The 11th annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon was certainly a run to remember. I have participated in this event in some shape or form since I ran OKC as my first full marathon in 2008. In 2009 we had a relay team and I have run the half marathon the past two years. I participate in this race for several reasons. The race is local, it is for a good cause, and it is one, if not the best race that I have participated in from an organization standpoint. There is also a little bit of nostalgia involved for me and it keeps me coming back. Since it was the site of my first marathon, I have a lot of good memories training for that event in 2008. It seemed like such an impossible task during the training. It was such a monumental endeavor in my life that my memories and reflections about everything that went on during that 20 week training program, including what I ate, what I listened to, who I hung out with, and where I trained seem amplified and almost larger than life. The event itself taught me that the grind is in the training and the race is the celebration of all the hard work. I feel a few of those old feeling each time I participate.
I was really excited this year for the race. Not only was I excited to run, but I was excited for the participation that we were getting from the Guthrie. In January, we started a “Get Fit Guthrie” push and there were a lot of individuals and teams that signed up to do one of the events at the Memorial Marathon in order to support the community. There was a Guthrie Police Department Team, a City of Guthrie Team, and a Guthrie YMCA team that all included people who only got into running to be a part of this event.
I was focused on a goal this year. While my run last year wasn’t my worst, it was not under the two hour mark that I use to determine if I had a good race or not. It took me 2:02:30 last year and this year I was determined to beat it. After the run last year, I was convinced that the reason I was slower than I used to be was because I was over 30. The half-marathons I had run since turning 30 had both been over two hours with one of them being over 10 minutes slower than my PR (personal record). I got excited and motivated after I ran the Tulsa Route 66 Half Marathon in November in 1:59:29. After that, I decided that I was not going to reduce my weekly mileage and was going to run a long run of 10 miles or more at least once a week. This led me to train and do the full Austin Marathon in February. After the Austin Marathon, I decided that rather than do another full, I would train hard for the OKC half. This would allow me to diversify my training a little bit to incorporate swimming and biking so that I could start getting ready for some summer triathlons and keep me from getting burned out.
I felt really good about the training. I had to adjust my schedule a little bit and incorporate my long runs during the week rather than on Saturdays because I got busy, but I found a great running partner that really pushed me because he is faster than I am. It is also a lot easier to get out of bed at 5:00 am when you know someone is going to be ringing your door bell, ready to run!
I used to dread the day before a race and I would be really nervous with anticipation, but now it has become something that I really love and look forward to. The events leading up to the race are all part of the celebration and much of it has become a ritual to me that I really enjoy. I love going to the pre-race expo to pick up my packet and I really enjoy having a pasta dinner on the eve of a race.
We went to Café 7 last weekend for the pasta meal and it was really good. I know that I probably carb load WAY more than is necessary, but hey, it is a good excuse to eat a lot! After dinner, we went back home so that I could lay out all of my race gear and go to bed so that I could get a good night’s sleep.
As much as I love the night before, I can’t say that I am thrilled with the morning of. It seems that no matter what race I am going to do, it requires that I wake up at 4:00 am. Then there is the mad dash to eat breakfast and drink a cup of coffee with the perfect timing so that I am still full of energy for the start of the race, but everything has digested so I don’t’ get sick. After the morning routine, we hopped in the car and went downtown.
After we fought through traffic, Rachel dropped me off at a stop light about a half of a mile away from the starting line and went to find a good place to spectate. I had a throwaway sweatshirt on and my umbrella in tow. It was a good thing that I had those items because it was really starting to rain as I walked to the starting line. When I got close enough to hear the P.A. system, I learned that the race had been delayed 30 minutes because of lightning. The rain didn’t bother me; in fact, I was kind of looking forward to it. I have always enjoyed running in the rain, however, I didn’t want my socks and shoes to get completely soaked before we began, so I huddled up in a parking garage to wait out the delay.
I made my way to the starting corral and had to fight my way through the crowd to get the spot I wanted. There were 25,000 people involved in doing some type of event and I think they were all trying to get through an area the size of a door way all at one time. I made it through and settled in comfortably between the 8 ½ and 9 minute per mile pace groups. I wanted to start with runners who would be traveling a speed that was aggressive for me so that I could establish my pace early on so that I would not have to make significant adjustments mid race.
I put in my ear buds and started the special playlist I made for the event as I waited for the final minutes to tick away before the start of the race. The moments before a race are strange because it is like a wave of calm and quiet sweeps over the crowd as the anticipation builds toward the starting gun. Being in a crowd with thousands of people each with their own story, each with their own reason for running and each with their own journey that they had to go through to be standing at that starring line is really cool.
After moments of calm, the start is finally here, and all energy is unleashed as the streets are flooded with runners. Ok, that may be what it is like at the front of the pack, but back there where I stand, you kind of shuffle your feet and ever slowly get pushed forward until you finally cross the starting line and are able to start running. One I crossed that line and started moving my legs, I felt great. The mist was coming down, the music was in my ears and months of dedication were finally coming to fruition.
I ran the first mile very conservatively so that I could get a chance to warm up my joints and muscles which were in for a couple hours of hard work. We ran through Bricktown and then onto Lincoln. With the State Capital in my sights I started to feel really good and picked up my pace. I was weaving in and out of the crowd and having a great time overtaking runners that were in front of me. I was really excited that I wasn’t getting tired! The rain was spitting down on my face and I felt like a warrior battling the elements. I ran past the church on 36th and Walker and Gave my wife a high five and then it was on to the dreaded “Gorilla Hill.”
You see it when you turn the corner. A long sloping hill looms in the distance. A giant inflatable gorilla stands at the top of the hill and a group of spectators dressed as bananas dance as runners pass by. With all of its legend and intimidation, this hill had nothing on me. You see Gorilla ill had not realized that I had been training the back roads of Logan County, the trails at Mitch Park, and had recently faced the Hill Country of Austin. I smirked at the Gorilla as I passed him by knowing that on this day, he would not win.
I ate a quick snack of Accel Gel and turned onto Western where we would soon split away from the full marathon participants. I knew that this was the point of the race where it would start to get tough. Not only had I pushed myself pretty hard during the first eight miles, but the two mile southern run up Classen is both boring and gradually up hill. With five miles to go, I had to stay focused. I worked to maintain an even pace and get into a groove. Finally, I turned away from Classen and into Heritage Hills.
Heritage Hills is a beautiful neighborhood that has a lot of excitement from spectators. I needed the support at this point. With a little less than three miles to go, I was starting to feel that I had spent too much energy early. I developed a cramp in my back that was so strong I had to stop and walk for a minute so that it would go away. I felt defeated. I was so upset that I had run so well, but now I was fading away. I turned a corner and saw a downhill portion of the course. This seemed like a great opportunity to start running again, pick up my pace and finish strong. By this point, I was all but assured that I would beat my time from the previous year and come in under the two hour mark, but now I wanted to beat 1:57:00.
I picked up the pace and grunted out another mile or so before leaving the neighborhood. Before long, I turned right onto Broadway and knew that the finish line was near. At 12th and Broadway, I knew that I only had 7 blocks to go. It was a short distance, but I was so tired that it seemed very far away. Finally the finish line was in my sites. As I entered the final stretch, I gave all of the energy I had to sprint to the finish line and pass as many people as I could before I reached the final destination. I crossed the finish line in 1:56:10. Not only did I reach my goal, but ran the second best half marathon of my life. I was only 41 seconds off of my personal best.
I was so thrilled that I ate six Carl’s Jr. Burgers throughout the day and went to Starbucks twice! Carl’s Jr. was cooking burgers at the finish line and they were kind enough to keep giving me burgers every time I asked. This is one of the things that make OKC an elite marathon – Carl’s Jr. is always making burgers and there is also a lot of other good food.
Despite the cold, wind and rain, it was a great event. Everyone that works to put this race together does a great job and it is an awesome thing for Oklahoma. Since there are not too many marathon events close to Oklahoma during the summer, I will have to wait until the fall to experience this thrill again, and that is a little bit depressing. The good thing is that triathlon season is right around the corner and there is one of those to do almost every weekend in Oklahoma!
