Go Girl Run, Oklahoma City

This past weekend, my sister and I drove to Oklahoma City (capital of Oklahoma and 100 miles southwest of Tulsa) for the Go Girl Half Marathon.  This is put on by Ultramax Sports, a regional timing and production company based out of Oklahoma City and is the first of a series of races in Oklahoma and Missouri and new this year Memphis, Tennessee.  This is a women’s only Half Marathon.  Guys are allowed to run the 5k the same day but only women are allowed in the half distance.  This was our first experience like it.  We had heard nothing but good things about the Go Girl Series but none of the races worked with our busy schedule until this one.

Our drive down to Oklahoma City was interesting.  Everything was fine until about 20-30 minutes from Oklahoma City.  The turnpike then became a very busy place in the opposite direction’s lanes.  We came upon a grass fire that looked like it had been started by a car on fire.  Shortly after that we came upon a 3 car pile-up, again in the opposite direction’s lanes.  It was a nasty wreck and looked like it had just recently happened too.  We found out later it had fatalities including 2 children.  We finally made it to Oklahoma City only to be stuck in traffic and construction lane closures.  We found out later that there was a pro-basketball game happening and also something happening at the baseball stadium so the city was busier than normal on the weekend.

Pre-Race and Expo

The race and expo were located at the Chickasaw Ballpark in Bricktown.  The expo was one of the smaller ones that I have been too but I was expecting that.  It consisted of packet pickup, t-shirts which you could design (Ultramax offers screen printing on site when they have races with a variety of designs you can choose from), a stage you could take pictures on and a few other local vendors.  Since it is a women’s only race all the vendors were geared towards women.

Bricktown Ballpark and a statue of Mickey Mantle

 

After picking up our packet we headed to get some lunch.  We saw what was available in the Bricktown area, and decided that pancakes sounded really good.  We went to IHOP and ordered pancakes and started drinking lots of water.  Carb loading tasted really good.After lunch we went and checked into our hotel which was only about a mile and a half away from Bricktown and the Ballpark.  We then took it easy and got ready for the next day.

Flat Candace laid out for race day

Race Day

The race started at 6:30 a.m. which was really early for us.  We were up and getting ready about 4:30 a.m. as we wanted to leave our hotel around 5:15-5:30 to ensure we had enough time to find parking and get to the start line in time.  It only took us about 5 minutes to get close to the start line and parked in one of the lots we were able to use for the race.  We then waited in the car until about 5:45 when we decided it was time to walk over to the ball park (which was about 1/4 mile away) and get ready for the race to start.

Course Map

Unlike most races I had no expectations with this one.  They offered a generous 4 1/2 hour time limit (course closed at 11:00 a.m.).  I knew that it was going to be a warm one with temperatures starting in the upper 50s to low 60s and was forecasted to get into the 80s in the afternoon. My goal was just to finish and go the full distance.  My last 3 races which happened to be on trails and not on roads I cut short so I was looking forward to not having to talk with the timing company again.  I can walk a half marathon in about 3 1/2 hours if it came to that, so I knew the time limit would be no problem.

Miles 1-3

Do we look tired?  This was the result of not sleeping well the night before.

With the early start time the first 5k was run completely in the dark. I ran my first mile just shy of 14 minutes.  After seeing that I decided to try to see about maintaining a 14 minute mile pace for the entire race.  My 2nd mile was the fastest and mostly downhill.  I built a nice cushion of almost 2 minutes which I tried to maintain throughout the rest of the race.  Since the first several miles were run in the dark, we have no pictures.

We left Bricktown and ran under one of the expressway bridges and then headed through Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education complex to the first aid station. We then headed back towards downtown by going through Automobile Alley (Broadway Street).  This area has a lot of cool older buildings with restaurants and other boutique type stores there.  We then hit the next aid station a little before mile 2. This was also where the 5k left us to go back to the finish line. We then turned off Broadway and headed up through the Paseo district.

Miles 3-6

The Paseo district as the sun comes up

The sun rises on the course

We ran through a cool part know as the Paseo District.   It has older buildings and some really neat shops.  We took a right onto Shartel Rd and ran by the Crown Heights Park.  By that time, the sun was coming up behind the trees and it was starting to get warm.

Miles 6-9

Around mile 6 1/2 – Shartel Ave.

Around mile 6, I began to wonder what my finish time would be if I was able to maintain a 14 minute mile.  We ran through the Crown Heights Neighborhood.  The homes in this neighborhood were really pretty and older.

Between miles 8 and 9 we ran by Oklahoma City University and came into the Plaza district.

Miles 9-13.1

Graffiti in the Plaza District

By the time I got to mile 9, I was able to do the math in my head and determined if I was able to keep the last 4 miles at a steady 14 minute pace, I was going to finish slightly over 3 hours but it would be a PR (personal record/best) of about 5 minutes.  I was also able to think about the possibility of getting a sub 3 hour half marathon as well.  I dug deep and kicked it into high gear.  My legs were toast but I still tried to push.

At mile 10, we found ourselves back on Shartel Avenue and in the Mesta Park historical district.  We then turned and ran back down Automobile Alley and at this point I knew that we were headed back towards the start/finish line.  We had run this stretch earlier in the race and were now backtracking to the finish line.

I had a little freak out around mile 12.  I missed the mile marker sign but was told at the last aid station that I was only a mile from the finish (I had passed the mile marker sign and didn’t see it.  It was before the final aid station). We had one more hill to trek up before the finish line.

I rounded the last corner and could hear the finish line at that point.  I looked at my watch and it said I was at 2:58 and change. From this last turn to the finish line was a nice downhill trek.  I took off running. I passed the 3:00 hour pacers who shouted “You go girl!” My legs were toast and I wanted to stop so many times and walk on that last stretch but I refused and pushed myself to the finish line.  I came across the line at 3:00:11.  So I just barely missed the sub-3:00 mark.  But I smashed my then current PR in the half marathon (3:07:22) by over 7 minutes!   I had no intentions of PR’ing at this race.  It was not one that I had selected as a PR race. It just happened that way.

Post Race

At the finish line – look at the size of those medals

At the finish line, I received a 5″ finisher medal and an etched wine glass.  This medal was our largest to date.  I then walked around, grabbed a bagel and a cookie and some water and waited for my sister to arrive after getting my finisher certificate printed with my new personal record time on it.

After my sister arrived, we walked around, she got food and her certificate.  I then asked her if she wanted to see my certificate.  She then knew that I had PR’d.  I wasn’t sure how she would react if I told her since I knew that she had a bad race.  I told her it just happened and I never started out with the intention to do that.  She surprisingly wasn’t mad at me, she was happy and then asked me to help her get a PR at one of our upcoming races. One of the things I enjoyed about this race was their tradition to ask runners to stick around to cheer the final runner or runners to the finish line. We decided to wait to try to cheer the final runners in.  At about 10:55  we could see what appeared to be the final runners with the police tail car starting down the hill to the finish.  Everyone that was left entered the finish chute and cheered for them as they came to the finish line.

Overall I liked this race.  It was hillier than I expected (I should have known better from the other race I have done in Oklahoma City) but the course wasn’t too bad (it was a brand new course this year).  I liked the downhill finish.  I will most likely try to do more races in the Go Girl series and Oklahoma City will probably be one of them.  If you do 3 out of the 5 Go Girl races they offer in one year you get a nice jacket.  There were a couple of areas that were a little sketchy but overall I felt safe thanks to the great job of the Oklahoma City Police Department.  They were amazing and even had fun with the runners.  I always make sure to thank them as I go by.  I was surprised at some of the things in Oklahoma City we didn’t run by (the Capitol, the Oklahoma City Memorial).  But all in all it was a nice race and one that I was surprised to get a PR at as hills are my nemesis.

Until next time,

Candace

Trail Madness

Last Sunday (March 5th), my sister and I did our last planned trail run of the year. We had signed up to do the 32k Trail Madness run with Fleet Feet Tulsa.  A 32k race is 19.88 miles.  This would be the longest distance we have run in a race or in training.  The race took place on Turkey Mountain which has been called an urban wilderness in the city of Tulsa.  It has 300 acres of land and houses several dirt trails of varying lengths (from ¾ mile to almost 6 miles) and is one of the only places like it in the city.  Aside from views of the skyline and the Arkansas River it can be easy to forget you are in the heart of a city.  This race offered several distances – a 4k, 8k, 16k and new this year, a 32k.

Map of Turkey Mountain showing all the trails

 

This is one of the smaller races that our local Fleet Feet offers. This was our second time doing this particular race.  When we ran it before (2 years ago) it had snowed the day before so the trails were snow and mud packed.  It was a very interesting experience.  This go around it was nice (a little chilly) and the trails were dry for the most part.

We started the race optimistic that we could complete the distance we had planned. But we also realized and verbalized that we didn’t know if our legs would have it in them to go 20 miles after going 30 miles the weekend before.

The race was comprised a 16k loop which was run twice to comprise the 32k. We wondered all through Turkey Mountain for the course which was a very pretty and a lot of fun.  We noticed when we were waiting for the start how few of us crazy people were even attempting the 32k.  Completing this distance would mean receiving an age group award (and probably 1^st to boot).  This thought was in my mind for about the first 3-4 miles of the race.  We had to do both loops in 7 hours and had to be starting our second loop by 3 ½ hours (1:30 p.m.) in order to be allowed to continue (this would ensure everyone would be done by dark).  This race was a late start – 10 a.m. for the 16k and 32k and noon for the 4k and 8k.

My sister and I had talked before the race and determined that if we had experienced any aches or pains that didn’t go away we would do one loop and call it good.   This was a wise decision as we have another race in 2 weeks.

Trail Madness Course Map

 

Miles 1-3

We started down a wide path into the woods and came into a clearing. Then we went up to the mountain which was about a 300-foot climb.  After the hills we had run on the weekend before this should have been a cake walk.  But it was still difficult.  We then did a loop towards the Arkansas River and headed north.  I pushed the tempo pretty well in the first 3 miles and hit the first aid station.  This was the longest stretch between aid stations (almost 3 miles) and was at the Westside YMCA.

Running along the River

 

Miles 3-6

After leaving the YMCA, we hit a steep uphill and ran alongside the highway until we turned back towards Turkey Mountain. This took it out of my legs which were still tired from the Post Oak Challenge the weekend before. From there my tempo slowed and I began to think about dropping to the 16k and doing 1 loop only.  After another couple of miles and seeing what I would have to run on extremely tired legs I decided that I would only do 1 loop and drop to the 16k (lots of hills and lots of very technical parts which I would have to slow down to make sure I didn’t fall on).  After that decision was made, I was at peace with it and had fun and started taking pictures.  From here we ran around a lake and headed south.

Miles 6-9.9

We ran back by the lake by the way of the power line trail. We had to climb up the other side of Turkey Mountain towards the upper parking lot.  This is where the remaining aid stations were.  We hit the upper parking lot 3 times after leaving the YMCA.

Powerline Trail and the infamous Lipbuster

 

Miles 8 and 9 headed back south until the course turned to reach the upper parking lot again. When we hit the upper parking lot for the third time, we knew that we were almost home and just had the infamous hill of Turkey Mountain, Lipbuster to go.  Lipbuster is a steep climb up and an interesting climb down and can live up to its name.  After coming down Lipbuster it was a couple of turns and then the finish line was in sight.  Instead of heading back up the mountain for another loop, we turned to the finish line and told the timers were done for the day.

My sister and I do things big and sometimes bite of more than we can chew. On paper this should have been a doable distance.  Having run so much on the trails last week, we should have been able to complete this race no problem.  I think it came down to doing so much last weekend and only having a week to recover in between.

Am I disappointed that I dropped again?  No.  I knew that between Post Oak the weekend before and going almost 20 miles this day that it would be a lot and my legs might not be able to handle it.  I also knew that I needed to make sure I didn’t injury myself again as I had another race coming up in 2 weeks.

I understand the allure of trail running but think I will always be a road runner at heart. Trail running is beautiful but if you are a slower runner to begin with it gets very lonely real quick.  So for now I think trail running will remain something I do occasionally as a way to cross train or when I need a change of scenery from where I have been running.

Until next time,

Candace

Post Oak Challenge, Day 3

This day started out with me regretting my decision to race three days in a row. I woke up tired and still had a half marathon to run.  Everything hurt and I knew that it was going to be an interesting race.  I was ready to run and push myself further than I had ever pushed before.  Running 2 days in a row was intense but not too bad.  I found out that running 3 days in a row on trails was very intense and crazy.  My goal for the day was to make it a least one loop of the half course if I decided not to go all the way.

Course Map with Elevation Chart

 

Miles 0-3:

The start/finish line was at the Main Lodge like on Day 2. The course was a 6.55 loop which was run twice to comprise the half marathon.  It was very similar to the day before for the 25k.  We started on pavement and went to a farm road towards the first aid station. We ran around the lake from the day before and my sister and I began talking about whether or not we wanted to do the full distance today or not.  We decided to wait and see how our legs were feeling after the Hill from Hell.

Road around the Lake

 

We hit aid station #1 at 1.1k. This was the same as the day before. Unlike yesterday I did stop as my legs were already needing a break.  We then headed into the woods towards the lodge and then ran behind the lodge and worked our way over to the pole barn.  The pole barn was Aid Station #2.  We stopped here and grabbed some food and water and then headed into the clearing before going back into the woods.

Miles 3-5:

We then headed up to Aid Station #3 which was on top of a hill and was my favorite all three days. We saw as we came to the clearing where it was located lots of green.  St. Patrick’s Day came early.  They had lots of St. Patrick’s themed treats and even had Leprechaun bait.  It was popcorn, pretzels, Chex and lucky charms covered in white chocolate.

Aid Station #3

 

We kept running into Sookie, a beautiful Dalmatian who ran all three days with her fur parents. She was tripling and doing the half on Friday, the 25k on Saturday and the half on Sunday.  As we started out this day we noticed her fur parents but didn’t see her.  Evidently the starting gun scared her so much that she was running around the lodge and was going to up to everyone looking as if she was asking if they had seen her parents.  The people at this aid station were feeding her bacon.

Sookie the Dalmatian (photo credit: Post Oak Challenge Facebook page)

We left this aid station and headed up towards Holmes Peak. But this day, since it was a shorter course, we went straight up and over it instead of going around and then up like the day before.  While headed up to the top, we decided that our legs were done and we were going to be calling it a day early.

 

The top of Holmes Peak

 

Miles 5-6.55

The next aid station was about a mile and a half from Holmes Peak. This was our 2^nd favorite aid station.  This day they had all sorts of food and almost 2 tables of alcohol.  Knowing that the Hill from Hell was coming we got some liquid courage and then after spending some time there we headed out.

Welcome to the Mexican Cantina otherwise known as the stop before the infamous Hill from Hell

 

With some food in our bellies and liquid courage we headed out to conquer the Hill from Hell for one final time.

Hill from Hell views – we hate this climb but the views are something amazing

 

Views from Heaven’s Gate

 

We hit the Hill from Hell and ran the same course up it as the day before. It was still deceivingly hard.  But we were not the only ones who were struggling.  I couldn’t imagine having to do both Holmes Peak and Hill from Hell 4 times like the marathoners had to.  Unlike the day before we spent a little time at the top taking in the view and enjoying Heaven’s Gates. We then ran down the hill to the finish line and informed everyone that we were done for the day.

Our bling for the week.  The bigger medal is the half we did on Friday.  The others are the 10k and Quarter medals which we received on Saturday and Sunday.  For running all three days we got a really cool medal rack. 

Why did the last two days go so badly?  I failed to realize how difficult it was going to be on my legs.  From a mileage standpoint it was more mileage than I was used to doing in 3 days but I thought it should be fine.  (In training, you usually do less miles than a race distance anyway.) From a technical standpoint it wound up being a lot different than road racing which I had done a couple of double digits races back to back.  There is a reason they say trail running can be a great cross training exercise for runners.  It works your legs in such a different way than road running does.

 

I will be the first to admit, I bit of more than I could chew but I also am a firm believer in go big or go home. My fear on the first loop of day 1 was realized the last couple of days.

Will I be back to do the challenge again? Most likely.  But next time, things will be different.  I will be training more intentionally with a focus on trails and running large chunks on consecutive days to make it easier.  Will I do the triple again?  That is still to be determined.  Perhaps I won’t go so crazy and will just double.

Until next time,

Candace

Post Oak Challenge, Day 2

Day 2 of the Post Oak Challenge is a 10k, 25k or 50k distance. The 10k has a separate course but does run with the 25k and 50k course on certain sections.  The 25k and 50k is run on a looped course which you do 2 or 4 times respectively.  These loops were 12.5k (7.76 miles) long.  This course has you go up Holmes Peak and the infamous Hill from Hell once each loop.

Course Map and Elevation Chart

Notice the two high elevation peaks. The one at almost 7k is Holmes Peak.  The peak at 12k is the Hill from Hell.

The start/finish line this day was at the main lodge. It was cold this morning – temps were in the 20’s.  Since it was a larger field this day, the 50k had its own start at 8 a.m.  The 25k started at 8:30 a.m. and the 10k started at 9:00.

The first 5k

Like the day before we started on a paved road before hitting the trails to a gravel road. This led us to a pretty lake before hitting the first aid station at the 1.1k mark.  We headed into the woods at this point and headed to the pole barn aid station after a couple of miles.

Pretty lake which you run by

After visiting the aid station for some water and Gatorade I headed on. We then headed up to the aid station on the hill.  This was our favorite aid station as I had a different them every day.  This day it was Mardi Gras.  We were announced again and saw volunteers in Mardi Gras costumes complete with masks and beads.  They had hot food and King cake as well as the other food at every aid station.

King Cake at the Aid Station on the Hill

From 5k-10k

Gravel road leading up to Holmes Peak

From aid station #2 we ran up the gravel road we ran the day before and then went back on the trails. It was then time to head up Holmes Peak.  This is the tallest hill in Tulsa.  Instead of going straight up, you went around and up and then climbed up the last part which was a straight climb.

Holmes Peak from the bottom and headed up

Views from the top of Holmes Peak – worth the trek up to the top – you could see for miles

After climbing Holmes Peak and knowing that I would have to do it again if I were to complete the 25k, I decided to just do one loop and take a 10k finish. By this point my knee was not happy and I was questioning what I was doing running so much on trails with so little preparation and training. Little did I know that the worst was still to come.

From 10k-12.5k

After coming down Holmes Peak for a little bit we went by the last aid station on the course. This was my 2^nd favorite aid station.  This was the last aid station before the Hill from Hell.  This day the aid station was a cantina.  They had a huge spread of food, water, Gatorade.  Knowing the Hill from Hell was waiting I grabbed some liquids and then moved on and was ready to tackle the Hill from Hell.

At first, the Hill from Hell didn’t seem too bad. I was having trouble seeing where it got its name.  After a decent incline at the base of the hill and then some switchbacks I soon saw what they meant.  This hill goes straight up pretty much.  Just when you think you are done and can see daylight, the course takes a left and you quickly realize you are not done yet.  Once you are finally at the top the views are amazing.

Views from the Hill from Hell and Heaven’s Gate

Once you reached the top you were at Heaven’s Gate. From here you could see for miles and miles and it was worth the effort to reach it.

From Heaven’s Gate it was a short distance down the hill to the finish line. As I reached the finish line I confirmed that I was not going to complete the full 25k but would drop and accept a 10k finish.  I was at peace with this decision as I was afraid I would injure my knee again if I continued. I wanted to be able to run the following day and had 2 more races planned less than a month away.

My initial fears from the day before were realized this day.  I had bitten off more than I could chew and took the hardness of this challenge too lightly.  Going forward I know better how to prepare and what I am getting myself into if I decide to do this challenge again.  Lesson learned.  Trail running is completely different from road running and takes a different tool on your legs than you would expect.

Stay tuned for a Day 3 recap.

Until next time,

Candace

Post Oak Challenge, Day 1

This past weekend, my sister (and running buddy) and I did something we have never done before.  There is a beautiful lodge and retreat center northwest of downtown Tulsa that for the last 7 years has hosted the Post Oak Challenge, a 2-day trail runners dream event. It is in the Osage hills and is considered to be one of the toughest trail races in Oklahoma and features the infamous Hill from Hell. They have everything from a 10k to a 50k run in loops on trails. This year, they added a third day and made it a triple event.  You could run 2 quarter marathons (6.55 miles) and a 10k or 2 half marathons and a 25k or 2 marathons and a 50k. We decided to go a little crazy and do the triple half (2 half marathons and a 25k).  This was make my 18^th half marathon to run.

This race has lots of swag including a long sleeve tech shirt, a hoodie, a coozie and a hat.

I showed up on Friday morning optimistic that the weekend would go as planned.  I have to admit I was a little nervous as I was feeling undertrained and unsure how I would like the trails. I quickly discovered that trail running is a lot different from what I was used to (road running).

The half was run on a 6.55 mile looped course which you ran twice. The course this day was mainly single track trails with some gravel roads and farm roads thrown in for fun.  It was mainly shaded and a very pretty route all things considered.  For the first 5 miles or so I was entertaining the idea of dropping and only doing one loop.  I was feeling the what in the world have I gotten myself into.  But I decided that it was doable so I persevered and complete half marathon.

Course Map and Elevation Chart

Trails.  Notice the ribbons on the trees – this is how you knew that you were on the right trail.  Each day had a color which marked the loop.  Friday you were looking for red ribbons, Saturday blue ribbons and Sunday green ribbons.

Miles 0-3 and 6.55-10: started with a little uphill on a paved road before heading into the trees and onto the trail. This gave us a little taste of the Hill from Hell but wasn’t bad. (We wouldn’t know what bad was until the next day.)  It was pretty much uphill for the first little bit and then leveled off.  That was one of the worse hills on the course this day (as seen on the elevation chart above).  We hit the first aid station in this stretch.  They had a good assortment of snack items including m&ms, trail mix and liquid refreshments including water, Gatorade and even a selection of alcohol. I passed on the alcohol but did get a shot of fireball on my second stop there.

Miles 3-6.55 and 10-13.1: This section started another loop to a different part of the grounds. This took you to the second aid station on the course which you hit twice.  Once about mile 4 ½ and 10 ½ and then again at about 5 ½ and 12 ½.  You could hear this aid station from a long way away.  They were blasting music and had a volunteer at the entrance to the aid station with a cow bell announcing there were runners coming.  This aid station also had a similar assortment of goodies and liquids like the first aid station.  This aid station was there all three days and quickly became my favorite. Each day had a different theme.  This day it was a knight theme.

Finished.  Day 1 complete.  Two more days to go.

Views from the course – nice views of the skylines from different vantage points

Stay tuned for Day 2 and Day 3 recaps coming soon.

Until then,

Candace