My friend Tracy and I enjoying a little Vegas nightlife.
As I was preparing to write my blog this week a funny thought popped into my head--what must it be like to be my friend and never know what might make it into my blog? I get inspiration from the smallest things people say or from the things we do together--is this something that can be a little weird for those that see a little something of themselves in what I write each week? I found it especially ironic that I will be sharing my experiences in Vegas--after all, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? So, to strike a good balance between the two I will not be sharing some of the funnier nightlife stories from the weekend, but will stick to the daytime hours.
When I think of Vegas, healthy lifestyle choices is not the first thing that pops into my head. The land of all-you-can-eat buffets, smoke filled casinos, alcohol pouring from every corner, late night slot playing--how does one stay on the straight and narrow in a place such as this? It is not easy, and I am actually a little tired from trying to enjoy my weekend away while still continuing on my path to a more flabulous version of myself. I am not going to lie--I had a few drinks, but I kept that to a minimum because I knew that wherever I go, I have to get my exercise in. I had more ambitious plans in mind for the weekend and it would require me to be at my very best.
I need to digress a little to give you a little background information so that you will understand why I chose this weekend to truly challenge myself like never before. Lately, I have been running with a couple groups of girls who are training for full marathons. In order to run a full 26.2 miles there is a lot more training involved--my weekday 3-4 mile runs are now like 5-6 miles and my long weekend runs have bumped up as well. Instead of running 6 on Saturday/Sunday, we are doing 10 or more miles. While I do not have a full marathon planned, I have decided to push myself to see what I am truly capable of.
So, while I was in Nevada, my Temecula running buddies were going to do a 20-mile run. I figured if they could do 20, I could surely do more than 14. While I have never really run more than 13.5 miles, my new "can do" attitude pushed me to at least attempt this challenge. Friday night I had a great time with my friends, but I got back to the hotel at a decent time so I could fit in 5-6 hours of sleep prior to rising early to fit in a run before the Vegas heat got unbearable. I headed out just after dawn Saturday morning--ran to the Mandalay Bay, across the strip past Circus Circus, back to Mandalay, around the UNLV campus before heading back to my hotel. I ran a total of 17.5 miles--something I would have told you even a week ago I wasn't ready for. In addition, I had to run up and down a lot of stairs to access the overpass crossings scattered throughout the strip, so while most of the run was fairly flat, the stairs added a little extra challenge. In this case, I was so happy I had finally proven to myself that I could run enough miles to train for a full marathon that what happened in Vegas needed to go into my blog.
When I think of Vegas, healthy lifestyle choices is not the first thing that pops into my head. The land of all-you-can-eat buffets, smoke filled casinos, alcohol pouring from every corner, late night slot playing--how does one stay on the straight and narrow in a place such as this? It is not easy, and I am actually a little tired from trying to enjoy my weekend away while still continuing on my path to a more flabulous version of myself. I am not going to lie--I had a few drinks, but I kept that to a minimum because I knew that wherever I go, I have to get my exercise in. I had more ambitious plans in mind for the weekend and it would require me to be at my very best.
I need to digress a little to give you a little background information so that you will understand why I chose this weekend to truly challenge myself like never before. Lately, I have been running with a couple groups of girls who are training for full marathons. In order to run a full 26.2 miles there is a lot more training involved--my weekday 3-4 mile runs are now like 5-6 miles and my long weekend runs have bumped up as well. Instead of running 6 on Saturday/Sunday, we are doing 10 or more miles. While I do not have a full marathon planned, I have decided to push myself to see what I am truly capable of.
So, while I was in Nevada, my Temecula running buddies were going to do a 20-mile run. I figured if they could do 20, I could surely do more than 14. While I have never really run more than 13.5 miles, my new "can do" attitude pushed me to at least attempt this challenge. Friday night I had a great time with my friends, but I got back to the hotel at a decent time so I could fit in 5-6 hours of sleep prior to rising early to fit in a run before the Vegas heat got unbearable. I headed out just after dawn Saturday morning--ran to the Mandalay Bay, across the strip past Circus Circus, back to Mandalay, around the UNLV campus before heading back to my hotel. I ran a total of 17.5 miles--something I would have told you even a week ago I wasn't ready for. In addition, I had to run up and down a lot of stairs to access the overpass crossings scattered throughout the strip, so while most of the run was fairly flat, the stairs added a little extra challenge. In this case, I was so happy I had finally proven to myself that I could run enough miles to train for a full marathon that what happened in Vegas needed to go into my blog.
Sean, Tracy, and I hiking in Red Rock Canyon
Later that day, despite the fact that I was understandably a little sore, we decided to head away from the strip to enjoy one of Nevada's most beautiful natural resources--Red Rock Canyon. It is amazing that something so beautiful and pristine is only a half-hour outside of Sin City--but as I have shared previously, we often research fun places to play outdoors in our vacation destinations, and this was just one of those great finds. This area offers many opportunities for biking, running, rock climbing, and our chosen activity, hiking--I highly suggest you check it out next time you are in the area. We took a short two mile hike mostly to enjoy the amazing scenery. What happens in Vegas needs to be shared when it comes to healthy and fun ways to spend your daytime hours.
So to all my friends out there, I hope you understand why sometimes you inspire me to write about what we say and do together. I have made so much progress over the last year because of the amazing people I surround myself with, and sometimes I just need to brag a little about all of you. So thanks to my running friends who keep pushing me to run distances that I never thought possible. Thanks to my husband who makes sure that wherever we travel, we always get outdoors to explore the surrounding area.
So, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas--except when I am inspired to share it in my blog. ;)
So to all my friends out there, I hope you understand why sometimes you inspire me to write about what we say and do together. I have made so much progress over the last year because of the amazing people I surround myself with, and sometimes I just need to brag a little about all of you. So thanks to my running friends who keep pushing me to run distances that I never thought possible. Thanks to my husband who makes sure that wherever we travel, we always get outdoors to explore the surrounding area.
So, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas--except when I am inspired to share it in my blog. ;)
Me and my best friend.
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