Tulsa Marathon

Tulsa Route 66 Marathon

This was 6 weeks plus 1 day after Arkansas marathon. After we got home from Arkansas, and with some effort and time, I was able to find a coworker to work the Saturday for me to run this on Sunday. My parents came down to watch the kids for the weekend so my husband and I went to Tulsa. Packet pick up was at a huge expo on Saturday and I have super poor sense of direction so of course I couldn’t actually leave this huge building out the same door I came in. After a little while, Brian was able to find me and we headed to our hotel. I booked through a site through the marathon that was “guaranteed” 3 pm check out and early healthy breakfast. Well, they didn’t want to give me the 3 pm check out and knew nothing about an early breakfast. I found the email that guaranteed the 3 pm check out and explained how miserable it was to drive from Ft Worth to Lincoln years ago without a shower after a marathon and they fixed it for me.

Sunday morning was about 24 degrees. I debated shorts vs pants off and on and finally decided on shorts because I didn’t want to be hot at the end of the marathon. We found the marathon start and I got into the corral and stood at an edge of it before it started so I could have a blanket wrapped around  my waist so I could hand the blanket to Brian when we started moving. It was just such a contrast from the very small Arkansas marathon I had just run. I just checked the results and there were 894 full marathon finishers and 2,599 half marathon finishers. I started out with the 5:00 pacer but she was going a bit faster. I don’t have a Garmin/GPS/whatever but I do have a Timex that I can hit start split at each mile. There were , as I already mentioned, a lot of half marathoners, and I started with my correct corral but it took some effort to get around walkers really the first quite a few miles. But overall, the races was run on streets or paved runner/bike trail and was so much more comfortable than Arkansas was. 

Brian saw me around mile 6, and then around mile 9 I think. I handed him my gloves at that point. I was really looking forward to having the half marathoners peel off because one lady had her music playing so loudly (not headphones) plus they just kept randomly walking at any place, not to the right or anything. I met two young men from the general area and we talked about Nebraska and OK, it was their first full marathon. I asked if they had at least run a 20 miler. Nope, but one of them had run 16 and then other ran over 12 then wrestled that evening. Well, they stopped for aid, and I didn’t and I didn’t see them again til I was going back and they were going back. Half marathoners peeled off and it got so much quieter and less crowded, which I loved. Met a guy who had some injury (I could tell his gait was kind of erratic, he was a marathon maniac) but I bet he finished eventually. Anyway, we ran a bit along the very dry Arkansas river, saw Brian going out and back, miles 14 and 17ish. When I was going back I gave him my jacket finally. I met two youngish ladies who were running together. We had seen each other off and on all through the race, just took turns passing each other.  A lady spectator said we looked very strong and would be passing a lot of people. 

By this point the weather was basically perfect. 40s, light breeze. The 3 of us were all taking the Center of the Universe 0.3 mile detour which was unfortunately up a big hill and then down again. I was going down when they were going up but they passed me before the finish. I again struggled with shortness of breath the last few miles but I can tell you my splits were so much more even than Arkansas. I went into this marathon with my main goal being to work on my pacing and just practice taking walk breaks from the beginning. Back in the old days I didn’t really walk except occasionally or through aid stations.
 
I am copying my splits from the race website since this will be simpler for me than looking back through my watch. Anyway, it was a fun race. One guy had a sign that said “All Toenails Go to Heaven” so I told him I had 7 toenails (this is true). Lots of spectators, lots of aid stations, though I was amazed at how many of them offered alcohol! (I don’t drink alcohol, period, but I can’t imagine drinking during a race). We went back to the hotel for a quick shower, checked out by 2:30 then headed back to Nebraska. On the ride up I looked up the 2 gals’ times (we had our picture taken together and one might be at Flying Pig in May) and I realized that though they finished ahead of me, I started 8 minutes after they did, so I had a faster pace. I guess that felt a little encouraging, since I ran out of steam first. Regardless, it was a fun weekend though lots of driving , arrived home at 9:45 p.m. and the kids were still up with my parents so it was good to see them all.
 
10K 1:10:47
Half marathon 2:32:16
20 mile 3:56:35
Marathon 5:13:50
Center of the universe detour 5:05:39

Sounds like a fun race...funny that you got lost in the expo 

I enjoy connecting with other runners along the way just as you did.  And also find the walkers extremely inconsiderate!

Nice race.

Stay warm!

Nice job, Julie.   Was the course hilly? Did you run around that huge park?   I've run the Tulsa Runoff - a 15K in the fall - a few times, and all I remember is that Tulsa is not flat.  I did like the city though.

Thanks Nancy! Yes, it's fun meeting people! I am an introvert but Jocelyn never believes me when I say that because I do get excited to meet new people. 

Thanks Michele! It was fairly hilly. I'm used to running on some hills daily but there were quite a few small ones. We ran around a park, and several miles on a bike/run path, too, and by the Arkansas River which was very dry (we've been in a drought for almost 3 years so we're used to it but sad to see that OK and AR are also going through it). We ran past an art museum, too, and through an older neighborhood with quite nice houses.