Las Vegas Marathon

As a general rule, what goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I am going to make an exception. Two days ago I finished my eleventh marathon by slogging it through the 26.2 in sunny Las Vegas,Nevada. I must say that I have never felt better after a race. I don't know if it was that the course was very flat (great for any first timers out there) or if my training was smarter, or if it was the 20 second walk breaks at the water stops, or the maddingly steady(slow) pace that I keep, or that bottle of celebratory Merlot, but whatever the reason I am grateful not to be doing the post marathon-old-guy-should -know-better-shuffle. I have felt so good over the past couple of days I have started to plan the next foray into the runner's high for March. There is a marathon in Albany Ga (where the heck is that?) but I figure it is relatively close by and therefore cheap! Actually, I believe my training was much more deliberate incorporating some minimal speed work and a few days of hills to strengthen the legs. I hope that was the difference. I was also religious about my anti-oxidants (fish oil, Vit E and C) and glucosamine sulfate.
What really made this race special was having my family there. We made it a mini family vacation and we had a blast. Vegas is full of wonderful family friendly shows and fun stuff like seeing the grand canyon and Hoover Dam. The highlight of the race was meeting my oldest daughter Katie at mile 25 and having her run the last 1.2 miles with me. We raised our hands in triumph at the finish and I was soaring. She made an incredible difference in plugging through the last little bit and made it all worth while. These things are so much more special when you can share them with the ones you love the most. I have this fantasy of one day running a marathon with both my girls. I'll hold on to that dream and maybe that will be what keeps me running.
Susan, my wife, is off to Kiawah island this weekend to run in the Kiawah half marathon. She is going to run with a bunch of her girlfriends who train together when they can. Susan and I have very different running styles as I am the classic loner, always hitting the pavement by myself (intentionally) while she is the social runner (come to think of it, thats pretty much the way we are in most aspects of our lives). I know she will have a good race as she will be smack dab in the middle of a gaggle of running babes jabbering the whole 13.1 miles.
Run Long!