LV Half Marathon--Lil' Browntime Style

So if anyone is as diligent as Chasqui Jordan and checked the LV Half Marathon Results, unlike Chasqui Morgan, you would find my name and my time (however, not as impressive as my Chasqui counterpart). Let me do a little bit of background on this race. First, this was my first half marathon ever. Second, the furthest I had ever ran prior to this race was approximately 9 miles. Third, I was told by my expert runner sister, Jamie, that I should wear shorts the day of the race. So, the night before the race, I was freezing! All I kept thinking about is my sister telling me to wear shorts in the middle of winter. Is she crazy? Well, after reflecting on all the marathons she's ran and the childhood memories that only SHE remembers, I thought perhaps she is crazy. So, I stopped at Sports Chalet on the way home from dinner and bought the tightest pair of Nike spandex pants, shorts and undershirt (this outfit was key to my success later in the race).

The first 7 miles I ran like a champ and was thinking I could totally run a Marathon. Then, Mile 11 crept along and this thing called "The Home Stretch" was all I could think about. My body was in good shape, but for some reason my feet started hurting and then in the distance I saw it. It was amazing...the yellow color illuminated the sky and in large black print read the most inspirational words ever seen....Las Vegas Fire Department. All of the sudden my body got a jolt of energy and I sprinted past them, all the while thinking in my head, my outfit is so freaking sweet and these firefighters are totally checking out my spandex pants...And that's what got me through the last 2 miles. Firefighters. I sprint past the finish line, only to find out no one was there waiting for me, but that didn't really bother me that much, this did. After the race they have these tables set up with a wide array of ice-cream sandwiches, juice and fruit that they couldn't put out fast enough for the large mass of runners. I was craving fruit and went over to grab a banana, only to go in for the grab, and have a lady behind me snatch the whole bunch of bananas and run off. Awesome! No family, no friends, no bananas.

It was an amazing experience and if you have never had the chance to run down Las Vegas Boulevard when it is closed off to the public, it is a pretty amazing sight. With a little help from Nike, Apple, and City of Las Vegas Fire Department, I was able to finish the race in a little over 2 hours. See you at Ragnar...