Las Vegas. We’ve been looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime experience, running The Strip at night. We stayed at the Bellagio. The flowers didn’t disappoint. Look at this peacock! Amazing.

Since we came in on Friday and the 5K didn’t start until Saturday evening, we had time to get packets and run it. Fortunately, we arrived as the Las Vegas Convention Center Saturday morning before the expo opened. There was already a line wrapping around to get in. We were able to get our packets fairly quickly and enjoyed exploring the expo, plus we stocked up on some sale gear.

We had Saturday brunch at Hexx. I recommend enjoying weekend brunch at this place as it’s directly across the street from the Bellagio and they offer bottomless mimosas.

As you dine al fresco, you can watch the Bellagio fountains. Plus, the food is good. The fruit plate is a nice start to your meal.

Saturday evening we ran the 5K and took the monorail to get there. It was an easy and cheap way to get to the start line but know that you will need extra time to get on the trains. They are packed, and depending on your stop, you may have to wait a train or two before you can board.

The 5K was easy and fun. The course had been altered after the devastating shooting. LVPD, you did good.

By Saturday night, I was feeling the fatigue of three half marathons in a row (five in seven weeks). I booked a massage for the morning before the half marathon. It was the worst massage ever and ended up being a huge mistake. A tip for any one who gets massages, Do NOT let them use repetitive motion for 5-10 minutes in one body part. It does the opposite of what you want. It makes your muscles tighten even more. I realized that it was bad but didn’t realize its implications until I was on the course.

The race is huge so it can take a while to walk to the start line. Along the way, there were cops in pairs and security everywhere. Safety was definitely considered and implemented. Kudos to Rock ‘n; Roll team and Las Vegas police, and even the casinos security teams.

The start can take a while as they run in tiered, multiple corrals. So, you may be blue 5, and there’s a green 5. Plan accordingly. Arrive on time but realize that you may be standing around for a while.

We started out strong and enjoying seeing The Strip lit up and being on the road. However, about two miles in my body tightened unlike any run or race. My back and lower body seized up. No matter how I stretched or adjusted, I could not find relief. My dream of running was over. I was going to have to walk most of this course. It was extremely disappointing.

We realized that this wasn’t going to be a course for us to PR. There were too many runners and we were too far back. Before arriving in Vegas, we had already decided to take in the sights and enjoy running the Las Vegas Boulevard at night. Now, we would be walking it.

We didn’t track time, and I haven’t even bothered to pull it yet. It was about taking in the sights and trying to enjoy it the best I could. Not trying to hit a certain time.

As we ran the course, we went past the Las Vegas wedding chapel where we renewed our wedding vows last year for our 20th wedding anniversary. It was fun to stop and take a photo in front of it, minus Elvis.

We’ve made it to 14 (15 for the year). Only one more to go, and then we will be Hall of Famers!