Hi! I am looking forward to our annual trip to Vegas in August. I am training for a charity half marathon & so will need to run while I am there. I am worried about the heat and just where to run. Any ideas or suggestions appreciated
maybe head up to Mt Charleston as it usually much cooler. if that doesn't work, then maybe very,very early morning before the sun comes up
I have ran on several trips, no problems with the heat. I would run in the late afternoon and sweat out all the poisons before going out and ingesting more. The only problem I ever had was I was running the back streets behind NYNY, I ran up towards Caesars and back. As I was coming back I decided to cut across a parking lot to take a shortcut. Within about 2 seconds two white security trucks surrounded me. I had cut across the depository where MGM holds a bunch of money, they politely but firmly escorted me back to the street.
If you see me in Vegas and I'm running, you'd better run too because something dangerous is chasing me
Red Rock Canyon early in the morning if you like trails. Mt. Charleston, too. There is a race almost every weekend in August if you want support http://www.lvtc.org/images/schedule/lvtcschedule.pdf and there is a Facebook group called "TrailRunning.vegas by Desert Dash" where people are organizing morning and afternoon group runs.
Running in Vegas during the summer is best at night or early in the morning. If you have a car, there is a nice, paved, lit trail that you can run at that starts at Bruce Trent Park. It's called Angel Park Trail, and there's a great view of the strip to enjoy along the trail.
Being from the east coast my wife and I are out and about before the sun rises. There are many runners out around the time the sun start peaking up. The sidewalks are clear and minimal traffic.
I'll run early in the morning, just as it starts to get light. I hate the bridges, so I run a route that lets me avoid them. I stick mainly to the strip, but will cross Flamingo just off the strip to miss the bridge.
A lot depends on where you are staying - downtown, off-Strip, south Strip, north Strip? I have various routes for each, offering the least amount of traffic lights and/or vehicular traffic. If I'm south Strip, a loop (10 miles) around the airport works best. If staying center or north Strip, I head a couple blocks east and run around the Westgate Casino/Convention Center area. It's like one huge 2-mile block. If DT, head north to the minor league ballpark and there is ample room for running in its parking lots. Another favorite spot for speed work is the running track at UNLV. It is basically kitty-corner to Terrribles. Surprisingly, it has always been open whenever I've been there.
I usually go for a walk early in the morning and from Fashion Show Mall all the way down to Mandalay Bay (both sides of the street) I'll see lots of people jogging from 6-8AM. Even on days that start off hot, because you are in the shade from the buildings its not bad at all in the morning.
I'm a runner, training for a half-marathon in September. I always stay somewhere mid-strip and usually run two of the four mornings of my trip. (The other two mornings I fall victim to the siren call of the early-morning blackjack tables.) I really enjoy just running up and down the Strip--it's surreal, really--but they are definitely not my best training runs of the year. Lots of steps, bridges, traffic lights, etc. I've run on some of the streets just off-Strip, by UNLV, etc., but they really aren't that attractive. Running on the Strip gets me excited for the day ahead. If you can, adjust your training schedule so that those days can be short runs. In August you will definitely want to go early in the morning.
I agree w/ Gradytripp - Run THE STRIP !.......how different is THAT ! ? Sunrise would be best.....especially, in August. * I ran out of Monte Carlo ( front ) to the far end of MBAY + back.....I'm no Marathon-er. I went into the back side ( parking lots ) from Excalibur to MBAY. I couldn't believe how long it is from one end of MBAY to the other ! * Just run THE STRIP !
Running on the Strip is not conducive to training. Too crowded and too many stops. Plus, shouldn't we stay out of the way of the tourists.
Las Vegas itself is not conducive to training. (At least for us tourists; I realize that running locals can make it work.) I run on the Strip at 7 am or so and there's plenty of room. Yes, the stairs are a pain. But at least it's a fun run, what with all the Vegas-y architecture to gaze at. I'm usually pretty jazzed to start the gambling day (or do whatever else is on the schedule) after a run up and down the strip. Running a loop around the airport or by UNLV or up by Westgate doesn't seem like a lot of fun.