Vegas Vacation, Running the Strip

I had no idea what to expect when we signed up for the 2012 Vegas Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon. I read all about the debacle of the 2011 race. Runners were dropping like flies and vomiting all along the race course, blaming tainted water served straight from fire hydrants and held in garbage cans. The race had multiple bottlenecks and was overcrowded, resulting in runners getting trampled or not being able to run on the actual course. They ran out of medals, t-shirts, and food. That certainly isn’t the rave review that makes me want to sign up for a race, but I had a feeling the race organizers would be focused on kissing up to the 2012 participants to restore their reputation.

Pancakes, PRs, and lots of hills: Runner’s World Half Marathon Recap

I knew when Runner’s World announced they’d be hosting an inaugural half marathon event, it was a must-run race. Who better to organize a race than the people that run and write about nearly every other race in the country? This fit perfectly into my NYC Marathon training as a final tune-up race. This was also pretty convenient because the host town of Bethlehem is Matt’s hometown, so we had a place to stay.

The Ankle Saga Continues

Last time I wrote about my injury, I had just been diagnosed with a torn muscle in my ankle, ordered to wear a brace for one month, and told not to do any physical activity putting weight on my foot. It was a long month. I tried to follow the doctor’s orders as best I could. I didn’t run, aside from two 5ks and a Half Marathon since I had already signed up for those and I am stubborn. My foot has been feeling fine and I haven’t been wearing the brace the last week or so.

I finally had my follow-up appointment on Wednesday, and the news wasn’t what I wanted to hear. Dr. K basically discussed what I need to do moving forward. He wants me to get custom-fitted orthotics for my shoes, which I really want to avoid. I have also been ordered to do six weeks of physical therapy, three times a week. I am still not allowed to do physical activity and have to wear the brace, unless my physical therapists evaluate me and determine otherwise.

4 days, 3 races, 3 states, 2 time zones, 1 ankle

I have a tendency to overschedule myself. I can’t say no to anything, and I pile on the commitments to my calendar until I feel tired just looking at it. Then when my hectic week arrives, I tell myself I will never overschedule again. And then I do it again anyway. It’s a cycle I can’t seem to break. So it’s really no shock that I signed myself up for 3 races in the span of 4 days, in 3 different states, while returning home from a week-long business trip, on the other side of the country. I’ve known this would be a rough couple of weeks for me since I planned it. But then I went and messed up my ankle, and I knew it would be even worse.