the tulsa run recap

My Tulsa Run experience began the night before, of course, with carbo loading. Throughout the day, I wondered what kind of light, filling pasta I could make that would give me energy, but be easy on my stomach. When this idea hit, I couldn't get it out of my head. Whole wheat pasta, roasted shrimp, lemon, olive oil, and basil. It was delicious!

The race started at 9:00 a.m., which is pretty late compared to the others I've been in. The Route 66 start time is 7:30! I had JT drop me off so he could go to breakfast with his friend and meet me along the course later as I was running. It was really cold downtown where the tall buildings blocked the sun. 

 

I ran into my friend, Lili, whom I have known since high school. We hadn't seen or talked to each other in quite awhile, so it was nice to catch up with her. She and her sweet family let me be their lost puppy dog before the race since I was hanging out by myself. By the way, she is getting married in ONE WEEK! I got to meet her fiance and I'm so excited for them. Always love seeing a couple who clearly loves each other so much!

Right as we lined up at the start, I ran into a guy I went to high school with. It was his first time to do the Tulsa Run, and I heard he rocked it! Lili and I started the race together but ended up going our own paces. There were so many people there, it was crazy. At about the one mile marker, I ditched my jacket and had to dodge the throwaway gloves of so many people who'd had the same idea as I did. Right when we got out of downtown, it got hotter.

The first few miles were rolling hills, I think. I briskly walked up a few of them because I wanted to save my energy for the rest of the race. At this point, my feet started killing me. I think my socks were bunched up, and I was definitely feeling it. Even though I'd trained with those socks before, I will definitely not be using them again for a race again!

Besides the pain in my feet, I really felt great. I was getting really encouraging messages from my friends from Runmeter the entire time. Just when I hit a wall, I'd get a really nice message that literally put a spring in my step!

I remember feeling awesome when I hit the 10K marker. "We just have a 5K after this!" I said to a random woman next to me. "We're rocking this!"

The last parts are kind of a blur. At some point, I ran out of Shot Bloks, hit a wall, and kept saying, "Certainly they've skipped a mile marker. Certainly I've gone another mile by now." My lungs were awesome, but my feet hurt a lot because of those silly socks, and then of course, there's the whole issue of the monster Denver hill that words cannot describe. My best portrayal is: imagine you're going up a huge, monster hill and are so relieved to get to the top. Then there's an even worse one waiting for you.

There was also the matter of this punk 16 year old kid who thought he was racing me. I passed him at about 12-13K, and for the rest of the race, he'd alternate between sprinting past me and throwing a smirk across his shoulder at me, and slowing down to walk because he'd just overexerted himself. I just tried to ignore him and go my own pace. SO not worth it.

Eventually I saw the finish line, where my handsome husband and wonderful yellow puppy were waiting for me! It was a great feeling, such relief to see the finish line.

At this point, I'm thinking, "I'm relieved to be finished, but how am I going to run this plus four miles in three weeks!?!?" Some say running is like birth: you never remember the pain once it's over, and you sign up for another one anyway!

Oh, and then that 16-year-old boy showed up again and sprinted past me at the finish line, stepping in front of me to smirk right as they were snapping my official finish photo. So not cool, dude.

You'll be relieved to know I accomplished my goal; there were still plenty of post-run snacks left, like this Snickers bar!

Love my supportive family and friends, and I can't wait for a strong 13.1 in TWO WEEKS!

I will definitely be partaking in more of this action. Thanks to the OU Physical Therapy program volunteers from the bottom of my quads!