Day one of Vegas Trip

I worked Friday night. The night was slow and so I was able to return home early, repack, and try to get a good night's sleep.

Saturday morning, I woke up, drank some coffee and waited for Lindsay to pick me up. I was nervous, scared, but ultimately, ready to embrace Las Vegas. Shari flew to Denver and I met her at the airport.

From there, we flew to Vegas. Upon arrival, we headed to the Sands Convention Center. I had to go to the Expo to retrieve my bib, timing chip, and tech shirt. We hailed a cab and hoped for a quick arrival. The Expo ended at 5:00.

Of course there was an accident on the freeway and since our cabbie was hoping to "take us", he opted to go that way. Eventually, we got trapped on the Strip due to the amount of people trying to also get to the Expo or head to the Cowboy Convention. And, the Strip is notorious for being a slow cab ride. It is always packed with people.

The Sands Convention Center was full of people. It was chaotic. I was surprised at the amount of people that were signed up for the Vegas Marathon. I thought there would be between 20-25,000 people. When I walked in to find my bib number, I noticed there was a table for bib numbers up to 34,000. Crazy amount of people.

Instead of adding to the cab stand line that hadn't moved much since we walked through the expo, we opted to walk. I wasn't too concerned with walking.

We arrived at the Bellagio. Shari and I wanted to be "flash-packers" and instead of staying at the Flamingo, chose to book a room at the Bellagio. And, I was ecstatic! I love the Bellagio. Olives is there.

I had heard many rave reviews of the Spa. Shari booked us each a massage to enjoy post-marathon. Yes, the Bellagio would be lovely.

After settling in, I realized that it was 6:00. I needed to eat and quickly. Brett, my Canadian friend, had texted me saying that he and his friend were dining at Noodles. They thought it was a Noodles & Company. But, they were S.O.L. It was an upscale thai place.

Shari and I made our way down to Olives. I always dine at Olives when I am in Las Vegas. I like the food, the location and have met several of the bartenders from previous visits.

They were packed and would be unable to seat us at a table for a few hours. I asked about bar seating availability and the hostess told me that we needed to discuss it with the bartender.

I made eye contact with the bartender and noticed that there was one available stool. The guy told me that there would be two stools within 15 minutes. I told him that we would order a glass of wine and wait since we were interested in dining.

He handed me a wine list and took off.

I decided on a wine and waited for him to offer us assistance. He walked by us a few times, but never asked if we were ready.

Finally, the seat opened up next to where I was standing. Still, we waited.

I realized that the bartenders were not that attentive or interested in serving that particular night. I made the best of it since my focus was on the upcoming marathon.

We ate flat bread and mezzaluna with asparagus. I had a few glasses of wine and tried to calm my nerves.

The food was excellent, but the service severely lacked. I was unhappy with how inattentive the three bartenders were.

I had prepared for the trip by bringing almonds, craisins, 4 pairs of shoes, three jackets, numerous other toiletries/clothes, and epsom salt. I thought about buying it in Vegas but figured I could make room in my bag and enjoy a salt bath the night before. I did. After dinner, I utilized the tub with a relaxing salt bath.

Ready. Relaxed. Dreaming of finish lines and healthy races....