My little sis Adrian ran the half marathon in OKC in 2007, which, coincidentally, is what inspired me to begin running in the first place. I’ve always wanted to run this race because Adrian spoke so highly of it. Despite the hot, humid and windy weather, I had a good race and a lot of fun. The presence and encouragement of my sis throughout the race made this one I won’t forget. Pre-Race Events: My mom and sister went with me to the expo on Saturday morning. Packet pick-up was smooth and easy. After the expo, we walked a few blocks to the Oklahoma City Memorial, created to honor the victims and survivors of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred R. Murrah Federal Building. On the way to the memorial, a woman walked past us. I said to my mom and sister, "Do you know who that is?" They said they didn't know. For me, it was like seeing a rock star -- it was Joan Benoit-Samuelson! They still didn't know who she was. How could they not know? She won the marathon in the 1984 Olympics, and she's won Boston twice (including in 1979, the year I was born). I couldn't believe that they didn't know, but I suppose it is understandable since they don't live in my "running world." I was surprised at how small she was, but she hasn't lost her fitness--she won the half marathon with a time of 1:21:57. She's in her 50s and amazing; it was really cool to run in the same race as her, even if she's twenty-five years older than me and beat me by over forty minutes! I've been to OKC several times but I've never taken the time to visit the memorial. The marathon uses a tree on its logo, and I never understood the significance. The tree is the "survivor tree," a large tree that was near the building at the time of the bombing. The beautiful tree survived the bombing and sits between the memorial and the museum. If you ever get a chance to visit the memorial, do it. It is beautiful. Early Start: I do not think anyone would argue that late April is not the best time to hold a marathon in Oklahoma City. For starters, it is a little too close to tornado season, and the weather is completely unpredictable (areas west of OKC had baseball sized hail on Saturday before the race). The high will typically be in the 70s, if not higher, and strong winds are a definite possibility. The race directors obviously know this, too, because the race starts at 6:30 a.m. I stayed at my parents’ home on Saturday evening before the race. It takes approximately 30 minutes to drive from their home to the race start. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for the race. Fortunately, my sister agreed to pick me up at 5:00 a.m. to take me to the race. The wind was howling when I woke up, and it was howling when we departed at 5:00. We arrived in downtown OKC around 5:30 a.m., and we were lucky enough to find a parking garage that charged only $1 for parking (the day before we paid $6 for expo parking – ridiculous!). We were off!
A Clean Bathroom: Racing teaches you to love the little things in life, like permanent restrooms and toilet paper. I have taken to carrying toilet paper with me to races, because even if there are port-a-potties available, they often don’t have any TP. My first order of business when I arrive at the race site is to find a bathroom, preferably a clean one that is not a port-a-potty. I usually have to make do with the port-a-potty, but not in OKC! There is a church across the street from the memorial that opens its doors to all marathon participants and their families. They provide a free breakfast, as well as clean bathrooms. This was awesome! I got a clean bathroom with toilet paper! My sister walked with me to the start and wished me luck. The marathon and half marathon started together, so the area was packed. I lined up near the 2 hour pace team and got ready to go. Someone sang the national anthem and everyone observed a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the OKC bombing. The gun went off and they played . . . the OU fight song. Boo! That's one thing I cannot get over with regard to OKC -- why do you have to shove your OU love in everyone's face? I nice, neutral, more inspirational song would have been a better choice.
A Humid & Windy Day: I dreaded the wind all weekend leading up to the race, but the humidity gave me more problems than the wind. Honestly, it was so humid that the wind actually felt good, even blowing at 30 mph. The race organizers did a good job preparing for the weather. There were several misting stations along the course, all the aid stations had plenty of water and Powerade (they even handed out GU to the half-marathoners, which is unusual), and there was even an aid station handing out wet sponges. I was very impressed.
A Well-Marked Course: At the minimum, I always review the course map to determine where the half marathon – marathon split will occur on the course. You never know how well the course will be marked, and I sure do not want to inadvertently run a marathon. I knew the course split at mile eight, but because of the giant traffic sign telling all half marathoners to turn left on the upcoming street, I did not need to know this. Every mile had a large mile marker (very similar to White Rock) and a clock. The only thing I did not like was the “projected finish time signs” at every mile marker. These are a good idea in theory, but, obviously, they have to be based on gun time. All of the projected finish time signs showed my finish time as 2:11:00. This was a little discouraging even though I knew it was based on gun time and not chip time. A Hilly Course: I expected the hills following our 10K race in OKC a few weeks prior to the half marathon. It’s just a hilly area. The course was not as hilly as the Fort Worth Cowtown course, but it definitely is not a flat course. I got a sense that the course led gradually uphill as we moved out of downtown, meaning that we would be running mostly downhill as we moved back into downtown for the finish. I think my sense was wrong, because there were several good hills in the last few miles of the race that made the finish fairly tough. The hills were not unbearable, but presented a challenge. If I were trying to qualify for Boston, I would not choose this course.
The Running Skirt: I gave it a shot. I have been against the running skirt, maybe because it does not seem “serious” enough, but I thought I would give it a chance. I actually liked it, and it gave me a funny story. Around mile nine, as we were turning the corner, a female volunteer standing near the corner yelled “cute skirt – I like it!” I responded with an out-of-breath “thank-you.” A guy running my vicinity said, “I like it, too.” I responded with another out-of-breath “thank-you…I guess?” We had a laugh and kept running. Being the clothes whore that I am, compliments on my outfits make my day. This was my first time to be complimented on my outfit during a race. I may be addicted to the running skirt!!
A Good Race: Despite the heat and humidity, I had a good race. My sister supported me throughout the race. I expected to see her at two, maybe three, spots on the course, but she was at five different spots, including the finish. Her support really helped me to finish strong. I was also adequately hydrated before the race and I drank water at every stop. I took two GUs during the race, although I have taken three in previous races, but I think two will be my maximum from here on out. Everything just worked right. I really thought at the beginning that I might set a PR, but I did not quite make it. However, despite the heat, humidity and hills, I managed a time of 2:03:35. This was my second-best time ever! I still want to beat my PR of 2:01:54, but I will have to save that for another day.
In the end, it was hot, humid & windy, but still fun. Despite the less-than-perfect conditions, I had a good race and a good time. OKC worked hard to put together this race, and it showed. Although I did not get a PR, I had my second-best half marathon time ever. In light of the fact that I have been so “down” on running recently and the weather was not cooperative, my performance made me pretty happy, and got me away from my running funk. I am still ready for a break following the San Diego Marathon, but racing always reminds me of why I love running so much.
A Clean Bathroom: Racing teaches you to love the little things in life, like permanent restrooms and toilet paper. I have taken to carrying toilet paper with me to races, because even if there are port-a-potties available, they often don’t have any TP. My first order of business when I arrive at the race site is to find a bathroom, preferably a clean one that is not a port-a-potty. I usually have to make do with the port-a-potty, but not in OKC! There is a church across the street from the memorial that opens its doors to all marathon participants and their families. They provide a free breakfast, as well as clean bathrooms. This was awesome! I got a clean bathroom with toilet paper! My sister walked with me to the start and wished me luck. The marathon and half marathon started together, so the area was packed. I lined up near the 2 hour pace team and got ready to go. Someone sang the national anthem and everyone observed a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the OKC bombing. The gun went off and they played . . . the OU fight song. Boo! That's one thing I cannot get over with regard to OKC -- why do you have to shove your OU love in everyone's face? I nice, neutral, more inspirational song would have been a better choice.
A Humid & Windy Day: I dreaded the wind all weekend leading up to the race, but the humidity gave me more problems than the wind. Honestly, it was so humid that the wind actually felt good, even blowing at 30 mph. The race organizers did a good job preparing for the weather. There were several misting stations along the course, all the aid stations had plenty of water and Powerade (they even handed out GU to the half-marathoners, which is unusual), and there was even an aid station handing out wet sponges. I was very impressed.
A Well-Marked Course: At the minimum, I always review the course map to determine where the half marathon – marathon split will occur on the course. You never know how well the course will be marked, and I sure do not want to inadvertently run a marathon. I knew the course split at mile eight, but because of the giant traffic sign telling all half marathoners to turn left on the upcoming street, I did not need to know this. Every mile had a large mile marker (very similar to White Rock) and a clock. The only thing I did not like was the “projected finish time signs” at every mile marker. These are a good idea in theory, but, obviously, they have to be based on gun time. All of the projected finish time signs showed my finish time as 2:11:00. This was a little discouraging even though I knew it was based on gun time and not chip time. A Hilly Course: I expected the hills following our 10K race in OKC a few weeks prior to the half marathon. It’s just a hilly area. The course was not as hilly as the Fort Worth Cowtown course, but it definitely is not a flat course. I got a sense that the course led gradually uphill as we moved out of downtown, meaning that we would be running mostly downhill as we moved back into downtown for the finish. I think my sense was wrong, because there were several good hills in the last few miles of the race that made the finish fairly tough. The hills were not unbearable, but presented a challenge. If I were trying to qualify for Boston, I would not choose this course.
The Running Skirt: I gave it a shot. I have been against the running skirt, maybe because it does not seem “serious” enough, but I thought I would give it a chance. I actually liked it, and it gave me a funny story. Around mile nine, as we were turning the corner, a female volunteer standing near the corner yelled “cute skirt – I like it!” I responded with an out-of-breath “thank-you.” A guy running my vicinity said, “I like it, too.” I responded with another out-of-breath “thank-you…I guess?” We had a laugh and kept running. Being the clothes whore that I am, compliments on my outfits make my day. This was my first time to be complimented on my outfit during a race. I may be addicted to the running skirt!!
A Good Race: Despite the heat and humidity, I had a good race. My sister supported me throughout the race. I expected to see her at two, maybe three, spots on the course, but she was at five different spots, including the finish. Her support really helped me to finish strong. I was also adequately hydrated before the race and I drank water at every stop. I took two GUs during the race, although I have taken three in previous races, but I think two will be my maximum from here on out. Everything just worked right. I really thought at the beginning that I might set a PR, but I did not quite make it. However, despite the heat, humidity and hills, I managed a time of 2:03:35. This was my second-best time ever! I still want to beat my PR of 2:01:54, but I will have to save that for another day.
In the end, it was hot, humid & windy, but still fun. Despite the less-than-perfect conditions, I had a good race and a good time. OKC worked hard to put together this race, and it showed. Although I did not get a PR, I had my second-best half marathon time ever. In light of the fact that I have been so “down” on running recently and the weather was not cooperative, my performance made me pretty happy, and got me away from my running funk. I am still ready for a break following the San Diego Marathon, but racing always reminds me of why I love running so much.
I'm glad you had such a wonderful race! I was so excited to spot you so many times. I had a blast chasing you around the city!!!! I love you!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! Would love to run this someday! Aren't sisters the best?
ReplyDelete