Vegas Baby…or a Break in Training
Last weekend Mac and I headed to Las Vegas for a 48-hour booze-filled, Mötley Crüe-induced party of epic proportions that included VIP booths, dozens of bottles of Patron, tens of thousands of dollars laid on craps tables and tens of thousands more on a small portion of the 400-plus betting options on the Super Bowl.
At least that’s what everyone thinks when Mac heads to Vegas. In reality….we enjoyed some R&R (rock & roll AND rest & relaxation), good food, a few cocktails and some workouts in the sunshine while NOT wearing 5 layers of clothing to stay warm.
We booked this trip several months ago, when Mötley Crüe announced that they would do a residency at the Hard Rock Hotel. Not long after booking this trip, we received the invitation to a good friends’ wedding in Miami next weekend – so we get to hit up fun, warm locales, two weekends in a row! Not only that, but after we got home from Vegas, Mac turned around the next day and flew to Texas for the week. Then after we get home from Miami, he’s off again to Tennessee, New York and New Jersey the following week and weekend. It never ends – but I digress.
We made it to Vegas Friday in time for me to do a quick track workout before heading to dinner with my uncle and his girlfriend at an “old school” Vegas Steakhouse – the Flame Room at the El Cortez Hotel. Mac and I have spent a lot of time in Las Vegas and until this trip, the only time I’ve been in the old downtown area was during the Las Vegas Marathon in 2005. It’s an interesting place that is in stark contrast to the newer strip areas.
Dinner was fun, though we just missed the famed owner of the establishment, and then we were off to the Hard Rock for the opening night of the Mötley Crüe show. The Crüe did not disappoint. The show was scheduled for 9:00pm and they came on around 9:20 – not too bad – I find it so annoying to wait hours for a concert start. The show included the usual theatrics, characters, pyrotechnics and blood being thrown. It also included something we’d never seen from Mötley Crüe before, an acoustic set on a round platform suspended over the crowd; by far my favorite part of the show. It was a show for all ages, as shown by the attendees. It’s hard to believe that Mötley Crüe has been doing this for over 30 years.
I had a long run on the schedule for Saturday morning and we were both tired from traveling, so we didn’t do anything crazy after the show. I had perfect weather for my long run and ended up running for 1:45:00 in the sunshine and amazing temps. Such a treat for this Chicaogoan during February. My GPS would not pick up a signal, so I’m guessing that I got in somewhere around 10 miles. I’ll try to “map my run” when I get home to see if I can figure out the actual distance.
Saturday night we had dinner at our long-time favorite, Simon Kitchen and Bar. Holy YUM. Let’s just say we ate and drank a LOT, but it was worth every carb and calorie. After dinner, I was so tired that I went upstairs while Mac hit a blackjack table. I usually enjoy watching him play, but my feet were tired from my run and from wearing heels a LOT this weekend and I just wanted to put them up and relax a little. Funny how my definition of vacation, specifically a weekend in Vegas, has evolved over the years. Training, and life in general, are just more fun with a little more sleep and a little less partying! (Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a good party, I just also enjoy sleep and good training days!) In fact, this week at work has been a short one and we’re soon off on another weekend adventure – this time for a weekend wedding in Florida.
