Tulsa Run

Today was the 34th running of the Tulsa Run--Tulsa's premiere race. The 15K showcases a revitalized downtown Tulsa, Trendy Cherry Street, a glimpse of Woodward Park and some of the beautiful homes in the Mapleridge area, a tour of Riverside Drive alongside the lazy Arkansas River before turning up Denver Avenue and the testy hill, and finally finishes in front of the BOK Center. Over 10,000 runners do this 15K along with the 5K making it Tulsa's largest race and possibly the second largest run in the state. Some come to run hard--there are not many 15Ks around, but this course is a good one for a PR. My 15K PR is here (I have only run one other--the Muskogee Run) and in 2003 and 2005, I ran 1:14:xx. Since then, I have had a couple of 1:25s, and some slower times when I was goofing off wearing costumes and such. This year, I was running it for time. I wore my Asics Speedstars, which was a good choice since my feet were still a little tender from pounding rocks last Tuesday in my NB Minimus shoes.



I got there in plenty of time and actually found a super close parking place. :-) I met up with my friends from RunnersWorld and hung out, took pictures, and shot the breeze. The crowd gathered for a group pic, and rather than try to stitch some photos together, I just videoed a pan shot. It's a 21 second film clip--not really Oscar material, but give it a look.

Soon enough at 9:00 sharp, the gun was fired signalling the start of the 15K.It was heel to toe, elbow to elbow for the first mile or so, but such a thrill none-the-less.Seeing blocks ahead at a sea of bobbing heads and feeling the energy of thousands of runners thrilled about running on a cool crisp autumn morning is like no other experience on Earth. The runner's buzz starts early, and hours after the race, I am still all grins.

I was running for time, not expecting a PR or anything, but wanted to blow out the cobwebs, so to speak. I did take a second or two here and there for a quick pic.Hayley, home from college for the first time since August, was running with her mom Meg. Hayley would have been a contender to win the women's 15K, but was doing the pacer thing. Today was RARE time when I actually passed her. (OK, a secret here--once Hayley gets through college where she is a cross-country superstar, I'd love to see here come over to ultras. She could win nearly every trail race she entered if you ask me.)

Making the turn on 15th Street, and the downhill continues--until the little hill up to Cherry Street.

A nifty part of the race, the ramp onto Riverside. This is so cool--it's over the river, and it's banked. You can really lean into the turn and pick up speed. I heard a couple of different people who were new to the area comment on how cool it was.

I took a pic of the dudes taking the race pics and told him I'd swap out with him, but I don't think he saw what a bargain I was offering him. From here, it was about 2 miles, and I put the camera away and focused on not fading/blowing up before the finish line. I finished in 1:25:10 by my Garmin, so I am thinking my chip time will be close to that. Not a PR, but it could be my 3rd best time--or my 5th best time depending on the seconds. I felt like I ran at a 98% effort, running every step except a few steps through two water stops. From talking to folks after the race, it was agreed that it was a great year, spectacular weather, and most everyone was happy with their times, including me.