Vegas

Last week, Brenda and I went to Las Vegas. The primary purpose was for me to race in Rage in the Sage with other Practical Coaching teammates. However, since we were in Las Vegas, it was also a short vacation.

On Thursday morning, we flew into Las Vegas. It was surprisingly cloudy and a bit chilly as the storm that was about to hit Colorado was leaving the Vegas area. Not to worry, though, as the weather would soon change to sunny and hot for the rest of our time in Vegas.

We took a taxi to the Venetian and checked in. Since our room was not ready, we checked out the hotel and ate at one of the restaurants. Being huge gamblers (not), we then picked up our $25 slot credit and proceeded to lose it over an hour of playing video blackjack and video poker on the $0.25 machines.

After blowing through our slot credit, our room was finally ready. The room was almost as large as Brenda's house - just kidding. It was nice though with a remote control window blind that it took us what seemed like ten minutes to figure out and three TVs: one in the living room area, one in the bedroom area, and one in the bathroom. We had a very nice view of the Venetian pools and Treasure Island. I changed into running clothes and went jogging for 45 minutes on a treadmill in the fitness room (thanks Steve) while Brenda went to the hot tub.

After the jog, Brenda and I dined at an Italian restaurant in the Venetian. We then got some gelato at the gelato stand in the fake St. Mark's Square and took a ride on the indoor gondola. After the gondola ride, we headed out to check out other attractions as hotels on the Strip. Our first stop was the pirate show in front of Treasure Island - what a waste of time. The show was super cheesy with the directing you to go into the casino to "get the treasure" at the end of the show making it not only cheesy but also tacky.

We next headed to the Mirage to check out the volcanoes. However, the volacano show was still a half-hour from starting so we continued down the Strip until we reached the Bellagio. At the Bellagio, we watched the fountain show, which was awesome. By the time the show was over, however, it was too late to catch the volcano show at the Mirage. So, we headed back up the other side of the Strip towards the Venetian. As we walked past the Flamingo, I found it hilarous that the hotel that advertised Donny & Marie as its headline show also had pole dancers above its slots. After walking for what seemed like forever, we arrived back at the Venetian and went to bed.

Friday started early as I needed to drive to Hoover Dam to meet Gary, Laura, Steve and Andrea for a 9:00 am tour of the dam. Meanwhile, Brenda stayed at the Venetian to get a massage. After some confusion, Gary found a work colleague, who gave us a private tour of the dam. I wish that I had taken a camera to take pictures of some of the places that we visited, such as walking down a ventilation tunnel to the face of the dam and looking up at the dam from river level. After the dam tour, I headed over to Lake Mead national park to drive the bike course. Then back to Vegas to pick up Brenda, over to Henderson to pick up my race packet, and finally to Boulder City to check into the Boulder Dam Hotel.

The Boulder Dam Hotel was a nice surprise. To get into our room, we had a real key rather than one of those magnetic cards. The room itself had hardwood floors and was done in an art deco style. Even better, there were multiple restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. If I ever do this race again, I would stay there again. After grabbing a quick bite at one of the local restaurants, I got my gear ready for the race and we headed to bed.

4:00 a.m. came way to early. After a quick breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed over to Lake Mead for the race. While I raced, Brenda took pictures. This was Brenda's first triathlon. She was a real trooper waiting in the heat for me to finish. I was super happy to see her at the finish line. She was also very funny. She told me that the guy who won the Olypmic distance finished before I got off the bike. Like that was information that I needed!!! We stayed around and watched other Practical Coaching teammates finish the half-Ironman distance and then headed back to Vegas to return our rental car and check into Mandalay Bay.

At Mandalay Bay, we were informed that we had been upgraded to the Four Seasons. I asked Brenda if that was good, and she said "uh yes." We had to go check in at the Four Seasons registration desk. We must have been some sight. Both of us were sweaty and dirty, and I was carrying a trash bag filled with dirty clothes. I'm surprised that they let us check in. We immediately went to the room. While the room didn't look like much (especially compared to the Venetian), the bed was soooo comfortable. It was very difficult to get off it to get ready for a night on the town with other Practical Coaching teammates.

Despite the temptation of just going to bed, we headed out to New York-New York to meet the Practical Coaching gang for a Cirque du Soleil show, Zumanity. Zumanity is described as "a seductive twist on reality, making the provocative playful and the forbidden electrifying! Leave all inhibitions at the door and let loose as this adult-themed production takes you on a sexy thrill ride full of sensational acrobatics and naughty fun." It was definitely not for the under 18 crowd. The acrobatics were amazing, and the show was very entertaining.

After the show, we wandered up to Bellagio to watch the fountains. Interestingly, the music that accompanied the fountain show was the same music for the fountain show that we saw on Thursday. We then headed into the Bellagio to get something to eat. After missing getting into the buffet restaurant by about ten minutes, we headed over to Noodles where there was a long line to get into the restaurant. After waiting for a table for well over twenty minutes, the rest of the group decided to leave and go find ice cream, leaving only Brenda and me to get dinner at the overpriced Noodles.

When I told the hostess that our group was down to two, she told me that was a problem because while the table for ten was ready, we would have to wait at least another 5 minutes to be seated for two. We almost left at that news but Brenda was too hungry to try to find another restaurant. We finally got seated and had a very so-so meal. It would have been okay if it was not so expensive. After dinner, we headed back to New York-New York to get some ice cream. Unfortunately, Ben & Jerry's was closed so we took it as a sign to give up on trying to find ice cream and instead headed back the Four Seasons. At the Four Seasons, we both crashed on the comfortable bed.

The next morning, I headed to the Four Seasons' fitness room to spin on an exericse bike for 1 hour. While spinning, a Four Seasons' staff member constantly came over to bring me water. It was the first time that I have ever had water brought to me while working out. It was nice. Brenda and I then went to brunch at Verandah restaurant in the Four Seasons. We did the buffet breakfast. The food at the buffet was wonderful, maybe the best that I have ever had at a buffet. The fruit was so fresh, the pancakes were fluffly, the potatoes were delicously seasoned, and the dougnuts were freshly made at the doughnut station. Although expensive for breakfast, it was well worth the cost.

After breakfast, we sadly checked out of the Four Seasons, got a locker in the Four Seasons spa to store the clothes that we would change into for out flight home later in the day, and spent the afternoon at the pools in Mandalay Bay. The locker at the Four Seasons included a robe and sandals, again a nice touch. We mostly just hung out on lounge chairs by one of the pools and read the New York Times, which had been left outside our room in the Four Seasons. We also floated in the lazy river. The lazy river went under a couple of waterfalls. Each time we went past the waterfalls, Brenda and I tried to push each other under them. Neither of us succeeded, but we both had fun trying to get the other soaked.

Sadly, the evening came too quickly. We ate dinner at an expensive Mexican restaurant in Mandalay Bay. We spend well over a $100 for two, which was kind of shocking considering that we often eat out at Mexican restaurants in Denver for well under $30. Who knew you could spend that much money in a Mexican restaurant? We then headed to the airport and flew back to Denver, ending our short but fun Vegas vacation.

Rain, Rain Go Away (and Take the Wind with You)

What happened to Spring? Okay, Spring is the time for rain. But why on the weekend, especially when a two hour bike ride followed by a 30 minute run is on the training schedule? Yes, today's workout involved riding and running in the rain. Even better, it was also windy with the temperature in the low 40s. Despite the less than ideal conditions, the workout was kind of fun. However, if given a choice, I would prefer working out in the sunny sixty degree weather predicted for tomorrow.

The fun part of the workout was testing out the new aero bars. This was the first time I have used aero bars when riding. Initially, I was a little shaky but became more comfortable as I rode longer. I wish that I had them installed earlier so that I could have practiced more with them before the race this Saturday. However, I will have another chance to try them out on Wednesday.

As for the race, hopefully the weather will be better in Vegas. If not, then at least today was good practice for dealing with poor weather conditions.

New Blog Feature

Since I've finally have started to sign up for races and events this year, I decided to add a new feature to the blog: races and events that I am doing in 2009. So far, there are three: Rage in the Sage, Loveland Lake to Lake, and the Courage Classic.

At Rage in the Sage, I'm doing the Olympic distance, which will be a first for me. It will also be the first time that I have done 10K run race. Not sure it is entirely smart to do a step up in run race distance by first swimming and biking. Regardless, I am both excited and nervous about this race, which is just a little over a week away.

I've done Loveland before but only as the bike leg of a relay team. This time, it will be an individual effort. I'm interested in how the bike compares from last year now that I also must swim first and run afterwards.

The Courage Classic is a bike event rather than a race. It involves riding for three days in the Copper Mtn/Vail area. I thought about doing it last year but wasn't sure whether I would be able to handle riding three days in the mountains. This year, I'm more confident that I can do it. I'm also doing it because it raises money for Children's Hospital, which means that I need to raise at least $300. The link for the Courage Classic takes you to my rider page where you can make a donation. Any donations, no matter how much, would be much appreciated.

I am still looking for an early July and an August or September triathlon. I know Steve would like me to do Lifetime Fitness in Minneapolis (early July) but I not sure that I want spend money to travel to Minneapolis to do a race. I not a big fan of Minneapolis, and I already must travel there too often (about once every two years) for work. Yes, once every two years is too much for me. If you have any suggestions for races in July, August or September, let me know.

Lots of Running

It seems like there has been quite a bit of running on my schedule recently. It started last Saturday with a 12+ mile run up Deer Creek Canyon. This was not the original plan. The Saturday workout should have been a bike City View/run 8 mile brick. However, a blizzard on Thursday resulted in a last minute change of plans.

Because of the last minute nature of the workout, I didn't have time to think too much about what I had agreed to do. It turned out to be a great run. Steve paired me with Sarah and started us up the canyon ahead of the rest of the group. We ran at a constant pace up High Grade towards the school. I kept expecting to see Troy, Sonja's awesome husband who provided support for our run, pass us in the truck, which would indicate that Steve's group was not too far behind us. It didn't happen. We actually had to wait for Troy for about 5 or so minutes at the school to replenish our water.

After getting more water from Troy, we then continued on from the school toward City View. Again, I was expecting Troy to pass us before we reached City View but it didn't happen. It turns out that Steve had given us too much of a head start. Since Troy was not there, Sarah and I decided to keep on running. We continued running along the road until we could see Denver from City View. We then turned around and headed back to the meeting point to see if Troy was there. He still wasn't there, so for some unexplained reason we decided to run back from where we had just come to see Denver again.

After seeing Denver again, we again headed back to the meeting point. Just as we started back, we saw Troy driving towards us. We gladly accepted a ride from Troy back to the meeting point, where we waited for Steve and the others to arrive. We ended up running 12.75 miles. When I realized that we were just short of 13.1 miles, I was kind of disappointed since it would have been cool to have run a half-marathon uphill. However, I was happy about the run because I felt that I could have gone farther. Plus, it was the second farthest distance that I have ever run with most of the run being uphill.

On Tuesday, I had an 8 mile, no speed run on the schedule. After the long run on Saturday, it actually seemed easy. I felt especially strong the last 5 miles.

Today was a 10+ mile run around Chatfield. This was the same run that I had done earlier in March. The run seemed much easier today. In early March, I was barely hanging on for the last two miles. Today, I could have kept on going at the end of the run even though the time it took me to do the run was almost 14 minutes faster than the same run in March.

What surprises me is how good the last three runs have felt even though this is by far the most running that I have ever done in one week. I am kind of interested in how my body will respond to the scheduled 12 mile, no speed run scheduled for this Saturday.