Tag Archives: las vegas

Viva Las Vegas

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Since Brian had a conference in Las Vegas this past week and we’re heading straight to Bizz Johnson after my conference next week, we decided to sneak in a quick weekend getaway after his conference.

Getting there wasn’t too crazy, until I got in a cab to head to the hotel.  Of course the driver asks me if I want to take the freeway or the strip.  I KNOW one of them is a rip off…I  just couldn’t remember which one.  I ask what’s faster….he says the freeway.  As I watch the meter tick past $20, I knew I made the wrong choice.  But hey, I got to drive past the Delano, which will be my home away from home for my conference next week.

We stayed at Harrah’s…for some reason, something about music, I think, everything in Vegas was super expensive last weekend.  Even Luxor, which is usually our go-to for a decent priced hotel with a decent pool was more than I’ve ever seen it.  Anyway, we stayed at Harrah’s since we could stay there and see a show for the same price as staying at any of the other hotels.  It was…

Well, it was clean, safe, and the door locked.  And was pretty centrally located.  It also had Toby Keith’s bar, which we love.  Other than that, not too much going on.  Overall, it felt pretty dated compared to the other hotels and seemed to have a cult following, I’m guessing those who like to gamble there.  People don’t go there for the pool….it was small and barely in the sun.  But, we were able to rent a cabana of sorts to ensure us some sunshine and a way to hide from it when it got too hot.  It was pretty cheap too….I think only $30 if you met a food and beverage minimum, which was also pretty low.  The room had been recently re-done, but came with feather pillows and sliding bathroom door.  Great, unless you’re us and prefer normal pillows and an actual bathroom door.  The shower was also only covered with half of a glass door….just odd.  All that was missing was the cut-out between the bathroom and the bedroom and I could’ve been in Beijing again….

Bottom line…if you’re going for the gambling, and you like to gamble at Harrah’s, it’s probably a great option for you.  If you’re looking for a pool and to see shows, probably not the best choice.

We saw two shows – Mystere and Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club.  Mystere was Saturday night and Brad Garrett’s was Sunday.

First, Mystere, which is one of the Cirque shows…apparently, it’s the first one, if I remember correctly.  Last time we were there, we saw Ka, which put just about everything else I’ve seen to shame, so that may have influenced my reaction.  There wasn’t much of a story tying the performances together, and I found that I missed that.  However, the performances, when they were happening were very good.  During those times, there was always so much going on, it kept my attention.  But, there were those times that the performances weren’t going on…and the fact that the story tying everything together was pretty loose.  There were two sets of…I don’t even know what to call them…interludes?  Probably the wrong word.  Interruptions?  I like that better.  But two characters engaging with the audience differently at points throughout the show and it just, to me, fell flat.  It interrupted the performances, which almost made them feel like America’s Got Talent instead of Cirque and both of the characters got old….real fast.  It was almost like, ok, this was funny once….Overall….go see Ka.

Sunday, we returned to Brad Garrett’s.  We went there in May, finding ourselves with a free night and no plans and it was in our hotel and cheap.  So we went and enjoyed it.  When we were choosing shows for this trip, Brian saw that Brad Garrett was going to be there, so we thought it would be cool to go again.  Hilarious.  Definitely recommend.  Especially if he’ll be there….he started the show and performed between the other comedians and was just….hilarious.  Didn’t miss a beat and the audience loved him for it.

I also took the opportunity to sport not one, but two Charlotte Russe dresses.  They were actually pretty fun and looked great.  I wish I had remembered my curling iron, but that’s another story.  I mean, you can’t go wrong in Vegas in a cute red dress and heels you can barely walk in.

Day three was pretty low key.  Having learned our lesson with the Harrah’s buffet, we once again ventured over to Denny’s.  During breakfast we talked about when we might come back and where we’d want to stay, which turned into us exploring the nearby casinos and pools to decide.  Cesar’s, Flamingo, and MGM top the list.  With the looming thought of the airport madness ahead of us, we looked up how long it would take to drive and thought that might be an option next time.  We ended the day with a drink at Cesar’s…first time we’ve done that…and for some reason, it took way too long to find a bar….maybe because the place was so big.  haha…

So, since we pretty much decided that we’d try driving for our next trip, avoiding both the airport and the cabs to get to the airport, the great beyond decided that we needed to have a ride to the airport to remember.  Since my adventure from the airport wasn’t enough, apparently….

We get in the cab just fine, guy isn’t very social, but whatever, it’s fine.  We’re just lounging in the back, dreading the thought of dealing with TSA and airports and everything else, as we head down an access road between two of the casinos.  And I noticed we kind of, sort of, maybe roll through a stop sign.  And maybe we’re going kind of fast.  And then I hear sirens.  No easy feat over the bad 80’s music Mr.Cabbie is blaring.

He pulls over, and I think we were all hoping that the police just needed to get through.  No such luck…he’s pulling us over.  Of course, turning down the music is out of the question, so we can barely hear Mr. Cabbie fight with the officer about how he didn’t run the stop sign before handing over his credentials.  And then we sat…..and sat some more….in awkward silence.  Mr. Cabbie never said a word.  No, I’m so sorry, I’m sure we’ll be on our way in a minute….nothing.  Nor does he turn the music down.  I start thinking about calling Uber from the side of the road…is that a thing?  Can we do that here?  Half an hour later, he has his ticket and his court date, and we’re on our way.  Such fun.  Only when we get to the airport and we’re unloading does he say anything….’you’re not leaving a tip?!’.  Really, dude?  Really?

Oh Vegas…until next time….Viva Las Vegas!

Trip to Vegas, New Injury, and Catching Up on Life

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I realized today that its been over a month since I updated this, over a month since finishing Lake Sonoma, and what a month its been.

Coming out of the 50 mile, I managed to take it easy for a couple of days.  Ok, three days before I was going completely stir crazy, four before I was in my first bikram yoga class in years, and five before I was back at Orange Theory.  I was out running again that weekend, interestingly enough, back at Lake Sonoma for a quick seven miler before I picked up wine.  It was 90 degrees and sunny – quite the change from the previous weekend.  I was a little stiff, but overall felt good.

The next week, I was back to my normal routine…four days at the gym and a 10k road race that weekend.  I was still a little stiff, a little achy (especially my left hip), but again, overall, felt good.  I was slightly nervous about running on a road for the first time in over a year, partly due to the last year I spent healing my right knee, and not knowing how it would hold up…and partly due to the stiffness in my left hip.  However, I was excited to see how I would do running such a short distance.

It was so much fun!  My goal was to come in under an hour, which I didn’t think I had done before.  I spent the first two-ish miles trying to hang with my fast friends, but eventually fell back.  Which was fine, I was still moving fast for me.  Miles three and four felt long and I hadn’t gotten into a rhythm yet. I started feeling great somewhere between four and a half and five, and then it was over.  As it turns out, I did well on the fast and flat course….final time: 56:49.  According to Strava, there was an 8:30ish mile in there (its been years since that happened).  9th in my age group out of 51….I don’t think I’ve ever been top 10.  Unless there were less than 10…haha.

The next weekend, Brian and I headed to Vegas on vacation.  No races, no crazy adventures, no nothing….other than vacation.  We stayed at MGM…floated in the lazy river…enjoyed our fair share of terrible pool beer and good dinner wine.  Saw great shows. For anyone heading to Vegas: Ka is amazing.  Go see it.  I really can’t think of anyone that wouldn’t like this show.  It’s a cirque with a story that’s easy to follow, great stunts, and a super intricate stage.  I feel like it was over before it even began.  Just so, so good.  Maybe skip the large, slushy, adult beverage during the show…you won’t want to get up to find a restroom and nothing makes the last fifteen minutes of a show really, really long like needing one.

The third night we had dinner at Tao – probably my favorite Vegas restaurant and it definitely didn’t disappoint.  Then headed over to Cesar’s for Absinthe.  Somehow we were VIP’s, which meant they gave us champagne to enjoy during the show.  Unless you’re me…then you dump half of it all over your purse and having to get creative in drying it off…..anyway, I digress….the show is hilarious.  Very politically incorrect and full of adult humor, but so much fun.  However, if you’re easily offended, this is not the show for you.  Aside from the humor, it’s a variety show with amazing acts.  Dancers and tightrope walkers and aerialists, etc.  So good.

I anticipated coming back to my leg being 100% after four days of rest.  But, I’m not that lucky.  By the middle of last week, I finally caved and called a doctor’s office close to my office to deal with whatever the situation is in my hip.  I’ve rolled, I’ve rested, I’ve stretched, and it’s not getting any better.  After doing nothing in Vegas for four days (other than those nights in five inch heels ;)), I got to my second day at the gym and the shooting pain was back.  That’s not normal.  The following week, I got through another two days and while it wasn’t shooting pain, it was definitely achy.  Definitely not normal.

So, of course I go home the night before seeing a doctor and do some searching on the internet about what might be wrong.  The first thing I find that sounds plausible is a stress fracture.  Cue stress at the thought of no running for probably three months.  Really?  When am I going to learn to stay off of internet?

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that something was really wrong and I was going to be out of running and working out for the foreseeable future.  My suspicions were close to confirmed as I was talking the doctor through everything that was going on, and the first thing he mentioned was a stress fracture….but, once he started his exam, luck seemed to be on my side.  First, I was much stronger during the resistance tests than he thought I would be….second, he found two knotted, locked up, muscles.  Took him an extra 15 minutes to find, but the two highest muscles in my hip – the pectineus and the adductor brevis, were a sore, painful, tight mess.  Apparently having the adductor tight that high isn’t normal….apparently he hasn’t met me….

Cue some super fun ART that surprisingly didn’t bruise.  Unfortunately, the relief didn’t stick for too long either….hopefully that just means I need more sessions.  As much fun as ART is, I like that and strained muscles far more than I like stress fractures.

Before he left, I made sure to ask him if I was still allowed to exercise and if there were any restrictions.  Surprisingly, he told me I could…just asked that I dial it back to 75%.  If I had a class I liked to take, that was fine….just take it easy.  Yup, I can do that.  So I threw on my gym clothes and headed to class.  I mean, why wouldn’t I….last year I had an MRI on my knee and ran a half marathon the next day….

Since then, I actually have been heeding the doctor’s warnings – 22-year old me ran a half marathon with a broken ankle….32-year old me does not need to learn that lesson twice.  I’ve done a couple of Orange Theory classes, but have taken it easy.  I think I’m going to set the record for the most classes with zero splat points.  But, it’s better than being completely side-lined.  I’ve also gotten back into bikram…that’s been a great way to stretch out and relax, not to mention get in a good workout with little impact.

Today, I had the x-ray done.  No one was there to read it (I’m pretty sure the lady taking it was pretty new, as I could clearly hear someone giving her directions), but they did give me a CD to take back to the doctor.  Of course, I took it home this evening and tried to get it to open to read it myself.  I saw what my ankle looked like…I’d think the same would apply to this situation, right?  Sadly, the files wouldn’t open.  But, really, do I need to be trying to read an x-ray?  Probably not.  Just give me something else to stress about….haha.

So, I wait until Wednesday, when hopefully the doctor has the report…or can read the films.  And cross my fingers and toes (and whatever else I can think of) that it’s strained muscles and some more rounds of ART can fix it.  And I can get back to running healthy soon.

Until then…signing off…