12 in 2012

Well I did it!  I completed my number one goal for 2012 and ran 12 half marathons...

The finale...

My final half was in Las Vegas and what a great place for a finale... especially since I had never been there!

We arrived on Saturday and after checking into our hotel made our way to the expo to pick up bib and packet. Being in Vegas, we didn't spend much time in the expo as we wanted to check out the city and get dinner!

after dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe, we experienced our first gondola ride at the Venetian, and then we were off to play some games in the casino before Chelsea and I headed off to our first Cirque Du Soleil show "O".

The show was amazing, something I had never before experienced! Chelsea and I both loved it, tho near the end we were getting quite tired from the long first day~

Sunday, Day 2... Race Day

The race was a night race so it was different planning for the day, since we were not getting up and getting the run in. We slept in a little and decided to make our lunch our carb load.  Eating at 1pm and running at 5pm still didn't sit well with me.  I could feel the heartburn before the race began!

We were started in waves, which made it less crowded and we all seemed to be going at our own pace, so much so that by mile 2 I was running alone.  My body didn't feel bad, but the heartburn was horrible and I knew I would have to throw up by mile 6 if I was ever going to make it through this race!

By mile 3, Chelsea and I were together again and I knew I wanted it to stay that way throughout the rest of the race!  With each mile passing, and my heartburn only relieved by the gatorade at a waterstops, it was a struggle to get through. But we found things throughout the race to enjoy, including all the amazing lights, Pawn stars shop on the History Channel, and the welcome to Vegas sign that we had to stop at for a picture.

Near the last mile, up ahead we saw Kathy and Bob and quickly caught up with them. They too were having their race struggles and we decided to stick together. Just after crossing the finish Tracy and Joe were back with us. With so many people running a race, it was amazing that we all met up at the end and we able to finish together.

So while it wasn't my best race, or best time, it was a great experience. And finishing the race with the group you started with was a sweet victory in itself.