Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Double'n Down.



Beth kicked my ass... as usual.


I am stoked to be back from Sin City. I really do not like Las Vegas. It was quick trip for us but definitely enough to get my fill.


Obviously the reason we went to Vegas was for Beth to take her first crack at the marathon. She has been training her butt off since the end of summer under watchful eye of her Jog Coach. She really impressed with her dedication and how she handled the load of work, school, and training. Her goal was to run a 3:10 and that is what she trained to do.

I also decided to run the half marathon while we were in town to keep me out of trouble. I knew Beth would have to eat healthy and get to bed early and Las Vegas really isn't the best place to do that. So I figured if I signed up for a race that would give me good incentive to get to bed early and stay a way from the bad food and drinks the night before her race. It worked.

The races started together at 6:05 Sunday morning. We were up at 4 and jogged from the MGM down the Mandalay for our warm-up. Everything went very smooth and we were ready to go. Right before the start I found Macca and got right behind him with Beth and Felipe a couple of rows behind me.

The race went out fast and the lead pack took off including Macca and I was about 30 yards back right away. I thought it was game over. I went through the first mile in 5:21 and knew it was going to be a long day because I don't know the last time my body even felt 5:30 pace. I am not going to do a full on report because the race was kind of boring. I made way up a few spots and felt pretty strong all the way to the finish. The splits and results are below.



The most important part of the day was definitely Beth's marathon. I was waiting at the finish line with Felipe's girlfriend who also set a PR during the half marathon. We watched the men's winner come in at 2:27 and the top woman at 2:48. That seemed slow to me so I was wondering if it was a slow race or if they hit some wind on the marathon course. I was concerned that Beth might not meet her 3:10 goal. So when I saw her come cruising around the last corner with the clock showing 3:02+ I was in shock and didn't even have the camera ready. Luckily I was able to get it together and snap a quick shot. She killed it... nothing new! She ran a 3:03 and beat her "secret" goal of 3:07. I jumped the barriers, dodged security, so I could hug her and tell her how proud I was. I was completely blown away and totally impressed. She was the 3rd woman overall!


results.


My race:
1:13:50 (5:38 pace)
4th Overall out of 10,000+
2nd in AG
Splits:
mile 1: 5:21
mile 2: 5:33
mile 3: 5:27
mile 4: 5:28
mile 5: 5:33 (passed 2 guys between 5.5 and 6.5 to move into 5th)
mile 6: 5:25
mile 7: 5:34
mile 8: 5:36
mile 9: 5:45 (moved into 4th Place during mile 9)
mile 10: 5:49
mile 11: 5:53
mile 12: 5:48
mile 13: 5:42
last .1: 5:30 pace

It's easy to see I didn't race very smart.... but I just raced. If I would have been a little more conservative on the front half maybe I would have been able to move up to 3rd but who knows. It was just fun getting out there and racing hard... and after watching Beth race the marathon for the first time I am kind intrigued by the marathon.... for the first time ever.

post race pose down. I had an hour and a half to kill!


After the race it was on! We headed back to our killer room, lounged around a bit and then went and met Felipe and the Breakaway crew for a Champagne Brunch/Dinner at the the Wynn. We got there about 2pm and went big. Tons of killer food and all you could drink bloody mary's and champagne. We stayed until 4:30 and let's just say we got our money's worth. Then we played some blackjack and of course didn't win any $$$ and then we headed back to our room because we were sure it was getting pretty late. It was only 7pm.... and we were out by 9pm. Yes... we are that exciting!

is jim beam and diet coke good for recovery? I'd like to think so.


26.2 miles + champgne + epic desert bar = Beth in rare form.


Next up.... The Xterra Crystal Cove Trail race this Sunday. This is the one I have been waiting for!

23 comments:

Lucho said...

Awesome run James! Your support of Beth in her marathon training made all the difference. Bummed I missed it for sure!
I expect to see you guys out here for Pikes this summer!
Cheers

ll said...

sweet! that is so cool! funny thing that Macca didn't have the guts to go to the end with you :)

MarkyV said...

I am stoked to be back from Sin City. I really do not like Las Vegas. It was quick trip for us but definitely enough to get my fill.
***I hate vegas.

is jim beam and diet coke good for recovery? I'd like to think so.
***YES!!! Vodka is better tho.

***Nuun (tri-berry) and vodka is goooood.

Luke said...

dang...the whole thing sub 6 minutes!!
this is what my race would have looked like trying to do that...
mile 1: 5:21
mile 2: 22:36
mile 3: dnf

good job!

beth said...

Thanks james and you know i'm proud of you too! as lucho said, couldn't have done it without all the support from my good luck charm!

my race report isn't even started yet...maybe a couple days?
ok. back to work.

Ryan Weeger said...

Awesome job to both of you, even better job on the photos, especially the one of you and your new dude-woman. What happened to Macca?

Matt said...

Livin the life like no one else.
Imagine if you "trained," Dude!

Epic.

Shan said...

Dude, totally solid race. And I'm SOOOOO stoked for Beth...BTW you two both look really great in glasses (sorry, I'm a nerd and love glasses on people).

Anyhoo, let's all get together for a fun ride and fish burritos soon!

Ryan D said...

you two are amazing!

Justin Mock said...

Man, get rid of the basketball shorts and you could've gone 1:12!

Zippy said...

It's insane to think you went that fast not training for it. SICK!

runninggunner said...

Great Race James! Good to meet you.

FatDad said...

Great race man!

Trevor Glavin said...

Nice job dude! So, this is going to be my life, chasing you all over these S.D. trails! You keep running that fast without really training and I think I will need a new training partner =)

Dan said...

couple of fast, fast rock starz. great job you two!

Cliff said...

dude...u are one tough cookie in pink sweater..1:13 is a killer time.

and Beth ran a 3:03!?! that's super.. :D...

way to smoke Sin City..

GZ said...

Love the BCG's in the closing shots.

Agree with Justin - we need to get you some euro cut racing shorts.

32:57 through six ... wow. Curious to see what you could rip for a 10K outright right now.

Unknown said...

Wow, so Macca DNF'd?

J.P. Patrick said...

Dude, congrats! 1:13 is STUPID fast! I can't even wrap my head around it. When is the marathon?!

Maggs said...

Wow that's fast. Congrats. Thinking of a marathon huh? There's one this weekend in Honolulu.

Hope you guys are enjoying some off season time.

TRI-ROB said...

Solid pal! Hey... you and B-dawg need to come up to Eugene and do the Eugene Half with me... I need some help breaking through some speed barriers... and you two young whipper-snappers are just the two to help me!

Breathe...

Todd Hatfield said...

Damn, ya'll killed it!! My liquor drink of choice is vodka-diet coke...

Sarah said...

Dude, James...that is an incredible run time. And wow, 4th overall - SO AWESOME!

You guys inspire me, and I'm so proud of both of you.

Congrats on your great race and I hope this weekend goes awesome for you!