A Birthday Celebration in Sin City

My son and my other half love visiting Sin City! We usually head to Las Vegas a couple of times a year both in the winter and summer months. The purpose of this trip was to celebrate a birthday.

I enjoy visiting Las Vegas too but the summer heat kind of gets to me. It was 107 degrees the entire weekend. At 10:00 p.m. is was still 102 degrees. We try to beat the heat during the day by staying indoors or hanging out by the pool and then walking the strip at night. My son really enjoys the pool and cannot stop talking about how badly we need a pool of our own. We hung out by the pool for a few hours and it actually started pouring rain for about 10 minutes and a bunch of people picked up their stuff and left. I thought it was refreshing and just laid in my chair and waited for it to end. 

My son also insisted on having that huge drink without alcohol of course. He was embarrassed to drink it because he said everyone was staring at him thinking he was drinking alcohol!

We have seen most of the shows in Las Vegas and this time we decided to see Love by Cirque Du Soleil. The theme was based on the music by the Beatles and it was a great show. My son really enjoyed it and he watched the entire show without talking to us. That is a good sign for him!

I wanted to do two things while I was in Vegas and I was able to do both of them. Of course they both involved food.

1) Eat breakfast at Hash House a Go Go. The portions were huge but we had fun staring at all of the food they brought out to others who were dining in the restaurant. The pancakes were really thick and about the size of a medium pizza. It was way to much food for us so we all shared yet we were not successful in finishing all of it.

2) Buy some cupcakes from Retro Bakery. We had to drive about 20 miles from the strip to get the cupcakes but it was worth it! Our favorites were the hop scotch (their best seller) and the milk and cookies. We have not tried all of them yet and I brought some for my daughter to try too. I promise not to eat the whole dozen by myself.

Have you ever been to Las Vegas? 

What are some of your favorite things to do in Sin City?

Time to Get Back to Work...

I had a great 6 days off of work and tomorrow I have to go back. It was nice to say the least but the thought of all the work piling up on my desk also sat in the back of my mind. We got a lot done over the past 6 days. The anniversary celebration lasted way too long in the form of eating. The grand finale of the celebration was this amazing dessert and then I decided to call it quits for sure. I knew I was going overboard but it only happens once a year so you gotta live a little, right? I am afraid to step on the scale these days!

So many great races took place over the weekend and I have to admit that I was pretty sad not being a part of it. Going for the 9 mile run on Sunday kind of made me feel better since I was able to run even if it wasn't a race. I woke up on Monday morning feeling pretty good after my 9 mile run which was very reassuring. The weather was perfect and it was nice to not have to get up at 5:00 am to beat the heat! 

I took a break from running on Monday to go see the new James Bond movie "Skyfall" with the boys. They have been waiting for this movie to come out for a long time. It was a great movie, so go and see it! 

I went for 6 miler on the treadmill this morning. It was very boring but I stayed in bed too long to take advantage of the cooler temperatures. I am counting my blessing these days when it comes to running. I just have to be careful when the good feeling kick in because the "sign up for a race" bug starts to kick in along with it! I am still contemplating if I will do the Turkey Trot or a Christmas half but if I do, I will sign up as late as possible to make sure that I am feeling strong enough.

I am also getting really excited for Black Friday. Target just released a sneak peak of their Black Friday ad and they are offering the same iPad that I just impulsively bought with an even greater deal. They are offering a $60 Target gift card plus an additional $10 Target gift card with any $50 purchase. I haven't opened mine yet but I am thinking about returning it and going for the better deal since mine only came with a $40 Target gift card. I am a huge bargain hunter and coupon cutter so it's hard for me to accept less of a deal!

Even though I love my job, I cannot hardly wait until my next vacation! My sister will be visiting from South Carolina and we are having another big Christmas party this year. I will be off from December 21st through January 2nd. A whole 13 days so it will be even harder to return to work after all of that time off. My son is on vacation until January 7th so it is also hard to get out the door and go back to work while he is still on vacation. 

Are you a coupon user?

Any chance that I get to use a coupon or save some money I am in! I will sign up for anything that offers discounts or coupons. You would not believe how much money I have saved!

Are you a bargain hunter?

You know I am. I never pass up the chance to get price adjustments or return something that I haven't opened or used to score a cheaper price!

Getting Lost and a Weekly Recap

I have to be careful running in new places.  While I was visiting my sister in South Carolina I managed to get lost on my supposed to be 6 mile run! I had mapped out a route to try but some of the street were not marked so I am not sure where I was going so I just kept moving.

I was waiting for the sun to set before I left so I didn't leave her house until 7:30pm. It started to get dark about 30 minutes after I left and then it was really hard to see out there.  Not only are some of the streets not marked but the lighting is also very poor. The area looked familiar but I took another wrong turn and I was lost! I had to call my sister and explain where I was and she loaded up the kids and came to rescue me.  After I went to bed that night she posted this on Facebook. I (red star) was actually really close to her house (the orange triangle) but it was so dark that I didn't realize it. The good thing is that I ended up running 7 miles instead of 6!

My next run took place during the day because it was not fun getting lost in a strange dark place! My sister and my niece came along on my 5 mile run with me and rode their bikes but then my niece ended up with a flat tire and her chain also fell of of her bike.  FAIL!  They had to call for help and headed back home. I kept on going by myself and it was around 90 degrees so that was probably a good idea that they went home. I really struggled on this run because of the heat but I made it through and I was glad that I was able to get some miles in while I was away.

I also went for a 12 mile run with my Ragnar team at 5am on Sunday morning.  I was still on South Carolina time so I was able to get up without a problem. It was definitely an easy paced run but it was nice to get together and get to know these people since I only know a few of them. We realized that we are all connected in different ways and that we know some of the same people.  I guess it is a small world.

I had 40 miles planned for the week but it ended in only 30. I wanted to run further than 12 miles on Sunday but there was a last minute plan go to Starbucks after the group run and that sounded much better at the time since it was 75 degrees when we started and into the mid 80's when we finished. This week should be better since there will be no traveling and my routine is starting to get back to normal.

 Have you ever gotten lost on a run?  

This was the first time for me. I always dream that I get lost while running races though!

Vacation Time and A Record Month

I spent a good part of Sunday evening packing my bags for my trip to South Carolina.  I am taking a pretty big suitcase because I am taking back a bunch of gifts for my sister and her family that everyone here wanted to send them. I carry my most beloved belongings in my carrying bag since these are the things that I cannot live without or would be expensive to replace like my running shoes, hydration belt, my Garmin, my contact lenses (I have the worst vision ever) and my magazines that I have been putting aside to read while I am on the plane. I am sure that my niece will keep me entertained but if she falls asleep or watches a movie on her DVD player, I will try to catch up on my reading!

The weather is going to be hot with a very big chance of rain but I am planning to get a couple of runs in if I can. I mapped out a small loop around my sister's house so I can easy get back if it starts pouring. 

I am excited but traveling can sometimes be hectic because I will come back to a desk full of work and a list of things to do at home. I do not enjoy unpacking either. I have been good about unpacking the day that I get home from a trip but there have been times when the suitcase sits in my bedroom for days! Before I go, I have to leave my other half a "Honey Do List" since there are certain things that I handle at home that he will have to assume while I am away. Most of the tasks are pretty simple but they must be done...like give the dogs clean water and don't forget to check the mail!

With the exception of being lazy and not getting my long run done on Friday instead of Sunday, I had a good week, a record week! I woke up at the crack of dawn to watch the women's marathon and that was not a good idea when you have 18 miles to run. I only slept 5 hours and I could feel it every single mile but I fought through it. I am glad I did!

• Miles Planned: 40
• Miles Completed: 40.12 (This is actually my biggest week to date so I am pretty excited about it!)

My calves have been feeling sore after runs of 15 miles or longer so I am spending more time stretching, using my stick and icing right after my runs. They are feeling pretty normal today so that is a big relief.


Thankfully I live about five minutes from the airport and my flight leaves at 2:20pm tomorrow so I am hoping to get a decent run in before I get out of town! I am already starting to feel sad to leave my family behind but sometimes a small break can be a good thing. It makes you appreciate people more :)

What do you bring in your carry on bag when you travel? Do you tend to over pack like I do?

South Carolina Bound and a Weekly Recap

I will be packing up my bags and heading out to South Carolina for a few days in mid August. It will be just me and my niece since we have a house full of puppies and cannot leave them alone. I asked my son if he wanted to come along but he did not want to leave his Daddy behind. My sister and her family are now residing in Charleston and I have not seen them since January. My brother-in-law is in the Navy so this is where they are calling home for the next couple of years. We are hopeful that once he finishes school they will be able to move closer to California so that we can see them more often. 

My niece is here visiting and we will be flying to South Carolina together so that she does not have to fly back home alone. I am also excited to see my nephew who just celebrated his first birthday. Jazzy, the family Pitbull Yorkie may or may not be excited about my presence so hopefully I come back home in one piece! She is only four pounds but swears that she is ten times her size!

Last night I was busy searching  for a race to squeeze in while I am in South Carolina but no such luck. I was only able to find triathlons and I am not ready for that yet. I am still very excited to go for a couple of runs while I am there since I enjoy the change of scenery and running in new places. I have heard that South Carolina is a beautiful place so I am looking forward to visiting a state that I have never experienced.  I am a California girl at heart but I do enjoy visiting new places.

Weekly Recap: I had a good week.  I finally ran 100 miles in the month of June!  I have not seen a decent month since December due to my injury.  I am slowly increasing my mileage and hoping to return to better days again.  

I ran 25.55 miles last week and I had a great long run on Saturday with an average pace of 8:19.  The warm weather does not make it all that enjoyable but I guess I will get used to it . When the sun is out, 61 degrees feels like 80 degrees to me! I have been avoiding the treadmill this week for some reason that I can't seem to explain. 

Any ideas of fun things to do, or places to visit while in South Carolina?

A Little Road Trip to Sin City.....

My son is on spring break this week and I mentioned that we were consider taking a small road trip.  My son had a list of things that he wanted to do on his  break like go and see Hunger Games, go to Universal Studios and he really wanted to Las Vegas.  We decided that it would be nice to get away so off we went to Sin City. We usually stay at The Excalibur since they have an arcade for kids and the rates were really reasonable this week, like $21.00 a night.  They do charge a resort fee of $15.00 a day so I guess the rate was actually $36.00 a night plus all of the lovely taxes. We left early Sunday morning and got back late Tuesday afternoon.

We did a lot of walking on Sunday.  We visited several casinos and bothered lots of random strangers to take pictures of us.  My son is just amazed with Las Vegas and all the strip walking is a good workout too! 

We also ate at one our favorite sandwich places that we do not have here in California. It is called "Earl of Sandwich" and they have the best hot sandwiches ever!! I always get The Earl's Club, which has roasted turkey breast. Mmmm! If you have never tried this place, you have to try it!! Their website says that they are opening one soon at Downtown Disney right near Disneyland. I can hardly wait!!

We finished off the night by taking my son to the arcade and he played some games and collected a few prizes. My son can go through $25.00 within a few minutes so we have to keep a close eye on him!

On Monday we went to the Fashion Show Mall because there is a Lululemon store and I wanted to check out a tank that I have been eyeing on their website.  It's called the "Stuff Your Bra Tank" and of course after I tried it, I bought it.  I like that it has a ton of pockets to hold gels, keys and even your phone so you can run hands free. I can't wait until I can actually run a race again so that I can wear it.

SOURCE

After the mall, we headed back to the hotel to hit up the pool. I opted not to do the pool thing and headed to the Fitness Center to get a workout in. 

I only did six miles but with the walk breaks in between the jogs, a six mile run takes longer than I would like it to. The fitness center was pretty decent and was practically empty. They hotel supplied...

the water and the towels...

the view of the pool....
AND

the entertainment!

I am not sure what kind of dance this girl was doing but it was pretty entertaining! Perhaps she had a little too much too drink! I did witness her making a few trips to the bar.

 

After our visit to the pool we went back to our room and showered and headed out for dinner.  My son wanted to see the motorcycles at the Harley Davidson Cafe so we took him there for dinner. The food wasn't to die for but my son enjoyed the many motorcycles on display.

We were pretty beat after all of the activities of the day and headed back to the hotel to take a rest before we did a little more walking around on the strip. We closed out the night by having a beer, which is something that I don't normally do but Michelob Ultra tastes better to me than most beer. I tried it at a race I ran in December with Shawna and decided that beer is not that bad after all. 

As we were driving down to the strip to head back to California, I spotted this place and stopped to grab some lunch.

Although we have several Whole Foods Markets in California, I don't have a location close to my house.  I tried the split pea soup and this yummy dish from the Hot Food Bar:

They were barely putting out the hot lunch foods so I am not sure what this is called but I think the guy putting the food out said it is called Curried Quinoa.  It is just vegetables with quinoa and it is just a tad bit spicy. It was pretty good!!  I would definitely get it again in spite of fact that the food is pricey and you have to be careful since it is sold by the pound!

So these are the highlights of our Vegas trip.  It's back to work for me today but I only have a two day work week because I am off this Friday. I also have physical therapy tomorrow and I am hoping that I will be released to start "running" without the walk breaks. My pain seems to be going away but I don't want to jinx myself by saying that! The pain always seems to sneak back up on me just when I think things are starting to get better.  I don't wish a running injury on anyone..it has been life changing for me!

Do you like Whole Foods?  What are some of your favorites from Whole Foods?

Three Things Thursday

1. Had a Great Workout! I had such an inspiring workout on Tuesday!  Although my usual workout is really boring and includes the whole speed walk and jog thing, I took it up to another level and it felt really good!  I actually jogged two whole miles (without the walk break) at 5.8 on the treadmill. I didn’t want to stop because I felt good and was actually breaking a good sweat! Nothing was hurting but I was already pushing it so I had to bring myself back to reality and turn it down to 4.0 and walk it out for a couple of minutes.  I am hoping to be able to maintain this same pace for the remainder of the week and get a little more mileage in this week. I needed this encouragement as I head to an Expo to pick up my goodie bag for a race I will not be able to participate in on Saturday.

2. Vacation Time Starts Tomorrow!! Today is my last workday for the week and I will be on vacation until Wednesday!  I am kind of excited because I feel like I need a little break.  I didn’t realize how the whole “not being able to run thing” has impacted my life.  The moment I feel like everything in my life is going okay, the whole running thing pops into my mind and just makes me sad.  I am looking forward to spending time with my family and maybe taking a little road trip.  Easter dinner is traditionally at my house but this year I am breaking that tradition because I need a break from all the cooking and cleaning.  I really want to try this amazing Easter Champagne Brunch at the Queen Mary in Long Beach but it’s incredibly pricey ($59.95 per person) but sound really good. Maybe once I get back to running I can give it a try because after putting on two pounds last week, it’s probably not a good idea!! For those of you who are from California, have you ever tried this brunch at the Queen Mary?

3. I Am Still Waiting on My Final Grade! I am still patiently waiting for my final grade to see if I will finally have that Master’s degree!! The professor told us that we would find out some time in mid April but I was sure hoping that I would find out sooner than that.  I look for my grade everyday but it still says “RP” which I think means "Report in Progress."  I guess the students are given this as a temporary grade until the final grades are posted.  HURRY UP ALREADY!! I sure hope I passed!

 Have a great weekend!!  Any special plans for Easter Sunday?