Saturday, December 19th, 2009. Today was a rather productive day. After being rather lazy all week long, mainly from the battle and recovery of my bout of tonsillitis, I decided to not sit around all day long and play Zoo World, my latest Facebook game addiction.
7 am: Come Run With Santa 5k.
My coworkers, the owner and his son, and I all participated in the race. While I had been thinking that I would take it seriously and try to PR and/or get under 25 minutes, I had recently changed my mind this week since the sickness ruined any chance of training, well that and I was lazy. So I decided I would just have fun and give it what I could and have another race on my "resume." Me and Katie once again carpooled (its more of an excuse to bond and gossip =)) but we were not liking the getting up early and having to drive across town thing. We arrived at the Saturn dealership where they were hosting the event and met up with our coworkers to get our race bib numbers and timing chips (I had no idea that what seemed to me a low-key event run by a smaller organization would actually have something big time like timing chips). Then we hung out waiting for race time to get nearer so we could warm up. After warm up and about 7:15ish, the event organizers are apparently not that big on starting on
time, the race finally started and me, my coworkers, and about 100 plus other people all headed out to run with Santa, though funny thing was he was no where to be seen. I started out slow trying to find a good steady but quick enough pace and proceeded down the rather boring 3.1 mile course. There were several little children participating in the run, which were entertaining because they either were trying to keep up with me and not let me pass, or they had started out way too fast at during the first mile and were winded and walking the remainder of the course. After about the first mile, a man pushing a stroller proceeded to pass me. Now if you've ever run any distance of a race you know there are three things you don't refuse to let beat you: walkers, children, and people with strollers. I decided to let him run his pace though and pass him up in the last mile. But before I could initiate my plan I noticed a small huddle of people in Red Rock Running Co tshirts on the side walk on the opposite side of the track of my current position. I contemplated running across and seeing what was going on, but I decided to continue up to the turn around less than 100 meters away and then stop to see what was going on. When I did reach them Katie explained that Jessica felt like one of her ovarian cysts had burst. Katie along with Brent and Jessica's boyfriends' future step mother were awaiting the ambulance to come assist Jessica. So I decided to wait with them, which happened to be only a few minutes. Jessica climbed into the ambulance and then me, Brent, and Katie decided there was nothing else we could do to help so we continued on together to finish the race. I don't think I PR'd, but I probably got close to it, since my finishing time of the only other 5K that I ran wasn't that good. It definitely made me want to do another one so I can accurately find what my time would be.
After the race and dropping Katie back off at the store, I went home to clean up, eat, and catch up a little on my games while I relaxed from the stressful morning. I had to force myself to stick to my plans for the day, since I was kind of tired from waking up so early and was contemplating a nap. But I got ready and went down to Town Square, the mall all the way on the other side of town, because its the closest H&R in Vegas and I had to return a dress I got for a gift because the size was wrong. So I ventured down there and after doing the first task on my list, proceeded shopping at the mall for the people still on my Christmas gift list.
Once I had done as much shopping as I could at that mall, crossing off two people off my list, and getting a part of the gifts for the others, I went down to the M hotel to see what they've been bragging and advertising about for the past few weeks as the nation's and maybe the world's largest Christmas tree.
Driving down Las Vegas blvd about a mile or two still from the hotel, I could actually make out the outline of the tree and was thoroughly impressed. The tree had to be gigantic to be seen from so far away. Upon arriving at the hotel, I clearly could see that all the talk lived up to the promise. The tree was one of the tallest that I'd seen. It wasn't the fullest Christmas tree though, but I'm sure with the size and age of the tree its quite hard for it to have such growth as a smaller, younger one. It was definitely a site to see though, having decorations all over its branches and fake presents underneath, it reminded me of the tree in Whoville in the How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Upon entering back inside the hotel after taking several minutes to marvel at the tree and a handful of pictures to capture the event, I found a display of gingerbread houses made by local elementary students. I took some camera phones pictures and sent them to Gina, my best friend, because they reminded me of how we always make gingerbread houses almost every year.And it made me laugh at how artistic and carefully made the house appeared to be while the ones that me and Gina make, being a much older age, are no where as creative or well put together. I still don't quite believe that the kids were able to make such products all by themselves.
I finally went, after I was done at the hotel, to get some Christmas decorations for the house. It just doesn't quite feel like the holidays with not one single decoration in our house or at my work, so I bought some cheap decorations and one strand of multi-colored lights, just to make these last remaining days before Christmas a bit more festive.
So now that my Christmas shopping is halfway done, the house looks and feels a bit more in the spirit, and I've managed to finally write a long and boring blog, its time for bed cause I'm exhausted!!! Stay classy universe. =)
No comments:
Post a Comment