Route 66 Marathon Race Recap

As promised, my recap of the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  On November 19, I rocked the Route 66 Marathon and published a post on my thoughts on becoming a marathoner.  Now I will share a recap of the course and my race experience.

The Route 66 Marathon got its start in 2006.  Current Executive Director, Chris Lieberman had run other big city marathons including a marathon in Dallas.  He had the thought could we do a marathon in Tulsa (there was none at this time)?  He decided to try and established the Route 66 Marathon.  It has been dubbed a marathon for runners by runners.  It features the tagline Rock the Route and you are guaranteed to have a great time on the course.  The city of Tulsa does an excellent job welcoming runners to their neighborhoods and cheering and encouraging people on.

In March 2006, Chris fell from a ladder in the Route 66 Marathon warehouse and suffered a traumatic brain injury.  His doctors told him that his recovery was a marathon not a sprint and this was something that he understood very well.  This year he has regained the use of his legs in a limited capacity (still in a wheelchair for now but can stand and take a few steps at a time with help) and has relearned how to talk.

The Route 66 Marathon route – the half course in blue – the full course does both the blue and the red parts with the option to the detour to create the world’s shortest ultra (marked in yellow)

The marathon starts and finishes in downtown Tulsa and shows off the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture outside of Miami.  Downtown Tulsa has become revitalized in the last 10 years leading to people living and going downtown for more than just work.  The course then leaves downtown and takes people on a tour of some of the older neighborhoods in Tulsa including Utica Square, Cascia Hall, Woodward Park and Maple Ridge.

The course goes through Tulsa hotpsot Brookside with lots of people cheering on the runners.  Here there is always an unofficial aid station and the first of many featuring beers and more.  The course then heads to 41st Street and over to Riverside where you can glimpse the Arkansas River before heading to the Mother Road, Route 66.  But before you get there, you head back to the Maple Ridge neighborhood and party on Cincinnati, which features the now famous Cheers on Cincinnati with jello shots and lots of alcohol, and one of the craziest neighborhood parties on the course.  It also features a selfie-frame, a balloon arch and more.

After the party on Cincinnati you make your way to Route 66 where you see the East Meets West statue featuring a Model-T car and an oil field wagon pulled by two horses. The car symbolizes Cyrus Avery, “The Father of the Mother Road,” who lobbied Congress to make Route 66 a national highway in the 1920s.  He is also responsible for the 11th Street Bridge in Tulsa which was the first concrete bridge west of the Mississippi which crosses the Arkansas River just beyond the sculpture.  As you journey down America’s Highway you head back to downtown Tulsa where the full and half marathon split at mile 12.5.

Full marathoners head back through downtown to Peoria, through the Cascia Hall neighborhood, the Florence Park neighborhood, known for gingerbread style houses and then through the University of Tulsa (TU).  After going through TU, you run through Cherry Street and back to downtown.  Runners have the option of running the World’s Shortest Ultramarathon by completing the Center of the Universe detour and visit Tulsa’s historic Center of the Universe.  If you stand on the right spot you can hear an echo.  You receive a beer and a special commemorative coin for going the extra distance.

The detour is about a mile from the finish line which features a continuation of the party that you have run for 26.2 or 26.5 miles.  They always have good finisher food, a post race concert, lots of beer, a special VIP tent for Marathon Maniacs, Half Fanatics and 50 State Marathon club members, complete with special food, and an endless supply of beer, water and Gatorade.

Before the race, my sister and I went to Maniac Corner which features water, Gatorade, coffee and the infamous Marathon Maniac corner picture before the race.

Maniac Corner – we are in the middle somewhere in this mass of crazy runner people!

Obligatory picture with the Maniac Corner banner

Maniac Corner

Met our friend and another crazy runner like us in Maniac Corner – I noticed when I put this picture in here we are all matching!

 

Mile 0-3: My sister and I were in Corral D which is the final corral.  This is Chris Lieberman’s favorite corral.  He calls it the party corral.  He always does the wave with this corral.  Last year we did the wave for him while someone was live streaming the start to his rehab center.   This year he was at the start cheering runners on.  It was so neat to see him there and actually give him a high five as we started our party through the city of Tulsa.

The start line of the Route 66 Marathon – yes that is confetti – this is the only race I have done that has confetti at the start.  This is one of the many ways that the race makes it a party.

Chris Lieberman in the middle standing and doing the wave for the runners in Corral D

I saw this serviceman on the course and thanked him for his service.  

Chris Lieberman cheering on runners

The national anthem gave me goose bumps.  Even in the back corral everything was quiet.  After we got to where we could see the start line (Corral D is several blocks away from the start), I began crying.  I think the emotions and knowing what was about to happen got the best of me.  These first few miles I tried to take easy although according to my watch they were some of my faster miles (I credit that to the down hill sections and not for going out too fast).  Easy does it especially on the hills was my motto.  I began to tell myself that I would walk the uphills and run the downhills as they came and try to run some in between.  I knew sections that were relatively flat which I would try to make up some time. In the first mile you leave downtown and head towards the first of many neighborhoods and encounter the first of many hills.  You go by Utica Square and around the Cascia Hall school.

Running along 15th Street close to mile 1

Miles 4-6: This stretch features a tour by Philbrook Museum of Art, a trek through Woodward Park and then back through another neighborhood on your way to Brookside.  This part has several hills as well.  I met up with a friend who was running the half marathon in this part.  We both struggled up the hills together.

Miles 7-10: This stretch features running on Brookside which is always hopping.  They had an outdoor bike studio so people could cycle as they were cheering on runners.  An athletic store always blasts the music.  One of the local running stores on the course always has beer and goodies in front of the store as well as people cheering. This stretch features running on Riverside Drive which in this section has been closed for several years due to the development of an incredible green space called the Gathering Place which will hopefully be open next year.  We then run on Cincinnati for about a mile and a half.  This also features the Mile 9 Cheers on Cincinnati block party.  The neighborhood makes 5,000+ jello shots each year and always shows up in full force to cheer runners on.

Maple Ridge neighborhood

Boozer’s Bend – a stretch in the neighborhood before you reach Brookside – it of course had all kinds of booze

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Brookside with the outdoor cycle station

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Miles 11-12.5: This stretch features running along Riverside and the Arkansas River before turning back towards downtown.  The half marathon runners are almost to their finish line.  The full marathoners still have lots of miles to go at this point.  You run by the Route 66 plaza and then up a hill as you go back to Denver which is where the split is located.

Out and back on Southwest Blvd before heading back to downtown

The famous Route 66 sign and bridge

The East Meets West Statue beneath the Route 66 sign pictured above

These signs indicate the split for the half and full marathoners.

At the split the half marathoners go straight and the full marathoners take a left turn on 2nd Street.

Miles 12.5-16: After making the right hand turn the field greatly decreases.  You can tell that the majority of the people that started the morning were running the half marathon.  This stretch has you go across downtown and then head to 6th Street to Peoria.  This is the only stretch on the course where you see people going back to downtown.  In this stretch I saw several friends and were able to encourage them as they only had a couple more miles to go. You also go by Swan Lake, pass St. John’s hospital and then back to 22nd Street for the second time.  Instead of going through Cascia Hall though you head straight and cross Lewis.  It was during this stretch that I was telling myself that I only had 2 more loops to go and then would head back to downtown.

Miles 17-20: During this stretch you go through the last neighborhood and spend a couple of miles in the neighborhood.  I saw friends who live in this neighborhood at about mile 17.5.  It was a great pick me up and an encouragement.  After finishing up the route in my friends neighborhood we headed to 21st Street and then went to Florence Ave.  This is one of my favorite sections of the course as the houses are cute and quirky and have lots of character.  This leads you up to a tour of the local university – TU.  TU is a beautiful campus and has gotten a face lift in the last decade or so so it actually looks and feels like a college campus.

Miles 21-24: Things got real during this stretch.  You hit mile 21 at the end of your tour through TU campus.  From this stretch I was recounting the rest of the course.  I just had miles I could count on one hand left to go.  I had come so far.  My stronger songs in my play list hit during this stretch as well.  I find that it makes me dig deeper if I have motivation so have a set of 5-6 songs which make it on every running playlist I do at about 2/3 the way through.  They encourage me to know that I am stronger than I think I am and that I can push and dig deep.  Who doesn’t hear Eye of the Tiger and not run faster?  In this set of songs I also have Rachel Platten’s Fight Song.  I found myself tearing up as the words of the course mention that I still have fight left in me.  I found this to be true.  I had come too far to give up now.  I settled in and dug deep.  We ran through Cherry Street and then back to Peoria.  I kept going over the course in my head.  Peoria to 6th Street to Kenosha to 3rd Street to Greenwood to 1st Street to Denver.  When I got to Denver I would be about a half mile away from the finish line.

Mile 24-25.9: This stretch brought you back into downtown and back over to Denver on First Street.  It is also during this stretch you can take the detour to do the world’s shortest ultramarathon (an ultra is considered anything over 26.2 miles).  I decided not to do the detour.  I just wanted to be done.  I will do it next time.  When I saw 25 I got excited and emotional.  When I saw 25.9 which was on the corner of the final turn I got emotional.  One of the ladies I was running with asked me if I was in pain and I said not really.  It is my first marathon so coming that far was quite an accomplishment.

I got excited when I saw this sign – just 1.2 more miles to go

In true Route 66 fashion – one more hill before the finish line and final turn

At least you get a down hill to help power up the last bad hill

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This hill sucks.  Let’s be real.  At least it is steep and you get over it pretty quickly.  On legs that have 25+ miles though it isn’t fun. 

Headed to the final turn – notice the clock with 26 underneath it!  I was so excited and overcome with emotion. 

Williams is the Title Sponsor.  These signs led you to the finish line

Open the floodgates and let the tears come out.  I was so excited to see this sign

Miles 25.9-26.2: This was the most emotional stretch of the race for me.  I wanted good finisher photos but as soon as I turned the corner and saw the finish line I was fighting back tears.  All the sudden I had extra energy and passed several people on the way to the finish line.  I then allowed myself for the emotions to come out.  I got a hug from several runners who I have come to know over the last few years.  One told me how proud she was of me.  I then got my My First Marathon medal and a hug from another volunteer.  I went to the finisher food tent and got pizza and then met up with my sister.

Post 26.2: After I finished I met up with my sister who had had to drop to the half due to some nagging issues. We went to the Maniac Corner tent and hung out there for a little bit.  I was surprisingly not hungry and overly emotional still.  I stomached a piece of pizza and that was all I could do.  I had to keep looking at my medal as I was sure that I was dreaming and that I hadn’t completed what I had just done.  My sister then took pictures and we headed home.  My sister was defeated and I was ecstatic.  I was sorry that she was unable to join me in the marathon club that day.  She has a chance for redemption in a couple of weeks.

Finisher Photo

Maniac Corner 

With the finish line in the background

Final Bartie probably.  Bart Yasso is retiring at the end of the year after being the Chief Running Officer for Runner’s World Magazine for 30 years.  He has been a great encouragement in my running career.  He always tells people to never limit where running can take them.  

Final thoughts on Route 66?  It is a great course.  The neighborhoods come out and cheer on runners.  If you need a little help to get through 26 miles it is available to you in the form of beer, fireball, jello shots, candy etc. in all the unofficial aid stations along the course.  Yes the neighborhoods put together block parties, make jello shots, have fireball or whiskey shots available, have beer and lots of it.  Bart Yasso who has called the finish line of the Route 66 marathon for the last couple of years says he has seen more than one runner come across the line who was noticeably drunk.  The second half reminds me a lot of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon which is another one of my favorites.  It always makes a race better when you have complete strangers cheering you on.  You should do it if you are looking for a fun race with great crowd support, great swag and an always amazing finisher medal.  But make sure you sign up early as it has a tendency to sell out before the expo.

Until next time,

Candace

I Am a Marathoner!

So on Sunday I ran the longest distance ever in my running career.  I ran the Route 66 Marathon.  I am going to do a recap in the next day or two but wanted to record my thoughts about all that crossing the finish line meant to me.

I don’t think people fully understand what happens to runners during a marathon unless you have run one yourself.  It is a physical, emotional and psychologically draining feat.  Your brain plays tricks on you during the taper thinking you can’t do it.  You have to fight your brain and make your legs keep propelling you one step closer to the finish.   Your legs get tired and heavy and don’t want to work properly but you ask them to go further.  To accomplish a marathon is not something to take lightly.  The marathon distance is one which should be respected because it is immensely hard to accomplish.  When it gets hard you have to respect your training and know that you are capable of more than you think you are.

Before the marathon started, the national anthem was sung.  Goosebumps and tears happened.  When I finally saw the start line from my corral, I was overcome with emotion.  I think my brain finally figured out and my heart was filled to overflowing with emotions.  The start line would send me on a journey of 26.2 miles through my home town.  Would I be able to accomplish it in the time I had in mind?  Would my lack of training catch up with me?  What was I going to feel like when I crossed the finish line?  All these thoughts flashed through my head.

We were finally released to start our race (I was in the final corral and it took about 20 minutes from the start of the race to get started).  My goal became to take it easy on the hills especially during the first part of the race to hopefully not wreck my legs in the last portion of the race.

Miles started to count down and it seemed more and more likely this was going to become a reality.  The way the course is laid out, the half and full travel together for the first 12.5 miles.  Then the full takes a dreaded right hand turn and up a hill to go and complete 13 more miles before coming back to the finish.  By this point I was telling myself one more neighborhood and running through the campus of the University of Tulsa and then back to downtown to go.  I made the right hand turn for the first time since running Route 66.  It was emotional there as well.

Things got harder with each mile that counted down.  I saw friends about mile 17.5 and that gave me a boast to keep going.  We ran to the local university and hit mile 20.  The neighborhoods we ran through came out and had unofficial aid stations and greeted runners as they came through.  After completing the loop through the local university we headed back downtown and I knew the finish line was near.  Just a 10k to go I told myself.  I recounted the course in my head.  Down to 15th Street, right on Peoria, left on 6th street, right on Kenosha, left on 3rd Street, right on Greenwood, left on 1st Street, right on Denver and then two more turns to get to Cameron Street where I would see the finish line.

At this point the miles started counting down, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.  There was a sign which said 25.9 and at this point I started to get emotional again.  I rounded the final corner and could see the finish line.  I had done it.  I was going to finish this race.  I was going to be a marathoner.  I was going to join an exclusive club of less than 1% of the worlds population which had run a marathon.  I started to run at this point and saw my sister cheering for me.  I knew by this point that she had not had the race she wanted.  She had had to drop to the half marathon to avoid taking a DNF.  I was trying to hold back tears for a good finisher photo.  I heard my name called by Bart Yasso on the finish line speakers.  After crossing the line I started crying.  I had done it.  I had gone 26.2 miles.  I was a marathoner.

I was a little slower than I wanted to be but the hills especially in the 2nd half were very difficult on tired legs.  But after all they say not to have a time goal for your first of any distance since it is automatically a PR.  My body was letting me know how much it hated me for what I had put it through.

I got a hug from several volunteers as I was noticeably crying at this point.  I received my My First Marathon medal from a volunteer.  This is something that Route 66 does that makes it really special for runners.  They give out a special medal which says My First Marathon on it.

I got some water and Gatorade and some finisher food and met up with my sister.  We then went and hung out in Maniac Corner.  Another special thing which Route 66 does is VIP treatment for anyone who is a member of Marathon Maniacs, Half Fanatics and the 50 States Marathon Club.  They have a designated area right by the start line with their own private bathrooms and drinks.  They always take a picture of all of us crazy runners.  Then afterwards they have a special area where you can still watch those who are finishing but also have special food and drinks for all.

I am still in shock that I was able to complete the marathon and can’t wait to do it again. It is a distance which should not be taken lightly.  It is rough.  Will it become my favorite distance?  I don’t think so after this race but I still could be persuaded.  I think the Half Marathon is still my favorite distance.  I am willing to give the marathon a chance though.

What is up next?  Trying to qualify for Marathon Manics with 2 more marathons.  We are going to do a local marathon in a couple of weeks (it is called the Half and Half  put on by a local running store – they do a half on pavement and a half on the Turkey Mountain trails or you can do both on trails or both on pavement to equal a marathon).  We are going to do the 2 halves on pavement to equal another marathon.  This will be my sisters second attempt at the distance.  It has a gracious 9 hour time limit which should be doable and only has a couple of really bad hills to contend with and the rest is really flat. Then we are going to attempt a 50k in January for my 3rd marathon to qualify for Maniac status.

My special medal, my bib and unofficial results (they correspond with my watch so I will take them)

Until next time,

Candace

Thoughts on Marathon Week

Source: Route 66 Marathon Facebook page – I cannot wait to have this medal put around my neck on Sunday

Good afternoon friends.  Marathon week is finally here.  My first full marathon is happening ready or not on Sunday.   Here are some thoughts that have been circling around in my head:

• I never anticipated when I started my running journey in 2014 that I would find myself getting ready to toe the line of a full marathon.  I had friends that ran marathons and half marathons and I thought they were just a wee bit crazy and that I would never be able to do that ever.  That was until we watched a marathon take place and discovered that all types of people run marathons.
• I find that the couple of weeks prior to a new distance event, you have to be careful to win the mind game to not show up defeated at the start line.  It is very easy and comes as part of the taper madness to doubt yourself, your training and your abilities.  You have to continually remind yourself you have put in the training, done all the things you need to do to be able to go this distance.

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• I feel like I know the course inside and out as we have run a lot of our long runs on portions of the course which we are not familiar with.

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• Coming up with a mantra and a why you run is important.  This is something that you can easily remind yourself of when the going gets tough.  I am running a marathon not a sprint and will be reminding myself frequently of my mantra and why I am going this.  I love this quote for Dean Karnazes who is a runner extraordinaire (he has run 50 marathons in 50 days among other crazy things in his running career):

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• Running a marathon is something that only 1% of the population has done.  Crossing a finish line will make me part of an exclusive group of people.  I can’t wait to do both.

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• Women were not allowed to run the half or full marathon distance until relatively recently.  Katherine Switzer was one of the first women to break that barrier.  She signed up for the Boston Marathon under a man’s name.  She was threatened by course marshals after it was discovered she was a woman and they attempted to forcibly remove her from the marathon course.  She was running with a group of men who stood up to the course marshals and ran with her the rest of the marathon distance.  It was after her attempt and completion of the Boston Marathon that the general consensus of women in long distance running started to change.  This event happened 50 years ago.  To this date, most marathons are split pretty evenly among men and women and oftentimes especially in the half marathon distance will be more women than men running.

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• I am anticipating walking like an old women when I am done and the couple of days after the race.  This way I know I did all that I could do and left all I had out on the course.

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• I envision what it is going to be like to make the final turn and see the finish line.  I try to picture what I am going to be feeling and all the emotions that are going to come with it.  Reaching the finish line will be on my mind the majority of the race.

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• Running is the best way to see a city I feel.  This is one of the reasons I love traveling to new cities and running a race.  I will be exploring my own city of Tulsa on foot going 26.2 miles.  I am looking forward to seeing new things that I didn’t know existed and meeting new friends as I go along my journey to becoming a marathoner.

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• I want to run the race in such a way that I will be happy with what I did.  It will always be my first so I will always remember it.  I can still remember crossing the finish line of my first half marathon.  It was very special and something I will always remember.

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My race on Sunday is not a sprint but a marathon which I find is symbolic of life.  I find that it is the best thing to represent life and our journey on this earth.  We must be in it for the long haul and run, live, act and believe in a way that leads us to change and grow and love and cherish others in such a way that we know we did all we could in this life.

Thanks for letting me share my random thoughts with you.

Until next time,

Candace

Motivational Monday: Marathon week

Hello friends.  It is officially less than week to go before my first full marathon.  All the nerves are happening and I feel like I am loosing the mental battle.  I am going to share some motivation for me and I hope it motivates you as well.

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Consider yourselves motivated and get going towards a goal and dream.

Until next time,

Candace

Thursday Tangents (A Day Late): Taper Madness and A Recap of Training

Happy Friday.  Hope the week has treated you well.  I am glad that it is the weekend.  Training has been pretty good this week.  Here is what has happened so far:

Saturday, November 4: Last really long run of the training cycle.  My sister and I participated in a mock run of the Route 66 marathon doing a shortened course, that one of the local running stores offered.  We did 22 miles.

Sunday, November 5: Rest day after doing the longest run ever the day before.

Monday, November 6: Schedule called for 4 but I was feeling good and had extra time so did 4.75 miles at a 12:00 minute mile pace.

Tuesday, November 7: Speed work Tuesday called for a track workout and did 5.60 miles at a 10:45 minute mile pace.

Wednesday, November 8: No run this day as it is usually a cross training day for me.  No cross training happened but I did take my dog for a .75 mile walk.

Thursday, November 9: No run again this day.  Other things got in the way.  I was able to take my dog for a 2.25 mile walk this day.

What is on tap for the weekend? I am going to attempt to get some miles in today.  Tomorrow we are doing 13-15 miles as the last long run before the marathon next Sunday.  Sunday will be a rest day.

Now for the promised post on taper madness:

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What are some signs of taper madness (aka tantrums)?

• Severe germophobia (must wash everything and sanitize everything – can’t get sick)
• Phantom aches and pains
• Inability to focus
• Insomnia/Fitful Sleep
• Weather stalking the forecast constantly (you know they make extended forecasts just for race stalking right?)
• Heightened awareness to others who are sick around you
• Easily excitable
• Heavy legs
• Self-doubt (can I do it, did I train right, I don’t think I can do it)
• Increased anxiety (see self-doubt above)
• Restlessness
• Looking at the course map and reading every email and looking at the FAQ of the race website just to obsessively know the course and every detail
• Race-related nightmares (sleeping through alarm on race morning, not making it to the start on time, etc.)

What causes taper madness or tantrums?  A long distance runner will decrease mileage 2-4 weeks prior to their event.  The runs become shorter and typically less intense (easy runs as opposed to hard runs).  Typically right before a runner starts to taper, they are running the longest and the most miles in a training cycle.  So naturally a runner gets concerned and irritable when they are running few miles than what they had gotten used to.

Why is tapering important?  During a training cycle, you do damage to your legs and muscle fibers.  Tapering allows the muscle fibers to repair themselves and keeps your allows your legs to freshen up so that you can turn in a good effort at your race.  Following your training plan is important at this venture and you must resist the urge to add miles to your plan.

What is the best way to deal with a tapering runner?  Let me offer the following suggestions:

1. Be a listening ear. Understand that the rational part of the runner’s brain is not working correctly.  Some common complaints one might hear are that they are injured (a runners brain on taper can have an active imagination so there can and usually are phantom pains which arise.  A runner will automatically assume they are injured.), they aren’t running enough and will lose what they have just built up (you can lose fitness but not in a couple weeks before an event), and that race day will be disastrous (runners brains go to assume the worst even when they know they are able to do it).
2. Bring food.  A tapering runner is almost always hungry so if you notice some irrationality or mood swings it is probably an easy assumption to make that you runner is hangry.   Having snacks available to a tapering runner is a good idea as that will also help them from being cranky.  After the race, offer to get them whatever they want and don’t judge.
3. Distractions are your friend.  Make the runner go to the movies or go shopping or do something to get their mind off not running as much.  Someone might say to treat a tapering runner like someone with a bad hangover, encourage them to stimulate themselves in other ways.
4. Understand that we are not going crazy even if we sound like it.  If we complain about aches and pains, freak out about sickness, want to sleep all the time, etc.  Smile and nod and tell us everything is going to be okay. If we constantly check the weather, indulge us.  We are just trying to be prepared for a big event.
5. Stay away if you are sick.  As I have mentioned before, runners who are tapering get very sensitive to those who are sick around us.  It is in your best interest to make yourself stay away if you are sick.
6. Help us talk through race logistics.  Where am I going to park, where are we going to meet afterwards, will you be along the course, etc.  Runners tend to obsess about these things so instead of making fun of us, help us with our decisions we need to make to make sure we arrive at the start line in plenty of time with everything we can possibly need to know to make for a great race.  Make sure we lay out everything the night before so all we have to do is put it on and are ready to go.  Make sure we know what we are going to eat also before we leave the house.
7. If we get to irrational, send us for a walk around the block.  This sounds simple but can allows us to clear our heads, stretch our legs and decrease some anxiety.

Hope this helps dealing with us crazy runners.

Until next time,

Candace

Wacky Wednesday: Running Humor

Happy hump day!  I thought I would provide you with some funny thoughts to make your day go by faster hopefully.

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Hope you all have a great Wednesday.

Until next time,

Candace

Motivational Monday (A Day Late): New York City Marathon Thoughts

I don’t know if you know but the USA snagged the women’s marathon title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday.  This broke the drought of 40 years of not having a US women win the New York City Marathon.  Shalane Flanagan won the New York City Marathon by over a minute on her closest opponent, who was the reigning champion of the New York City Marathon for the last 3 years.

Source: Shalane Flanagan Official Facebook Page

Shalane Flanagan was supposed to run the Boston Marathon this year but had to pull out before the race for a very serious back injury.   Shalane had been ramping up the mileage before New York and it has been rumored that this will be her last competitive race.  Shalane told reporters that she had the victims of the truck attack last Tuesday in New York City on her mind as she was running.  She also said that she wanted to be a role model for women and girls that they can accomplish great things.

She was with the lead pack of women until about mile 23.  She then got a 30 second lead on her nearest opponents.  As you can tell by the photo above, no one was even close to her (the 2nd place woman came in a minute later).

Shalane got her start on the track.  She is a four time Olympian, American record holder and a marathoner.  She finished second at the New York City marathon in 2010.  In 2014 she became the fastest women to complete the Boston Marathon (2:22:02).  She has been a sponsored Nike runner since graduating college in 2004 and has been an elite runner for 16 years.  She averages 100+ miles weekly and focuses on fueling and health as part of each training plan.  She is one of the authors of the cookbook Run Fast.  Eat Slow.

In addition to being super excited about the win for the women, there are really cool stories about the final finishers.  I love that New York City Marathon treats all runners with the same enthusiasm, even if they are the final finisher.  They completed something that only 1% of the world has done.  The elite runners made a second appearance at the finish line on Sunday.  They were there to give the medals to the final finishers.  I can only imagine what the final runners thought when they saw Tatyana McFadden, 4 time wheelchair New York City Marathon winner, Shalane Flanagan who had just won the women’s marathon, Meb Keflezighi among others holding their medals.

Another story line from the New York City Marathon was Meb Keflezighi’s final marathon of his professional career.  Meb finished his final marathon in 11th place.  Meb is a professional runner who has had a stellar career.  He has won 4 NCAA championships in the 5k indoor, 5k outdoor, and 10k outdoor.  He is originally from Eritrea and came to America as a child refugee escaping from his home country, which was in the midst of a 30 year war with Ethiopia.  He was one of 10 children.  He became a US citizen in 1998 after graduating from UCLA.  Meb lives in San Diego with his wife and 3 daughters.  The first time Meb saw a car, he thought it was a death machine (this was at age 10).  Meb started to learn English when his father would wake him up at 4:30 a.m. and read words from the dictionary.   Meb has 11 siblings and 9 of them have college degrees.

Meb is the only person in history to win an Olympic Medal, the Boston Marathon, and the New York City.  He has competed in 23 National Championships and had a place on 4 United States Olympic teams.  He has finished 9 marathons in under 2:10 – more than a third of his career.  Only 15 minutes separate his fastest and slowest marathons.  His first marathon was the 2002 New York City Marathon.  Meb won silver in the Athens Olympic Games.  However his most well known Olympic appearance might be the Rio Games where he tripped at the finish line and did push ups for the crowd.  After his first marathon, he like a lot of people vowed to never do it again.  Now he has run 25 more marathons.  Meb won the New York City marathon in 2009 and was the first US man to win since 1982 after Alberto Salazar did it.  Meb has had several injuries but has never undergone surgeries for injuries.  His fastest mile is 4:22 which he ran during the 2005 New York City Marathon.

As I think of the headlines from this weekend, I am excited and nervous about my first full marathon in less than 2 weeks.  Doubts and concerns are starting to creep in which I have discovered is natural during taper time.  (This will be the topic of another post later this week hopefully.)  I am having to remind myself that I have put in the training and I will cross the finish line hopefully in less than 2 weeks.

Until next time,

Candace

Tulsa Run Race Recap

My sister and ran the Tulsa Run on Saturday last week.  The Tulsa Run celebrated 40 years running this year.  It has always been held on the last Saturday of October with a 15k distance (9.3 miles).  It has been told that the organizers wanted a professional runner to run the inaugural Tulsa Run.  He said that the only way he would do it is if they offered a 15k distance as that was what would work with his training schedule.  The organizers agreed and the distance has been run ever since.

In 1982, the first 2 finishers had to battle an armored truck that made it onto the course 100 yards from the finish line and that ultimately determined the winner.  One runner went left and the other one stopped.  The one that continued running went on to set a course record and got the win.

In 2002, a 5k distance was added and also saw the largest registration in years with almost 8,000 runners toeing the line.

In 2007 in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Tulsa Run, a $30,000 check was given to a charity.

In 2008, a new course was developed and 10,000 runners toed the line.  This new course showed off the newly completed BOK Center (a large concert/convention venue).  This year, the race went international with a joint race held on an army base in Iraq.  After waiting for a C-30 plane to clear, 500 runners posted amazing times.  Also this year award money was given to the top 3 male and female finishers.

In 2013, the USATF (United States of America Track and Field) announced an agreement with the Tulsa Run organizers for the 15k Masters Championship to be run at the Tulsa Run. This brings runners who are over 40 from all across the United States to Tulsa to run the 15k Tulsa Run.

Every year there are runners who have run all the previous Tulsa Runs who get special recognition.  This year saw 15 runners receive special recognition for running all 39 previous Tulsa Runs.

My family’s first experience with the Tulsa Run was in 2014 when my sister and I ran the 5k.  It was very warm that year but I did turn in one of my best times at that time.  I discovered that there was one thing I hated with this race.  The slow, steady, uphill climb to the finish.  My sister and I affectionately refer to this as the “Boston Hill.” (Boston is the street that the race ends on and you run about half a mile slowly uphill.)  Boston Avenue has some of the more iconic buildings in downtown Tulsa including the Atlas Life building, Boston Avenue United Methodist Church and others.  It is a really cool street but is not that fun to run up the hill.

In 2015, my sister and I ran the 15k in preparation for our first Half in November that year.  We discovered that the 15k was like the 5k but was very hilly.

In 2016, my sister ran the 15k again.  I was double booked and unable to participate this year.

This year, Tulsa Run turned 40.  To celebrate, they were letting people run both the 5k and 15k.  My sister and I decided that we would do both.  After all we needed 20-22 miles that day.  Why wouldn’t we race 12.4 of them?

The 5k started at 7:50 on Saturday.  It was a balmy 33 degrees at the start.  We ran into some friends of ours who we hadn’t seen in a while.  One of them was running their first 5k so it was fun to see them.  The 5k starts on Boulder Avenue at 6th Street.  From there you head south to 15th Street and turn left.  You go about a mile 15th Street and then turn around and head back to Boston Avenue and take a right and go to 4th Street to finish.  I did not turn in a personal best time in the 5k.  Between the cold air and the hills, my legs were toast.  I am okay with that.  Hills can be my worst enemy sometimes.

5k Route

The 15k open race started at 9:00.  We had about 15 minutes to run back to the car and change out bibs and head back to the start line.  The 15k starts similar to the 5k but instead of turning around on 15th Street you head over to Utica and south.  You turn on 21st Street and go over to Peoria where you do an out and back of 2 miles (1 mile south and then 1 mile north).  You then make a left hand turn back onto 21st Street and then go around Veterans Park.  Then you head across the Arkansas River and over to Southwest Boulevard and then head back into downtown to Boston and up Boston to the finish line.

15k Tulsa Run – Look at the beautiful elevation 

The trek on Southwest Boulevard is my least favorite part of this race.  The rest of the race shows off some iconic parts of Tulsa.  You run by famous Tulsa downtown buildings, you run through Cherry Street which is an eclectic mix of restaurants and shopping which is one of the more upscale areas of Tulsa.  You then run by the Swan Lake neighborhood which is an older neighborhood in Tulsa.  Then you go by Utica Square which is another upscale shopping center.  Then you run by Woodward Park and near Philbrook Museum of Art.  Then you hit Southwest Boulevard about 2 miles later.  The best way I can describe this stretch is a place on the course where you need to be super aware of your surroundings as it has the feeling at least for me of being sketchy.  The course did change a couple of years ago as they were no longer able to use Riverside Dr.  (Riverside Drive is closed between 21st and 41st for a several year building project called the Gathering Place which should be completed next year sometime – hopefully in time for the Tulsa Run).

I turned in a close to PR time but was still a couple of minutes too slow to set a new PR time in the 15k.  I think if I had just run the 15k I probably would have set a new PR.

Am I disappointed about not setting new PR’s in the 5k and 15k?  Not really.  I knew that conditions were going to be less than ideal for me to set a PR.  For the shorter distances I tend to do better in hotter weather.  The hills were incredibly hard and I was ill prepared for them as well.   I always forget how hilly the Tulsa Run is until I am running it.

The BOK Building prepares for runners in the Tulsa Run – this is on Boston Avenue.               Source: Tulsa Run Facebook page

Source: Facebook – the view coming to the finish line.  You can see it barely in this picture if you look right under the American Flag.

Source: Tulsa Run – this was the logo for this years Tulsa Run and was on the shirts and the medals

Source: Tulsa Run – Medals for the 5k and 15k races

All and all, I am happy with what I did for the Tulsa Run.  I left it all out of the course as my legs will tell you.  My sister and I were going to run 10 additional miles on Saturday but realized our legs were wrecked and so we decided against it.

Until next time,

Candace