My alarm went off at 3:30am on Saturday morning. Yes, this is normal for me.
I got up and turned on the weather channel to get a sense of things outside. It was 65 degrees in Western OK, I got up, showered and got dressed in my LuLulemon Pacesetter skirt, and swiftly running shirt, packed my gear and luggage into the car, chatting with the early morning cleaning staff and desk attendant at the hotel. Fortunately it was not to windy outside.
I checked out of my hotel and drove the half hour to Erick's Sandy Sanders Wildlife management area. Of course I was there way ahead of schedule and the organizers had not yet come out with the bibs yet. I could tell this was going to be a laid back event since the start finish was not even assembled yet. I talked to a few volunteers who had arrived early and since I had gotten there before any body else, I had my pick of the parking. Some runners had driven out the night before and slept in their cars, and they had not begun to stir yet.
The temperature was dropping, a cold front was moving in and the mercury had dropped three degrees in the last hour and I was shivering standing out side so I decided to wait in my car for more activity to develop.
I ate half of a peanut butter sandwich while I waited, I had my camel back ready and an back-up bladder in my ice chest, and tried not to fall asleep!
Finally more cars started to pile in and as 6:30 approached I was seeing people congregate around the port-a- johns. I decided to go and take advantage of one of those before getting in line.
Finally 6:50 rolls around and I decide to mosey to the start line and the organizers were just setting up the start line area, I gave a little chuckle at how completely laid back this event was. Volunteers were in good spirits and not in any hurry at all. Everybody was friendly and having a good time. I chatted with a girl who was doing the 25K as we waited and finally the race director made is announcements. A humorous course description, warnings about snakes and wildlife and then the customary shooting of the rifle. The person who comes from the farthest location gets to shoot the start rifle. Then we were off.
The course started nice enough. The usual crowding and adrenaline induced way-to-optimistic pace setting. I took the opportunity on a couple up hills to walk and let the speedys go around me. Don't want to be around the chatty speedy folks and was finally running in peace on the red and silver colored trail. The trails were some-what smooth with occasional crevasse, no large rocks to speak of. all in all very runnable. There were some places the gypsum layer was exposed and revealed an almost smooth covering on the road that looked like it was laid in by hand. There was a lot of dust, cactus, short scruffy trees, but no shade. After about 30 minutes of running the sun blazed over the bluffs and I slipped my sunglasses off my head and over my eyes.
We ran on into the bluffs and canyons, there were large outcrops of gypsum and mica that streaked within the layers of red dirt and dust. One patch of trail glittered with mica as we ran over it.
There were about 3 significant climbs that lead up the sides of canyons we navigated, with the reward of expansive mountain views of the western Oklahoma landscape. We were exhausted, but it was well worth the effort.
The second loop was way more challenging than the first. Of course. The hills seemed hillier, the ground seemed looser and the cacti seemed pricklier! But I was helped out at the end by a runner who was no more eager to bound up the hills than I was and we walked, ran and talked together for the last 8 miles or so.
I also created a lot of new friends, Dianne Bolton, the sparkle skirt woman, Chris , and Mouhmed, a very enthusiastic Palestine transplant from Minnesota/Jacksonville. It was a Lot of Fun!
I finished the 4th female out of 6 female finishers, 7 hours and 36 minutes, 15 or so minutes better than my War Eagle performance. I got 2nd in my age division!
My trip was a success. I thoroughly enjoyed the town, the run, the after party, and my traveling and shopping before and after. It was a wonderful and peaceful trip,
I drove back to OKC after the race, checked into my hotel there, showered and located a sushi restaurant. Scarfed some tuna, salmon and rice, sipped hot tea and updated my Facebook page.
After that I slept really really well, and headed home the next day. I'm so happy to be a runner!
The Do Wacka Do
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