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Petra Does Vegas
 Wanderers'
own Petra Kretchman recently competed in the Las Vegas Marathon. The
following is her report:
On
the morning of the marathon, runners met at the Luxor Hotel
and were bussed to the starting line outside of the city.
Competitors waited in the buses until 20 minutes before the
start because it was rather cold
outside. In the start area, I picked up some stones for Mike
as I promised (he needs the stones for his "lucky
bowl").
The
course itself was not spectacular. The race was held on a
closed road near a highway. I could hear the traffic
throughout the entire race. I was disappointed by this because
I thought the course
would lead the runners through the lonely desert. The first
few miles were easy (in comparison to the later miles). They
featured some rolling
hills. After the 8 mile mark, we came to the part everyone
was looking forward to, the downhill to Las Vegas. We were
all wrong by thinking
it would be easier!!!!
When the descent began, a nasty wind
was blowing and running became exhausting. I began murmuring,
complaining and thinking
of quitting the race and never running a race again. Then
I remembered that Susan threatened to beat me with a stick
when I returned home if
I quit the race. Karen added that I should think during the
race that she and Susan are running next to me and hitting
me with a whip! This
is the way the women’s team encourage their members. I was scared
to come back with the message that I stopped or quit the
race. Susan also told me to think positive which helped me
later when I hit "the
wall." Moreover, I was positive I would be able to finish since
my online-coach gave me running instructions and she has
always given me good guidance [the powerful women’s team helped
me to get through this!].
Here and there people were on the course cheering
and there
were some bands playing music. After running straight for
miles on the same road, we made our way through smaller
streets for a few miles until
the finish, which was in a public park. The last 3 miles
were great. The wind was coming from behind and it felt
easy to run. I was able to
run at a good pace in this part of the race, and Susan's
invisible stick helped me finish the race. I completed
the course in a time of 4:26 and
finished in the middle of the field (78 out of 138 women,
1298 out of 2208 overall). I failed to jump at the finish
line for a good finisher
photo (as Susan instructed me) as I was busy passing a MAN.
Overall,
the race was well organized. One highlight of the race
was seeing the red-golden rocks when the sun was rising.
It looked beautiful.
For two days I had problems with walking, but I am
feeling
okay again and I am really enjoying having my legs back!
I no longer have to wait in the middle of the pedestrian-crossing
as I could not
cross the entire street in time. I don’t have to use the disabled
ramp as I can use the steps now. I also can now get up out
of a chair without thinking about how to do it!
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