Category Archives: Racing

Tulsa’s Williams Route 66 Half Marathon

Sunday I ran the Half Marathon part of the Williams Route 66 Marathon. It has been since the late 1990’s since I’ve run the distance but I thought I’d give it a try.

The race had about 6700 people overall. They formed us into groups called corrals. I felt like saying moo several times. They started us in groups also. First time I’d ever encountered that but I’m told that that how the bigger races do it.

Lots and lots of people had to use the portapotty’s. My office is a block away from the start so no portapottys for me! At the start anyway.

Oops, I digressed, at each start they shot confetti in the air. It was everywhere.

By the time I made the turn onto Cherry Street, I was way behind. Actually that was by design. I decided to run four minutes and walk a minute through the race. I hadn’t trained for the distance so I just took it easy. Makes it easier to take photographs also.

There were lots of good bands on the route playing some solid rock and roll. Flutes and violins are nice but not during a run.

I loved these ladies and their signs. I hope nobody is offended.

We ran past a local synagogue with reminders of the Ten Commandments.

Midtown Tulsa was in full Autumn color mode. It was beautiful.

Because it was chilly at the start some runners take clothes they can discard and throw them down on the ground as they warm up. The organizers pick the stuff and it is distributed to those who need them. I hope that the clothes are washed first!

I was worn out as I came to the end of the Half Marathon. I was plum tuckered out. The full marathoners were just halfway.

I didn’t know spiders drank beer!!!

Anyway, lots of fun to be had. I’m doing it again next year.

2012 Tulsa Run 15K

Here I be, all bundled up to run the 35th Tulsa Run 15K road race here in Tulsa. We’ve had a wonderful October but it decided to get all cold and windy for the race. Part of God’s wrath over Obama’s getting elected I think. I’m not sure though. Sweetie took the picture with my “good” camera. Didn’t she do a good job, especially considering what she had to work with?

Speaking of Sweetie here she is. She and SuperPizzaBoy participated in the Fun Run part of the Race. Smart duo, the Fun Run is only 2K.

And here is SuperPizzaBoy. Just in case you are wondering he is not both bigger than I am and heavier. But I can still take him. At least I hope that he still thinks I can take him.

And here is a group picture of all the kids, staff, and parents from Town and Country School here in Tulsa who participated in the Fun Run. Nice to see kids outside away from their video games. Oh well, I’m digressing.

The jumble of people waiting for the race to start. Lots of costumes by the various runners. I took a recyclable camera they seem to work better for running. I brought along my ipod but it was too cold to use as a camera.

The gun started and we inched toward the start line. I start way in the back to avoid being trampled. Plus psychologically I love passing people from the start of the race to the end.

There were several bands along the route. I always appreciate them. They are out there early in the morning in the frigid cold jamming for free.

I found several Minnie Mice running in formation. Don’t you think they have very nice shapely tails?

Here they are picking up the pace. Sometimes I’m embarrassed how slow I run. You can imagine that if I’m embarrassed how the people I pass feel. Being passed by Yogi in a race is a good reason to drop running.

Hey, here come the cops. with the lead pack right behind them.

Here is the lead pack, six guys all bunched up together. Between me and these six guys we had first place wrapped up. I’m into teamwork like that. Sorry I chopped their heads off, didn’t mean to. You can see though that it is time for another road maintenance bond issue here in Tulsa. I’d vote for it.

I was going to post this picture and say that was the group right behind me. But if you found out the truth your confidence in me would be shattered. Couldn’t have that. I’d have to leave the gas industry and go into politics for a living.

Another band, rock on dudes!

Two women, they were sharing socks. How come guys never do stuff like that. I mean guys in America’s heartland. We know the guys on the coasts are liable to do anything girls do. Hey don’t get mad at me. I don’t make the news, I just report it.

Getting toward the end. The last mile or so was uphill and I was about to die (don’t worry I didn’t). Was I ever bushed. This was my nineteenth consecutive Tulsa Run. I just love it. It is a like a 15 kilometer meditation. I love the wind and sun on my face and the sound of my fellow runners. It seems like it is over in about five minutes.

I went through the snack line and grabbed my two Snickers bars and gave one back when I got scolded that one per person. So I went back to the front of the line and got me another one. (Just proves that yes guys are still pretty childish at 57 years of age, in case you were wondering when we grow up, we don’t, we are guys.) I had one beer and then went back to my car and went home. Too danged cold to hang around taking pics.

Who won? Julius Kogo of Kenya. Yet another year when me and a Kenyan had the top spot.

Skywatch – Training Run on the River

I take off work early on Wednesdays to run a long ways on the Arkansas River Trails here in Tulsa. I’m training for Tulsa Run 15K the last weekend in October and half marathon segment of the Route 66 Marathon to be held in November. I’m a little nervous, I haven’t run a half marathon since the 1990’s! So this will be my first of the new millennium This pic is from last week about 3 miles into my 8 miles that evening. I used to take my camera with me but I now have an Ipod Touch with a pretty darn good camera, for a music player, don’t you think?

Check out Skywatch Friday for other views of the Sky from all over!

Autism Center of Tulsa Ready, Set, Run 5K

Last Saturday the Autism Center of Tulsa had their Ready Set Run 5K and Fun Run. I got to help out getting ready on Friday night.

I’m on the sign crew. The race starts and ends at Hunter Park and extends out back along the Creek Turnpike Trail so the course is a little complicated and needs lots of signs.

Robert and Shannon my coworkers putting out signs.

I keep telling Shannon that drinking and driving don’t mix.

To the right everybody!

For the big sign out in front of the park Robert shows off his manly form.

And then it is Brian’s turn. I’d help, but somebody has to record these things for posterity, right? I’ mean I could do it, but my motto is not to mess with people who are in the groove, and these guys are definitely in the groove.

Then Michelle shows up and gives us all a lesson on proper zip ties.

Wow, that Brian is a steel post driving machine!!

The next day the 5K’ers show up for the race. I saw the famous Trail Zombie. Talk about machine he was running this race and then going to Turkey Mountain to run some trails with a friend and then headed to Stillwater for his third run and second race of the day.

So the race went on and everybody had a good time!

Ready Set Run 2012

What do you have planned on the morning of Saturday, May 19?
Do you like exciting racing?

Sports Mascots?

Do you want to be fawned over by cheerleaders?

Hang out with hot women?

See happy kids?

Or get a nice sweaty hug?

Join our team, Logan’s Free Time, (because as you may know, nothing is more important than free time to teenagers) raising funds for the Autism Center of Tulsa.

You can register for the race, or donate money by clicking the link below.

Logan’s Free Time Running Team

TATUR Snake Run

The Tulsa Area Trail and Ultra Runners (“TATUR”) had their annual Snake Run on Saturday. This run is a little different. Most runs one runs a fixed distance and how you place depends on how fast your ran the fixed distance. Everybody runs the same distance but different times. In the Snake Run everybody runs a fixed time and tries to maximize the distance. There were two times one could pick, three hours or six hours.

It is also a trail race not a road race, run on a relatively flat area of Turkey Mountain. They had two loops, The big loop was about four miles long and a smaller half mile loop. The idea is to run the big loop as many times as you can, when there is not enough time for you to run another big loop you run the small loop until the gun goes off. You get no credit for partial loops. So there is a little bit of a mental edge to the run.

Of course being a Trail Run they make even the parking fun. See the cars way down the hill on the left. That is the parking area. Everybody is walking up the hill to get to the start.

Race Director, Ultra Runner, fellow blogger, and geocacher and all around good guy, Ken, aka Trail Zombie.

He and Brian of RunnersWorld Tulsa started the race and off we went. Brian is a good guy also. He told me that he peeked at my blog every now and then. That is how I know he is a good guy.

I just love trail runs. You get to run through the woods! What’s wrong with that?

I had planned to run just two loops or eight miles but I settled into a pretty good run walk rhythm that I carried on through the whole race. I would run 0.20 miles or about a 1000 feet and walk 0.05 miles or about 250 feet. I had my GPS running watch so that’s how I knew how I was doing.

So I just put my brain on autopilot and let the watch tell me when to run and when to walk. So I was able to get into my trancelike meditative state and just be in present. I had only two hiccups to my trance. I tripped on root and fell. Nothing messes up a trance like a face plant into some dirt. Also, somebody was handing out little liquid energy drinks. I tried it and lucky for me I was close to a comfort station so I could get a little comfort. That stuff ran right through me. I was able to get back in the groove pretty quickly into my trance.

So I didn’t take too many photos. I finished two big loops and then started running the small loops. I think I must have run about 8 or 9 of them. I hadn’t seen the results yet so I’m not sure how many I ran.

I finished my final small loop 2.76 seconds before the gun went off, so I didn’t waste any effort. When you are as old and fat as I am, you darn sure don’t want to waste any effort. I was very pleased with my effort. I haven’t run 12.45 miles since the 1990’s when I was running marathons (ok, only two marathons) and a bunch of half marathons. So I’m thinking about training some more and maybe runnning the half marathon part of the Oklahoma City Marathon coming up later this spring. Maybe a 25K trail run. Maybe I have a few miles left in me.

I got a nice participant medal for my effort. As you all know, I am the king of participant medals. One of these days I am going to just buy my a trophy just so I have one. The young man who won the three race ran 25 miles. Incredible, he ran almost marathon distance on a trail with rocks, roots, and stumps.

TATUR and RunnersWorld Tulsa certainly know how to put on a race. They had all sorts of goodies during the race and after there was barbecue beef sandwiches, soda pop, malted barley flavored gatorade, brownies, chips, all sorts of stuff. A bunch of volunteers showed up and worked hard making sure that everything ran smoothly. Trail Zombie and Brian were here, there, and everywhere making sure that everything went well.

Of course, I had to make my way back to the parking lot. I had a lot of chores at home to do. Sweetie took this pic of me working hard.

YogisDen.us

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