A Marathon in My Own Backyard

I had not really thought of it until I received the week's enewsletter from Runner's World, but yesterday's Route 66 Marathon was my first full in my hometown.

To your relief, I will not be analyzing yesterday's race mile-by-mile (the way I have done in the past), as I remember yesterday's marathon more in chunks than bite-sized pieces: ten miles, then three miles, then six miles, then seven miles.

My original plan was to run with the 4:15 pace group, but I was quickly convinced to go out with the 4:00 pace group instead. I lined up with Rusty, Amanda, and Bill. I don’t remember much about the start except that the confetti and fireworks were pretty cool. It took us two minutes to make it to the Starting line, and once we did, we were well behind the 4:00 balloons due to the dense crowd. Bill was gone immediately, and for the first few miles, Amanda, Rusty and I weaved through the crowd, keeping an eye on the yellow balloons ahead.

I'm not sure exactly where I caught up with the four-hour pace group--it was just past Utica on one of the neighborhood streets, somewhere around the three mile mark. At this point, I had lost Amanda and Rusty, and I was running by myself.

I have never liked the incline on Cincinnati, and the closer we got, the more I was dreading it. It's surely not the worst incline on the track, and probably not the longest either, but I was glad to have finally gotten to it, and even more glad once the long incline was over.

The run across 21st and around on Southwest Blvd. was uneventful, and I was kind of zoning until we hit the hill back across the river around Houston. I had forgotten the hills on the west side of downtown--I did not run them at the mock marathon, because I only ran 6 miles that day (the Saturday after the Springfield marathon). Regardless of the hills, I was glad to be in downtown Tulsa, one of my favorite places to run.

Skipping ahead, at the turnaround around 2nd or 3rd (I'm not sure), I saw my old high school friend, Scott, as I was heading back toward Denver. He caught up with me, and unfortunately, wanted to continue the pace he had employed to catch up. I was trying to, er, pace myself, but I did go ahead and speed up to keep up with him. The abrupt change in pace is apparent in the table below. So I found myself in an interesting dilemma: slow down and save my strength for a 4:15ish finish or speed up and utilize the inspiration of a good runner to push me closer to a 4:00ish finish--or a huge wall at about 17 miles in. I chose the latter, and after a couple of water stops, Scott's pace slowed to one more manageable for me.

At Mile 13 (the third chunk), we turned south and headed down the long Riverside stretch. I tried to maintain conversation in order to keep my mind off of the race. About 15-16 miles in, Scott saw his family and he veered off. It was at about mile 18, two minutes and forty seconds into "The Bleeding Heart Show" by The New Pornographers, just as the band started into the "hey-la, hey-la" section most people are familiar with (think University of Phoenix) that my heart literally felt lighter and the goose bumps and watery eyes became irrepressible, and I simply looked up to the sky and ran.

As if that moment wasn't enough, I soon heard someone calling my name. I looked to the east, and there were my wife and kids and my mother-in-law waving to me at about mile 19. As in Springfield, it was a breath of fresh air.

I hit the turnaround at about 20 miles, and I was feeling pretty good (relatively speaking). My left foot was noticeably sore, and I was having periodic stitches and cramps, but really, that was about all. My shoes were holding up really well (so glad I went with the New Balance over the Pearl Izumis). I saw my family again at about mile 21, and I mentioned to my wife that it was starting to get tough.

Now that I was heading back, I was able to see several of my friends--a very unique and special aspect of running a marathon in your own backyard. Scott caught up, and to my relief, he was as prepared as I was to walk a few water stops. I had made it farther without having to stop than I ever had previously in my life: 22 miles. We were still ahead of the 4:00 group, and I was getting kind of excited realizing that I might actually slip in under the four-hour mark.

Scott and I walked and ran, walked and ran ("OK, at the police car, we'll run again…OK, at the..."). I moved ahead slightly and was able to just sit in autopilot for a while. Again, Scott caught up to me, running, as he pointed his thumb behind us. I turned around to watch those yellow 4:00 balloons stride past, and I simply waved--not sure if the wave was directed at Scott or the four-hour finish.

I will probably always remember how impressed I was at Scott’s resolve that compelled him to muster the strength to finish the race just ahead of the four-hour mark. I'm sure he probably had to run those final few miles without stopping a single time. I however did not, but as I hit the 31st Street Bridge, I decided that I would not stop to walk again, and I didn't.

As I crossed the line, all I saw was 4:06. I believe it was 4:06:25, but my time from start to finish was 4:04:06. I was so happy to have shaved 18 minutes off of my Springfield time, and to have come in as close to four hours as I did, considering I really had no intention of even beating 4:15. (I was also glad to have beaten my OKC time by almost an hour.)

As I crossed the line, a boy walked up to me and placed a medal around my neck. I realized later that he had awarded me a half-marathon medal, a situation which the Route 66 officials were surprisingly quick to rectify--my full marathon medal is on its way to me in the mail right now.

Kathy commented in the Runner’s World blog that this was one of her all-time fun events, because of the presence of so many of her friends; and while the Springfield marathon was extremely special to me, I think I would have to agree that this one was indeed the most fun race of the 5 K's, the half, and the fulls that I have run, and it was because I was at home, with friends.

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 657 ft Location: Tulsa, OK Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 11/22/09 Up/Downhill: [+853/-853] Time: 07:32 AM Difficulty: 3.9 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 60 F temp; 53% humidity 60 F heat index; winds S 9 Performance Distance: 26.39 miles Time: 4:04:07 Speed: 6.5 mph Pace: 9' 15 /mi Calories: 3072 Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 20 +0' 05 6.4 -0.1 +75 ft 2 9' 05 -0' 10 6.6 +0.1 +20 ft 3 8' 06 -1' 09 7.4 +0.9 -17 ft 4 8' 32 -0' 43 7.0 +0.5 -49 ft 5 8' 36 -0' 39 7.0 +0.5 -29 ft 6 8' 47 -0' 28 6.8 +0.3 0 ft 7 8' 43 -0' 32 6.9 +0.4 -13 ft 8 8' 47 -0' 28 6.8 +0.3 -10 ft 9 9' 07 -0' 08 6.6 +0.1 +78 ft 10 9' 00 -0' 15 6.7 +0.2 0 ft 11 8' 52 -0' 23 6.8 +0.3 +10 ft 12 8' 30 -0' 45 7.0 +0.6 -3 ft 13 8' 37 -0' 38 7.0 +0.5 -17 ft 14 8' 41 -0' 34 6.9 +0.4 -59 ft 15 8' 44 -0' 31 6.9 +0.4 0 ft 16 8' 44 -0' 31 6.9 +0.4 -4 ft 17 8' 42 -0' 33 6.9 +0.4 0 ft 18 8' 51 -0' 24 6.8 +0.3 -10 ft 19 8' 49 -0' 26 6.8 +0.3 0 ft 20 9' 06 -0' 09 6.6 +0.1 0 ft 21 9' 03 -0' 12 6.6 +0.1 0 ft 22 11' 21 +2' 06 5.3 -1.2 0 ft 23 10' 34 +1' 19 5.7 -0.8 +9 ft 24 9' 40 +0' 25 6.2 -0.3 0 ft 25 11' 32 +2' 17 5.2 -1.3 0 ft 26 11' 54 +2' 39 5.0 -1.4 -10 ft end 9' 17 +0' 02 6.5 -0.0 +26 ft Versus average of 9' 15 min/mile

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Second "Last Run"

The last three weeks have gone by much too quickly. A recovery week after Springfield, a week of regular training, and a taper week. I can't believe the Route 66 is just about here! I am looking forward to it but, as usual, with "marathon trepidation." It's still tough to get my mind around 26 miles of running, but it's maybe a little easier this time since I just experienced it a few weeks ago. This morning's run was, again, quiet and uneventful--which is a good thing. I noticed a nagging ache on the top of my left foot, which I have felt since Springfield. Not sure what that is, but it comes and goes. Hopefully on Sunday, it will be in the "go" part of the cycle. Otherwise, I think I'm as ready as I can be. Activity Route: 81st & 129th Neighborhood Elev. Avg: 671 ft Location: Broken Arrow, OK Elev. Gain: -3 ft Date: 11/19/09 Up/Downhill: [+177/-180] Time: 05:49 AM Difficulty: 2.3 / 5.0 Weather: Fog/Mist 36 F temp; 88% humidity 36 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 4.12 miles Time: 0:35:39 Speed: 6.9 mph Pace: 8' 39 /mi Calories: 484 Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 44 +0' 05 6.9 -0.1 +17 ft 2 8' 45 +0' 06 6.8 -0.1 -10 ft 3 8' 36 -0' 03 7.0 +0.0 -7 ft 4 8' 33 -0' 06 7.0 +0.1 0 ft end 8' 40 +0' 01 6.9 -0.0 -3 ft Versus average of 8' 39 min/mile

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Simple Steps: A Rebuttal

In the last year or so of running, I have become pretty accustomed to the periodic admonitions for runners to shed technology. Whether it be stories about freak accidents that surely would not have occurred if a runner had not had ear buds in, records that surely would have been broken had a runner not been suppressed by his Garmin, etc. I take these reports in stride, knowing that they are isolated and at times, maybe even a little exaggerated. But I had to take issue with Bill McKibben's article entitled "Simple Steps," in the November issue of Runner's World magazine, as it crossed the boundary of purism into sheer closed-mindedness. I don't know if it was that the wording was a little stronger than what I'm used to hearing on the issue of running and technology, or if the challenge was broader than what I typically hear, or if it was simply the fact that McKibben brought Henry David Thoreau, one of my favorite American authors, into the argument, but the article did end up rubbing me the wrong way: ascribing running technology to whorish consumerism, implying that "stuff" contributes to the breakdown of the family (are we still talking about Garmins and MP3 players here?). And the straw that broke the camel's back for me was the suggestion that we "leave behind the noise in [our] head[s]." Assuming that Mr. McKibben is referring to the substantial issues with which we deal on a day-to-day basis, I would respond, I most definitely will not. For me, running provides an opportunity to organize noise, to prioritize, to solve problems. This very morning during my run, I experienced a liberating epiphany when I realized that my tunnel vision regarding one particular project was causing another very significant project of personal interest and of pretty serious consequence to suffer. I came up with a solution, and ended my run with even more optimism than I had when I began. Disengage for the sake of disengaging? I'm glad I didn't. And regarding the subject of technology: I know that I will never convince die-hard purists, so I will not even try. I will simply speak from my own experience. I would first say, if your MP3 player is a distraction, then by all means, leave it at home. That being said, one of the most heart-warming experiences I enjoy during a morning run is that of seeing the sun rise behind the clouds to a backdrop of meaningful music. I admit unabashedly that at times, it has literally brought tears to my eyes; more frequently, goose bumps, a smile, and a longing look into the sky. Continuing, I can say without question that next to a good pair of (technologically advanced) shoes, the most valuable purchase I have ever made with regard to running is my Garmin. I learned early on that there is somewhat of an art to using it. Watching it constantly does indeed distract me, so now, I look at it on more of a "need to know" basis. Sure, there is potential for abuse, but I believe that most level-headed runners figure it out. I was surprised that McKibben spoke disparagingly of one of the most valuable functions of a Garmin: "mak[ing] sure that [a run] lives on forever in the memory of your computer." I was surprised, because in performing this function, the Garmin serves as a sort of running journal, which I would think Mr. McKibben would appreciate. Maybe it's just my bad memory, but I am not able to mentally document all aspects of all runs, so the Garmin helps with that. I have looked back on certain running paths, races, paces, etc. many times, and have found the ability to do so quite enriching. Finally, to extrapolate on Mr. McKibben's theories, it would seem to me that in order for one to embrace the animalistic, primal running nirvana purported in the article, the definition of "stuff" (needed to be shed) would have to include necessarily the nice tech shirts we wear...and shorts...and not stopping there, we must say goodbye to our moisture-wicking socks and chafe-preventing Runderwear. And of course, those running shoes crafted to conform to our ragged, runner's feet must also go. But that's not enough. Suburban landscapes covered with manmade buildings, houses, and lights must be foregone and replaced by virgin land (and did someone use a lawn mower/weed-eater/bushwhacker on this grass?? Sorry, that's out too). No cars in the distance. No airplanes flying overhead. No erosion control--after all, there is a great deal of engineering technology put into keeping our neatly cut paths from flooding--but wait, paths cut by shallow tech-loving runners are also off limits. Any path followed must have been cut only by migrating animals or other nude runners (whew, I'd hate to be the first one cutting paths in that tall grass!). Obviously, I am now exagerrating (although I have a pretty sneaking suspicion that a few members of our Runner's World group have probably enjoyed experiences not too far from the scenario I presented). I simply want to make the point that my running experience does not have to be your running experience (or Mr. KcKibben's running experience) for it to be extremely meaningful and compelling. And to blindly draw a solid black line at Technology is a fallacy of monumental proportions. My experience spending one day as deliberately as Nature...settling myself, working and wedging my feet downward through the mud and slush of opinion, and prejudice, and tradition, and delusion...through church and state, through poetry and philosophy and religion, til I hit a hard bottom and rocks in place which I can call reality will include at the very least my running shoes, my MP3 player, and my Garmin. Tapering this week. Four miles Monday, and another four miles today. This morning, because I was running a short distance, and because I was on a very level path, I decided to speed up a little bit in order to give my lungs a good workout leading up to the Route 66. Tomorrow will be notably slower, and that will be it until Sunday. Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 672 ft Location: Broken Arrow, OK Elev. Gain: -4 ft Date: 11/18/09 Up/Downhill: [+173/-177] Time: 06:07 AM Difficulty: 1.9 / 5.0 Weather: Overcast 46 F temp; 67% humidity 46 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 4.14 miles Time: 0:32:23 Speed: 7.7 mph Pace: 7' 49 /mi Calories: 493 Map Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 02 +0' 13 7.5 -0.2 +16 ft 2 7' 48 -0' 01 7.7 +0.0 -10 ft 3 7' 52 +0' 03 7.6 -0.1 -7 ft 4 7' 39 -0' 10 7.8 +0.2 0 ft end 7' 13 -0' 36 8.3 +0.6 -3 ft Versus average of 7' 49 min/mile

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Prerace Race

I hated to miss the Runner's World Saturday morning training run this past Saturday, especially with it being the last Saturday before a marathon, but I was able to get out and run the 10 miles that was listed on our schedules--just a 5-mile out-and-back starting at Garnett on the Creek Turnpike Trail. The weather was perfect for a run, and I took things pretty easy in light of the upcoming marathon. About 7 miles in, I noticed two people about a quarter of a mile or so ahead of me. They were running separately, and they had apparently started on the Trail at Sheridan. So of course, in my head, this turned into some sort of secret race. This may have been one of the best things I could have done for my running, as I have been noticing lately that I am really settling into a rut, not only with regard to my path, but also with regard to my pace. The impromptu race really got my blood pumping and my lungs working hard. For such a "short" distance, the last 3 miles were probably the most I could have done to emulate a marathon experience. And even if it didn't do much to help prepare for Sunday, it was pretty fun, and it really got me thinking about my next round of training. Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 701 ft Location: Broken Arrow, OK Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 11/14/09 Up/Downhill: [+744/-744] Time: 06:11 AM Difficulty: 3.4 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 58 F temp; 86% humidity 58 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 10.00 miles Time: 1:23:21 Speed: 7.2 mph Pace: 8' 20 /mi Calories: 1190 Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 40 +0' 20 6.9 -0.3 +42 ft 2 8' 33 +0' 13 7.0 -0.2 +46 ft 3 8' 25 +0' 05 7.1 -0.1 -39 ft 4 8' 34 +0' 14 7.0 -0.2 +56 ft 5 8' 35 +0' 15 7.0 -0.2 -33 ft 6 8' 35 +0' 15 7.0 -0.2 +33 ft 7 8' 16 -0' 04 7.2 +0.0 -56 ft 8 8' 15 -0' 05 7.3 +0.1 +46 ft 9 7' 45 -0' 35 7.7 +0.5 -56 ft end 7' 50 -0' 30 7.7 +0.5 -40 ft Versus average of 8' 20 min/mile

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Bones in Motion

Earlier this week, I noticed lots of charts and graphs on TATUR Dave's blog ("Someone's been doing their homework... looks like USA Today."). Being the big nerd I am, I had to find the source of such cool and important looking figures. I noticed a reference to "Bones in Motion" in the comments section of Dave's blog, so I immediately asked the Google and found what I believe is one of the coolest running sites I've seen: Bones in Motion. I have been using MapMyRun faithfully for almost a year to track my runs. MMR has some quirks (one particularly perturbing one being that it will not read my Bass Pro Shops marathon information from my Garmin), but overall, I love the workout tracking application. (I like to look at the calendar at the end of a month and see little running icons all over it!) I've looked at other workout tracking apps since I began with MMR, including the Runner's World Magazine app, but I couldn't find anything that I felt was better than the MMR app. However, Bones in Motion may be the one that trumps MMR. I love the intuitive elevation statistics, and I really like the way it keeps track of each mile split. I think that BiM has a more accurate calorie count, and the ability to automatically post to your external blog is an added bonus. I don't plan on including all of the items below in every blog, but I did want to show what BiM is capable of in this post. The only thing it lacks that MMR has is gear-tracking. (And the little runner icons that fill the calendar.) I missed yesterday's run to give my knee and back a little rest (ugh, I'm getting old). Today, I went out for a very nice, casual 10 miles. I started at my house and ran to the Creek Turnpike Trail, then out to Memorial and back. Uneventful, aside from the awesome, cloudy sunrise. I need to find a hilly neighborhood in southeast Tulsa or west Broken Arrow. I think I'm done with the Creek for a while. Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 683 ft Location: Broken Arrow, OK Elev. Gain: -3 ft Date: 11/12/09 Up/Downhill: [+544/-547] Time: 05:35 AM Difficulty: 3.3 / 5.0 Weather: Fog/Mist 46 F temp; 96% humidity 46 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 10.14 miles Time: 1:26:57 Speed: 7.0 mph Pace: 8' 34 /mi Calories: 1194 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 41 +0' 07 6.9 -0.1 +16 ft 2 8' 33 -0' 01 7.0 +0.0 +33 ft 3 8' 39 +0' 05 6.9 -0.1 -62 ft 4 8' 54 +0' 20 6.7 -0.3 +42 ft 5 8' 38 +0' 04 6.9 -0.1 +32 ft 6 8' 34 +0' 00 7.0 -0.0 -52 ft 7 8' 28 -0' 06 7.1 +0.1 +13 ft 8 8' 37 +0' 03 7.0 -0.0 -39 ft 9 8' 29 -0' 05 7.1 +0.1 +16 ft 10 8' 18 -0' 16 7.2 +0.2 0 ft end 8' 38 +0' 04 6.9 -0.1 -3 ft Versus average of 8' 34 min/mile

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Runner's World is Awesome

As I mentioned in my last post, my Nikes were pretty much finished after last weekend's marathon in Springfield. So, following a couple of exchanges with Brian on Facebook, I went into Runner's World this past Wednesday for a replacement pair. Brian ran me through what is standard practice at Runner's World: a discussion about my feet and running goals, a good look at my feet and the way they hit the ground, and several pairs of potential running shoes. After taking a quick run around the corner of the building in four different shoes (not at the same time), I landed on a pair of Pearl Izumis, a shoe I have heard great things about. Now, Runner's World had already well exceeded the service standard found at most other shoe stores, but it didn't stop there. Thursday morning, I took the Pearls out, and after a very gentle mile or two, I realized that they were not going to work for me. After another Facebook exchange, I took the shoes back by the store Friday morning. I was provided with 3 more pairs to try, and after more serious scrutiny, I decided on a pretty sick pair of black and yellow New Balance 758's. I've run in them twice now, and they are great.

In addition to some pretty amazing in-store customer care, Runner's World provides hundreds of runners the impetus (and tangible resources) to reach their running goals, with their Saturday morning running groups. This past Saturday's mock marathon was pretty impressive, complete with race bibs, manned drink stations, snacks, etc.

I know that I would never have attempted a half marathon, let alone a full marathon, were it not for the Runner's World Saturday morning running groups. I was recently telling someone the story of my first ever long distance race (the 2008 Route 66 Half Marathon), explaining that the plan was conceived the day I went into Runner's World for a pair of shoes and walked out with a race group schedule. I was at Veteran's Park the very next Saturday, and I've been there ever since.

I just wanted to say thank you to Brian and Kathy for all they do, both in the store and out. They help lots of people do some pretty amazing things.

A Better Marathon Experience

I feared things were already getting off on the wrong foot, so to speak, when, once we arrived at my brother's house in Springfield Friday evening, my wife and I realized that we had forgotten a suitcase. Amazingly, we still happened to grab the most important things: the kids' costumes, our deodrant and toothbrushes, and my running gear. After a quick trip to Target (and couple of loads of laundry), it was as though we had not forgotten a thing!

Friday evening, after a short trick-or-treating stint around my brother's neighborhood and a big spaghetti dinner, we all began to wind down. Our youngest fell asleep surprisingly well in the pack-and-play, and daughter and sick mommy went to bed in the "dark room," my brother's guest room, which has been decorated in support of his favorite pro football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, complete with black and dark-green paint and a black comforter and sheets. I then went upstairs to sleep alone.

After OKC, sleep was a big concern of mine. But surprisingly, I dozed off quickly and did not wake up again until around 2:00, and then, fell back asleep until my alarm went off at 5:30.

I got dressed, strapping one fun-sized Pay Day to my MP3 player arm band, and the other to my Blackberry arm band. I threw on an old fleece that I had planned to "donate" once the gun went off.

My brother and I left for Bass Pro Shops at 6:15. I was surprised when we arrived to see that there was not the huge mass of people that I witnessed at the starting line in OKC. As a matter of fact, no one was standing at the line. Sure, it was about 35 minutes early, but I still thought I'd see people vying for that front-of-the-pack spot.

My brother and I milled around inside Bass Pro Shops for a little while, and finally headed back outside, just as the announcer was encouraging people to line up. Incidentally, one thing I had realized (to my dismay) the night before was that indeed, there would not be guided pace groups. Despite my concerns, this did ultimately allow me to get a pretty good spot in the lineup, so I wasn't complaining. It was about 45 degrees, so I shed my fleece and handed it to my brother. (Maybe I'll "donate" it at the Route 66?) When I did, the two Pay Days I had painstakingly adhered to each arm band fell off. Nice. I ended up shoving one into each glove.

After the initial proceedings, the 10-second countdown began, and we were released, not by the sound of a gun, but by a lady who simply yelled "Go!"

I crossed the starting line at 22 seconds and headed out of the parking lot. The first few miles of the run were through an older section of Springfield--not especially nice, but not the worst I've seen either. I was able to get my Blackberry out and snap a picture of mile marker number one. "Just 25 more times," I thought to myself.

Not too long after we turned off of the street leading away from BPS, I heard a voice behind me call out "Marathoners left!" I moved to the left side of the road and quickly came up on our separation from the half-marathoners. A left turn had us going due east, right into the rising sun, and the vision of fellow marathoners silhouetted against a tree-lined path that crossed the road ahead--a path that I knew had been allotted exclusively to full-marathoners--forced a lump into my throat and tears in my eyes.

The tree-lined path led to an adjacent township--I believe it was called Galloway. We quickly hit a tunnel that we had been warned about at the starting line. There was an inch or more of water standing in the tunnel for almost its entire length. We were instructed at the starting line to stay to the right, but that did not help much at all.

The path was supposed to loop out several miles, but was turned into an out-and-back last minute because of construction and weather. This allowed me to see the guy who ended up winning the marathon coming back the other direction. Obviously, it was the only time I would see him for the rest of the race.

I followed another marathoner who seemed to be keeping the same pace I was over the course of this section, which took us to about the 12-mile mark. I assume the guy's name was Josh, because as we would run by the pockets of spectators that sporadically lined the course, I would hear "Go Josh! Go Chris!" (Our names were on our numbers.) I also crossed paths with Mary from the Runners World group during this out-and-back. She was much more alert than I was, calling out "Tulsa! Chris!" All I could muster was a silent point.

After 6.55 miles, I texted my wife: "Qtr. Feel good." I had knocked it out in less than an hour, which pleased me, but also scared me a little, thinking about how my energy left me so quickly in OKC. The 7-mile marker was a pretty significant mile-marker for me, as that's about where I ran out of steam in OKC. The marker came and went, and I was still feeling good. At mile 8, I Gu-ed.

We rejoined the half-marathoners shortly before our halfway point. I texted my wife again at 13.2: "Half. Ok" I was starting to feel some tiredness, but was pretty happy to have been averaging around 9-minute miles up to that point. I finished the half in 1:56 and change, the best I have done with that distance. My reward to myself was my first Pay Day. I don't typically eat during a run, and the dry, salty candy bar was a little tough to get down, but I was glad to have the extra energy.

At this point, I would mention my only criticism (aside from the standing water throughout the course, which was out of the coordinating team's control) of the race: the water-station personnel. I hate to mention anything about it, because I'm simply grateful that they were there. However, they did seem to be...inexperienced. Some would stand very far into the track, and I noticed several who were balancing up to 3 cups in one hand, just asking for a spill. Several were holding both water and Powerade in the same hand, calling our "Water! Powerade," so runners did not know which cup to grab. That's all I'll say about that, because again, their role is so essential, and their willingness to volunteer is so appreciated.

At mile 16, I rewarded myself with my MP3 player (previously off) and another Gu. Once I hit Sunset and National (maybe around 17 miles in), I called my wife. I was instructed to contact her at that intersection because she, my kids, and my brother and his family, were coming out to cheer me on at the second out-and-back section a few miles away. It was the first time I walked (compared to OKC, where I was walking at 7 miles in), and I started back into a run immediately after we hung up.

At the 3/4 point, I texted my wife again: "Slowing down. Feet killing me" My shoes were really doing a number on me. I knew this would be a problem, as they had been problematic for me since we hit around 16 miles in our training. I added my inserts 2 weeks ago in hopes of resolving the discomfort, but they did not do much to help. I had always heard that Nike's were not great for distance, and I now believe it. I was under 3 hours, and I thought to myself that if I stopped right then and walked the rest of the way, I would still probably beat my OKC time.

I saw my family maybe 18ish miles in, and it was like a breath of fresh air. My wife and daughter ran toward the track while my 22-month old son stumbled around in the field adjacent to the track. I walked and ran to the end of this second out-and-back and turned back, glad that I now had a direct path to the finish line. My feet were killing me at this point, and I was taking walk-breaks at each mile-marker. I called my wife again to see if she would walk with me for a minute when I passed them again. She did, offering me needed encouragement during the short moment.

At 21 miles, I ate my second, squishy Pay Day. Things were looking a little more hopeful, as I had still not yet hit the 3-hour mark, and I was less than a daily run away from the finish. Unfortunately, my feet were hurting worse than ever. At this point, I was probably walking a quarter of each mile. At 24 miles, I got a little boost, realizing that it was the farthest I had gone since the last marathon. I was walking the inclines and jogging the downhills. Race workers wearing yellow vests would encourage us, calling out, "You're almost there!" I hit 25 miles, and it seemed I was still deeply buried in a Springfield neighborhood. Bass Pro Shops was nowhere to be seen, and I didn't know how it could suddenly pop out of this unassuming little neighborhood. We hit another slight downhill at about 25.7, so I began jogging again. Workers were calling out, "It's just around the corner!" but all I saw was the back of a what seemed to be a small building in a strip mall. I kept running to a huge banner that said something like, "26 miles...only .2 miles from the finish!" Where? Where was the finish line?? I still could not see how it could possibly suddenly appear.

I turned a corner around the side of the building, and I could hear cheers and a local band playing. Turns out, the small building was actually some sort of catalog order warehouse for BPS, and sure enough, I could now see the finish line. I kept running, and off to my left, I could again see my family cheering me on. I waved to them just as my wife took a picture with her phone.

I crossed the finish line at 4:22:14, about 40 minutes faster than I did in OKC. I'm not exactly sure what my actual time was, as I forgot to push Stop on my Garmin until later, but based on the fact that I crossed the Start at 22 seconds, I would assume it was somewhere around 4:21:52. The website results show only the time from when the lady yelled "Go!" to the time I crossed the line, so I guess I'll never know my time, line to line.

After crossing, a race volunteer placed the medal around my neck--a huge bass with the marathon wording inscribed on its body. My brother was waiting for me just across the line, and after a congratulatory hug that helped keep me upright, I got my finisher's hat (which was a surprisingly cool reward) and an apple, and I headed to the car with my family.

The experience was infinitely more rewarding than my OKC experience, and I was extremely happy with my finish. Today, I am nursing a sore left foot, but aside from that, I feel great, and I definitely foresee being completely rested up and recuperated for the Route 66--now less than 3 weeks away.

11-1-09
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 4:22:14 (gross)
Avg. Mile Pace: 10:01