So this past weekend I ran my last half marathon of 2015 -
Route 66 in Tulsa, OK. For those keeping score, this was my 8th state in my half-assed attempt to run a half marathon in all 50 states. I'll get there, it just might take me longer than most.
Anyway, my running club,
KC Express, had a group of 16 going. Most of us headed down Saturday morning to check into the hotel, hit the race expo, and have a group dinner at 6pm. I drove down with a running friend, Quiet Melissa. We were going to leave somewhat early, but by the time we actually rolled out of town it was 11am. The drive is a solid 4 hours without stops. But of course we had to stop to eat some lunch and stretch our legs. It was 4 o'clock before we actually made it into the hotel lobby. A quick trip to the check in counter, dropping luggage off in our room, and we were on our way to the expo. The expo itself wasn't that exciting. We grabbed our track jackets and race bibs, looked around a bit, took a silly picture, and were done.
QM (Quiet Melissa) and I ran into a few other KCE members in the hotel and made plans to grab drinks in the hotel bar before dinner. So once again, we dashed to our room to drop stuff off. Along the way we did run into Bart Yasso, and had to get a few selfies with him, and the rest of the runners in the elevator. So yeah, that happened.
Bart Yasso and Friends in the elevator
Dinner was at Naples Flatbread and Wine Bar in downtown Tulsa, about a half mile from the hotel.
Patti had a great group photo taken
This is our after dinner, before we leave, group selfie!
Race day was Sunday, and while the race didn't start until 8am, we got up early for a KCE group photo in the lobby at 7am. A few didn't make it, but we took what we could get. After that several of us raced up to Maniac Corner for the Marathon Maniac/Half Fanatic group photo.
The KCE ladies before the race in the hotel lobby
Selfies make the world go round!
If you look real hard you'll find me at Maniac Corner
Some of the KCE ladies, and a random guy, at Maniac Corner
Already starting the Professional Jumping
A race wouldn't be a race without a porta potty selfie
After messing around with start corrals and whatnot, I finally jumped in corral C and was off. I'd debated if I wanted to run this for time and really go for it, or just have fun. I think my body told me to go for fun as it was the end of my half marathon season, and I was just tired. So I flipped on my kitchen timer (or as some people call it a GymBoss Mini Max) and set myself on cruise control with some run 3, walk 1 groves going. I felt good, and just took it all in. Each corral was given a nice start with confetti and good music. The first couple of miles went well, and just before mile 5 I ran into this guy.
Mile 5 rolled around shortly after the bull dog, and I was feeling really good. The water stops and volunteers at this race were top notch, so it wasn't hard to find someone willing to take a picture for me.
Mile 9 brought some good times with the Cincinnati block party, or as they like to call it, Sin-cinnati. The neighbors all came together to make Jello shots, have beer, and great photo stations. How could I resist such fun?
Another mile or so into the race brought this cool bridge with the Route 66 sign on it. There was some great photogs out getting some good shots, and then of course, I found more people dressed up. So, why not? Right?
Of course I took my own Route 66 selfie!
The race was winding down now, and you could feel it. People were walking more, and had tired looks on their faces. With only a few miles left, this is pretty standard. Runners are tired, and while I was too, I wanted to try to keep pushing on.
I managed to finish with a 2:37:07 time. I a little slower than I'd hoped for, but I'm not sad about it. I had a great time while running. I enjoyed seeing Tulsa and it's streets. I had fun stopping for quick pictures. I wouldn't change a thing. I finished, snagged a metal, and had a finishers photo taken.
After the finish, one was shushed into a food tent with spaghetti and sarachi flavored nuts. Odd combination, but what made it even worse was trying to get out of said tent. It was horrible, and I ended up standing there for over 15 minutes. There wasn't much to complain about with this race, but this was one of them. When I finally made it over to Maniac Corner, I switched out my regular race medal for a Half Fanatic one. Sweet!
I was photobombed while trying to take a finisher picture.
Here we are, the Melissas, in all our glory!
Shortly after finishing the race, sitting for a minute, eating some post-race food, and chatting, we headed back to the hotel to clean up and head home. We still had a 4+ hour drive ahead of us, and we were both tired. We hit the road about 1:30, stopped for some interesting Mexican food in Coffeyville, KS, and made it back home by 6:30. Not too bad. Thanks for the fun times Tulsa. You were a great host!
My #MedalMonday picture
