Tag Archives: route 66 marathon

Route 66 Half Marathon Race Report, Part 1

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It’s gotten quite chilly outside the past few days, so let’s travel back in time to another cold couple of days…the weekend B, K, and I drove to Tulsa so that I could run the Route 66 Half Marathon.

We made the quick 2 hour trek from Norman to Tulsa and drove straight to the race expo. It was much smaller than the OKC expo, but it got the job done with much less waiting-in-line time. We perused the things for sale (and I promised K a 0.0 sticker for her Kia- still want one, bby?), made some inspirational race signs, then skedaddled to our hotel.

That night I crammed in a nervous Mexican dinner with B, K, and our friend Beth who lives in Tulsa. Seems like I always eat Mexican food before races?! Maybe they help me run faster. Who knows? We got home and I laid out all of my clothes for the next morning, pinned my bib to my pants, and strapped on my timing chip. I was as ready as I could be…but super nervous. I tried to go to bed at 10 pm, but I was so nervous that it took me forever to fall asleep and I woke up many times throughout the evening. At one point, I remember just praying that the morning would go ahead and come so I could stop pretending to get any semblance of rest.

Race day was COOOOOLD. Something like 12 degrees. We all layered up, B ran and got a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (more on that later), we posed for cute pictures, and then, all too soon, it was time to hit the road.

Parking was a hairy situation, but we managed to park about 4 blocks from the start. And that little walk was INTENSE. The cold was mind-numbing. I sincerely started to doubt if I could run 13.1 miles in that weather. We waited (probably illegally) in the lobby of the Mayo Hotel until about half an hour before the race started— that’s when B and K ditched me to go post up with their signs near the 2.5/5 mile marker at Woodward Park.

Waiting in that corral alone yet surrounded by thousands of people was incredibly difficult. I couldn’t feel my fingers or my toes. My scarf wouldn’t hang right on my neck. This race was starting to seem like a dumb idea. Then the gun went off, and I started running.

And 5 minutes into the race, I was actively thinking “Where can I meet B and K in order for me to drop out of this race?”

I’m evil, so that’s where I leave you until the next chapter!

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Photo of the Day: me, all bundled up yesterday for the Route 66 Half marathon. It was a little chilly.

Fitness Find: 50by25

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I was looking for race reviews of the Route 66 Marathon online last night in an attempt to get pumped for my race later this month, and I happened upon 50by25, a really extensive blog about Laura, the current world record holder for the youngest person to run a marathon in all 50 states! I got lost in her race recaps for about an hour last night, but it was totally worth it.

Fun Training Montage!

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There’s less than a month until the Route 66 Half Marathon, and I have not blogged as much about training as I did last time (obviously). Turns out that training during the fall is extremely hard for a college student who enjoys football games, sleep, and going to Whataburger at 11pm.

Midweek runs: They suck. They make my calves hurt toooooo much. I had a breakthrough a few weeks ago where I loosened my laces a bunch and my calves felt better, but now they feel worse. I don’t have this problem on long runs, which is confusing. I’m beginning a regimen of calf exercises to help combat the pain before the race. So, progress!

Long runs: Sporadic, but great! I’ve had a really odd schedule this semester (see: football on long run days), and combine that with all of the free 5ks floating around, and my long runs have been all over the place.  A couple of times I’ve done two-a-days or 3 miles at night (5k) and 5 miles in the morning to meet my total if I’m especially busy (or, you know, registered for a 5k). This weekend, I’m running 9 miles for the first time in a loooong while, but I’m excited. I’ve felt pretty good during most of my long runs, which is extremely calming when I look at the calendar and think “LESS THAN A MONTH!!”.

Overall: This training cycle has made me nervous. I keep thinking I am way farther behind than I was for the OKC half, but when I look back on my training posts, I’m definitely not. I keep forgetting that I also had a busted long run during that cycle, and that I got sick and missed a week of training during that cycle (last week I didn’t train at all due to B family fun). I’m going to be just fine. (I think.) Trying to adapt my attitude from “MUST PR” to “I’m going to do the best I can on this course”. It wouldn’t be fair to my hard work if I beat myself up over a non-PR on a course that I’ve literally never even seen before. Hills? Who knows!