A Saturday morning run...

Last Saturday, I set out to do something that I had been thinking about for over 20 years. I decided many months ago that if my health held out and I got better, that I would like to try the Tulsa Run. Not the fun run, or the 5K, but the 15K. The Big One!

Elizabeth said she would run it with me... so she came back from Illinois early and we set out on Saturday morning for Downtown Tulsa. We got there early. It was cold. About 35 degrees. And there was a north wind. Neither of these developments would deter me from my goal.

In the warm-ups we had a good time running around, acting like we knew what we were doing. I noticed that I was over-dressed... and boy was that the case during the run.

When the representatives of our Armed Forces came through in formation, I knew I was in the right place. What an inspiration!

It took us about 4 and 1/2 minutes to get to the starting line after the gun went off. There were over 3500 runners in this race. Elizabeth and I settled in and starting enjoying the run. It was fun! Someone had told us that it was a flat course.... They must have been dreaming. Pretty hilly for the first 5K.

We ran the first 7 k together... in about 50 minutes. That was decent time for me...but I was tired, and told Lizzie that she could go on ahead. So she did... I walked 3 K, and then ran the last 5 K into the finish line.

Some observations.....

* There are lots of really fast runners out there
* There are lots of really slow runners out there.
* I finished in 3324th place, ,out of 3477 runners.
* Seeing a familiar face was a great thing... Alan Cook , Dwight Stogner, John Hill were three of
our church members that I saw there
* Matt Sewall waited for me at the finish line with his mom. That was so cool.
* Liz finished about 30 minutes ahead of me, then ran back to where I was and ran the last
Kilometer in with me again. What a precious thing for her to do. I could not have don it with
out her.
* It feels really great to accomplish a goal.

Will I do it again! You bet! It is on the calendar for next year.

Some asked, "What was the hardest part of the run?" Actually it wasn't the run that was hard. It was the fact that when I got home, after thinking about the reward of a hot bath or shower on those very sore muscles, I found out that the Hot Water heater was broken. OUCH! That was not a good thing.

Both Bryan Wilmeth and Tim Sinkhorn came over and got the HWH going... That shower felt so good, even though it is was 9 hours later...

A great way to spend a Saturday morning.