A few weeks ago, I signed up for the company 5k down here. I picked up my bib and not super impressive t-shirt after ponying up $45 to have the privilege of running. At least the $$ went to a good cause, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
The event started at 6:30, with some pre-race activities at 6. I set my alarm for 5 and went to bed, only I was lucky to wake up at 5:20 because I set my alarm for Tuesday, not Wednesday! I got up, got dressed, and headed to the shuttle.
I brought shorts, a t-shirt, a fleece and my hat. I forgot to bring gloves, as well as my spandex as I thought it would be in the high 50s today. And it was, only not at 6:30. At 6:30, it was like 38°, so quite cool.
I got on the shuttle and we made our way to the Mandalay Bay, where the race congregated in the stadium. Apparently there were around 900 participants, and they had us corralled on the floor of the stadium. There was a DJ and he did his best to get us "pumped up" by having us do some warm up dances and moves. Overall, it was pretty dorky.
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| Riding in on the shuttle |
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| In the stadium at the start |
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| Queuing to get started |
After a bit of that, we made our way outside the stadium, then got started on our run. The route was down Frank Sinatra Blvd for 2.5km, and then back, so really boring. I did like running with all the runners, though, because I felt pretty fast, was passing fools left and right.
At the end, I saw I crossed the line just over 30:00, officially finishing at 30:07, which is faster than my usual pace. They handed me a pair of re:Invent socks at the end of it and that was that. Back to the shuttle and back to the hotel to chill and shower before work.
I got to the team room in time for breakfast, brought Brittany and Heather some food as they couldn't come to the room, then got stationed in the registration area at the Venetian. I chatted with Jalea for a bit and basically just hung around trying to stay busy (not really). Luckily, the World Cup was being broadcast on the giant LED screens, so I was able to watch Poland vs Argentina (AR with the win) and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (MX with the win). It was actually pretty cool.
Lunch happened, and then it was back to the reg room. The rest of the afternoon was pretty boring; there aren't many attendees needing much, so it was more chatting and stuff. There was one guy I got thrown out as he was being weird and once security came by, they determined that he was high on something, so he got the boot. That was the excitement of that.
The [C] Squad planned dinner out tonight, so me, Heather, Audrey, Marisa and Brittany all met in the Palazzo lobby and walked over to Ceasar's whatever for dinner. After getting lost in the mall, we regrouped and headed over to the Water Grill, where we talked and talked and ate and celebrated Marisa's fake birthday (free dessert cookie!).
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| Walking to dinner with Heather and Audrey |
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| Random picture |
I have really enjoyed getting to know these ladies this week. We have gotten to know each other at some other events (Audrey, Marisa and Heather at DC; Marisa and Brittany at Boston; Heather and Brittany in Seattle; all of them in LV), and I have grown fond of each of them. Our Slack chat is good times and if they weren't here, I'd be really bored and trying to fend for myself. One other colleague, Marta, has been cool to hang with as well, but other than a dinner the other night, we haven't spent much time with each other.
Brittany is a no-BS kind of person. She lives in Alaska and is always too hot, even when it's relatively not hot. Though in Boston and Seattle in the summer, she was miserable and it was always funny. She gets her job done and has been an integral part of the reg team throughout her contract.
I met both Audrey and Marisa in DC initially. I think Marisa's first week was that DC trip. Audrey was earlier but when we met, it was pretty low key. I did spend some time with Audrey and liked her, but we didn't get to know each other much. I got to know Marisa a little in Boston and liked her a lot. Her and I were in similar boats as we weren't super sure what we were doing in our roles. But she had a lot of event experience and wasn't being properly utilized.
With Audrey, it's been this trip that I've really gotten to know her. She is low key super funny, and despite her demure appearance, apparently she's quite the social butterfly. I saw it a bit yesterday when she knew a bunch of event booth staff from previous gigs. Tonight we got some dirt from Marisa (they've worked together for years), and Audrey would be tearing up the scene while Marisa was ready to call it a night. She's been cracking me up.
And then with Heather, she's been my home girl this trip. Really enjoying talking to her, as I really got to know her in DC, then in Seattle, and have kept in constant contact with ever since. She really cares about others and is really dialed into their feelings. We've had some heart to hearts and I hope her upcoming wedding is great for her.
Dinner was a good time. I got a steak and we had great conversation and got to know each other a little more. Brittany went to WWU, so I might pick her brain for Haley's sake. We all ate too much and possibly spent too much. Expense report will tell next week.
We walked out of Ceasar's and hit up Walgreens, headed back into the hotel and went our separate ways. I've hit over 20000 steps today and I am tired. Tomorrow is our last day, and the re:Play at night. I get to spend the shift with Audrey at the Venetian, and that should be a fun time. I hope the [C] Squad is enjoying hanging with me as much as I'm enjoying hanging with them. It's been a blast.
