Race Recap: Route 66 Marathon (Tulsa, OK)

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Route 66 Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

“The marathon can humble you.” — Bill Rodgers

Start Line Route 66 marathon bibrave

Well, I’ve had enough humbling. And disappointment. This fall season has not been good to me. Following up on an incredibly disappointing performance at Chicago, I experienced my worst marathon time yet at Route 66. It’s more about the time goal; this was the first time I was feeling actual pain (and not your everyday terrible marathon-running discomfort) — where I could feel all my muscles just lock up and not move anymore. Knee buckling, stop-me-in-my-tracks, make-me-nauseous, searching-for-the-medical-tent pain. If this experience was a gauge of ever running a marathon again, I would say “absolutely not.” (I know that’s not true, but I WILL probably be taking a year or longer off of the distance). But without going into too many personally negative emotional tangents, I want to recap just what an awesome job the Route 66 Marathon race directors did down there in Tulsa.

Cost and Registration: As previously mentioned, I was an ambassador for the race with BibRave, and my registration was paid in full (including the VIP Mother Road package). Early registration when I signed up in April was $95; prices increased incrementally up to race week for the full marathon up to $120 (there are no race day/weekend registrations). I don’t believe there was an extra cost for the Center of the Universe detour, as it seems anyone could have taken the “detour” as you passed. There’s a weekend full of events for runners and spectators: a 5K, half marathon, marathon – even a Mascot Dash!

Route 66 packet pickup #rt66run

Race Communication: Route 66 Marathon had its own app, which honestly wasn’t the best from a user experience, but had full schedule of events for the expo and race notification updates, which I found helpful. I received several emails leading up to race day, including 3-4 the weekend of the race that were specific to start line, corrals, and other important race day information.

Expo and Packet Pick-up: I had an upgrade to the VIP Mother Load package, which gave me the benefit of “skipping the line” (or, a separate VIP pickup) for bibs. There wasn’t any line when I attended the expo, though it was a nice perk. The volunteer who handed me my packet told me that my wrist band was in my bag for the pre- and post-race VIP… and when I opened everything up that night, there was no VIP band. Unfortunately, I was unable to go back to the expo the next day, as I was in a professional development seminar the entirety of the expo open hours on Saturday. Had I paid for the upgrade, I definitely would have been more pissed and sought out remedy the situation. I love the race poster that I received and plan to frame it for my home gym.

Route 66 marathon expo

That said, this expo was one of my favorites – a great mix of vendors (a lot of them new to me including PICKLE JUICE!!!); several race booths showing off their respective bling; and some interesting panels, including the race’s bloggers and social teams, and the ever-awesome Bart Yasso.

Start Line: Great organization, easy to figure out where I needed to go, AND CONFETTI CANNONS when each wave started. It felt really special.

Weather: The weather was positively beautiful! I wore shorts and a long-sleeve shirt through majority of the marathon.

Course and Elevation: **CURSES HILLS**

Route 66 elevation map HILLS

FML.

The course was exciting as it involved a lot of the surrounding neighborhoods, but the last stretch of the course was through a warehouse district and mostly-abandoned section of downtown, and… well, that is where some crowd support is sorely needed and missing.

Aid Stations: It was hard at times to distinguish which was an official aid station and which was a neighborhood-supported stop, there was so much support on this course (save for the last 4-6 miles). But about every 2 miles, there was the race volunteered-manned water and Gatorade tables – they alternated flavors throughout the race, which was fine by me, but I could see how others who are particular about flavor would dislike this (I still hate Grape very much). There was also a gel stops at least once along the course; I feel like there may have been two, but regardless, I was happy for strawberry-banana.

route 66 marathon mimosa stop
On Sundays, we drink mimosas!

Fans and Experience: They weren’t lying when they call this race a marathon-sized party – the community REALLY comes out to celebrate. And there was beer. A LOT OF IT. And mimosas. And Jell-O shots. And Fireball. (And some partial nudity lol). I only wish that the course was flip-flopped, so that the runners could experience more of that “party” atmosphere at a later point in the race when the support is really needed (and, for me, personally, when the race was no longer going well for me). The crowd support definitely thinned out for the last 10k of the race.

Finish Line and After Party: Bart Yasso was calling out finisher names! We had a moment. haha

Bart Yasso Finish Line Route 66 marathon

There was a shit-ton of pizza and beer (neither that I could have) and really nothing else (I don’t even remember seeing a banana), no Muscle Milk either (only water and more Gatorade, no). VIP Mother Load after-party – since there was no wrist band in my bag, I did not look for it. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling much of celebrating after the race, and barely had enough time to shower, pack up, and check out of the hotel by 3pm. Thankful for the late check-out though (Thanks, Hilton Double Tree!)

BTW: The Hilton Double Tree hotel is in a PERFECT location for the expo (connected to the hotel by a skywalk) and the start line; however, it was about a mile-and-a-half walk from the finish line, which OOOOOOOOOF. To be wholly fair to the race, there were hotel shuttles; however, I did not plan that out ahead of time.

Detour: I originally signed up to run the Center of the Universe detour, but I barely had 26.2 miles to give, let alone an extra quarter mile. But I saw some of the pictures of the event afterwards, and is was Christmas themed and I am bummed that I wasn’t having a better time.

Route 66 marathon finishers jacket

Swag and Medals: THE BEST FINISHER JACKET EVER. It has zippered pockets. It’s cozy. I love the design and colors. Full swoon. The Goddess of Speed medal is also one the best that I have received (it spins!) and has a flat base, so it can sit on a shelf as a trophy, too. Route 66 took the awesome design and took it one step further by personalizing the metal finish of the medal for first-time marathoners, and special medal ribbons for Marathon Maniacs.

Route 66 Marathon Finisher Medal

OVERALL
The Great: Really excellent race organization, communication, and volunteers. And I crossed off my 4th marathon state!
The Good: If drinking and running is your thing, BOY do I have the race for you!
The Bad: Hills. As trained as I was on our local trails, that barely prepared me for this course.
The Ugly: Pain. Injury. Self-doubt. Disappointment. Ugly crying. Yelling at your husband when it’s not his fault.

Ugh, looking at my splits just makes me more sad – I was basically on pace to have the race of my life:
1:00:44 (basically, my 10k PR time)
2:09:49 (a new half PR time for me)
At 20 miles, I was at 3:35:24
Hindsight, I can yell at myself to “SLOW DOWN!” but everything felt good for that first part of the race – and it felt EASY. I didn’t look at my watch until my left leg started to go numb around mile 12.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
5:02:37
Overall place: 818
Division place (F40-44): 53

Weekly Therapy: 6.30.17

the week:
I finally moved back into my office building this week, since being displaced by a fire back in February. I’m on my second week back to running, too, and it’s nice being back on something of a regular schedule (trying to get in at least 3 runs a week). A return to usual habits and familiar surroundings brings with it a certain kind of peace…

30 something miles blog weekly therapy july
Day and Night…

…but also opens itself up to some fun.

weekend:
Last night, I danced my ass off to STANTON WARRIORS at Lime downtown (still kind of shitting myself that these guys were in Des Moines). Today: my ears are still ringing and I am feeling the effects of a bit too much vodka, though hopefully I find my second wind this afternoon to get some miles on the roads. Sunday Funday: I’ll be enjoying the outdoors and doing a bit of trail running in the AM, possibly biking or skating, and maybe some kayaking (and probably brunching). I opted not to use a PTO day for Monday, but look forward to having the upcoming July 4th to catch up on my hammock time.

seven things, seven days:
1. Somehow I made the list of Top 100 Running Blogs {via Feedpost} at #74. Neat, but… is this a real thing?
2. I joined a Brooks test run/social run from Fitness Sports Ltd. in Clive this week, followed by drinks at 515 Brewery. What a fun night (but holy moly, will I ever remember to use Glide this summer?).
3. There was not one – but THREE – Great Horned Owls in my backyard this week. With the owls and hawks in our area — and our house cats — I don’t think I’ll ever have to worry about field mice.
4. Three ways running changes after 40 {via Runners World}
5. And here’s 5 exercises you’ll want to do every week if you’re over 40 {via Prevention}
6. What makes us happy?, asks The Atlantic in 2009. Wonder how this would be written today, with a society so entrenched in digital communities.
7. To wit: The psychology of social media and Stoic truths for a digital world {both via Psychology Today}

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something:: Week 78

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). And the rest of us in the Blogger Tribe are sharing our posts today, too. The prompts for June 26 (Week 78):: Creating, Finding, Switching, Forgetting, Craving.

Catch up and read all of my past Sunday Lately posts and camp out with the Tribe on Facebook!

Creating:: an action plan (and riding map) for today’s bike-riding adventures (see: Forgetting).

Finding:: We had a pretty bad thunderstorm roll through last night (at around 2am). I got out of bed because it was so loud and so bright (and we were expected to get 50mph wind gusts), and and I could not find my 17-lb. cat. Like, anywhere. His storm spot is usually on the landings in between floors but he was nowhere (I even checked behind shower curtains in the bathtubs lol). I don’t know how cats can hide in plain sight sometimes.

Switching:: I went to the driving range yesterday to work on some of what I’ve learned in my lessons, and switching between clubs (specifically the 9 and 7 irons) really derailed and frustrated me. It took me a while to “fix” my driver stance and swing, too, but I ended up with three great shots (and then put my clubs away because let’s end on a high). I have my third lesson this week, so I can give her a little more feedback about how things go when I’m on my own. I feel as though my studies in applied psychology will be put to the test in this endeavor.

Forgetting:: Keep forgetting that my car is still downtown. I guess that’s one way to provoke a bike ride on a Sunday afternoon when you’d rather be lazy drinking grapefruit mimosas and wearing pajamas all day.

Craving:: BURGERS. We went out for dinner last week and sadly found Exile was closed on Monday nights. They are my favorite place to get burgers because they have gluten-free buns AND everything they fry is gluten-free friendly. Alas, we ended up at a place that cooks their burgers to a medium-well and just… NO THANK YOU. So, I’ve been craving burgers for a week, and we’re grilling out tonight. I don’t know why we didn’t just add burger night to our downtown adventures for today. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something:: Week 75

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately It’s the freakin’ weekend, and the Blogger Tribe is collectively sharing their Sunday Lately posts (and I’m getting back to my normal routine, after skipping last week). Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). The prompts for June 05 (Week 75) :: Completing, Visiting, Repeating, Writing, Scheduling.

Catch up and read all of my past Sunday Lately posts and camp out with the Tribe on Facebook!

Completing:: I never finished the laundry that I started last week that’s still hanging all over the laundry room. Whoops! I have a pretty long cleaning to-do list for completion today, which I will be stretching out over the course of a couple of mimosas. 😉

Visiting:: We’ve got a couple of barn swallows that keep visiting their nest that they’ve built under our deck. I’m pretty sure there will be baby barn swallows soon, but any time we attempt to go over to check the nest out, these birds start swarming and dive-bombing us — and they bring their friends! And they were super mad about the cats being out on the upper part of the deck this morning.

Repeating:: the word COMPLETION. It’s kind of been a mantra to me lately, to provoke more of a sense to do things now / finish that now, instead of my usual habit of “I’ll get to it later.” Little things like “throw this away now” or “rinse this oatmeal bowl now” and “put these shoes away now.” I just say the word COMPLETION out loud and do that task right away. And then it’s something that I don’t have to add to my aforementioned to-do list.

Writing:: Finishing up my race recap of Dam to Dam! I wanted to write the post while everything was still fresh — it will be posted tomorrow morning.

Scheduling:: I signed up for golf lessons, and my first scheduled lesson is tomorrow! Learning something new is always fun (yet scary!), and considering the boyfriend golfs a lot (and we joined a club), it made sense to finally get out there and actually learn how to swing properly. I’m a little nervous because I’m terribly inconsistent and ball sports for me have always been a challenge.

List of 10 things I do every morning

1. Drink a glass of water… and take my Vitamin D3.
2. Brush my teeth; wash my face.
3. If I haven’t already, feed the cats. Then drip the faucets because that meow-ing will inevitably come soon.
4. Drink a couple mugs of coffee.
5. Stretch. Some sun salutations if I wake up early enough.
6. Eat some oatmeal or gluten-free cinnamon-raisin toast.
7. Pack my lunch, if it’s a work day; consult with the boyfriend about daily meal plan, if not.
8. Make sure I have my keys, wallet/work badge, sunglasses, and umbrella. And a snack if I’m running errands. Headphones, if I plan to listen to a podcast on my walk to work.
9. Decide on walking shoes or dress shoes, and pack day bag accordingly (make sure I have Band-aids).
10. Make a list for my day and consult weekly to-do and calendar.

January Success: 30 days of no alcohol for this 30-something!

I cannot wait to kick back and drink a beer with my teammates after practice Thursday — my 30 days without alcohol challenge is complete (yes, that 31st day is a “freebie”). And I earned it!

On tap since 12/28/12: still haven’t been able to drink it.

This month has been nothing short of stressful: tryouts for derby and adjusting to subsequent practice schedule, medical issues and weird doctor appointments, planning and executing a friend’s bridal shower… I can’t tell you how many times I wanted a drink. And, considering that we never drank our bottle of champagne on New Year’s Eve (we didn’t drink at ALL, so technically speaking, I’ve already accomplished 30 days off the sauce), I’ve had to look at that tasty bottle of Rose for THIRTY DAYS. Down the hatch for brunch on Sunday.

The challenge was to get my head in the right place for the beginning of my season. I also need to find alternative ways to deal with my stress. If I had drowned my feelings in vodka then I likely would have been hungover or generally feeling pretty crappy and unmotivated to do HALF of these things. But I’ve had a clear mind and my body feels pretty good. It wasn’t life changing, but it was definitely a test.

More about my 30-days-for-2013 resolutions challenge.
Up next: waking up before 8 am every day in February. Yeah, it’s not 30 days, but we do what we can with the short month (I’m drawing in the 31st from January to make it at least 29)! This is going to be harder than not drinking.