Last year I ran the half marathon. I was under-trained, but I was aided by some nice downhills at the front-end of the race and a hefty tailwind. I was telling people on the bus about the tailwind when I was promptly informed that the winds were head out of the South this year, and since the point-to-point race was on I-77, we were in for a CHALLENGING run. My goal was to even or negative split and finish in a comfortable 4:15. Mother Nature (she was a lil' grumpy) had other plans for me though.
Race Morning:
I woke up at 4:00 am (my husband was in Ardmore all weekend, but I stayed in Fort Worth on Saturday night so I could feed the dogs on Sunday morning) and scarfed down a bagel with peanut butter and a banana. I hit the road at 4:30 with a large coffee, and I made it to Ardmore High School at about 6:15 am. Everything worked out great logistically, just like last year. I picked up my race packet, made a "pit stop," and boarded the bus. I sat next to a few of the Marathon Maniacs (including #12, #40-something, and #94(?) - he had run the Antarctica Marathon) and I was pretty humbled. It's funny how so many accomplished runners found a marathon in small-town Oklahoma.
The Start:
This was the first time I had seen pink and blue port-a-potties. Some boys were breaking the rules, but it was nice to have our own set of port-a-potties that weren't as defiled! I took two potty breaks before the start since I had plenty of liquids the past 24 hours. They had a timing mat at the start this year (getting all technological!), but fortunately the starter still used a great big ol' shotgun/rifle thing (promptly at 8 am... I swear, these people are soooo organized). I tried to keep things nice, easy, and controlled. I kept checking my Garmin to try to stay sub-10 (but close to 10).
The Course:
The run began at the Turner Falls Overlook in the Arbuckle Mountains... definitely a beautiful nature moment! We ran down some rolling hills and met up with the half marathon course at around 3.5 miles. That's when we hit a mile or two of some good downhills.
Mile 1 - 9:41
Mile 2 - 9:54
Mile 3 - 9:36
Mile 4 - 9:56
Mile 5 - 8:44(!)
Mile 6 - 9:20
Mile 7 - 9:49
At around mile 7 we turned east for an out-and-back leg through the Bar Nothin' Horse Ranch. This was a nice break, both physically and mentally, since we didn't have to run straight into the headwind. Also, everyone was in pretty good spirits at this point, and I chatted it up with a few people. This made the miles fly by. I looked down at my Garmin and saw a sub-9:40 average.
Mile 8 - 9:47
Mile 9 - 9:54
Mile 10 - 9:44
Mile 11 - 9:55
After that detour, we rejoined the half marathoners on Hwy 77. We had some rollers from around miles 11-15, and then we began a shallow climb before turning west at mile 20. I hit the wall mentally at around 17.3 miles. That's when I began walking. It was just so depressing to get excited for a downhill only to be smacked with a headwind. I'm sure the previous 17 miles caught up with me a bit too, especially as I picked up the pace in the middle of the race.
Mile 12 - 10:26
Mile 13 - 10:28
Mile 14 - 10:29
Mile 15 - 10:15
Mile 16 - 10:32
Mile 17 - 11:15
Mile 18 - 12:50
Mile 19 - 12:38
Mile 20 - 13:32
The right turn towards the park at mile 20 (instead of turning left towards the finish line at the stadium) reminded me of the Fort Worth Marathon when the marathoners turned at mile 25 and us ultra runners had to tackle an additional 5 miles on the Trinity Trail. I had run at Regional Park before, but I had always done the small loops around the park. I didn't realize there was a longer road that takes you out quite a ways. There were a lot of small rollers at the park as well, but at least there were a few breaks from running into the south winds! The first 2.5 or 3 miles was really tough mentally since it was an out-and-back. Once I hit the turn-around, it perked me up a bit. Although I think I still battled some very negative internal dialogue during the last few miles! After the detour at the park, we finished at Noble Stadium with a lap around the track. I was so happy to see the finish line that I had no trouble running the last half mile or so. Also, it was a nice surprise to see Cliff, my mother-in-law, and my sisters-in-law cheering me on at the finish! They took a few photos of me, so I tried to hide my suffering!
Mile 21 - 11:47
Mile 22 - 12:22
Mile 23 - 11:38
Mile 24 - 15:10
Mile 25 - 12:56
Mile 26 - 12:19
Last 0.4 on the Garmin - 3:56 (9:42 pace)
Total Time: 4:49:09 (11:02/mile)
4th out of 5 (Womens 25-29)
24th out of 44 (All Women)
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