Las Vegas Marathon

I'm back from participating in the "New" Las Vegas Marathon and I feel very good (surprisingly). The weekend started out yesterday morning as we packed the children into the car and set out for the four hour drive to Las Vegas. As is always the case we got off to a late start but we really didn't have to get there until 4:00 pm so we really weren't in a hurry. I was hoping to leave by 9:00 am but we didn't hit the road until 10:00 am which is always to be expected. The children were great on the ride because they had their DVD player and watched movies the whole time. The drive is not the most exciting because it is through barren desert and there is NOTHING to see except for brown rocks and brown sand.

As I was driving I noticed the wind picking up as we approached Las Vegas and I knew the temperature was a little colder there then it was in Southern California but I was most concerned with the wind. I am a fair weather runner that is probably why I live in Southern California because the weather seems always to be FAIR so have the wind mix with the cold had my attention.

We arrived by 2:00 pm and went to pick up my number for the race which was in the Runner's Expo. The Runner's Expo is a flea market (if you will) for other marathons, assorted running gear and other product associated with running and healthy living. Usually there is a bevy of free samples but for some reason the free samples were very hard to find at this Expo. God love my wife she is a shopper and it doesn't matter that she is NOT a runner she loved looking through the booths for deals. Fortunately she did not buy anything except for the Fanny pack I needed for the race and some Powerbar gels (smooshed up Powerbars that you shoot into your mouth while you are running for energy). After the Expo we were to meet my dear friend for dinner with his family. We settled on an old favorite Italian restaurant and had a great meal with great conversation. I hadn't seen my friend in over one year but it was like we had just seen each other yesterday. I am truly blessed with the friendships I have.

As an aside to the dinner I was a bit apprehensive not seeing my friend but seeing his wife. I didn't know "how" to act but I settled on being myself and everything seemed to work out just fine.

The marathon started at 6:00 am this morning and as I made my way in the DARK to the starting line I had to walk through the casino at around 5:30 am. There were a lot of runners walking through the casino at that time because the race had 12,500 participants. As I was walking I noticed out of the corner of my eye while walking through the casino the people playing blackjack and you know what NONE of them looked happy. All of the runners were buzzing with excitement but there was a noticeable pale over the casino pit area. I saw one young man in his 20's with the glazed look in his eyes as he decided whether to take a card from the dealer. It really was sad but this was me not in the casino but in front of my television or sports pager or computer as I would check the scores on my games. I was NEVER happy it was something I had to do; very crazy and somewhat insane in retrospect.

Back to the race; I made my way through the casino to the convention area outside to the start line. Yes, it was dark at this time and it was a "balmy" 37 degrees with a 20 mile an hour wind out of the North which made it feel colder than the 37 degrees. I had on a sweatsuit but I cannot run 26.2 miles in a sweatsuit even at this temperature so I had to take off my pants and sweat jacket so I could run in shorts and a shirt. Thank God a few years ago I bought a winterized running shirt with built-in gloves; this was the best investment I have made. It kept me warm the entire race and the only cold I felt was through my running shoes (they are ventilated) and my finger tips (the built in gloves only cover the hand and fingers but not the finger tips).

The race started at 6:05 am to fireworks. Yes, this being Las Vegas they must doing everything "over the top" and the fireworks were very nice; however; we were warned not to stop and watch them because there 12,499 runners that were coming toward us!! The first two miles I couldn't see because my eyes were watering from the cold and the wind. As I mentioned the wind was coming out of the North which meant the first 14 miles were run into a fairly strong head (coming at the runners) wind but it also meant the last 12 miles were run with the wind at our backs. The first 7 miles were down the strip and through downtown Las Vegas and they went very fast. In fact the first 19 miles were really just a blur because even though it was cold and windy I was feeling very good and I hit every time goal I wanted to hit. My goal for mile 22 was the three hour mark and I hit mile 22 exactly at the three hour mark. The last four miles I started to feel it in my legs but all of the injuries I have had over the past two years I felt NONE of them so I was quite pleased.

My goal for the race was three hours and thirty-eight minutes or an eight minute and nineteen second per mile pace. I finished the race in three hours and thirty-five minutes for an eight minutes and twelve second per mile pace. So I exceeded my goal and I was thrilled. Now those are just numbers and I was pleased to hit my goals but not as pleased when I so my family on the side as I crossed the finish line. My wife and two children were there to see my finish the race and it didn't matter what I time I finished in; seeing them and having their support is all that I need. They are true blessings from God.

This was my first marathon since stopping gambling nine months ago and it felt great. I have run three other marathons and all three of those marathons I didn't have bets on games because I really didn't want any distractions. This may seem odd because over the past 20 plus years there have been times of clarity none sustainable but I always wanted to stop gambling but didn't know how. I guess when my world came crashing down on me I thought I better learn how to stop gambling because the next stop would be death.

I have learned that Gamblers Anonymous is the way for me to not wager today and hopefully not to gamble again. Which is why I wanted to make it to tonight's GA meeting and share my marathon story with my friends in the Program. I was able to make the meeting because I had my wife drop me off at the meeting about 30 minutes late. It was a small meeting but it was great nonetheless. These are inspirational people and they have taught me and continue to teach me so much. It was important to me to make this meeting even though I had just run 26.2 miles and driven 280 miles. This Program and the people in this Program have given me a reason to live and to live with a purpose. It was a fantastic weekend and the family had a great time as well.