The Post Oak Challenge is a series of races of various lengths over three days. Lots of people “Double” or “Triple” meaning that they run two or three of the races. That is awesome, and I am not at the level of awesomeness. This year I ran the Quarter Marathon on Sunday morning. The races are held at Post Oak Lodge north of Tulsa. It is a really nice, well run place, and they are great hosts for the race.
Don’t know why but the first thing I did after getting out my car is to check out the resorts one golf hole.
And then go over to the pond and take a few pics. The Lodge is located in the Osage Hills and I think the area is beautiful.
And then I waddled over to the starting line and go to see the Half Marathon start. The thing I like about trail races is its lower stress level. Everybody is pretty relaxed and there is no pushing and shoving at the start.
And then I walked into the nearby lodge and planted myself in a chair in front of the fireplace. It was cold outside. I wasn’t going to warm up. I figured I will have six and half miles to get warmed up.
And here we are at the start, and off we went.
Every year the route is different. There are lots of trails to pick from. This year we looped in close to the lodge for a few miles before heading out.
My fellow runners come in all shapes, sizes, species.
The route alternated twisty turny, rocky intervals with long straight stretches.
We went up “Holmes Peak” the highest point in Tulsa County. My friends in Colorado and other mountainous areas are probably much amused by our “peak.” They can laugh all they want. That peak kicked my butt.
After my butt kicking, I got a pretty good view. That is downtown Tulsa way over yonder, home of high rises that don’t look so high from here.
I get passed a lot in races. Men, women, children, they all blaze right past me.
I always enjoy running by the zip line towers.
I like “tree tunnels” like this.
There were lots of rocks on this course. I am wary of rocks cuz I don’t like falling. I stumbled a few times on this race but didn’t fall.
My camera’s battery gave out so that is it.
After the race I made it back to the lodge. Got my two designated beers all at once along with some fritos and a brat. I chatted a little with my friend Rick who was Logan’s Cub Scout Den Leader way back when and is still one of the nicest guys you would ever care to meet.
And then home.
Our World Tuesday
And here is my run, complete with all sorts of metrics.
From the photos, I can see that the pond view is beautiful. A great place to hold the events.
Well done Yogi. I’m afraid most of my trail running would involve tripping, falling and rolling.
Congrats on finishing. We could do the last part (the brats and beers).
Fascinating post and photos ~ love that ‘zip line tower’ photo ~ creative ~ thanks,
Wishing you a special week ~ ^_^
Great to read. Beautiful pics.
Thanks for sharing. All the best.
You have a lot of stamina!
Did you say cold? Nope, not for me. I’d be sitting at the lodge texting you as you made your way along the trails…
Eating that sausage and drinking that beer!!!
bravo you! now, you had your camera during the run? 🙂
Well done! The camera died before you did so that’s a good thing 🙂 Just kidding.
Always have to smile when you stop to take photos during the race. I think you do yourself a favor if you don’t stress too much. I was always wanting to PLACE and eventually as I got older, I started injuring myself. (You didn’t realize I used to be so competitive, did you?) Now, I only run uphill sometimes on a trail to get my heart rate up. No more races for me. I like that tunnel of trees. And yes, that peak (598′) is pathetic!
Good for you, Yogi! Proud of you for doing this. What a lovely place to run.
Half Marathon. Congrats on finishing . Warm up next time, it’s better to avoid injuries. A beer after any excercise is good to avoid lactic acid in muscles 🙂 I like the tower picture the most. Have a wonderful week.
Well done. I like those tree tunnels.
Good for you running that distance, the food at the end I’m sure made it all worthwhile.
I think that peak is a pretty good size for Oklahoma. I think I’m going to try my first 5K since the PE on St. Patrick’s day. I still can’t walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded so it will be a lot of walking since the lungs aren’t back to “normal” yet, or maybe this is the new normal. I always like the food at your OK races. We’re lucky to get a water and a banana around here.