Woo Hoo!!
I ran the OKC Memorial half in 2:13:23!!
I had wanted to run it in 2:15 (or a little less) and I met my goal. The weather was, well, ok - raining and windy when we got to the event but the rain stopped before the starting gun. It was still windy but not horrible and the temp stayed at around 48 for the entire event. The wind made it cold at the start and I wore the plastic poncho until around mile 6 to stay warm. (Note to self - buy a hundred plastic ponchos and keep them in a safe place!!) The course was a giant loop so we had the wind at our backs the whole second half. I will say I was happy to turn off at the 7 mile mark when the marathoners kept going. I may be in half marathon shape but I'm definitely not in full marathon shape!!
Sandra and I started and finished together. We hovered near the 2:15 pace group most of the run, but at mile 12 we got ahead of them and let the course and the crowds and the little bit of downhill take us in to the finish line.
If you've never run the OKC Memorial, I'd recommend it. It was a well put together run and the opening ceremonies (despite the early hour of 6:00 a.m.) were quite moving. We observed 168 seconds of silence in honor of the 168 people who lost their lives in the bombing. I've never been at an event with over 16,000 people where we were completely silent for that amount of time. We were all huddled in the starting area for this and for the National Anthem. Interestingly, a lot of people sang. I usually sing along with the Anthem at events but not at the top of my voice. This was like a giant runners choir.
The half course was a little hilly but nothing like the hill we trained on for White Rock. There was a gradual incline that eventually got old but most of the other hills were quite manageable. Both half and full wind through some very nice residential areas and at this time of year things are blooming and green in OKC. I know the full swings past the lake and it's always windy up there. I'd consider doing the full in the future though.
I'll be taking it a little easy this week. I was good and did an ice bath yesterday but we also drove back, and three hours in the car took it's toll. I'll take some yoga and do an easy 3 miles with my friend Lynn. I'm still in the speed class (although my coach gave me a free pass for this week's workout) so next week I'll get back to the routine, but nothing any longer than about 5 miles on a Sunday. We start White Rock training in June so long runs are just around the corner!