The Route 66 Marathon which took place November 21, 2010 7:30 Sunday morning was an experience for me like any race. This was going to be my first marathon which is 26.2 miles and longer than any race I ever ran in my life and I'd trained 6 long months so I was ready for action!
My friends and I, fellow runners Darlene and Laura left the Double Tree about 6:30am for the marathon on the bus. It was a nice cool cloudy weather for the marathon, maybe a little too windy but I knew I ran in wind before without any problems so I was ready. I tried to remember everything and tried to prepared myself for this one and was striving for perfection in having everything for the race. Before the race starts I chatted with one of my other running friends Silver Woody for a while over by the portapoty's but by that time I was starting to get really nervous about that 26.2 miles I was going to run.
When my running friends and I get to the start I was ready to get this thing kicked off and was ready to go. After the race starts all my running buddies disappeared. Some left me and I left some behind but I knew sometime during the race I'd see them again. About a mile or 2 into the race fellow runner and friend Marcia finds me during the race. Little did I know at the time what a big help she was going to be for the remainder of the race. When Marcia and I get to the 4 mile I see fellow runner and Life group member Kari Goines who was doing the half and we ran together for a while. Marcia had to make stop at one of the water spots, I can't remember which one it was. It was the along the race that had the speed bumps. After using the portapoty at mile 8 something bad happens. I start running and my weather radio falls off my marathon belt and I lose the rubber piece for my yurbuds I bought from the marathon expo that was on my weather radio headphones. A funny thing happened though I found out I didn't lose them and they were still stuck in my ears. Anyway it was about that time I injured my knee reaching down to grab my radio and kinda twisted it. The pain I felt was along the outside of the knee and it didn't feel really bad until later in the marathon race.I didn't tell my running friend Marcia at the time and thought the pain would go away.
My running friend Marcia made another stop and I was running alone again. That's when I seen my running buddy Kelly about the half way point. I could almost read her mind by the expression on her face and like me just wanted to survive this thing we gotten ourselves into.
About the time I get to the 16 mile down by the river my knee starts hurting worse. A hurt that makes you don't want to do anything and I was on my last leg because the other was malfunctioning and felt like it had be repaired. And the more I tried to run the more my left leg malfunctioned and wasn't cooperating. My weather radio fell a third time and broke. I didn't have any use for it then and threw it away in someone's yard. After that I started thinking up songs in my brain which was still working right. Marcia had caught up with me again and was cheering me on and encouraging me. I seen fellow runner Holly Wilson about to finish her half. I couldn't make out what she was saying about that time cause I was out of it.
In the 22 mile I seen my running friends Kelly and Darlene who were making their way back to the finish. I told Kelly that I hurt my left leg miles back but wasn't giving up. I never give up on anything especially a race. The last 5 miles of the marathon race was the closes thing to death I'd ever seen. Marcia and I finally made it to the finish in 6.5 hrs. When we got there the only Land runners there was Mark Bravo who helped me to the finish. There was no one left, even the beer and food was gone. I had to even ask for a metal!! After running so long I thought I shouldn't have to do that, it was discouraging. A man saw me struggling to walk so he gave me, Marcia, and Jennifer a ride back to the Double Tree since there was no more busing. Besides injuring my knee, I had a good time in Tulsa and is register for my first Oklahoma City Full Marathon in May. I think the next one will be easier, since I've had the experience of a marathon. Completing one is quite an experience and is looking forward to the future. For some people running a marathon is just a once in a lifetime thing and sometimes should be depending on the situation. Not everyone's a marathoner but if your one of the lucky ones to complete in one it's really something special. Thank for reading!!
See you at the next marathon. RLB
Sunday, November 28, 2010
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