Travel used to be a defining characteristic of my working life. For more than a decade, I would routinely fly almost every week to various parts of the world for my job. Initially, this led to an unhealthy lifestyle of overindulgence, but then it became an opportunity to explore the places I visited as I would get out and run. This week was a return to those days.
I flew out to Las Vegas to attend a trade show, and while work is important and I would be spending the vast majority of my day on the show floor, this was going to be another chance to run with friends and one that I was not going to miss.
I have been fortunate enough to visit the city in Nevada quite a few times before, so it perhaps does not have quite the allure of a place which you go to for the first time. The sights on the Las Vegas strip are really not quite like anything else you see anywhere else so once I knew where I was going to be staying, then it was a case of planning some 5k routes so at least I would get out and about, though one of our routes would take a rather unexpected turn, but more of that later.
“this was going to need to be an early run”
Quite a few colleagues from my company were also coming to the show, so we began to work out who would be up for a run, and, importantly, at what time. With work commitments from 9am, this was going to need to be an early run. But we had jetlag to thank for making sure we were up at 4am almost every day, though as it was still dark, even that was a bit too early.
But it was shortly after 6am on the first day after I arrived that I met up with my friend Anna in the hotel, and we went out for an early morning run. Like many of my colleagues, it is rare to see them in real life, so it was great to get out with her and also enjoy the cool temperatures at that time of the morning. Social running like this is not about any kind of pace, it is just about enjoying the company and the sights, plus a chance to see daylight before spending most of the day indoors at work!.
Running has become such an important part of my life, as a way for me to find balance between the daily stresses and a chance to relax. I do not know why, but for some reason I found this week pretty stressful, so the early morning runs were a good chance to reset and refocus.
More colleagues were arriving, so the following day I ran with two French friends, David and Arnaud, and we made a plan to run from the hotel up to The Sphere. Now if you have not heard of The Sphere in Las Vegas, it is the most bonkers venue you may ever see in your life. It is a giant ball which looks like it is alive, a visual marvel in a city which likes the bright lights more than most. It is a concert venue (go google U2 Sphere) and is an extraordinary sight.
Everything in Las Vegas is huge, so this picture underplays just how big this place is. To give you a sense of how crazy it is, this is what it looks like at night, and this is from quite some distance away. Twenty four hours a day, it is always alive with constantly changing colours. God only knows what their electric bill is!
But speaking of crazy, the following morning would be a run which would be memorable, but not for anything like the pace, the distance or anything normal. No, this would be strange because of the route we took. Let me explain.
Meeting up just with David this time, he had a very badly chapped lip. Las Vegas is in the middle of the desert so everything is unbelievably dry. Anyway, when we met up he said he wanted to visit a shop in the Wynn Hotel, which was nearby, as he knew he could get some lip balm there. It was close to the hotel we were staying in and was on the route anyway, so this was no big deal. And then we got there.
“Running inside a casino…. and then it got even more bizarre”
We went in an entrance to the hotel and, even though, we were inside, David started running. I mean I know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but here we were, inside a hotel, in the casino, and we were running. And then it got even more bizarre. We came along to a place where there was a small escalator to go between two levels, but the up escalator was not working. We could not find any stairs, so there was only one thing for it. We had to run up the down escalator – while it was still moving!! So here we were, two blokes in running gear not only casually running around a casino at 6.30 in the morning, but now we were like those contestants in Gladiators trying to get up the Travelator at the end of the obstacle course!!
“we were off again, running past slot machines and roulette wheels”
I was half expecting to be rugby tackled by security at any minute, but as I stumbled off the top of the escalator, we just kept on running. Turning left, turning right, David insisted he knew where the shop was. By this point I was thinking we might never get out of the place. It was like that episode of Father Ted when the priests can’t figure there way out of the lingerie department. But then we turned one corner and sure enough, there was the shop. One lip balm later and we were off again, running past the slot machines and roulette wheels to find our way back out!
Now, you might find this story a bit far-fetched (I mean it is not The Hangover, I realise, but it is a bit unusual), but I have proof. So here is a photo of me and David running through the casino, and the Strava map to prove our route went through the hotel. What a crazy start to the day.
Three days, three different routes, three times to reset the head, enjoy some exercise and spend time with friends doing something we all enjoy. As I really did not sleep well when I was away – maybe that contributed to the stress levels – this was a welcome bit of relaxation. I may not travel anything like as much as I used to, but at least when I do, I make sure to take the chance to explore and stay fit. And better to do it outside rather than in the confines of the hotel gym.
I would have liked to have run again when I was there, but I just did not have time due to work commitments, and then I flew home overnight to enjoy the delights of jet lag on the other side of the Atlantic. To be honest, given how badly I slept in Las Vegas, I have very quickly got back into the routine at home, and got out on Saturday morning for a run with friends here, even if the cooler temperatures were a bit of a shock to the system.
The run was also a first chance for me to show off my shirt from the D33 Ultra (spoiler alert for some swearing coming up). It arrived the day I flew out to Las Vegas so I have been itching to put it on ever since. I rather like it and the sentiments it expresses – yes it was the Railway to Hell, but you know, it was a bit epic too.
All that is left to round off the week is to spend Sunday watching on enviously as thousands of people run the London Marathon. I hope everyone doing it has an amazing experience. My experience this week was a bit extraordinary for sure, but the marathon is a whole other level. David, he of casino running fame, is training for the New York Marathon this year. I need to think if I want to do an autumn race. Maybe the sights of people running London will inspire me to step up once more.
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