Route 66 race recap

Whew!!  That was a busy weekend!!

Hubs and I were working shirt pickup Saturday morning, so  there was no sleeping in for us. We were up bright and early to head to Tulsa for the Route 66 Marathon expo.  We arrived and got our assignments. We worked our shift, which was pretty uneventful. The expo was busy and as usual there were a lot of shopping opportunities for runners.

Earlier in the week, we got an opportunity to stay the night in Tulsa. We only live 45 minutes from T-town, but with the changing forecast and the possibility of inclement weather, we decided to go ahead and stay the night. We went across the street to the Doubletree and got checked into our room. I laid down to take a nap but am not a day sleeper so no nap for me. About 4pm I saw a weather forecaster predicting 10-20 mph north winds with gusts to 30 mph.....eek!!  I felt pretty confident about my clothing for race day until I saw that forecast because I had forgotten my windbreaker at home!! I jumped out of the bed, threw on my shoes and literally ran across the street to the expo to find something that would suffice. I found a lightweight Tulsa Run windbreaker on clearance at the Fleet Feet Sports booth so I bought it. I really liked the weight of that jacket because it wasn't too heavy and I didn't want to sweat too much and get wet.

We went back to the hotel for a few minutes and then we headed to Baxter's Interurban to meet some out of state Half Fanatics for dinner. They were already there when we arrived. We had a group of about 30 of us. Dinner was good and it was nice to meet everyone.

We met Melanie from California. She was staying at the Hyatt instead of the Doubletree. On a good day, it isn't too far to walk but it was cold and very dark so we drove her back to her hotel then went back to ours to get my flat runner ready

The alarm went off Sunday morning, but I was already up. I layered on my gear and we headed out to Fleet Feet Sports for a photo with my training group, which I missed because I was in the bathroom line. Then I hurried down to the start line for a photo with the Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs group. It was a huge group as usual!!

 



After the group photo, I headed to my corral. I was in corral C. Somewhere in all this melee, I managed to lose the girls that I was going to pace. :( I looked for them in the corral but never found them. And it was also at this point that I couldn't feel my fingers or toes and seriously beginning to rethink my decision to run this race. I seriously wanted to DNS and just go home. You might say that I was having a major meltdown. Hubs physically blocked me from leaving the corral and soon we were moving forward to the start line so I had no choice but to dig deep and run it.

The gun went off, we were showered with confetti and we were off. I'm familiar with most parts of the course and we run them often on our training runs. There were changes to the course this year so I wasn't sure of what to expect. We made our way down Main street to 15th street. I was going way to fast but was too afraid to slow down! We turned south into the Maple Ridge neighborhood and I still couldn't feel my finger tips. Someone had discarded a pair of gloves from the expo. I picked them up and covered my fingers with them. I also couldn't feel my feet. They were so cold that it felt like something was wadded up in my shoe. I kept muddling along. We were at about 2.5 when my hands finally started to warm up. I took off the throw away gloves at that point.

We wound through Cascia Hall, which is always a fun water stop with lots of course support. Then we headed through the neighborhoods. I was really surprised by the number of spectators who braved the cold to cheer for us and support us. Some neighborhoods even had aid stations for us. At about mile 5 I found my friend Sharon and told her that I was crumping. I was considering dropping out after I handed off the relay timing chip at mile 10. I took Gu and got some Gatorade/water at the next stop. Then I saw Dave Mari, another Fanatic. I'm not sure if he knew I was struggling, but he ran up to me and took pictures with me. Just that little moment of distraction was what I needed!

I suddenly realized that I was behind the 2:25 pacer. I was concerned because I knew this was way too fast for me but I kept up with her as best I could so that I could "bank" some time. Around mile 7 I took off my jacket and handed it off to a friend at a water stop so that I wouldn't have to carry it around my waist. I had gotten pretty sweaty and was concerned about my body temp dropping too much too fast. I had already seen the ambulance go out a couple of times :(  We finally reached Riverside Drive and turned north. The was the flattest part of the course and I normally despise it but yesterday I was happy to get a little relief from the hills in the neighborhoods. I kept trudging right around the pacer. I eventually lost her at a water stop on Riverside but I didn't care anymore.

We passed mile 9, then mile 10. I was getting close to the relay exchange. Someone handed me a jello shot....thank God and Eminem's "Berzerk" came on right about that time. I was hoping it was the motivation that I needed to get me up the hill that I knew was coming up. I ran through the relay exchange, located my runner and handed off the chip. I made sure to grab my relay medal too!!  We continued on Riverside to Southwest Blvd to the Centennial Plaza/Route 66 bridge. We turned north and headed up "Hospital Hill" I've run this hill many times on training runs and typically it is one of my favorite ones but yesterday my legs were so stiff, sore and heavy that I felt like I was running in peanut butter. I had to walk a little bit on this hill but made it to the top and got a little relief as we ran a little down hill past the Doubletree and on to Denver. I knew we were close to the finish at this point and was amazed beyond all belief at the time on my watch. I had about a mile to go and if the wheels didn't come completely off the bus, I was going to get a pretty good PR. I did the best I could to get through mile 12.

About 3 blocks from the finish line, the official pace car and the male winner of the marathon came through. I joked about running with him briefly (as he passed me!!) I heard someone call my name. I looked up to see my husband and realized that I was at the finish. I crossed the finish line with my hands up and stopped my watch to see that I had gotten a 5 minute PR. I got my medal and a huge hug from one of the runners that I had trained. I made my way through the finish corrals and found my husband who had my warm coat/gloves and dry clothes for me. I was so stiff and sore and cold!!  We went to McNellie's for post race refueling then to Fleet Feet sports briefly where I got mimosas from the girls that I was supposed to run with. They were finished and had done well.

3rd Route 66 half marathon/half # 10 done

Route 66 Half Marathon before and after

 

My relay team did well also. Collectively, we finished the marathon relay in 4:53 minutes. Not to shabby if I do say so myself. It was a challenging day to say the least, but it was fun too. I am glad that I got it done. I would have disappointed numerous people, especially myself if I had gotten out of that corral. Fall marathon training has come to an end and it was an amazing training session! I'm very happy to be reinspired and I'm extremely excited to see where my running will lead in 2014! Ordinarily I would take a little time off, but there is no rest for the weary when one has decided to run her first marathon in early March. I should technically run a 4-6 mile recovery run at base pace tonight. We'll see because my legs are still very stiff and sore plus I'm working on a sore throat.

 

 

Freaky Friday

Well, hello lovlies! I'm running late today, but better late than never!

It's finally Friday, Woop, woop!

And it's Route 66 race weekend! I should be excited about that but it's 33 degrees and sleeting as I write this. And the weather isn't expected to be much better on Sunday.

I'm working shirt pickup at the expo tomorrow morning. Then, I was able to get a hotel in Tulsa, not far from the start line. That will definitely be an advantage on race day morning, especially if it is snowing or sleeting as predicted.

I tell my runners to control what they can control. And since I can't do anything about the weather, I'm going to try to make the best of it. See below for a preview of my race outfit! It will be an adventure and will make for a good blog post. Race recap coming up on a Monday!

Follow me on Instagram @tunruh67 or Twitter @rnrunnerdiva for #rt66 weekend fun and updates!

Have a fun and safe weekend!

Thursday Thoughts/Tag, You're it!

Good morning friends!! We're almost there!!

 

I've been watching the weekend weather forecasts very closely and I'm not liking it AT ALL!!  I keep telling myself that it will change. And, it has been......for the worse! Oh well, not much I can do about it, so I will control what I can control.

 

I wanted to get in a few more miles before the Route 66 half. The weather is going to take a major dump starting today, so I opted to run alone after work last night. I got in 3 miles a little faster than I'm used to. It was not a bad run at all. I was a little worried about running alone in downtown Tulsa after dark. I didn't have any major problems but I think some folks need a refresher that the pedestrian in the cross walk has the right of way!!
 

 My friend Bobbie Sue from A Building We Shall Go tagged me in a little game of blogger tag. So, I'm being a good sport and playing along: 

 

Favorite flower?  I'm not really a flower kinda girl. I think that they are frivolous because they don't last long. I do like flowers though and yellow tulips are probably my favorite. They are so simple and cheerful!
 

Organized space in your home? I could use a little help here! Actually, my kitchen probably because I know where all my "tools" are. I feel sorry for hubs when he unloads the dishwasher. I never know what I will find where!

What book have you read recently that really moved you? Does Runner's World magazine count?

What dish are you most looking forward to at Thanksgiving Dinner? Turkey and mashed potatoes....no gravy or stuffing for me this year though since I've given up gluten

 

How do you take your coffee?  With lots of flavored creamer! My current favorite is salted caramel mocha from International Delights

 

What do you miss most about high school? Not much actually except for my friend Dena and high school marching band
 

Most memorable concert? Rolling Stones at Memorial Stadium in 1997, Rolling Stones at The Myriad in OKC in 1999, Whitney Houston at The Myriad in OKC 1987, and One Republic with Rob Thomas at the Ford Center in 2009
 

Dots or Stripes? Both actually

 
How do you unwind before bed? Hot bath and/or foot rub. I also like to read before bed....puts me to sleep quickly!

 

And there you have it!! Thanks Rancher Girl, that was fun!  I'm tagging:

 

Christy from My Dirt Road Anthem

Mel from 4Kottez

Melissa from My Life As a Folz

Beth from Running of the Mouse

 

Thursday out!

Workout Wednesday #23

Good morning folks!!

Happy National Hug a Runner Day!

It's my second favorite day of the week....Wednesday!!  I love Wednesday because we're halfway through the work week (and we all know that I'm just workin' for the weekend) and it's also Workout Wednesday!!

Yesterday was crazy busy at work!!  I hit the ground running as soon as I got there and didn't stop all day! I had to stay late and missed my run last night. That makes me very grumpy!!  This is supposed to be taper week for me. I ran 3 miles on Monday night and want to get 2.5 - 3 more at least before the half marathon on Sunday. I guess I just needed the rest last night so I decided to make the best of it!! Hopefully I can get a few miles tonight after work.

I've got a full body burning workout for you today!!  Many of my friends are doing the Spartanrace burpee challenge--30 burpees for 30 days. One of my co-workers was talking to me about his workout finisher and it got me thinking, why not combine the two. So, here's what I came up with:

 

Check it out and let me know what you think.

 

And that's all I've got for now. Have a wonderful Wednesday!  Be amazing today!!

It's go time!

Good morning folks!!  I took a day off Friday but I'm back!!

It's another Monday and I'm already ready to get this one over with!!  It's race week and that's almost as good as Christmas in my book!!

I saw my chiropractor Thursday afternoon and figured a few things out. Apparently I don't have plantar fasciitis....fortunately!!  I have some muscle imbalances that cause medial collapse when I land on my left foot. I've been using a green Superfeet insole in a stability shoe which is supposed to prevent over pronation but I think it's been contributing to the pain I was having. I got some strengthening exercises and have been doing them faithfully. I'm just ready to run without any pain or problems!!

Saturday was the last long run for my group before the Route 66 half marathon. We were scheduled to do 7. It was rainy and windy. It was a little bit chilly so they wanted to cut it down to about 6. We ended up with about 6.5 then we had a few post run mimosas.

I took the Superfeet out of my shoes and rain with no foot pain!! I'm excited about Sunday!!  The local weather forecasters were predicting 4-8 inches of snow which would have been interesting to say the least, but the weather is looking a little bit better now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way.

The rest of Saturday was uneventful and involved sitting in my chair with my feet up watching college football.

Yesterday, my plan was to get up early, get some shopping done and meal prep for the week. Before I got ready to go the store, I logged on to Facebook. I went to my Pathways group page and found a very interesting message waiting there for me :)  One of the runners had posted a random picture of the Route 66 marathon finish line with a quip about "getting our kicks on Route 66" in 1 week. What she didn't know is the photo that she found on Google wasn't random to me. It was a picture of my dear friend that died recently!!  I copied (stole) it and sent it to his brother. I believe that everything happens for a reason, including these coincidental things. I believe that was meant to reassure me about the Route 66 half because I'm been a little nervous......pacing the first timers, the weather, my injuries, etc. I was over whelmed with emotion but also felt a sense of peace. I'll be running this race in honor of my friend.

I did end up getting all my shopping and meal prep done yesterday as I had hoped/planned. We shouldn't have any excuse to eat poorly this week because I prepared baked chicken breast, turkey meatloaf muffins, baked sweet potatoes, asparagus, green beans, brown rice, eggs, a huge salad, and a turkey "goulash" which is browned ground turkey mixed with quinoa and veggies(squash)....yum!! 

I'll be running a couple of short runs after work this week and doing some yoga/cross training to keep everything limber and pain free for Sunday. I've got a pretty good idea what I'll wear but will probably tweak it once or twice this week.

And that's all I've got for now, so I'm out.......

Have a wonderful Monday and be awesome today!!

About me

Good morning folks!!

We're almost through this work week.....yay!!

Last night, Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa hosted a Route 66 Marathon "sneak peek" run. We ran 3 miles of the course, past the start line, the finish line and the Center of the Universe detour. It was a fun run and several of my friends were there. After ward we went decided to go out to eat. We went to Jason's Deli where I impressed them all with my salad making skills. I should have taken a picture because it was a pretty epic salad!!

A couple of my Pathways group have been trying to convince me to form a relay team. I told them to find a 4th team member and they did, so now I'm the team captain of "3 Beauties and a Beast" I'm already doing the half marathon, so I will run the first 2 legs and they will split up the last 3 legs. This will be a good way for them to experience the marathon atmosphere without running all of it. I was giving them little tips last night and they said "obviously, this isn't your first rodeo" HA!!

I'm going to the chiropractor today for the foot pain and some other nagging issues that I've been dealing with lately. I'm hoping that he can get me patched up enough for Route 66!!  Ordinarily, I would say "I've just gotta get through this race, then I'll deal with it" but that's a little different now that I've decided to run the Little Rock marathon. All of my friends are starting to talk about spring marathons and I'm starting to get really excited!!  I love racing and my goal is to eventually run a half in all 50 states. I wanted to do it before I turn 50 but I don't think that's realistic. So, I'll get it done when I get it done!!

Apparently there is a game on Facebook where someone gives you a number and you post that many random things about you. I was given the number 15, so here are 15 random things that you always wished you knew about me!! 

1. I have only been running for 2.5 years.

2. I played the clarinet in high school and college band.

3. I have a degree in music.

4. I love to cook, but often don't have enough time to so we often eat popcorn for supper.

5. I can walk on stilts.

6. I read all 3 Fifty Shades of Gray books in about 24 hours

7. My don't really have a favorite color. I'm an equal opportunity color lover!!

8. I used to not eat eggs, but I'm learning to like them.

9. I do not like brussel sprouts!

10. I have an irrational fear of Sasquatch and am convinced that it lurks around my house. I'm certain that I'm going to run into it someday when I take my little dog out to potty.

11. I am OCD about the way my towels are folded and will often refold them when hubs does laundry.

12. I currently have 14 pairs of tennis shoes. 3 years ago, I only had 1 pair.

13. I hate folding laundry! My tech shirts, shorts, running and workout clothes often remain in the basket for extended periods of time!

14. I'm a candle hoarder. And maybe a book and yarn hoarder too!

15. Even in this technical, digital era, I still prefer a good, old fashioned book versus an e-book. I love the satisfaction of turning the pages!!

And there you have it! 15 random facts about me, probably more than you ever wanted to know...lol!!

Ok, I've got to bail. I have a nursing student shadowing me today, so I need to make a good impression, I guess!!

Take care and have a fantastic Thursday!!

Workout Wednesday-Cold Weather Running Tips

Hello folks!!

We're halfway there....just gotta get over the hump!!

Today is Workout Wednesday!!  I thought that I would change things up a little bit. With the days getting shorter and the temps getting cooler (colder!) I thought that I would share some of my favorite cold weather running tips. Also, November is National Running Safety Month.

Personally, I find cold weather running more challenging than running in the heat. I don't like the cold AT ALL!!  I am always cold and have a difficult time getting warmed up. I'm usually bundled up in multiple layers and often have a space heater on in addition to the central heater and fireplace. All I want to do is bundle up under a blanket in my comfy chair. The last thing I really want to do is get out in the cold and run or workout. I find staying motivated to run or workout difficult.

But, if it's important, then you will find a way.....at least that's what I tell myself to get my butt out the door and get it done!! Here's what I do to make my winter/cold weather running bearable:

 1.  Make sure you are visible.  Winter means that it gets dark earlier.  Many of us have to run early in the morning or in the evening after work.  Try to wear light colored clothing, safety yellow or neon green shows up really well. A neon safety vest is also a good option.  Most running clothing has reflective patches on it or you can purchase reflective tape to add to your shoes, clothing, etc.  And carry a light with you.  This makes you more visible to traffic and helps you see where you're going to help prevent injuries.  A headlamp with either a strap or that clips on the bill of a hat works well.  There are many good options available from your local or online sporting goods store.

2.  Pay close attention to weather forecasts/conditions.  Dress like it is 20 degrees warmer and dress in multiple layers.  Avoid cotton fabric because it retains moisture and keeps you wet which will ultimately make you feel colder.  Nylon helps to keep you dry.  It wicks away moisture and extra heat which helps prevent overheating and chilling. Staying dry is the key. I've run in rain, sleet and snow. It wasn't really pleasant but I got it done. I wore a trash bag to help keep me dry on a run before (didn't really work....it was actually a pretty miserable run). Change into dry clothes as quickly as possible after your run.

3.  Cover your hands and feet to prevent frost bite.  Wear gloves or mittens and warm socks.  Cover your head.  40% of body temp is lost through the head; wearing a hat will help prevent heat loss.  Also, consider covering your face with a mask or scarf if it is really cold. If I can keep my ears and hands warm, then I usually do ok on my run as my core typically warms up pretty quickly.

 So, that's what I've figured out so far about running in the cold. I'm not really looking forward to winter running. It always takes me a little time to get used to it but I know that I will! I've run through some really brutal summers, I know that I can and will survive the cold too!

Please feel free to add any tips that have worked for you in the past.