Adventures in Family Fitness
About a month ago I went to Las Vegas with my family to run in my first rock-n-roll race.
To some this might sound like a fun weekend of good food, harmless casino donations and some of the best people watching in the land. Throw in a fitness adventure with music and 44,000 people and it might qualify as one of the greatest vacations ever!
Before I share what disasters can occur when there are that many people gathered in one place with vastly different goals, I must give you the good news. There is rarely, if ever, an occasion in which my family is challenged at having a good time and making great memories. We find it, create it or follow fun no matter where we are or what we are doing. The only unfortunate experience in Vegas was the run itself.
If you gain nothing else from this week’s column remember this: One should never, ever enter a race of any kind unless they have a little common sense, some general race knowledge, courtesy and the ability to discern between sightseeing and purposeful exercise.
I must admit that I was not in the best condition myself as six weeks prior I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my right ankle. My training regimen came to a screeching halt and my goal of finishing strong was not likely. My intention was only to do my best and go as far as I could without further injuring my foot.
Some might say under the circumstances, continuing with my plans to run was crazy; I call it determination.
But, nevertheless, there we were among 44,000 people one late December afternoon to race the “Strip at Night.” My brothers are very physically fit and experienced marathoners. My parents and my sister-in-law had followed a rigorous half-marathon training program and were also primed and ready. My other sister-in-law and I had some physical challenges and would go slow and had made a pact to stay together and turn around when necessary.
Our family was probably a good representation of about one-fourth of the runners. Then there were the other 35,000 that were either out of shape and ill-prepared or were cell phone wearing sightseers that did nothing but create chaos and frustration.
Imagine novice, should never have attempted, runners stopping abruptly in front of other runners oblivious of their surroundings to take a picture of a hotel or famous landmark. I actually witnessed runners—using the term loosely—chatting away on their cell phones while those coming from behind had to navigate their way between and around them hoping not to trip and fall or cause others to.
At most crowded races within the first few minutes the crowd begins to thin and runners regain a normal race pace. It literally feels as if you are breaking free.
In Vegas on that freezing cold night, unless you were one of the 6,000 participating in the full marathon, you never got the chance to break free. Even at the end when you were sure you would, you were instead herded like cows back to the lobby of the Mandalay Bay; all 44,000 people.
It was what I imagined a scene from a concentration camp might look like, only the runners were the victims—as if the run itself wasn’t torturous enough.
There were runners regurgitating, falling out and being carted off in gurneys. There were others positioned prostrate on the floor of the lobby to wait for family or friends. It took participants hours to make their way out of the hotel only to get back out in the freezing rain to take the shuttle, catch a cab or walk for miles to make their way back their hotels or homes.
My dramatic interpretation of this family fitness trip should not deter you from making your own memories. I only want to encourage you to do some research before you sign up for a race, and be as physically prepared as possible.
Make some memories with your family and try planning a fitness adventure. Regardless of the outcome, you’ll undoubtedly have some very entertaining stories to share.
If you would like to share a fitness story, email Suzanne_mcginnis@bellsouth.net.