Rocky Road 50 mile report and lessons learned

I decided to sign up for this because a couple of my friends were doing their first 100miler and I thought this would be a good time to see how my training was progressing. I thought it would be nice to get a 50 mile training run in at the same time as getting a shirt.

Vanessa and Robert(Shacky) said they would allow me to carpool with them - this made it easier for me to go since I had just signed up on a whim about 2 weeks before the race. I'm training for the San Diego 100miler in June so I wanted to test myself and get everything dialed in so that I'm prepared as much as I can be when June comes around. Plus, I wanted to see Vanessa and Robert(S) run 100 miles and get their first buckle - and run it barefoot and minimal as possible.

I've been training in the Laguna and Saddleback Mountains the past couple months almost on a weekly basis - getting some hard training in elevation and terrain to prepare myself as much as possible for a 100mile race. So when I signed up for the RR50miler, I wanted to get the miles on my feet - and it was a relatively easy course (compared to the mountain trails I've been running).

Our Raw Vegan Detox

by Rachel

Paul and I decided to start the year off with a detox - to get some holiday treats out of our system, get away from gluten for a few days, and hopefully clear our systems out a bit.

The best way we figured to do this without completely starving ourselves (we have fasted before, so not unfamiliar with that) was to go raw vegan. Basically eating only fruits, veggies, nuts... and all of it raw - so no cooked food.

Growth in 2011

by Paul

Starting out in 2011, I had no idea what the year would deliver and what I would accomplish during the year.

In 2011 I've seen the most growth in me and went far above and beyond what I thought I could ever accomplish. Going into the year I really had no idea the growth one can achieve when they set a goal and go out and achieve that goal.

I started off the year with the Carlsbad Marathon, setting a PR from my previous marathon - and ending the year achieving another PR in the Las Vegas R&R Marathon. Between those two races I learned and grew so much and achieved things that I thought were impossible back in 2010.

Las Vegas RnR Marathon Adventure

by Paul

I will try to focus this report on my trip and the positive side of the event. There are a lot of negative comments and blogs about this event but it really was wonderful not to kill someone during or after the race...

Oh wait - stay positive Paul, you PR'ed the race so feel good about it. Yes, I took 11 minutes off my Marathon time and I actually feel great about that.

My family and I drove to Las Vegas Thursday night to avoid the weekend traffic on I-15 and we made great time with no hassles. We checked into Circus Circus which at 12am (you wouldn't think there would be a 30-minute wait to check in, but that's Vegas baby - the city doesn't sleep and it wants your money!).

Wake up Friday morning, and now we had to find things to do to waste time and hopefully keep our kids' eyes off all the naughty pictures. Vegas is not for the young - no matter how fun they make Circus Circus, walking around outside is a constant reminder that the Vegas Strip is for adults. I never want to take my kids there again - well until they turn 21 of course. We didn't go to gamble - so we had to find things for all of us to do before the Expo and race.