could see. Blood sugar was 84, which is a little lower than what I wanted, but I ate another energy gel pack and was ready to finish out the next 5.1 miles. The only problem was my left knee completely cramped up and I suddenly felt that I could barely walk. It was the worst pain in my knee I had felt for the whole training. I started to run/walk for a few mins and then I decided I had to just work through it. Luckily after about a half mile of suffering it started to get a little better. The pain never totally disappeared, but I was able to run through it all the way to the finish. Seeing the mile marker at mile 12 was a great feeling. It was around this time that the winner of the marathon passed me, he finished a whole marathon in about the same time I finished a half marathon! There was cheering at the end and I knew Mike would be there waiting for me. I took my headphones off so I could hear all the excitement and I actually started running faster which shocked me at that point. I was able to pass a few people toward the end too and just kept on running until I crossed the finish at 2:25:45. A task I never thought would be possible and yet went rather well. Mike was right at the finish and I was glad he was able to be there standing there to see me. I got my medal, which though I gave Mike a hard time about, will probably end up hanging on the wall as well. I am looking forward to the next one and seeing if I can beat my time. It was a great race, a great trip, and a great overall experience.
