Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon: Running With My Heart

After experiencing the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon for the first time last year, we decided that it was an event that we hoped would become an annual tradition.  There are just so many good things about the weekend: the city really takes alot of pride in the race, the cause is very special and meaningful, the course is great, and we always have a good group of frunners who also make the journey north.  After the events surrounding the Boston Marathon, I was even more excited and determined to run this race.  Those events rattled all of us and for the first time I felt as if I had been personally attacked by an act of terrorism. 

Mr K and I made the drive to OKC on Saturday morning and made it there in time to meet Marci and Mama C (and a surprise visit from Byron too...) for our traditional lunch and visit to the expo.  It was a beautiful day in Oklahoma, cooled slightly thanks to a perfectly timed cool front.  We enjoyed looking around the expo and stopping in to hear the famous Dick Beardsley and Bill Rodgers tell stories about their marathon glory days during a panel discussion.  It is always cool to see the legends and hear them tell their tales.  After hanging out at the Oklahoma City Arts Fest for a bit, we had dinner with a huge group of runners from Oklahoma.  The Italian restaurant was an interesting mix of marathoners and prom goers...each giving the other a curious glance. 

Mama C, Dat, Marci, Me, Mr K, Fiona, and Ninja after dinner

I had not been training specifically for this race, rather just maintaining my base mileage that has me ready to run a half marathon on any given weekend.  In fact, I had not run more than nine miles at once at any time in the month of April and all of my March long runs were on trails (it was trail month, after all).  I was somewhat frustrated after Cowtown as I had been "stuck" at a 1:55 plateau for almost two years now.  I decided then to shift my goal from that of "new PR" to merely getting over my 1:55 hump.  I was not sure what to expect from this race and decided to just run by feel and let my body dictate the pace, running free--no looking at my watch to check my pace.  I am not obsessed with my watch, but do tend to check it every mile or so during a typical race.  I know that it can be the recipe for a good head game as I think that I tend to become defeated if I am slower than the goal or get a case of the "I can't do thats" when I am running faster than the goal pace.  I wore the watch, I'm still a sucker for my data, but I did not look at it....not even a single time!

Total Excitement in the Corral with Fi, Mama C, & Marci

The starting line of the OKC Marathon is filled with emotion on any given year, but this year was even more special.  They hold a traditional 168 seconds of silence (one for each life lost in the 1995 Murrah Building bombing) and this year they added an additional 3 seconds, one for each life lost at the Boston Marathon. The race organizers also suggested that we wear red sock, for Boston. I tried to soak it all in as we started running--there was so much to see: the firefighters who would be walking the entire marathon in full gear, the shadow of the Bombing Memorial, the banners that lined the course-each with the name of a person who had lost their life in April 1995,  and the many spectators.  The starting song was Beautiful Day, an all-time favorite of mine and I took that to be a good sign for the day. 

Team K Pre-Race

I started at a fairly conservative pace, mostly because I was soaking up all of the good start line vibes.  I have made the mistake of going out too fast in the past and I didn't want to do that again today.  My first mile ended up being my slowest mile, which I think is a great way to do it.  I worked hard to run the tangents as much as I could during the race.  I think that this is a great course and we cruised through Bricktown and by the Oklahoma State Capitol all within the first few miles.  I appreciated the spectators more than ever and got a kick out of looking at all of them and reading their signs.  They were an energetic group and I drew upon that energy several times during the race.

Traditional FIGJAM Pre-Race Hotel Photo

I rarely run with music, but thought that I would bring some along this time for something different.  I usually run alone as Mr K is faster than me lately, and I knew for sure that I would be alone today as he was pacing our friend Marci.  I threw together a playlist that included a few upbeat songs that held a special meaning to me and then I put the playlist on shuffle.  It really was great when one of those "special" songs would come up.  The weather was just about perfect at 50 degrees and very little wind so I didn't have to slow down for water until I got to mile 7.  I had forgotten that my friend Melissa would be volunteering there and I randomly ran to someone who was holding out a cup of water.  It was Melissa!!  Here smile and positive words were a real boost to me and I headed off to conquer the second half of the race.

Post Race Smiles (and cheeseburgers)

I really felt great for most of the race--strong and steady the whole way.  I had no idea what my pace was or if I was hitting even splits, I just ran with everything I had in my heart.  It felt amazing. It was just one of those races--where you feel like you are kind of floating along as the miles click away.  I remember the later portions of the course and remembering how much I struggled last year as the heat and humidity made for a rather ugly crash and burn.  I couldn't have felt more different this year, thank goodness.  That floaty feeling did start to wear off around mile 10 or 11 and I knew then that my job was to keep on pushing--so close now!  Before the race I was twittering with Andrew and Mark L (who went on to OWN his marathon in Eugene) and Andrew left us with these words of advice:  Run the first third with your head, second third with your personality, and the last third with your heart. Even though I felt as if I had run the majority of the race with my heart, I really drew upon my heart in those last few miles.  The finish line at the OKC Marathon is one of the best and it was such a welcome sight again this year.  I gave it one last kick, passed a few more targets, and finished strong.  The official race clock was reading 1:55-something so I felt pretty sure that I had made it past my 1:55 hump.  A glance at my watch brought confirmation-- 1:54:03 -- my fastest half since running 1:54:55 in May 2011.  Plateau. Busted. I was one happy runner.  The official results would later tell me that I ran the first 7.6 miles at an 8:50 avg pace and the last 5.5 at an 8:38 avg. (Squeeeee!!!) and placed 39th out of 839 women in my age group.  I am a little sad to see half marathon season end, I feel like I really figured some things out in the time between Cowtown and OKC.

I ran with my heart.

As I stood near the finish line waiting for Mr K, Marci, and the rest of the gang I took a moment to look around.  The streets were full of people, vibrant, and you could feel the positive energy.  I couldn't help but to think about the people who created such terror in these same streets on April 19, 1995 and how this was the very scene they were hoping to eliminate.  I am so proud of the people of Oklahoma City for fighting back and for not letting evil win.  I am a firm believer that good will win over evil. Every. Single. Time.  Events like this marathon prove that over and over again. 

They call the OKC Memorial Marathon and Half "A Run To Remember" and it certainly lives up to that name.  I can't wait to come back again next year.

We Run To Remember

(Thanks to Mama C for the terrific photos!!)