Rock ‘n Roll Vegas 2016

It was bigger and better this year. The highlight was seeing Britney again and finally getting to taste Raising Canes. So delicious, probably not the best pre-race meal, but I digress. This year we didn’t have to contend with baseball cap man standing in front of us for Britney, but we did deal with Indian Steven Spielberg shamelessly filming the whole show a row in front of us. All in all it was a very fun show, and we still had a great time. The race itself was rain free this time.

The remix challenge was more of the same. A cool concert from Kalloepie and long lines for beer. We spent less time here because we were pretty over it at that point. We just wanted to get back to the room so we could make our way to the concert. We didn’t get VIP this time, so we’d have to contend with the lines. But as savvy as we are, we found a hitch in the line, and the security guard just waved us right on through to the front.

Kalloipe in action

The hotel was abysmal- We’ll never stay at the Flamingo again. They gave us a smoking room because they gave ours to another person who showed up earlier than we did. Even though I specifically told them we’d be arriving to check in later, they just said screw all that and gave our room up. So we moved rooms the next day, but it wasn’t much of an upgrade. We saved money, and the finish line was right by the entrance, so it had its perks for sure.

The expo was legit too. Not sure why people were taking pictures in front of a video screen…

A quick note about travel during the race weekend- you have to request Ubers at designated locations. No more picking up right off the strip anymore. This takes some getting used to.

Last, we noticed the corral setup was much different this year and will need to be changed. Instead of giving us a time to line up in our group, we had a color to correspond with our pace. We were told to arrive at a certain time after the Snoop Dog concert, but this was all located at the same place. So the place was overcrowded with non-racers, and they closed the gates to the corals very early. So we ended up waiting with group 2, or corral green, whatever it was. It was very unorganized, and made all our planning useless.

We didn’t forget, here are you pics!

Golden Gate Half

Question: So how do you get back into running after a few months off moving to San Francisco?

Answer: Sign up for 2 half marathons on a whim, 7 days apart.

Yes, we go hard. Melissa had this idea that we should check out a race that’s close to home. It’s a no brainer, really. The starting line is a quick Uber ride away, we don’t need a hotel, and we could be back recuperating in our apartment in no time. Not to mention our scenic run would be a great welcome to the city, officially. So I said sure, even though we have Rock n’ Roll Vegas half and 5K Remix Challenge next weekend. Did I mention we go hard?

The race went really well. We ran our best time on not much training either. The 1 minute run, 1 minute 1 walk routine proves extremely useful. The only downside was the drizzle for most of first 6 miles. But the rest of the run was very enjoyable. Running along the Golden Gate Bridge was spectacular! We also got to run along the beach and Fort Point, where the famous scene in Vertigo took place (glad I didn’t have to jump into raging waters that day). Great waves there too.

Ditka Dash 2015

Once in awhile, you’ve got a have a “fun run.” These are low pressure races, usually with comical themes that don’t mean anything. They’re just opportunities to get out and see some friends, or dress up funny. Melissa and I don’t really put a lot of time training for these kinds of races. As long as the medal is cool, and there’s little effort in getting to it, we’re all for it. So our home town of Chicago has this thing called the Ditka Dash. Mike Ditka was a legendary TE for the Bears in the  early 60s, eventually winning the NFL Championship in ’63, and 2 Superbowls with the Cowboys years later (1 as a player, 1 as an assistant coach). He also head coached the best football team in history, the ’85 Bears. If you don’t recognize it already, we’re big Bears fans. So hey, let’s run this race and get some swag, eh?

 

Pack Up The Cat

We’re getting closer and closer to our move date. With all the interviews we’ve gotten, it feels like this is meant to be, and we aren’t too afraid to pull the trigger. It’s still a bit scary, but it’s do or die time now. Never has a leap of faith felt so good. We are serious about improving our lives, and Indiana just isn’t giving us that opportunity. So it’s time to go.

We’ve gotten just about all the pieces together:
Truck rented – Penske gave us a great deal after I drove a hard bargain against Uhaul’s “lower” prices.

We’ll get through Girl On A Train for sure.

Roomy…

Route mapped– Melissa came up with the optimal route based on ease of terrain and rest stops/gas stations.

Interviews scheduled in person– We’re confident all these phone screens and Skype interviews will materialize into on-site final interviews.

Hotels reserved– Cocoa is a very particular traveler… she only likes certain hotels (ours has an acceptable pet policy).
Air Bnb locked in for a couple weeks– We’ll be staying in an Air Bnb for a couple weeks until our interviews come through. It’ll be great to allow us to settle in.
Cat meds prepared for a bumpy ride– Our biggest worry is that she’ll be crying the whole time. So the vet recommended some sedatives and motion sickness pills. We’ve also go a great carrier to sit her in for the whole ride.

Expect pictures in a later post!

Nike Women Half Marathon 2015

Lottery races are both good and bad. I can think of quite a few races that could benefit from this kind of system, but a race and company this large should allow for a lot more racers, and be more organized than not at all. Enough trash talking the race, it actually was an incredible experience.

We got to our hotel and realized it was a boutique with very peculiar design elements. It’s called The Diva, and I actually suggest it. It’s expensive, but hey, it’s San Francisco, what isn’t expensive? Overall, I give it a strong 7. It was clean, close to stuff around town, and we got some good memories out of it.

We checked out this Asian restaurant called San Tung, which has a reputation for being crowded for every minute their open. They have dry fried chicken to die for, and waiting for 30 minutes to get it was worth it. It’s good enough to turn any person into a foodie.

I also took us whale watching which was pretty cool too. We got some great photos out of the trip, and actually saw a few! It took all day though, I wasn’t expecting it to be so long. They kept us out longer in hopes of getting a few more sightings. But overall, we had fun.

We also stopped off at In-N-Out Burger and got our animal style on. We can officially never eat McDonald’s again. These burgers were so flavorful, even though the fries weren’t much to holler about. Sweet lemonade to go with it too? Sign me up for next year’s race.

The course was quite challenging, but we ran a decent time considering all the hills. Oh yeah, there were many hills, and we were in pain about mile 9. So all our training in the mostly flat midwest only prepared us so much. We ended up walking up most of them to try and conserve energy. The scenery is unmatched. All the Full House row homes, and mountains in the background kept us interested. The bay is beautiful as well, and when we finally made it up to the Golden Gate, we figured out why people live here. It’s just gorgeous.

As we neared the finish line, we felt a sense of relief in the idea that we’d soon be home resting our hill-tested legs. But we couldn’t find the shuttles to get us home. No one could. All the signs made no sense, and it wasn’t until we wandered around for 20 minutes that we found a line of people going towards the same path. We took our chances and walked some more until we got to a row of buses behind some building. Then we waited in line until we were able to board. I just wanted to carry Melissa back, her legs weren’t having it. Thanks, Nike. You guys are seriously disorganized. After we finally got home, we crashed, and ordered more San Tung.

We knew right away that we wanted to come back. It’s sunny, people were nice, and everything seemed shiny. Going back home to eventual winter just does not seem fun.

You know what’s coming next, so go on ahead. Enjoy the photos.

 

 

Rock ‘n Roll Vegas 2015

Strip at night! What could be better than running down Las Vegas Blvd with a pulsating skylight at your back? What an amazing experience, and we’ll surely make this a tradition. And we got to see Britney Spears! Melissa is literally the biggest Britney fan, so front row seats made this one of the coolest experiences for her.

We watched a cheesy lifetime special called “Double Daddy,” which translated for blacks is “project twins.” What a ridiculous movie! Like new standard of bad, ridiculous.

I’ve been to Vegas 4 times already, making me officially jaded to all the lights. This being my 5th time, and 1st at legal gambling age, I wanted Melissa to really soak in all the sites. There’s so much to see, and many shows, but our short visit wouldn’t really allow for that. It is also 10x more crowded than I remember so, so getting out and walking around before a race wasn’t the 1st thing on our minds. So we spent quality time together in the Mirage. Well worth it.

The race itself was a little crazy. It rained for the first few miles, so it was cold and took awhile to get in a groove running up and down Las Vegas Blvd. After the rain stopped, we caught our stride and ran a decent time. The course itself was very bland after we got to downtown Las Vegas. It’s awesome on the strip, but past the Stratusphere is just winding roads of residential areas for many miles in the dark. Not that cool, we think they could plan that portion a little better. We also ran the Remix Challenge 5K to warm up for the half marathon the following day. In addition, we’d get an extra medal.

You know the drill. Picture time!

 

Hot Chocolate Run 2014

Melissa signed us up for this race since we were planning to go back home to Chicago to visit for a weekend anyway. But I’m sure she’s been on a runner’s high ever since Monumental. So we’re heading to Chi-town for a 30 degree 15K.

It was long. It was cold. The chocolate wasn’t that tasty. We are sore. We are tired.

But one takeaway: we are going to do this a lot more in the future. We still had a great time.

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Monumental 5K 2014

A few days after Melissa got me a Nike Fuel band, we’re running our first race. I’m not even sure what got her into running in the first place, but it gets her excited. That makes me happy to see her so passionate about something. She knows her stuff too. We’re learning to live healthier lifestyles, and we feel better too.

Racing is brand new to us. Melissa researched a ton before we went, and I didn’t look like a complete noob thanks to her. I’ll never wear the race shirt to the race again, as that is a faux pas. I can’t imagine why people run  for fun. It’s always been a form of punishment for me, so the feeling I get is probably contrary to what she feels. We make a good team, however, as we both encourage each other with each step.

We already can’t wait for the next race!

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1st Half Marathon: Vancouver Seawheeze

We’ll be doing more of these runs, that’s for sure.

With a lush landscape to run through, and fresh new, exclusive Lululemon, we’d be hard pressed to enjoy ourselves. We stayed at a premier hotel, ordered room service, lived the high life just for a little while. We hiked through gardens and a silent forest called where the “Spirit Bear” lives. It was such an life altering quiet that I have never been able to replicate the feeling I had standing out in the woods. Nothing. Literally nothing could be heard. No street noise, no people, just nature. It was actually quite beautiful, and I hope to experience it again someday.

There was a strip mall in the mountains where a fully stacked Bentley and a beat up Honda Fit were parked right next to each other, along with a McDonald’s, a health food shop, and a $1 store. What a weird place! We weren’t sure what kind of world upper BC was, but it scared me a little.

We drove the countryside for hours, and felt so at peace there. It is not a bad place to retire to, honestly. We also learned a lot about travel: get to airports super early, make sure car rental agreements are FULLY understood before getting there, pack a little more than you think you need, and never go to SeaTac without TSA. Also, don’t expect to drive past boarder patrol without delays, and make sure you are allowed to one your rental vehicle out of the country- most places don’t specify this. We spent a night in Seattle as well and did the tourist thing at the Space Needle. Very cool.

Our descriptions of the locale are better expressed through pictures, so enjoy!