Folks, I need help here! I have to make the biggest change in my life a week before IMAZ (well at least decide)
What are the cons and pros of Vegas for training???
Folks, I need help here! I have to make the biggest change in my life a week before IMAZ (well at least decide)
What are the cons and pros of Vegas for training???
Depends on where you live. Pros are that you can ride and train outdoors year round. Cons is that summers are brutal. The thing I remember most about Vegas was that the wind blew a lot more there than it does here in Phx, but that could be a perception thing. I was in North Las Vegas, stationed at Nellis for 3.5 years. If you’re not near the base or in the flight path to the bombing ranges, no big deal.
If you live in one of the outlying areas (Summerlin, Henderson, Green Valley, etc.) it’s just like any other town. If you have the determination not to gamble except when you normally might, then it’s no big thing. One plus is that there are always some great shows.
John
There have been a few people who’ve asked this in the last couple of months so you may want to search for it…
The short version…
Pros:
YEAR ROUND TRAINING- beautiful swimming (open water even in winter), biking, and running opportunities with challenging terrain.
Several fantastic masters swim teams to choose from.
You’ll never be far from health club no matter where you live, if you like that sort of thing.
A very welcoming triathlon community, and a tri club that is new and improved and really going in a good direction.
GREAT LOCAL RACES- including the club nationals and long course nationals this year.
A fantastic local triathlon focused shop… Run Bike Swim/Las Vegas Multisport.
Great vicinity to all the fantastic races in Southern California, Utah, and Arizona.
Cons:
It’s hot in the summer and it takes some adaptation. If you consistently get outside as the temps change you’ll find it much easier to adjust.
The “Las Vegas Lifestyle” can and will consume the weak willed. I don’t really go “clubbing” and only occasionally go to a bar so this isn’t a factor for me.
It can be a little discouraging at first to make your way here. If you do decide to move here, give me a shout and I’ll be happy to train with you and introduce you to other positive people who are into triathlon.
No problems in the “gambling” i don’t and probably can’t because of the work i will be doing. Now the big questions is… What would it be like changing from Chicago to Vagas??? We have some 100 degree weather here also, wind? I guess no one can beat Chicago on that one.
Well, there are stark differences in regards to the cities and their cultures.
Las Vegas is completely and entirely set up in strip malls. There are a billion restaurants but the fair majority are corporate chains or set up to appear that way. I think this is part of what makes Vegas fun, my girl and I are always seeking out new mom and pop restaurants and shops. You have to look for them or you won’t find them.
Chicago is windy, but the desert wind is a different kind of wind. You’ll be riding for 30 miles into a head wind, hit your turn around and the wind will turn with you. You spend the next 30 miles still riding into a headwind. It’s a good thing though. At IM California last week, I didn’t even notice the wind while others were saying it was really windy and slowed them down several minutes. It’s mostly only windy in spring here, and occasionally in the fall. It’s consistent in the spring though.
One of my closest friends is from Chicago. I’ll ask him about the differences and get back to you. I know he says you can’t get a good hot dog in this town, I have to agree, not compared to a real Chicago Dog.
Vegas has more windy days than Chicago - just not as cold. Also the 100 degrees you suffer through in Chi-town is much worse than 110 in Vegas – Two words – Humidity!!
No humidity in vegas makes for, shall we say, a much more palatable 100 degrees.
Also, depending on where you live, there are great places to swim, ride, and especially run.
Jason
I have lived in Vegas for two of the last three years. I took a brief stint in San Diego for eight months. Just my opinion but for the kids, the wife and myself…we much prefer Vegas. Always sunny (and when its not just a wait an hour or so…it will be back). Hardly ever rains (turns out I don’t miss it as much as I thought) and a great triathlon community to play in. The events here are very well run and some of the routes (like Red Rock) cannot be beat as far a scenery and challenge. Las Vegas Multisport (formerly Run, Bike Swim) is a great store and there are also some great bike only shops as well.
As far as the heat, I grew up in the midwest (St. Louis) and I thought that I would never “warm” to the desert but what I found is that after having lived here for just a few years I couldn’t trade it if I tried. The humidity is very low and as result, 100 degrees here is probably like 90 degrees somewhere else so it is basically a summer like the rest of the country. The numbers sound big but they are far more livable than you would think. There is one drawback though…you have to train early in the summer (if it is outside). Hard to make a 100 miler starting at 10 AM in July but if you start that same ride at 5:30, you’ll be fine and still have an entire day to spend with family, friends, etc. Also, if you are an adult, you work most of the day indoors so by the time you get home for dinner, it is sub-100 degrees, perfect for BBQ and a beer and the sunsets are amazing as they pass behind the surrounding mountains. As Nate said, drop a line and I would be more than happy to go for a ride or run.
I would love to hook up with you guys and do some training. I don’t live in Vegas full time, but my girlfriend lives in Summerlin, and I am there most weekends.(about 3 out of 4) I commute from LA, and have left a bike at her house, so that I can do my best to continue training while there. I would love to learn some new bike/long run routes. I only know to go out towards Blue Diamond and back and of course the Red Rock loop. I am psyching up for a trip to Pahrump and back soon. It is 120 miles roundtrip, but I understand that there are strategically places gas stations out there so that you can get water. Otherwise it is pretty desolate and soon very hot!
I would love to find some trails to run on. I only know street routes.
Can I ask what you guys do for a living that allows you to live or move to Vegas? I am always looking for a way to move there and simplify my life (not to mention reduce the air fare expenses), but can never find anything.
I work in a triathlon store and have roommates. Vegas isn’t too expensive compared to LA but it has increased in cost of living significantly since I moved here 5 years ago. What kind of education/training or job experience do you have?
Anytime you’re coming here give me a shout. I usually do at least two training sessions on Sundays you are welcome to join us, provided you aren’t too fast for me 
I work in financial services (financial planning and investment managenement). I just recently switched firms in order to get back to Las Vegas. I know that San Diego seems like a paradise (and it probably is). But I am now late twenties, with a wife and kids so my life is in the suburbs and frankly, most suburbs are the same so we chose to come back to Vegas. Haven’t regretted it for a moment. We love visiting SoCal but a permanent move, was in hindsight, probably a mistake. As a note: I handle all of the hiring for Southern Nevada and Western Utah for my new firm, so if you are interested, let me know (not sure your background or career goals). If not, don’t worry.
Not sure how fit you are (I am been a slacker in the last three months while we transitioned back) but if I can hang with you, I am always looking for new people to ride with.
Hey NateC, I am coming by the store on Wednesday morning to meet with Larry, will you be in?
I’ve lived in Las Vegas since 1990 and I love it here. The things people miss in L.V. when they move here are: trees, change of seasons, deserted back roads in the country to ride on, but I think the advantages far outweigh any disadvantages. The main riding tends to be in the west out at Red Rock as well as the lake. They are beautiful rides, but there isn’t a lot of variety or options. Very good masters programs East, West and at night. Great mountain biking here, the lake is great if you’re into boating, and there is trail running at Red Rock. There is a good Tri comunity here and it is growing rapidly with the addition of some great races. (Silverman, Halfmax nationals, Irongirl) The races in Calif. and Utah are not too far to get to and there were about 15-20 people fromLV that did Cali 70.3. There’s a reason that the city has grow from ~500,000 to 2 million since I moved here. I should have bought land! Good Luck at AZ
Mount Charleston is always a good diversion for scenery. Trees, cool air and great views. Good trail runs available for bricks as well.
I’ll swing by just so we can meet face to face.
I’ve been here since 1990 as well. I don’t have much new to add to what the others said, but perhaps can add a smidge more detail:
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Yes, the majority of organized rides do seem to be Summerlin-Northwest Las Vegas dominant. There are quite a few challenging rides on the other side of the valley (Henderson, Boulder City and Lake Mead) but not much in regard to BIG group rides. Lake Mead has quite a challenging road.
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Summers. Yes, they are friggin’ hot. Like others have said, the arid climate makes it more tolerable. What they forgot to mention is the pure intensity of the sun. You’ll turn into a piece of beef jerky if you’re not careful. Lots of sunscreen and more fluids than you would think imaginable. Our lack of clouds magnifies this effect. I’m getting to the point where I will train indoors in July and August (our “winter” months). There’s no point in getting up early to beat the heat in August when it’s in the high 90s at 4 a.m.
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Our multisport community is growing. There have been some internal political rifts within the various clubs, but that’s to be expected anywhere.
Glad to find this thread! Okay, so here’s my deal…I am in the running for a killer job in Boulder City, and am thinking Henderson would be a decent place to commute from. I have spent some time up there, and have enjoyed the riding. However, visiting from Tucson, the lack of bike lanes is crazy. Haven’t done any trail running, but assume that it would be awesome, along with mountain biking.
Anyway, I am sold, but the wife not so much. She does not want to live anywhere hotter than Tucson (although only 2 degrees average in July), and has an image of Henderson being part of Vegas–prostitutes, bars, and casinos. Family life is a big concern. We have two daughters, 5 months and two years. I think Henderson would be a much better place for a family overall (school opportunities, etc.).
Can anyone help? Thanks!!!
I live in Sedona and travel to Vegas a few times per year. We’ve considered retireing to Vegas for the reasons mentioned above
AND
I love to play poker.
I have never understood people’s concern about family life in Vegas. If you ask me, families is all that there is here. Being single in Vegas is the true challange. Maybe it’s being 33, maybe it’s the sport- but it seems everyone (male or female) I meet is married with kids.
Anyway… welcome to Vegas!
Glad to find this thread! Okay, so here’s my deal…I am in the running for a killer job in Boulder City, and am thinking Henderson would be a decent place to commute from. I have spent some time up there, and have enjoyed the riding. However, visiting from Tucson, the lack of bike lanes is crazy. Haven’t done any trail running, but assume that it would be awesome, along with mountain biking.
Anyway, I am sold, but the wife not so much. She does not want to live anywhere hotter than Tucson (although only 2 degrees average in July), and has an image of Henderson being part of Vegas–prostitutes, bars, and casinos. Family life is a big concern. We have two daughters, 5 months and two years. I think Henderson would be a much better place for a family overall (school opportunities, etc.).
Can anyone help? Thanks!!!
95% of Vegas is just like any other town. There are great areas and not so good areas. Henderson is a great bedroom community for both Boulder City and Las Vegas. Summers there were hot and windy, more windy than here.
John
A little OT, but my brother and I are in Vegas every few months for the UFC fights and every time we come we eat at Komol on Sahara.
It has the most amazing curry evah! It’s a hole in the wall family restaurant off the strip and it’s one of the things we look forward to!
Glad to find this thread! Okay, so here’s my deal…I am in the running for a killer job in Boulder City, and am thinking Henderson would be a decent place to commute from. I have spent some time up there, and have enjoyed the riding. However, visiting from Tucson, the lack of bike lanes is crazy. Haven’t done any trail running, but assume that it would be awesome, along with mountain biking.
Anyway, I am sold, but the wife not so much. She does not want to live anywhere hotter than Tucson (although only 2 degrees average in July), and has an image of Henderson being part of Vegas–prostitutes, bars, and casinos. Family life is a big concern. We have two daughters, 5 months and two years. I think Henderson would be a much better place for a family overall (school opportunities, etc.).
Can anyone help? Thanks!!!
I live in Henderson over in the Anthem Parkway area. The area I live in seems like a pretty safe place to bike and it is close to the Henderson Multi Gen which has a really nice outdoor pool. As mentioned in the previous posts, training can be done year around, us just have to accomodate the brutal summer heat.