Las Vegas Marathon Blog

We went to bed early Saturday night and set our alarm for 9 a.m. so we could get up and run early. After a few dozen snoozes, we got out of bed after 1 p.m. As soon as we ventured out to run, it began to pour. After driving all over St. Louis to find a place to run where there was no rain, we ended up back where we began.

About three minutes into it, I remembered how much my shoes hurt me the last time I ran. But this time, there was minimal pain. I was able to keep my mind on track. I thought about running heel to toe, keeping my arms and shoulders relaxed, relaxing my lower jaw, and taking deep breaths with my stomach. I focused in on my running technique, making sure I learned good habits right off the bat.

The three mile run was easy. Besides surviving the humidity, the hardest part was breathing correctly. I didn’t mind that it had rained because it kept the temperature below 80 degrees.

I completed the run in less than 30 minutes, averaging about 9-minute miles after my two-minute walk breaks.

After the run, Patrick and I shared a protein cookie, and then went to Subway where we had a double-meat club sandwich with olives and 100% whole wheat bread. No sauce.

But on Saturday, we splurged. (Patrick and I allow ourselves to splurge on food once a week. That means one meal– not a whole day of splurging. We call it a “Cheat Meal.”) We each ate our own 14″ pizza from Cecil Whittaker’s. I had shrimp and pineapple on mine. I usually only eat about 1,500 calories a day, but on that day, I had more than 3,500. I couldn’t even feel the pizza on Sunday. Because I’ve been eating healthy, the pizza didn’t stick.

The best part about eating healthy all week, and running, is how great I feel afterwards. Sometimes I really want to eat junk food and veg out in front of the TV, but after I run I feel more productive. This week, I am supposed to run 3-miles, three days a week. And next weekend, I run my first six miles. I can’t wait!