Route 66 Half Recap (2013)

  


Update: 07/28/15

I thought it would be fun to revisit a frigid race during this ongoing heat wave we call summer.   Please visit the hosts:

Jessica at The Silvah Lining

Mary Beth at Tutus and Tennies

Jennifer at Runs With Pugs

 

 

 

 

Shoe Bling

I am registered to run the Route 66 Half Marathon again on 11/23/14, so I thought I would post a recap on last year's race.   It is one of the more memorable half marathons.  My sister lives in Tulsa and we thought it was a great idea for me to visit and run Route 66.  I arrived on Friday afternoon and we had a nice dinner with her friends.  On Saturday, we went to the expo and it's the best one I've experienced (still to date).  There were plenty of vendors but it wasn't jammed packed like at a mega race (aka Disney World).  The race people were nice enough to change my corral, as I was placed in the back due to late signup.  Thank You!



Run HoHo

It was the first time I had seen shoe jewelry and I just had to have some.  I also couldn't resist the red car decal.  My blinking arm light had recently quit working and the wonderful folks at the Nite Beams booth just handed me a new one, no questions asked.  Sweet.  I bought an extra pair of gloves as it would be COLD the next morning.  (Didn't help.)  I bought a pink blinking ring too.  (What was I thinking?  Am I 5 years old?)  OK, enough expo-ing.  The remainder of the day was spent shoe shopping, carbo-loading at Five Guys (love their fries with lots of vinegar), and watching movies. 

Lifetime Guarantee


I fretted and fretted over the weather. Would it be 22 or 29?  How much wind?  Would it sleet?  Would it snow?  We must have checked the forecast 100 times.  I was NOT overdressed.  It ended up being 23 degrees with a wind chill of 16.  Brrrrrr.  It got no warmer during the race.  Holy Cow.  Thankfully it did not sleet or snow, but it certainly looked like it could have.










Not race day, but still looks cold!

My sister works downtown in a building right at the start line. She parked in their garage and we hung out in her warm office until race time.  I stepped out of the door right into my corral at the very last minute.  Awesome chauffeuring!   She gave me an old jacket to wear, which I ditched around mile 2.  I should have kept it!  There were hills in the beginning and a tough one near the end but a good portion of the route was flat (in the River Parks area).  Early on, it was congested in a few places as the full and half started together and some residential streets were pretty narrow.  After starting downtown, we ran through beautiful neighborhoods with gorgeous homes (mansions).  As it was nearing the holidays, many had their inflatables going and were outside cheering us on.  Yes, the crowd support was truly amazing even in the frigid weather.  A couple of groups were passing out shots later in the race...ummmm, I better not. 




At the fluid stops, the Gatorade and water were freezing.  It took me a while to figure out they were not intentionally putting crushed ice in the cups.  Duh...   By mile 6, I could not use my hands.  Even with 2 pairs of gloves, they were completely numb...could not change songs, could not open a GU, could not successfully grab a cup.  By mile 9, I also could not feel my face or my feet. At this point we were running along the Arkansas River and it felt even colder and...the wind.  I would reach up to wipe my nose (one of those gross things runners do) and pop myself in the face.  Seriously, my nose should have been black and blue.  Gosh, who was making that weird noise I kept hearing?  Ohhh, it's me.  My frozen shoes are slapping the pavement.  It later dawned on me that my feet had cramped severely (a regular occurrence I am able to work out).  However, because I couldn't feel them cramping...and thus didn't do anything about it...I had incredibly sore feet for days.  
 





Wish this had been taken on race day...beautiful!

Near the end, we passed under the iconic Route 66 Bridge coming back into the downtown area.  I crossed the finish line pleased with 2:06 - not a stellar performance but I felt strong the entire race.   I located my sister who asked me how I felt.  "Prfeushh..."  I couldn't form an intelligible word.  My mouth wouldn't work.  Truly hilarious! I was disappointed that it was too cold to enjoy the after party.  Huge props to all of the racers who completed the full marathon that day!  Tough People.

 

Get your kicks on Route 66 !



My hands woke up in the car...incredibly painful.  But after a Panera Bread  breakfast including a huge caramel coffee, I was sufficiently thawed and feeling great!  Sunday afternoon was spent putting up a Christmas tree.  Holiday Cheers {clink}.

I had a great visit with my sister.  Even with the weather issues, I felt good during the race.  It's much easier to run in the cold than in the heat!  Runners, this is a race done properly with superior organization and spectacular crowd support.  I would definitely do it again...but hopefully in better weather.  Fingers crossed for a balmy 48 degrees.