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26.2 milers are like shrimp and Tulsa is for lovers

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First 'thon in the books and I've already mostly blocked out the nasty bits of the race. When my feet started feeling like they were on fire at 15 miles, I just tried to imagine how bad they could be if I was the guy that I saw running the race in flip-flops or the dude decked out in full gaucho attire. And when I felt like the last 4 hilly miles couldn't possibly end, I just imagined I was running after the people that designed the last part of the race with such a gratuitously steep nature. Mr. Billy J. Grona- Bush had a pretty good day, finishing 3rd. We ran together early and then he ran aggresively a struggled a bit after 20. There is no doubt in my mind that he would have run a few minutes faster if he could have bided his time and run with Tommy Manning who ended up passing him late to finish 2nd. However, there is just no way to tell what those guys were going to do and so Bill has to be commended for taking the reigns and not sitting back to try to settle for just a high placing. MEATY!!!
Splits (mostly in 2 miles blocks) for me were:
12:19, 11:37, 11:06, 11:07, 11:13, 11:17, 22:44 (for 4), 11:04, 11:27, 11:32 (first steep hills and turns), 12:01 (hills, big hills), and 13:10ish for 2.2
*Important to note that a beautiful swerving, soaring plane maneuver was orchestrated by moi in the last 50 meters to the finish.
Long runs were the big difference in the prep for this one and as Bill so eloquently noted as he called for his lady's participation in a future marathon: "Man after the first one (2+ hour run), I couldn't walk but it gets better- It's like shrimp man, the first time I tried 'em, I cound't stand it, now I eat those suckers up!"
I stayed on a day extra with the newlyweds in T-town and got a little fishing in and a jog at the BAHS track with Billy's high schoolers, who are a good lot. I then made the foray back to Norman at the helm of JohnBoy's ride, chasing an excellent Western sunset with the smell of burning oil in my nostrils...

Comments

Unknown said…
Great run my friend. A brilliant one in fact. One question...why no yellow singlet? And how come fleet feet Tulsa got mention in the paper for mr. manning. OK Runner represents! Well done.
November 20, 2007 at 11:55 AM
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