6:30am Start – up early, 5:30 shuttle last transport from my hotel. One block from the Outdoor Memorial. National Anthem, followed by 168 seconds of silence – respect for the lives lost in 1995.
Chilly start – gusty wind & light rain. Running in shorts again…gotta check the weather app before I leave home. LOL> 25,000 runners, corral start. Lotta local crowd support, much appreciated.
Started tenth-mile behind the 4:15 pace group. Hung close thru mile 2. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (home to OKC’s Triple-A Dodgers). Past two [Phillips 66] oil derricks, 500 feet outside the Oklahoma State Capitol. Caught the 4 hour pacers at mile 5. Halfers peeled off before 8.
Gorilla Hill, Nichols Hills, Rose Hill, Heritage Hills – not a flat course 🙂
2:01 first Half. Couple minutes slower than last Saturday…on a more technical course – I’ll take it. Struggled the two miles ‘round Lake Hefner. High gusty winds. Head lowered, pushed thru the day’s weather obstacle. Misty rain blew sideways. 4 hour pace group matched me, moved past me.
Tree cover at mile 16, more at 18. Downhill stretch [thru mile 20] before a quad-burning 4 mile climb…topping out in OKC’s scenic Heritage Hills. Mighty late in the day for 4 miles of UP.
Run/walk combination last 2 miles. Mental dip/endorphin drop but not a bad performance – maintained posture, felt good in my shoes. Hilly run…third straight weekend marathoning – finished just over 4:15, an Oklahoma PR. 2nd fastest of 2017, 16th best of my 88. 128 consecutive run days – feelin’ STRONG!
2017 Results – OKC Marathon
Haga, K R LOUISVILLE CO 4:17:20
6 hours to burn before my Colorado flight home. Fried pickles at Toby Keith’s (while in Oklahoma, gotta/hafta), feet up/giant Coke & a movie….then, 2 stops of interest: Oklahoma’s Land Run Monument & a brief pull-over at the State Capitol.
More than 50,000 Americans lined up at noon on April 22nd 1889 for our country’s last great Land Run. Towns were formed, homesteads staked. Ironically, monuments outside the state’s Capitol Dome celebrate Oklahoma’s Native American population (from whom the land was taken). Cowboys, Indians & Oil. American history is kinda messed up, huh?
Far North next weekend, adventuring with my Canadian bestie Sarah. Marathoning of course but ALSO…Niagara Falls!
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- marathon #88; an Oklahoma PR
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- Oklahoma Land Run of 1889
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- “one of the world’s largest bronze sculptures featuring 45 heroic figures of land run participants, frozen in motion as they race to claim new homesteads”
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- OK’s Field of Flags
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- Cowboys, Indians & Oil
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
…ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country — John F. Kennedy
$98 roundtrip — airfare WOW price — so late-registered for a third February marathon…the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth. 930am Saturday morning, touchdown: Dallas. My first landing at Love Field, same airport President Kennedy used in November 1963.
Ya’ll know I’m a HUGE history fan – first stop: the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. Housed in the former Texas School Book Depository, museum retells the events surrounding JFK’s assassination. Waited 40 minutes for ticket admittance – who knew so many people [on a Saturday morning] would be museum trekking?
Self-guided tour lasts ’bout an hour half – I finished in under 30. Placard-to-placard trail, ’til each tourist receives their moment at ‘the Corner Window’ – spot where Lee Harvey Oswald fatally head-shot the President as his motorcade turned onto Elm Street. Honestly, found the entire experience creepy, sad, voyeuristic. Upon leaving the building, walked thru Dealey Plaza & past ‘the Grassy Knoll’ where it’s believed another conspirator fired but missed the President. Again, not my thing. Live & learn.
50 minutes away, arrived in Fort Worth for marathon bib pick-up/hotel check-in.
Sunshine, breezy & 60 — BEAUTIFUL — lucky me, half day remaining. Short 2 mile run along the Clear Fork Trinity River (‘cause every day’s a run day), pre-race dinner at Hoffbrau Steaks (ate RED MEAT like a native) PLUS time for haircut (clipper close-shave).
Early to bed, early to rise – ’cause tomorrow I’m running Cowtown 🙂
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- America’s Camelot
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- the Corner Window
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- fatal motorcade turn on Elm
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- sixth floor ‘Corner Window’
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- JFK Memorial
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- Welcome to Cowtown
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- Midnight (1910-1936), “World’s Greatest Bucking Horse”
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- Saturday FUN run/Crystelle Waggoner Trailhead
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- pre-marathon TEXAS dinner
November 22, 1963
Finding balance in 2017 = 2 weekends/month NOT marathoning
After receiving the best possible news ever (NO cancer), unexpectedly suffered a mental letdown. Not sure — is this normal after being hyper-focused ‘bout one’s physical health for so many months? Strange, but true.
Dog-sat my grandpup (while Ash & Tom horseback’d in snowy Estes), binge-watched a bunch of documentaries on Netflix – plus logged a lotta miles [’cause every day’s a run day]. Lotta miles = happy endorphins, soooo [luckily]…Sunday afternoon, dark cloud passed & found myself refocused on the future. BIG potential trip planned — details later 🙂
Sunday next: snow hiking in Colorado’s newest State Park, Staunton State Park in Conifer (established 2013). Hadn’t pre-planned a new hike since my 52-week hike year, when every weekend was a new hike. Researched whether trails were ‘dog friendly’, retrieved trailhead GPS coordinates & backpacked snacks/water for two.
day plan: altitude, thin air, mental reset/fixin’ the head
8300ft base, Ponderosa pine, montane meadows, easy up-n-down trail. Missed the trail split to the Old Mill Site soooo [unfortunately]…hiked an extra mile-half on Border Line trail, return hiked on Scout Line trail.
The trail leading to the old mill site is one of the more challenging hikes in Staunton State Park. The final .9 miles of this trail is hiker-only, a peaceful segment apart from busier multi-use areas. The hike features multiple historic properties, including cabins, an old bunkhouse and remnants of a sawmill.
My take: steep climb in SNOW — no switchbacks & almost a full mile UP. Gradual climb, not a 14er, but still an elevation gain of 782ft. YES! Hike reward: avocado/sprouts sandwich, large flat rock aside a 1930’s bunkhouse. Sunshine & snow, nothing better.
Next weekend, marathoning – winter destination: Michigan
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- Papa dog-sat, while Ash rode the Rockies — LOVE this pic!
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- Colorado’s newest State Park
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- destination: Old Mill Site
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- hike day with #1 pup
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- 8300ft base, just 40 minutes south of Denver
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- steady snow hike UP
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- 782ft elevation gain
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- scenic view…fairly sparse Mill remains
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- 1930’s bunkhouse
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- lunch break: avocado/sprouts sandwich – YUM!
Bro Fest – Jan 2017
