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A great friend of mine had a nice article in the Monday Tulsa World sports section this past week.
Click here to read the article.
The amazing thing about Kathy running the back to back marathons last year is that the week before, she ran the Tulsa Run, 
running back and forth chatting with all her friends along the way and probably ran more like 20K instead of 15. Then she travelled to Stroud and ran 28 miles pacing me in a race. This coupled with all the miles put in with her running group, she surely had 4 marathon distances in a matter of NINE days.
She has done a seamless job of taking over RunnersWorld, and plans to broaden the shoe offerings to include more trail running shoes and gear. 
Talk about "one-stop-shopping!" :-)
Kathy is 2 for 2 in 100 milers, running just over 24 hours in her first at Rocky Raccoon, and then battling extreme warmth and high humidity at the Traveller this year to finish in 28:10. Over 60% of the entrants dropped out of the race, most due to heat and fatigue. I was one of those who did not finish although I felt ok, my pace was cautiously slow and I was pulled due to not making a time cut-off.
Kathy was going to pace me at Western States this past June, and had I made it to the point where I could pick up a pacer, we would have flown from there. (It was 16 miles of downhill.)
This weekend, the crazy girl is travelling south to Texas to run another ultra in 86 degree heat and 95 degree heat index. Meanwhile, Brian and I will get our little hill run out of the way an an hour and change, hopefully before it gets to hot for us wimpy guys!
My nephews John and Jeff, Brian, and I and maybe Taturcakes are invading Poteau this Saturday to conquer this little hill in SE Oklahoma. Poteau has two claims to fame. They are the home the most esteemed school (I will let the picture speak for itself!)
The other attraction in Poteau is The World's Highest Hill: Canaval Hill. It rises 1,999 feet from the base to the summit, just one foot short of being classified as a mountain. 
It is not the highest point in Oklahoma, but offers the most distance you can climb in the state without being called a mountain climber.Oops, sorry! Actually, that is not really the real hill. I am a sicko! Here is the real mccoy, Canaval Hill photographed from a distance. 
It is actually quite an impressive"mountainous" looking hill. It shadows the whole town of Poteau and the sun goes down there 2 or 3 hours before it does anywhere else in Oklahoma. In fact, there are 3 weeks in the winter when the sun never even comes up! 
A view from near the top shows some of the nice foliage we will get to see. This should be maybe the absolute best week for seeing the fall colors.
Once we run our 5 miles to the top, and climb 1/5 of a mile in the process, we get to stand in awe in front of this monument and drink a couple beers.
I plan then to jog back down. Why drive for 2 hours to a race in Poteau and not get at least a 10 mile run in?
Mike, Brian, Kathy, and I ran the part of the 25k Turkey and Taturs course today. Mike and I carbo-loaded at McDonald's beforehand, and we ran at a leisurely pace. Brian and Kathy caught us at the upper parking lot, and we went back and forth on the major trails on the east mountain. 
We tried to mark the course's mile markers while we went, and playing with Garmins and tape and such slowed our overall pace. A nice beer stop along the way also added 20 minutes to our time. So, after 10.5 miles, we cut is short and headed home to clean up....after all, dinner at Mike and Diana's was waiting!
We were treated to Turkey, dressing, a couple of yummy casseroles, and 10-12 pies!!! So, for all those miles ran and all those calories burned, I more than replaced them. Tomdog and Julie and their family, along with Tatur Dave and his bride Marilyn joined us. Here is a pic of the Fearless Six and Lake Tahoe this past summer. Such great memories!
Time is now 8:15, seems like 9:15 due to the time change, and it is the eve of another work week. Blah! I'll need a long run tomorrow to get past the downer of a Monday
I will run with my great friend Mike tomorrow. Mike "Toe Stumper" paced me last year at the Arkansas Traveller. He also Co-directed the T & T 50K this past September. Tomorrow, we'll run 1/2 of the 50K and he'll get a dose of the wicked course he designed. 
I will run with my great friend Mike tomorrow. Mike "Toe Stumper" paced me last year at the Arkansas Traveller. He also Co-directed the T & T 50K this past September. Tomorrow, we'll run 1/2 of the 50K and he'll get a dose of the wicked course he designed. 
After that, we'll eat to our heart's content at his house enjoying an early Thanksgiving meal. I'll need all the refueling I can get after today's 21 miles!!After that, we'll eat to our heart's content at his house enjoying an early Thanksgiving meal. I'll need all the refueling I can get after today's 21 miles!!
This evening, I had a quick 4.5 mile run with my friends from RunnersWorld to the river and the pedestrian bridge, and back. I ran it fairly quick, in my terms. Dave and Carmie probably thought of it as just an easy pace, but it was definitely a tempo run for me. It sure dusted the cobwebs out.
Running across the old railroad bridge has always been a treat for me. Dave and I took turns running wild and passing each other....just running like kids! It was fun. Dave has his sights on a sub 4 hour at the Route 66 Marathon, and I suspect he will meet that goal easily, maybe a 3:45. He has really improved since I have known him.
A great friend of mine had a nice article in the Monday Tulsa World sports section this past week.
running back and forth chatting with all her friends along the way and probably ran more like 20K instead of 15. Then she travelled to Stroud and ran 28 miles pacing me in a race. This coupled with all the miles put in with her running group, she surely had 4 marathon distances in a matter of NINE days. 
Talk about "one-stop-shopping!" :-) 
It is not the highest point in Oklahoma, but offers the most distance you can climb in the state without being called a mountain climber.
It is actually quite an impressive
I plan then to jog back down. Why drive for 2 hours to a race in Poteau and not get at least a 10 mile run in?
We tried to mark the course's mile markers while we went, and playing with Garmins and tape and such slowed our overall pace. A nice beer stop along the way also added 20 minutes to our time. So, after 10.5 miles, we cut is short and headed home to clean up....after all, dinner at Mike and Diana's was waiting!
I hope Mike and Diana show up to run some. Last Year, I ran with Diana on her first marathon. I was her cheerleader/drill sergeant, although she didn't need the drill sergeant help In fact, she put the hurt on me at the mid point and just about ran me into the ground! We had so much fun with the signs encouraging everyone to clap for her. It was the most fun I ever had in a race!
Running across the old railroad bridge has always been a treat for me. Dave and I took turns running wild and passing each other....just running like kids! It was fun. Dave has his sights on a sub 4 hour at the Route 66 Marathon, and I suspect he will meet that goal easily, maybe a 3:45. He has really improved since I have known him.
