I’m kind of getting into Trail Runs now. I have runs scores of road races of 5K, 8K, 10K, 15K, 20K, half marathon, and two full marathons but today I finished only my second trail run. They are fun.

My latest was Sunday, the Post Oak Lodge Trail Run at the Post Oak Lodge located in the Osage hills overlooking the city of Tulsa. They had multiple events over two days a marathon, 25K, and a 50K as well as the 10K event I ran.

We ran through the woods

Up hills, I thought this hill was bad enough. See the poles on the hill further on? Those aren’t poles. Those are people I’m afraid, that’s where we went.

This is that hill on the way up.

This is the view. Just in case you are wondering. They didn’t build all the downtown Tulsa buildings leaning to the right. That lean is courtesy of your photographer. I have software that would unlean the tilt, but I’m trying to keep it real on this blog. You being critical? Then you run up that hill and take a level picture.

The photograph of the sign didn’t come out. It said something like Burger’s and Beer inside! I ask you what kind of person would drink beer at 10 am Sunday morning? I can’t imagine such a thing. It’s too awful to even contemplate. Some folks are just beyond contempt. I’m just a saying. The idea. But what if somebody was all confused and thought it was Saturday. That’s understandable.

Old Glory at the Finish Line.

And they had these fancy little metal doodads for finisher awards. Beats a finisher ribbon. I’ve got the greatest collection of finisher ribbons in the world. Now I’ve got a finisher paperweight. A NICE paperweight.

What do you get when you run in the mud?

Muddy feet that’s what. The last time I ran in a trail race my shoes stunk for a month. I couldn’t even keep them in the garage. I had to put them on the back porch. I’ve learned a lot about cleaning them. I think.

Of course I didn’t run for the recognition, no glory, nor fortune, nor the free beer, peanut butter sandwiches at the water stations, the opportunity to play in the mud. You know what I ran for?

THE SHIRT!! Silly.

A nice New Balance technical long sleeve shirt in this case.

Nope, you can’t have it. I’m being selfish.

Last night I ran 5 miles on the Arkansas River. It was my last run before the Tulsa Run this weekend. It was also my last run before daylight savings time ends this weekend so next week’s run after work will be without the sun. Last night started out dim at dusk and ended in the dark.

The river trail is lighted very well, the problem is that it is going to start getting colder. I’ve got all the high tech clothes where I can run in cold weather. I’ve run in temperatures down to about zero but it is not much fun. I’ll be running lots more at lunch now, which is nice and more on treadmills which is horrible.

Anyway, come out to Tulsa Run if you are in town. It will be a party! Get all the info here.

October is the best running month of the year. The temperatures are cool, the air is dry, the scenery is changing and there are some truly great races. October has the Tulsa Zoo Run 10K, the Woolaroc 8K, and the 15K Tulsa Run.

Last Saturday I ran the Zoo Run. It winds around Tulsa’s Mohawk Park in a double loop and the last 2 K are in the Zoo. I love it. As usual there were lots of people there. I don’t know the numbers but they said it was the 6th largest in Oklahoma. They have a 1 mile fun run, a 5K, and a 10K. I would guess a few hundred people run the 10K. Here they are:

I tell people that I run “my own race.” That is because I’m so slow that I’m not in everybody elses race. This year I thought things would be different.

As usual I fell behind early but I kept chugging on, running my own race. The woods were pretty and the sun was nice and I fell into my usual running trance, totally in the moment, warm sun and cool breeze on the face, rhythmic breathing, the wind and the, pat, pat, pat of my fellow runners going along. I start at the back and kind of move up in front of people at first, and then find a group to keep with. Sometimes I can do multiple kilometer splits within a second.

Yesterday, I got a little winded and started falling back at about the 7th kilometer. I kept laboring on. Sometimes I stop and take pictures but that totally wrecks the dream I’m having.

At about 9 kilometers I got my energy back and picked up the pace. I was looking ahead for a runner to target to beat and I saw these two old ladies way ahead of me. They were both over 70 and they weren’t going too fast.

Aha, I can beat them at the finish I thought so I summoned up a “kick.” Off I went. Things were going good I thought I would catch them about 10 yards from the finish. I mean you have to look good at the finish don’t you, even if it is just a couple of grandma’s you are beating. Right? Oh cmon.

Anyway, things were going good but I think they heard footsteps and they had a kick of their own. I gave it my all but I fell short. You know the only thing worse than passing a couple of grandmother’s at the finish line is not passing them at the finish line.

I did feel sorry for them though. They were exhausted. They just fell to the ground. Boy did I feel bad.

I went up to apologize to them and make friends but they were not having any of it.

I did get a picture of them though:

Bring it on girls, I’m kicking your butts next year!

“….miles to go before I sleep….” by Trail Zombie is one of my favorite blogs. TZ runs incredible distances most of it on trails. TZ runs marathon and longer distances (ultra Marathons). He runs at all hours of the day and night. He probably runs more miles on a weekend than I do in a month. He belongs to the local trail running club, TATUR, and helps mark the courses for the races they run. TZ makes the races sound fun so I decided to do their next one, the Turkey & Taturs Trail Race held Sunday. The race had three different lengths, 50K (30.1 miles, longer than a marathon which is hair over 26 miles), 25K (15.5 miles) and 10K (6.2 miles). Wimp that I am, I chose the 10K race.

I have run in lots of road races. I’ve done two marathons, two half marathons, a 20K race, fifteen 15K races, and a whole boatload of 10K, 8K, and 5K races. They are fun, but I’m always looking for something different. The trail race was different.

First, there are not that many people which makes it less of a mob scene, second it is pretty much an event for the 40 and over crowd it seemed to me, and second the route is very primitive. (That is why they call it a trail run, duh). Third, you can wear headphones and listen to music (Yea).

Here is a map of the course.

The course is the thin red line. The 10K basically was the top half of the map. You can see the course twists and turns so much that the map is useless. Turkey mountain is laced with dozens of different trails and hundreds of different trail combinations. If you get off course, you are toast. After just a half mile I was running by myself, so I kept a sharp eye for the pink ribbons marking the course. It would be easy to get off course and if you do, you are lost, you are so turned around it would be difficult to know where to return to the start.

Just to add to the fun, it started sprinkling just before the race and it turned into a full blown rain later on. It was not cold and I was wearing technical fabrics  so that wasn’t any big deal and it wasn’t lightning, which would be the deal stopper for me. The course web site said they wouldn’t cancel the race for rain anyway. I think these guys like rain and mud. It was kind of fun, running through the woods splashing through the puddles with abandon.

Here are a few pictures I took during the run.

Let me tell you something I learned about the brown mud. Its slick as snot so I picked my way carefully through it. I got passed by runners doing the 25K race and they would just fly on past, as did a couple of grandmothers and a great greandmother on walkers. They can be pretty rude with their little bells.

See the darker mud, it was pretty slippery so I had very slow going on it also.

This is a water station about halfway through the race. See all those cups? I think it means that I’m not in the lead. I blame all that brown and black mud.

I wasn’t getting my heart rate up enough on the course, so I stopped and did a little workout on this treadmill so I could stay warmed up. (Not really). Why the heck do people pick city parks to dump their trash? I award the people who dumped this here a poop hat award. If you live in Tulsa and have a large object you want to get rid of, you call the city and they will come get it. No cost, no questions. You don’t need to dump it in a city park!!! Good grief folks!!!

Lots of rocks on the race. They were very slick when wet so I went over them slowly to avoid hurting myself.

A sight to warm the heart of a crusty gas guy. A big inch natural gas transmission line running alongside the trail. Wow, that got me all inspired!! The line must have been laid along time ago. Now days they wouldn’t span a little creek like that. All the bubbas of the world like to shoot at them with their deer rifles. You say Turkey Mountain is a park there is no hunting allowed. I would say, if there are deer (and there are, I’ve seen them) then there will be hunters of those deer. (I also think that 99.99% of deer hunters in Oklahoma strictly obey the various laws regarding their sport.)

I didn’t get a picture of it but finally ran into some good running terrain. Lots of nice grass right before the finish. I have learned over the years to be running hard when you make the final turn to the finish line. You have to finish with style. If you cannot finish with style at least finish vertically. I did my best to ignore the knowing smirks of the grannys that passed me earlier. I think they cheated, I know they did!

And now for my lady readers, a little beefcake. Control yourselves, I’m a married man, not available. Sorry.

Running in the mud is fun!!!

And by gum, I got my participant ribbon!!! I’m the king of participant ribbons. Sometimes they run out before I finish a race though.

But you know what the important thing about racing  is? The physical and mental challenges, communing with nature, rocking out on the headphones to the like of Metallica and Patsy Cline, becoming one with the universe, exploring the inner realms of your outer consciousness (or is it the other way around?)? No, none of that.

The most important thing about racing is:

Getting the Shirt!!!

I had lots of fun. I didn’t get to meet Trail Zombie but I will because this wasn’t my last Trail Race!

(Everybody knows that I made up the bit about the grandmother’s right?)