Oklahoma City Marathon 2008 - Sunday Race Day

Jeff Odell is running the 2008 Oklahoma City Marathon and recording impressions of the event over the three days.  Day 1 was Friday, Day 2 was Saturday.  This is Day 3. 

My race day battery of alarms went of at 4:30AM.  I'm not paranoid, but the clock alarm just preceded the hotel wake-up call, which was followed by the alarm on my cell phone going off.  A glance out the window revealed the forecast from the day before had come true.  After the beautiful weather that accompanied the outdoor pasta dinner Saturday night, the predicted front had rolled in and light rain was falling.

I got ready but didn't hurry.  The original plan was to go to the Sunrise Service at the Survivor Tree at the Memorial at 5:30AM.  But the thought of standing in the rain and getting wet before the race canceled that. Instead I grabbed the trusty trash-bag-turned temporary-raincoat and headed for the hotel lobby.

Fortunately the hotel put out water, coffee and pre-race fruit and  snacks.  Because of the rain I decided also to forgo the pancake breakfast at the church - I hoped the rain would let up before I walked the 4 blocks to the start and stood around.  I commiserated with the other runners and monitored the weather channel they had on in the lobby.

Race start was 6:30AM; as it go to be 5:45AM it was time to head out.  Fortunately, the rain had lighted up some, and although it was still drizzling a bit it didn't rain hard enough to really get me soaked - especially under the trash bag.  I headed towards the starting line, but first stuck my head in the Methodist church to get a look at the pancake breakfast.  They were still going strong; they welcome all - runners, spectators and families.  It was a raucous crowd and foreshadowed the enthusiasm and support we would see enjoy during the race.

I headed out the door and made my way to the start.  The Memorial was lit up in a way I did not expect - the inscription on the arch was lit and really created a neat effect.  The start was a bit crowded - the half, full, and relay all started together.  It wasn't too bad, but without corrals a fair number of newer runners looked like they didn't realize where they needed to be.  I snapped a final picture of the crowd and tucked the cell phone in my pocket for the duration of the race.

The start went off without a hitch.  I had apparently missed the 168 seconds of silence while staying dry in the church - that was disappointing.  However, all was well as we headed south down a nice 4 block hill to get us kick started.

We switched directions after a couple turns and headed back north.  The first half of the course (see map - PDF format) is generally northbound and the second half returns south.  We passed the ball park and went over a slightly steep bridge - the Mickey Mantle bridge - and started our trek north.  This was the first time we felt the wind.  At that point it was on the order of 10 miles per hour so it wasn't too bad.

My strategy was to try to hold around an 8:30 pace while accounting for the hills.  The course was rolling - the hills were not steep (think the hill heading up to the college as you cross Bullard in Temple Terrace) but they were long and consistent - a continuous up and down.  I was applying the theory of equal effort - shortening the stride going up and picking it up a little going down.  This worked well for quite a while.

I knew there are two long climbs on the course - between miles 8 through 11, and again between miles 21 and 24.  I was willing to give up some time on the climbs to try and keep from overdoing it early.  As we headed out, I was able to do so as we approached the first climb.

The crow support along the route was generally very good.  There were some stretches where it was a little thin but that occurred where you might expect.  The neighborhoods and towns were well pretty full of folks and they were all yelling.  There were 21 water stops so there were no issues with hydration.

I got to the first climb feeling good and pretty much on schedule.  What I didn't expect was the head wind that went along with the climb.  By now the breeze had freshened up and was running 10-15 miles per hour.  I tried to find big people to hide around - and noticed there were a couple people trying to use me in the same way!  However, I got up the hills and was still feeling pretty good after the 11th mile was completed.  I hit the 1/2 way point at a pace to bring me in under 4 hours.  All was well.

Moving towards the 1/2 way point, we really started to feel the wind.  Miles 13-17 are in a park around Lake Hefner.  It is a pretty large lake, and as we approached mile 14, we headed directly north into what was now clearly 25 mile and hour headwind.  That 1/3 mile stretch was clearly the worst spot - my arms and legs were moving but I wasn't sure I was covering any ground!  I was very glad when we turned and headed back south - I asked the spectators out there for a sail, but no luck.

After mile 15 we turned north again for 1/2 mile and the wind was howling.  We were looking directly at the lake, and the whitecaps we rolling across it with the wind blowing the tops off them.  Thankfully we got turned around south after that, and while at times the wind remained a factor, it was never quite as bad.

As I hit miles 18 and 19, there was a long downgrade preceding the second long climb at mile 21.  It was at this point I began to realize I was having trouble maintaining the pace I'd set, even with the push.  I didn't drop way off, but it didn't bode well for the climb.  Hitting mile 21, it was clear I was going to have difficulty over the next 4 miles.

And so it was - I dropped off the pace more and more as I worked up the long hill.  I would not be able to maintain the pace I'd hoped, but a good race was still possible so I pushed along as best as I could.  At one point the bottom of my left foot really got painful - something I struggled with on long runs while training.  I stopped at mile 22 and removed my sock and ran without it the rest of the way.  This provided some relief but it was really uncomfortable.

By mile 24 two things had happened. the sun had come out - which was nice - the temperature was still around 50 - and the wind came up some more.  While my time had dropped off, I was still running and looking forward to the finish.  We were close to downtown at that point, and the crowds were really out.  It was exciting.

I passed 26 and rounded a corner.  A cool thing about this race is you can see the finish line right after 26 as the last .2 is one long straightaway.  Now the crowd was thick and cheering loudly.  The course had thinned out enough that you really got your own welcome from everybody in the crowd.  Your name is on the bib so they will call it out.  It was really something.  I could not stop grinning like an idiot.  I heard the announcer call "Jeff Odle (rhymes with "Yodel") from Tampa, FL" as I approached the finish line.

I proceeded over the finish line and checked of the watch - 4:04:20.  Third best of my marathons - not quite what I hoped but satisfactory.

As I picked up the cool medal and finishers (technical) T-shirt, I mentioned to the couple giving me my medal how much I enjoyed the race and asked them to thank all the volunteers.  Turns out they were both on the Board of Directors and quizzed me for a few minutes on what I liked and disliked about the race.  I was pleased to have the opportunity as I was pretty sure the feedback would get back to the volunteers.  I really appreciated them.

The wind was really whipping now and I was getting cold in a hurry.  I grabbed some food, got a picture and after 30 minutes or so of hanging out decided I needed to get back to the hotel.  I headed back to the room and had a quick look at the online weather.  Weather.com revealed that wind I experienced was no hallucination (you never know after 26 miles!).

After cleaning up and getting packed, I headed to the airport for Houston and a week of consulting.  I had a nice time at the airport chatting with other people sporting the race or finisher's shirts.  The general consensus form everyone was very positive - I didn't talk to anyone that spoke of the race week-end in anything other than glowing terms.

A few other noteworthy observations:

• Best Sign: Beth is No Longer a (marathon) Virgin!
• Best Water Stop: The Rock 'n Roll Stop near the end - complete with live band, poodle skirts and balloons.  A big pick-me-up.
• Best Hand Out: They actually gave our Gu - even the flavors I like - in two locations.  I saved myself 2 bucks!
• Best Post Race Food: I'm not a huge fan of Carl's Jr.. but that (barely) warm cheeseburger they handed me after the race tasted damn good.

So, in summary, a great race week-end.  The weather, in spite of the race day winds, was spectacular on Friday and Saturday and really made for a nice time.  I would suggest staying downtown for this race; you won't need a car to get around.  Save the rental car money and spend a little more on the room.  I did hear people that drove in from hotels on the outskirts mention they had some difficulty parking before the race.

The biggest thing this race has going for it, besides excellent organization and execution, is the enthusiasm of the volunteer base.  All proceeds benefit go to the Memorial upkeep, and the community is very keen on maintaining it.  They will not stop thanking you for coming and running the race to help their cause.

I can heartily recommend Oklahoma City and the marathon!

Comments

[jlo]

Well - I wish it were a PR but not quite. But pretty close and a really fun race - jlo

[Linda]

Jeff,
That was a fantastic commentary. It made me want to sign up for OK. Congrats on your PR. Use the epson salts and hope you feel better soon.
Linda

[Joan]

Hey, hey, hey.........congratulations Jeff on a great run. Your recaps always make us feel as though we are running along side of you :) This is a must for my list. Hope your recovery is just as good.

Joan