Blue Whale run

Each year--usually in the fall, a group of RunnersWorld friends assemble on 11th Street aka Route 66 and make a trek eastward toward Catoosa to see the Blue Whale. It's a 31-mile round trip and is a good training run for an ultra that someone may or may not have in their near future.

Thanks, Isabel, for the pic

This time around, 12 runners met at the Quik Trip at 11th/Utica Ave and headed out around 6:20. 

Me--I had dead legs, and it took a couple of miles to get loosened up and out of the suck zone.

Old Route 66 is packed with landmarks. The old Rose Bowl is one and sadly is in a state of disrepair. I am afraid one day, I'll run by and see it leveled.

Quik Trips are our aid stations, and we pass five on the way out--every three miles +/-. There is one stretch between Garnett and the Catoosa QT where there are no quickie stores--about a six-mile dry run.

This year, Tammy Cryer set up an aid station about half way between. She had taken requests and had a well-stocked table of goodies. My favorite-pickles and Oreos stackables were on hand and I partook liberally. She also has pickle Popsicles which really hit the spot. 

We reached the Blue Whale in around 4 hours--not really a land-speed record, although stopping at each QT and hanging around the aid station adds up. Our moving time was actually not that bad. We averaged 13-14 minute miles for most of the way out.

Thanks, Lynna, for the pic

Any banked time was spent at the Whale, taking pictures and such.

The blue whale is a cool place, and especially so at night.

My new phone seems to do a great job with night pictures-compared to what my 6S that recently died could do.

We spent around 15 minutes here goofing around.

Funny-I have never been to the blue Whale during the day.

Back at the Catoosa QT, I decided to catch a ride back. Thank you, Roman. I had K-taped my knee, and that was an experiment with satisfactory results. I also wore my stretchy knee wrap, and it was getting uncomfortable. I rationalized that stopping at 19 miles would leave me energy for some hill repeats today--but right now it's raining, so we'll see how that goes.