Running: Love or Mental Illness Recovery?

Today I'm going to talk a little about two things that hugely impact my life other than family. When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder II back in 1997 I did all the reading that I could to learn about the disorder. Part of what I had learned was that exercise helps to lessen the effects of particularly the depression but could also help control the hypomania. Unfortunately, I was working full-time as a new RN, attending a bachelors degree in nursing completion program, went straight into graduate school full time for my masters degree, raising two kids who were 12 and 11 (older than I remembered them being now that I think about it), playing the taxi driving mom, attending all the school functions for the kids while the husband was spending a lot of time deployed to the desert.

There were times in the past 15+ years that I tried and even at times accomplished exercise goals mainly to lose weight that I had gained over the years of different psychotropic medications, many of which have weight gain as an adverse effect. For instance, the first time that I was on lithium I literally gained 40+ pounds in 2 months! Try to get that weight off when the medications makes it near impossible!

My biggest successes came in 2003 when I did the original PX90 program at home. I managed to lose about 20-30 pounds from the 160+ pounds that I was carrying. On a 5'3.5" frame that doesn't look too good., in fact the husband used to say I looked like the little round spaceman character on one of the old Saturday morning cartoons in that I was round with stubby little legs and arms sticking out. He wasn't trying to be mean, it was in fun but he was stating the truth. I had never been that heavy in my life. Even at 9 months pregnant I topped of at only 134 pounds!

From 1988 I was in nursing school for almost 10 years straight working on an associate in vocational nursing, then completing my second associate degree in registered nursing, directly into a Bachelor of Nursing completion program and finally a masters degree program. You can just imagine the weight I gained during that time studying all the time, not getting enough/any exercise...I finally reached a max weight of 172 pounds! Now, let me tell you, I was not a happy camper with the weight gain, but I also had no energy to do something about except for the off and exercise I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Actually, back in December 1991 through December 1992 I did spend the whole year in the gym working out a couple of hours a day in addition to working 12 hour shifts 5-6 days a week, raising the kids alone because the hubs was in Korea for a remote year long assignment and going to school full time. Studying and whatnot was done either at work or while the kids were at school after I got home from the gym. Needless to say, that was probably almost a year of hypomania and sleeping 2-3 hours during the day that got me through...I really don't know how I did it. I only remember a couple of minor depressions during that time but nothing major.

Anyway after years of no exercise, in 2011 I got tired of being sick, depressed and worn out. I knew my weight had a lot to do with it...not in the sense of a bad self-image, but just the stress of it all. I was just starting to come down from nearly 2 years straight of a major depression. The only stability I had between 2009 and 2011 was a period between August and December 2010 when another really nice hyomania occurred. I was so productive then! I felt like the old me...then I crashed again the following early spring. I eventually was let go of my teaching contract at the local university and applied for 100% VA disability benefits since my diagnosis was my 70% disability for the past 10 years or so since it originated/was misdiagnosed when I left the USAF in 1986.

That summer, in a fit of a mild hypomania, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired from the extra weight and the recent depression which I still was not totally over. In an effort to incorporate exercise into my mental health regimen and lose some weight, I joined the local Y. I started in some group exercise classes like boot camps, core classes, Hip Hop Hustle, Zumba and others. Zumba was my favorite and within 6 months I was a licensed instructor although I never actually taught. I lost about 20 pounds doing Zumba bringing me down into the 150-140 pound range, but I had a lot more to go with a goal weight of 125 pounds.

I also took up walking and eventually started doing run/walk intervals after joining the Leukemia & Lymphoma's Team in Training to run what what supposed to be a "bucket list" half marathon, the Inaugural TinkerBell Half Marathon (13.1 miles)  at Disneyland. Then it happened. I started having excruciating pain in my hips, primarily the left side which at time impeded my walking. I got that checked out and was told that I have a pelvic bone that has too much rotation and that it wouldn't fuse together until in my 50-60's. All the pivoting in Zumba had contributed to the issue causing my pelvis to lock down in un-natural positions. I spent nearly 10 weeks in physical therapy had to stop training for my race and cross training instead. I had fallen in love with ruuning...something strange considering that I avoided running at all costs for most of my life. Finally 2 weeks prior to my race I was released from PT and allowed to start training again. Thankfully the cross training kept my cardio up but I had to start almost from scratch to build up my mileage again...in two weeks. It wasn't easy but I finished my first half marathon in less than 3 hours which was my goal time.

Since then, I've sadly given up Zumba because my hips just can't handle all the pivoting and such. I've completed 23 official half marathons, 1 full marathon and several 5K or 10K fun runs/races. I can't imagine my life without running now. Even when I'm not training like I should be. I had another suicidal depressive episode from March 2012 through January 2013. After months of inactivity from the depression I began racing slowly (I'm not fast at all) and went to run a double (a half marathon on Saturday and Sunday of one weekend) in Nevada and Utah just because I needed a change even though I hadn't trained at all and the depression was causing some issues between the husband and I. I just needed some me time and that meant running. Those races were terrible but I was finally out and about some other runners and even saw a few running friends at the race in Nevada. Because I had performed so poorly, I took off the next month and a half and as the depression continued to resolve I ran another race in Kansas. Again it wasn't pretty but I finished. I've never failed to finish a race...ever...although I have DNS'd -Did Not Start- 8 or 9 races last year due to the severity of the depression.

  

This year, actually from mid-December 2012 until now I've been blessed with relative stability. I have felt better about my races although my times are still 20 minutes-1houf and 10 minutes off my previous half marathons. I just need to get out there and train (easier said than done most days). I even completed my first hiking marathon (26.2 miles) just a couple of weeks ago.

While running is not a "cure" for my bipolar disorder it definitely helps with the endorphins (the feel good chemical, a natural opioid formed by the body) to help lift/stabilize the moods. I still try to remember to take my medications which I'm not always successful at but if I find myself sitting on my rear for long periods of time...like this past winter I notice that my moods are much more inconsistent. Running and exercise definitely helps with mental illness; studies have proven that exercise in general can help those with mental illness feel better and recover faster from exacerbations. However, these actions in and of themselves cannot be considered a "cure."

For me, it's not only the mental health benefits of running/exercise but it's also a love of the sport and most of the people that I come across during my running adventures. This year I have 11 half marathons, 6 full marathons, at least 4 obstacle course races (Spartan Race, Tough Mudder as well as some smaller ones) and several small 5K and 10K races. Truthfully there's no telling where I'd be without my running. Possibly hospitalized again after another suicide attempt, dead or just turning into a female version of Jabba the Hutt just doing nothing.

So, yes I see running in both ways: a sport and as a form of mental health recovery.

If you have a mental health diagnosis what do you do to get those endorphins going? If you're simply a runner, why do you run?

Race Recap: Bataan Memorial Death March - My 1st Full Marathon

Race Location: White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico

Race Date: Sunday, March 17, 2013

Race day - 2:
Well, the day had finally come. It was time to get ready to head towards my very first full marathon. Admittedly, I hadn't trained anywhere near as much as I should have. I had a case of nerves that I hadn't really felt since my first half marathon or the first time I did Spartan Sprint last month. In late February I had received an injection of confidence and purpose when a Facebook friend told me the story about her great-aunt who was a military nurse taken as a POW after the surrender at Bataan. I decided to dedicate this race to her and the other female military and civilian nurses and healthcare workers taken prisoner after Bataan. However, even with this new sense of purpose I had a recurring sense that I was about to fail at probably the most meaningful race I could have entered to date. I actually considered paying the $50 fee to change to the short route, but I had dedicated 26.2 to the Angels...so 26.2 miles it would be.

My veterans dedication bib and my special dedication bib
for the Angels of Bataan.

The bib I printed to wear during the race dedicating it to the Angels of Bataan.

The husband was on Spring Break from the college and university so the timing couldn't be much better. I had managed to get almost all of my pre-race ritual housecleaning done on Thursday and just had a few things I needed to do plus get my packing done. We finally left at about 12:30pm or so for the roughly 5 hour trip to White Sands Missile Range...an operating Army missile base that you may have seen parts of on Mythbusters. We stopped in Roswell to get the husband a boonie hat for the race as well as something quick to eat. Why is it that I only seem to eat at McDonald's when I travel for races?? Yuck! (And I used to be a huge McD's fan!) After that it was pretty much a straight shot to WSMR. We got to the Community Center on base where they were doing the marchers in processing. You have to go through a series of rooms to get everything done but it wasn't too bad since we arrived for the first day of registration. I think, IMHO, that in the future they should move it to a more open area but this was still workable. We picked up our packets, hubs was doing the 14.2 Honorary March) and looked around at the race merchandise for a bit. I really wish I was paying more attention because if I had seen the "I Survived the Bataan Memorial Death March" decal I would have bought one for sure (just in case).

Race packet swag.

Commemorative timing chip.

Commemorative dog tag...no bling except for those who place.

Certificate of participation.

We headed back to Holloman AFB just about 40 minutes east of WSMR where we were going to be staying for the next two nights. After we got into our room we headed into Alamogordo to eat at Carino's to continue the carb loading that is my habit for the week prior to a race. We got back to the room around 10pm and started getting our race gear together and made plans to make a trip into Las Cruces for breakfast, to buy some tech shorts for the hubs and watch  21 & Over (5th time for me, 2nd time for the hubs).

Race Day -1:

We got out the door and headed for Las Cruces at about 9am and stopped at The Village Inn for breakfast...great timing because the place filled up just after we were seated. We then stopped at Dick's Sporting goods before heading over to the Telshor theater to watch my 2nd favorite movie after Pitch Perfect! LOL! After the trip to Las Cruces we had to run back to the room to pick up some virtual race medals for the team from West Point Military Academy who would be competing in the Military - Heavy Division (full uniform with packs > 35 pounds. After we picked up the medals, we headed back to WSMR to attend the meet and greet for the survivors. The meet and greet was in the Professional Development Center and broken out into several different rooms with a survivor speaking in each one. There were no survivor's names assigned to the rooms so it was kind of a pot shot as to who we'd be hearing from. We ended up in the auditorium where Col. Ben Skardon was scheduled to speak. The man, 94 years old now, had a sense of humor about surviving the March and captivity, along with a deep reverence for his comrades who were no longer living as well as a sly, sparkle in his eye when talking about the Angels of Bataan (whom I had asked about) as well as the nurses who cared for him after liberation from a Japanese POW camp. After his talk I went up to thank him for his time and asked if he knew Lt Thor, the Angel that I was dedicating my race to. Unfortunately, he didn't know her but he saw that I was Filipina and he went on to talk about working with the Philippine Scouts in the region of Cebu where some of my family hails from. I cannot tell you how many times I had tears in my eyes during his talk, nor the amount of laughter that he was able to elicit while talking about such a deep subject. This man would be walking 9 miles of the route the following day with the help of his family.

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Blurry cell phone shot of Col. Ben Skardon during his talk.
Click here for a video of Col. Skardon talking about his captivity in 2012.

After the presentation we headed over to the Frontier Club for the pasta buffet. I looked around for some of the Team Red, White & Blue members and knew that the West Point cadets would be with them. This is when I presented their medals to them. I spoke for a while with one of the national leaders and took the photo of the West Point-ers. While eating we also met a couple of Marathon Maniacs (I had purposefully planned to wear my Half Fanatics shirt to meet other HFs or MMs) one of whom was an active duty colonel at Wright-Patterson AFB and another girl from San Jose plus her friend who was from San Leandro (both some of my NorCal SF Bay area neighbors). We had a great time just chatting about races, doing Bataan for the first time and encouraging each other...

The four cadets from West Point, there was a last minute addition from
Annapolis Naval Academy to round out the team who is not in the picture.

My new Marathon Maniac running friends on race morning.
Dan-O was competing in the Individual Military Light Division.

More Marathon Maniacs and I. I'm the only true Half Fanatic.
Some of the Maniacs are Double Agents, meaning that they are both
Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs...I'll be one of them by fall.

We were going to watch the movie Forgotten Soldiers which was about the men of the Death March, but we wanted to try to get to bed early since we would have to be heading to the base at 3:30-4am the next morning. Instead we headed back to HAFB at about 7:30pm to finish getting our gear ready and try to get some sleep. I popped a milligram of Xanax hoping for some decent sleep since 26.2 miles was going to be a distance that I'd never done and I wanted to be rested...I'd find out the next morning if it was a good idea or not.



Race Day:
Well, as always on race day the alarm went off too soon...this time at 2:30am. I was a little slow to wake up and by the time I did the hubs was already out of the shower. I had just a slight Xanax hangover which was quickly washed away after a nice, hot shower...yes, I'm one of those people who has to take a shower in the morning to wake up even on race day. Taped up my knees, calves and shins for what I truly expected to be a long and rough day then got dressed. We got everything packed into the car since we would be making...or rather the hubs...the nearly 5 hour drive home right after the race. We checked out of lodging and were on the road for the 30 minute or so drive back to WSMR.

We got there at about 5am and traffic was slow but not painful. We managed to park right across from the staging area and get everything set up. We headed over to the Team Red, White and Blue RV to meet up with some of the members and see if a "before" pic were to be had. Unfortunately there wasn't so we headed across the street to get in line for the call of nature before heading over to the fire truck that was flying the gigantic Stars and Stripes to find the group pic for the Marathon Maniacs and the one lone Half Fanatic (me). By the time we got the pics taken, it was time to get to our separate staging areas for the start. Hubs made his way to the back end of the group where the Honorary (Short Course) marchers were while I took my place among the Civilian - Light marchers.

The temp was in the low 50°'s and the wind was fairly calm. The local high school choir sang The Star Spangled Banner and a bagpipe regiment played after the names of the most recently deceased survivors were announced. Prior to the names of the recently deceased, the survivors in attendance were identified in a roll call with their voices strong over the sound system. The poem written by journalist Frank Hewlett during the war to call attention to the men of Bataan was read:

The Battling Bastards of Bataan emblem
with the Philippine Defense medal.

We're the Battling Bastards of Bataan,

No Mama, No Papa, No Uncle Sam,

No aunts, no uncles, no cousins, no nieces,

No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces,

And nobody gives a damn!

It was after this that the tone of the start focused solely on why this race was happening...to remember those men who suffered through the 80+ mile forced march with little in the way of provisions, medical care and in the worst possible conditions during their days as POWs. This race is to be sure that their courage, bravery in the face of adversity will never be forgotten.

There was a multi-wave start with the Wounded Warriors leading the way. With each different wave a cannon announced their start. There were the survivors at the sides of the start shaking hands with those of us who went towards them. There were 15 total survivors in attendance and I had the opportunity to shake hands with 3 of them as I headed out on the course.

The first part of the course was on the roadways of the base, by mile 3 we were on groomed/bulldozed trails  out past the sports complex. Things were a bit crowded, but the course was flat. I found it necessary to jog past people occasionally to get past slower groups or to simply get away from the dust being kicked up by so many people in one place. The sand as never too bad here and most of the course was fairly well packed.

Around mile 3 or 4...

By water/aid stop #3 we were back on the asphalt. This was also where the two different routes diverged and I headed off the base towards the "hills." We remained on the roadway for a few miles with some slight inclines and then came this view...

Water/Aid stop #3/#9...the point where the two routes split up.
Not too long after I was passed by the 3rd runner headed
back to the finish...his mile 19!

Around mile 9...the hills begin.

At about mile 10 they had set up some misters...to bad the wind was blowing one side of the mist back onto the desert instead of the marchers! By about mile 11 we were back on groomed trail although it was quite a bit sandier than the previous portion of trial...

Back on the trails at around mile 11. The sand isn't too deep, but it's there. 

At this point in the race it became mostly an uphill climb...near constant. Those of you who know me know that I am not a fan of hills, but I persevered often wondering to myself if this climb will ever end. I made it to mile 13 and was elated that I was almost at the halfway point. I also thought that I was at the top of the climb, but WRONG!! There was still more to go...I stopped at the mile 14 water/aid station (and hot dogs, hamburgers, chips station) to empty the sand out of my shoes for the first of many times during the remainder of the race. By mile 15 or 16 I had reached what I think is the pinnacle for the climb...

The Canadians had been here!

Yeah, that's WSMR way down yonder!

I was fooled again into thinking that it was all downhill from here. It was downhill for a bit and then the climb started again. At about mile 16 or 17 they had a clock up and this is my time as of then...

I didn't think that was too bad for hiking the course.

By the time I got back on the asphalt at about mile 18 or 19 I was never so happy to be on solid ground. I had stopped at least 6 times since my first stop to empty the sand from my shoes. My feet were tender from forcing myself to keep going with the sand/pebbles in my shoes and I was tired from all the climbing. Lesson learned from this first experience...next year and thereafter I would wear gaiters or running boots!

I was happy to be back on the asphalt for even just the few miles before we ended up back on a trail. My feet were tender and tingling like pins and needles. About a mile past the #3/#9 water and aid stop where the two courses had split up, we turned across the road and back onto groomed PT/marching trails. The sand in some points was terrible, especially in the region of mile 21 where I'm told that the man made "sand pit" is. The sand did seem slightly deeper here than in other places, but I didn't think it was as bad as people were saying...until I went in nearly ankle deep and got a bunch of sand in my shoe again! I stopped at the mile 22 water/aid station and literally sat there for 10 minutes emptying out my shoes and just long enough for the med techs to come and check that I was okay. I was just dreading putting my shoes back on because since I had rested them there was blood flowing freely again and I knew that as soon as I stood up the pins and needles sensation would start all over again.

I had received a text from the hubs saying that he had finished and to let him know when I got to mile 24 so he could meet me. From that point on all I could think about was my cold post race chocolate milk, teriyaki beef jerky and the ability to take of my shoes and put on my Birkenstocks! I kept moving on listening to my music with a lot of Pitbull and David Guetta in these last few miles. That beat really kept me going and still singing to myself (aloud if no one was around) taking one step at a time. By the time we hit the backside of base housing the wind had whipped up and was probably well into the 20+mph range. A few times I actually had to use my bandana to keep from breathing in the thick dust. Then I saw it...that magic mile 26 marker. There were a bunch of active duty Army women there doing the Military Light Division resting and just getting up to try to keep going. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one moaning and groaning about my tender feet! I took a group pic for them and they returned the favor and took my first pic at mile 26 (hopefully one of many to come).

Hot damn! I'm actually doing this!! Only 0.2 miles to go!

We all pretty much headed out to the finish together. In the last 100 feet or so each of the Army ladies took off in a jog to finish (teams had to finish within 20 seconds of each member) and once they were all there they crossed the line together. I started a strong jog about 75 feet from the finish...I didn't even really look at the time but I think it was about an 8:31 clock time (my MotoACTV had died along the course so I had no real idea of my time). I went straight for the med tent just to get some ice to ice up my calves but you had to go through and get seen and checked out even if all you wanted was ice. Along the way I reassured one of the other Team Red, White & Blue females that I was just wanting to ice my legs and that nothing else was wrong. So because of all the red tape I skipped that and headed ever so slowly back to the car. 

After we got settled we drove by and saw that most of the Team RWB camp was broken down already so we headed back to Holloman AFB so I could go to the gym to take a shower and so that we could stop at Popeye's for dinner. I could've gone to the base on WSMR but they had people sleeping in there for the race so I thought it would be less of a hassle at HAFB. Once at Holloman I had the hubs drive me to the door of the gym and I slowly made my way to the women's locker room. I knew I was going to have a crazy suntan between my compression shorts, KT Tape and compression socks and this is what I ended up with...

I'll never have an even tan this summer unless it's fake!!
Unfortunately, I didn't have any baby oil to loosen the adhesive
so I ended up taking a layer of skin off while removing the tape in the shower...

After I finally finished my shower we headed over to Popeye's to eat only to find out that they close early on Sundays. We ended up at Denny's where I ordered fish and chips but barely at any of it. It may have been the quart and a half of chocolate milk I drank, plus nearly half a liter of Gatorade but this was the first time in many races that I wasn't anywhere near being starving at the end of a run! So odd!

All in all it was a great, inspiring and challenging weekend. This is a race to do for all the right reasons...not necessarily a race to complete for time or a new personal record. This is a race to remember the sacrifice of the men and women of Bataan/Corregidor.

What I liked (loved) about this race?

Everything!! Seriously...the reason and importance of the memorial...to remember those that suffered through the Bataan Death March. I'm honored to have had the chance to meet and/or shake hands with some of them. This race touches me on so many different levels from being a female military veteran, to being a nurse having worked in the Air Force and Veterans Affairs healthcare systems to being a full blooded American born Filipina. The story of the "Angels of Bataan" or "Battling Belles of Bataan" is something that I will not let die and be forgotten! I also thank Col. Skardon for telling me "...the Philippine Scouts/Army doesn't get the recognition it deserves..." in reference to the Death March and WWII. That truly means a lot to me.  Course support is OUTSTANDING even though it's primarily a closed course.

What I did not like about this race?

The only thing really is the in processing...everything else was great! Well...I wouldn't mind the hills not being there but that's what this race is all about...being uncomfortable in a controlled situation unlike the veterans of Bataan.

Will I do this race again?
I will be here annually from now on...possibly at the expense of the Virginia Beach Shamrock Marathon which has been on my radar since I started racing. It'll be on my calendar for the rest of my racing/running life!! :D

Results:
Not too far off of the middle of the pack...totally happy with that!! :D


BETH HARDY
Gender: 376/668 
Clock Time: 8:29:18 
Chip Time: 8:19:47 
Pace: 19:04 
Bib: 1502

Race Recap: Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon

Wow! Go figure! I'm actually writing this post the same day as the race!! lol!

Race Day -1


The husband came with me this trip since it was only a 5 hour drive. Woohoo! Another driver!! ;) We left home at 6am and made our way to OKC without incident. We went straight to the expo at the Cox Center to pick up my packet, walk through the expo and listen to some speakers (Dick Beardsley and Bill Rogers were who I was looking forward to). We did manage to hear Bill Rogers do his thing as well as last years winners but by the time Dick Beardsley was to speak we were hungry and headed to go get some lunch instead down in Bricktown. We ended up at Zio's Italian Kitchen to continue my carb loading. After that I decided that I indeed did want to get a tech shirt for the race so we walked back to the expo just so I could get it. Unfortunately they only had long sleeved shirts left, but that's okay with me...that way I could spread my race shirts across the seasons.

Media setup in Thunder Alley (Reno Ave) for the
Dallas Mavericks & OKC Thunder playoff.

Inside the expo.

Me at bib pickup.

Me with Bill Rogers.

We headed to Tinker AFB to again stay in the temporary lodging facility but this time I had brought food to prep for dinner (shrimp in a light butter sauce over whole wheat linguini). Since I had totally forgotten to pack a towel for my post race shower (we wouldn't make it back in time for the late checkout they offered) or post race pants/shorts we stopped at the BX and picked those up plus some Biofreeze since my hip and lower back were hurting. We headed to the registration desk and checked into our apartment. We walked across the street to pick up some food for breakfast and drinks/desert for dinner...we actually ate desert before dinner (Haagen-Daz ice cream pops with chocolate and almonds). I tried to go to sleep at just after 10pm but, as evidenced by my previous post, ended up only getting just barely 2 hours sleep. *yawn*


Race Day - 4/28/12

Race gear

The morning started out after the just barely 2 hours sleep...not race nerves (at least I don't think) just my typical pre-race insomnia. I actually did hit snooze on my alarm  once when it went off at 3am but before it repeated I was up and moving. I had originally tried to plan to get on the road by 5am or 5:15am but between having 2 of us needing to get ready, needing to tape up, pack and check out we didn't get out the door until after 5:15am. In the process of getting ready, I found that I hadn't checked my supply of KT Tape to tape up my feet/ankles/knees so I could only tape my feet...the one place I must tape for sure. Unfortunately, I apparently didn't do a good enough job because I noticed that I still had way too much play in the flexion of my great toe but had no more tape to correct the situation.

By the time we were on the road, I had realized that I forgot to check directions for a back way into downtown OKC since traffic was sure to be congested trying to get into the parking lots (and yes, it was). Due to traffic we missed the opening ceremonies and the 168 seconds of silence...something I had wanted to be there for but since I still have to run the marathon I'll see it one day. We arrived at the Survivor Tree at 6am on the nose and unfortunately didn't find any other Half Fanatics there (was I the only HF running the actual half marathon...I know there were a bunch doing an early start for the full).  So we headed up towards the back of the starting corrals and gear check. After getting my gear bag stashed we waited in the port-a-pot line (I seriously hate those things, but as the saying goes...when you have to go you have to go). It was 6:25am by the time we got our turns and they had already started the wheelchair division. I said a quick goodbye to the old man and got in the what I though was the middle of the last corral...hopefully amongst the slower runners but not quite with the walkers! lol!

You see those lights in the lower middle of the pic?
Yeah, that's the starting line. LOL!

As the race started it took me about 8 minutes again (seems to be my "groove") to get across the finish line. The crowd began an actual jog due to the congestion before finally breaking apart for a more comfortable pace. I had forgotten to turn on my MotoACTV so my watch was running a minute or so late compared to my going over the line. The weather was cooperative so far with more humidity than I am used to, overcast, temps in the mid 60°F range and overcast...but so far no rain or thunder.

Sucky pic, but the best I could get of
the guy in uniform and full pack.

As we ran through downtown towards Reno Ave I saw a vet or active duty guy in  camos carrying a full pack walking the course. We went through Bricktown the local entertainment area then headed over an overpass...the first hill. At this point I had realized that I had forgotten to take my e-cap before the start of the race so I popped one since I knew that even if it was overcast with the humidity I'd be sweating like a dog and losing much needed electrolytes...I really didn't want to have issues with cramps. We headed towards the capitol area with a few more light hills and during this portion there were numerous firefighters in full gear...and I do mean full...walking the course. I also passed more vets/active duty guys (they looked like an organized group) also with full packs. As we wove our way through the capitol and into a medical center type area with several hospitals located there. There were some great signs in that area that I took pics of...hopefully I remember to post them here!  I also so quite a few 5K participants who had missed their turns who had to backtrack to get back on course before (hopefully) hitting the 5K mark on the marathon/half marathon course.

Bricktown by the Johnny Bench Stadium.

The first of several groups of firefighters
in full gear walking the half.

Here comes the rain!

As we moved through a more residential area I passed a guy in shorts carrying a full pack...I'm guessing he was a vet since he wasn't in uniform. I asked him how much his pack weighed and he replied, "Fifty pounds and with the rain a little more." We had gotten some drizzle by this point but nothing significant. I, myself, could not imagine doing 13.1 miles in full firefighter gear or military gear...but then I am a wuss when it comes to being like a pack mule! lol! The course brought us past a Sonic which had a cheer squad outside (not affiliated with Sonic as far as I could tell) and at which I wished I had brought some money...something I intended to do but forgot...I could sure use a small Real Fruit Lemon Slush!! I told you I was addicted. As we went in through some older neighborhoods and past some parks with intermittent rolling hills including one hill that the neighborhood had dubbed "Gorilla Hill." There was a house, near a park, where the occupant was offering cups of vodka to runners, another house that was offering...bacon and Snickers (yes, I did grab some bacon)! Somewhere in this area there was also a crew from Cruzan Rum offering some of their product to runners...I just had to stop and take a picture of that! lol! I think it was at about 6 or 7 miles the rain started. Nothing drastic, but a light, steady, welcome rain. Just having the cool liquid fall on me felt so good. Good enough that whenever they had lawn sprinklers or overhead sprinkling systems set up for runners I took full advantage of them even though it was raining!! :)

I need a lemon slush!

I didn't think this was the worst of the hills!!

 

For some reason most of the hills didn't bother me so far and even, surprisingly, running up most of them by this point. Maybe it was because I was just running to run rather than trying to beat a time...but then that's what I've been doing anyway in my past several races! As we came out of the residential district we moved into the International District (at least I think that's what they call it). There is no specific Chinatown in OKC but they use Chinese style gates and markers to indicate an area of high international flavor. As we were in about the middle of this area there was a fender bender, yes...traffic was restricted, in full presence of no less than 4 police officers at that intersection facing the accident! Oh my! ;) At about mile 9 the first marathoner went past with a full escort. After than a slow stream of marathons seemed to pass off and on and seemed to mostly from two Oklahoma running clubs, but I just don't remember seeing any of the female marathoners go by although I when I asked a volunteer course marshal at about mile 10 he said that 1-2 had indeed already passed by. With this race I didn't hit my usual wall at mile 9 although I did slow down just a little.

We went into an older mix of residential and business area past some schools and yes, more hills. After that we were headed back towards the memorial. I remember in a residential area at mile 11 there was a volunteer saying "Only 2 more miles to go!" I was kind of surprised that we were already that far because I was feeling pretty good. As we passed into mile 12 volunteers were yelling "1.1 more miles, you can do it! It's almost all downhill from here!" Even though I was hoping for about a 2:40 - 2:45 finish I was a bit slower but I didn't mind. I was feeling the best during a race than I had in a few weeks. I increased my running intervals again (hadn't really followed a set interval since about 7-8 miles) and crossed the finish at 2:50:20 and I'm good with that since my ultimate goal is to try not to go over 3 hours at any race.

I'm very happy with the finishing medal, it's not the biggest but there's a lot of meaning behind it. The marathoners have a slightly bigger medal and I believe a blue printed ribbon in comparison to the half marathon and relay medal. I've got to say that the food/fluid set up is one of the best I've been at so far with the drinks (water and sports drinks) being nice and cold, bagels, bananas, Dole fruit cups, Carl's Jr. burgers (fresh), chocolate milk, etc. I was full by the time I got through and I hadn't even hit my own normal post race snacks! Unfortunately there was a delay in the timing reporting so I just headed over to gear pick up where I was to meet the husband. When he didn't show I called and he didn't know where I was because the tracking and the results are linked. I told him to just stay at the church (where they were serving free pancakes and sausage) while I walked to the YMCA just a block away to take a shower. Unfortunately, they were closed...and I think they were just administrative offices anyway...so I'd have to wait and drive back to the base for my shower.

The first marathoner passing me at around mile 9

We made it back to the base right about 11am and I got my shower at the gym...ahhhh! We headed over to the BX for a meal at Popeye's which for me turned out to be larger than normal. Typically I have a 3 piece with 1 side, biscuit and a med drink. Today it was 4 pieces, 2 sides, 1 side and 3 large drinks! After that the trip home began. I started out as the driver but just as with previous trips when I try to drive the day of the race I was tired within an hour of the drive starting so we switched off just outside of OKC...yay for having a 2nd driver!! I must have immediately crashed out because it was about 2 hours later that I woke up and we were not too far from the Gray County rest area in Texas where I chatted briefly with a man who ran the full marathon (yay for people wearing the race t-shirt on the trip home!).

Troy at Cadillac Ranch

As I drove we decided that we'd stop at Cadillac Ranch just outside of Amarillo. Even though we've lived in the region for 20 years we had never made it there. It really was pretty cool. I don't know exactly why, but I always thought that it was built to resemble the formation of Stonehenge, but it doesn't...it's just a row of 10 end up Caddy's. If you're not familiar with it just click on the link above. After that short stop (about 25 minutes) during which I took pictures of the "monument" and of people/kids spray painting the Cadillacs we were on to finish the slightly longer than 1.5 hour trip home...with a side trip to Sonic. I really need to have a second driver with me on my long trips! ;)

What I liked about this race - I thought it was a really nice course. Excellent support and cheer squads...I saw multiple super heros, multiple canines (the most I've ever seen during a race), and just great energy. Location...only a 5 hour drive from home, yet a great race. Close to a base...cheap lodging.

You don't see a lot of Irish Wolfhounds around,
 but this one was watching the race with his female human!

What I didn't like about his race - Really...nothing. Other than the results being delayed I thought it was organized great! Well, maybe more port-a-pots at the start? Oh, and the traffic for parking...but hey, it is what it is!

Would I do this race again? Resoundingly, YES!! I'd be sure to make it to the opening ceremony and 168 seconds of silence too!