OKC Half-marathon - 2.1 hours - 04/27/2008 April 27, 2008
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Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 04/27/2008
- Total Time: 2:08:46.00
- Distance: 13.1 miles
- Average Pace: 9:50.16/mile
Running 168 for 168 April 26, 2008
Posted by regivizz Marathon, Motivation, Other Runners, Race, Run, Running
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Have you heard this amazing and inspirational story? A Senior Airman, Brenden Burstad is running 168 miles in memory of the 168 victims of the Murrah Building bombing. This Sunday is the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and there will be over 16,000 runners participating in this run which benefits the Oklahoma City National Memorial. If you’ve not taken the opportunity to come to Oklahoma and visit this outstanding memorial, the OKC Memorial Marathon is a perfect time to do so!
Brenden Burstad is doing more than his fair share to honor the memory of those whose lives were taken from them. He’s running 141.8 miles from where he is stationed at Altus Air Force Base and then the full marathon to equal 168 miles. Amazing.
Check out the article ( http://www.okrunner.com/airman-burstads-run-underway ), and really, come visit and I guarantee you’ll be surprised by the hospitality of our city, the professionalism of the marathon, the emotion of the Memorial and the great city of Oklahoma City!
April 19, 1995 is a day I’ll never forget. The sound of the blast, the news coverage afterward, the overwhelming accounts of charity and kindness, standing at the base of the Murrah building looking up at complete devastation and now the field of 168 empty chairs…those emotions, sights and sounds will keep me coming back to run year after year.
We will never forget.
Eeek. April 24, 2008
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I’m looking forward to Sunday. Really, I am. There are some cool features for the OKC Memorial Marathon (and half marathon) that will make it different this year from last. Namely the 20 mph north wind we’re supposed to have. 
There are some other things, like the live updates available online or sent to your cell phone and the fact that the official time is the chip time instead of gun time. There’s also a couple more thousand participants this year compared to last!
Is it really 2 days, 15 hours, 7 minutes and 40 seconds until race time? Woo Hoo!
Live marathon updates! April 24, 2008
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For the first time, the OKC Memorial Marathon is providing LIVE updates online and to registered cell phones! Here’s the story from newsok.com:
Live marathon updates sent for the first time
By Blake Jackson
Staff Writer
Alison Cohen usually waits until mid-afternoon on Sunday to make the call.
For the past six years, her brother Adam has run the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. And for the past six years, she has dialed long-distance from her home in Cambridge, Mass., to find out how he finished.
“It can be really nerve-racking actually,” said Alison Cohen, a marathoner herself. “There’s always a piece of you that wants to be out there running. Normally, I have to go find out how he did an hour or two after (he runs).”
This year, Adam’s results are coming to her in real time.
And a Tulsa-based company is bringing them.
For the first time in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon’s eight-year history, live results and updates will be available online and via cell phone alerts during the race.
“It works like a Pikepass, only it’s miniaturized,” said Tim Dreiling, owner of Fleet Feet Sports and Fleet Feet Timing, the company charged to keep up with 16,000-plus runners Sunday morning. “It’s RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. They use it in all types of timing and tracking systems.”
Each runner is outfitted with a tiny microprocessor housed in plastic. The “ChampionChip” is attached to the shoe of single marathon runners with a zip-tie. Relay teams will be equipped with transferable anklets.
Radio receivers built into FieldTurf mats at five separate course check points activate as the runners pass through, sending an individual signal back to the results tent near the finish line, where the results are funneled in mass to OKCmarathon.com and — for an added fee — cell phones.
The technology prevents cheating.
“It’s important to know that people have run the entire course,” said co-founder and marathon president Thomas Hill. “You have to cross that mat with the chip or we know you cut the course.”
It aids the medical crew.
“There’s a database updated in real-time at the medical tent,” Hill continued. “They can find out where people are on the course and if someone is taken into medical care out on the course they can communicate it that way.”
It streamlines dissemination of the final results.
“We can make minor adjustments and clean it up and have it turned around and on the Web site in less than a minute,” Dreiling said. “It’s real-time and it will be faster and more accurate than we’ve ever had.”
And it’s cheaper, too.
The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon has implemented some form of “ChampionChip” technology each of its eight years. But out-sourcing the timing services to a company based in Georgia came at a high cost.
Hill says switching to Fleet Feet made sense from both a financial and communal standpoint.
“Because the marathon is about what happened here in Oklahoma City and the city and state’s response to that, we have tried very hard to utilize local companies to fill our needs,” Hill said. “(Fleet Feet Timing) is relatively new, but they’ve demonstrated in other races that they are extremely capable and have pushed the technology farther than a lot of other timing companies have.”
That push in the technology — the ability to follow runners live throughout the race with little or no delay — puts Oklahoma City in some very prestigious company.
Only the largest races in the world, like the Chicago, London, Boston, New York and Los Angeles marathons, have implemented the technology.
“It’s something that you would see at only a handful of the absolute top-notch marathons in the world,” said Adam Cohen, who lives in Norman but won’t be waiting for his sister’s call on Sunday. “In terms of races Oklahoma City’s size, you do not see this. This is a big, big plus for the marathon.”
Run - 0.8 hours - 02/09/2008 February 9, 2008
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Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 02/09/2008
- Total Time: 00:47:50.00
- Distance: 5 miles
- Average Pace: 9:34.16/mile
Day of Remembrance April 19, 2007
Posted by regivizz Marathon, Motivation, Race, Running
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If not for the events that happened between 9:01 AM and 9:03 AM, there would be no such thing as the Oklahoma City National Memorial Marathon. I’d have probably run the Redbud Classic (which took place last week), or some other marathon.
An insignificant change in my life compared to the events of that day which changed and destroyed other lives forever.
I sit here today, one mile from the site and remember with sadness, the loss of 168 lives. Today, there are not many people in Oklahoma City who won’t think back and remember exactly where they were when they heard what happened. For some of us, exactly where we were when we heard the blast. We remember what it felt like to look up at that building, gaping open with a wide wound. There are no words to explain it.
On April 29th we will run with joy.
Beacon on the Bay, 25K March 12, 2007
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Last Saturday was the race out at Lake Hefner, a 25 K (that’s 15.5 miles for you non-runners)!
Before the run, I figured that I’d come in at about the 2.5 hour mark. Sure enough, actual time was 2:33:44, coming in 50th of 96 females with a 9:55/mile. I was able to finish strong with a decent sprint, but I’m afraid I need to start breaking in a new pair of shoes! My knees and hips are hurting a lot more than normal, so it’ll be off to The Runner some time this week for me!
Most of the run I was along side of Prabhu, whom I ran with out at Lake Overholser a couple of weeks ago. We’re fairly evenly matched and ran side by side for almost the entire race. He most likely helped me decrease my time, as we didn’t walk at all until after we passed the 20K mark. In all actuality, the help was likely mutual, as I provided him with my extra Gu pack as well as incentive to outlast a girl! 
We started off at 9 AM, a beautiful day for running. Not very windy (can you believe it!?!) and a bright clear sky. A little chilly to begin the race, but that’s fine with me as it warmed up to a very comfortable 70 degrees or so. Since the sun was shining, I got a 2.5 hour tan so my legs aren’t quite as pasty white as they show in this first picture (it’s amazing what 2.5 hours in the sun can do for your complextion)!
Since it’s been so very very dry here in Oklahoma, you’ll see red dirt instead of water as the background in the picture of Prabhu and me. Under normal circumstances it’s a pretty place to run, but this photo doesn’t quite capture that!
And here I am at the finish, gulping water after inhaling a banana… (more…)
Edmond Frigid Five February 12, 2007
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While a huge mass of dark clouds hovered on the western horizon, the sun shined down and turned our Saturday’s forecast for rain and wind and lots of cold to naught. Not that we didn’t have the cold and the wind, but at least we didn’t have the rain!
Arriving to Mitch Park at 8:45, I was pleased and excited to see so many people mingling around. There was great music on the loudspeaker and the volunteers were super friendly. The flags were flying and everything was very well organized. The 1 mile fun run started at 9:30 and Moni and I cheered the little tykes at the finish line. (Man! Some of those kids were fast little buggers!) As it got closer to race time, 10:00, we moved over to the finish line making the last minute adjustments to the shoes, the gloves and the hats!
I had two goals for this race, the first was to beat 47 minutes, the second was to not come in later than double the time of the first person in. My official time was 47:21 so I didn’t really make my first goal. I was a little ticked off as I rounded the curve and saw 46:58 on the finish line timer. With about a hundred feet to go, I realized that I couldn’t make it in 2 seconds! Oh well. I came in 50th of 156 female runners, and 7th in my age group with a pace of 9:29.
The second goal I made easily. The winner of the race came in at 26:42 and I came in well below the 53 minute mark.
I’m fairly pleased with my pace, especially in light of the fact that the course was fairly hilly and I don’t train on hills at all. Making the comment to Moni that “Lake Hefner doesn’t have hills!” someone walking close by responded with “I just had that conversation!” I guess there were quite a few of us who aren’t used to the hills. Of course, in Oklahoma you’re doing good to find a place to run (Oklahoma ranks 44th in US states for health).
My family braved the cold weather to cheer us on at the start and the finish and even took a picture or two! This race created a monster, I’m afraid. Moni now wants to race in the Creek Classic on March 3rd and the Redbud Classic on April 15th! I’ll probably join her for a 10K on both of those races!
Better run February 7, 2007
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Monday, a beautiful day for a run (58 for the high) was indeed just that. Working on speed, I only did 3 miles, an out and back, racing myself back. I beat my out by 30 seconds, with my best mile at 8:37 and an average for the 3 of 9:13. Most importantly, I felt great.
Thanks to all who commented on my “Worthless” blog. There are a couple of issues I need to address, most importantly, properly fueling up for and during my run. On my last 10 miler, I did have water at 3 and 6, but that was it. Next time I’ll drop a water/Gatorademix or use nuun (which sounds pretty perfect…thanks zappoman!) instead of plain water. Zippered pockets are a great way to hold onto gel packets, so I’ll remember that next time. I guess I just need to spend a little more time practicing eating! Bananas are now on my grocery list, a perfect compliment to chocolate milk!
I’ll also skip the hot shower/hot bath one-two punch combo that I went with on Saturday. As my blood pressure is normally quite low (60/40 the last time I saw the doc) the hot bath was a really bad idea (but it felt so good!).
This week will be sort of an “off” week with the 3 mile “speed” run I did Monday, a root canal on Tuesday (instead of a scheduled 7 miler), a possible 4 miler tomorrow and the “Frigid Five” on Saturday. Hopefully next week will be better!
At the finish line January 30, 2007
Posted by regivizz Fitness, Marathon, Motivation, Race, Running
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John’s blog today really struck a chord with me. On some of my longer runs, I try to imagine the thrill of crossing the finish line of my first marathon. The thrill isn’t from the victory of completion, it’s from envisioning my friends and family gathered there to cheer and scream wildly as they see me finish. Alas, besides my running partner NordicTwin, there will be nobody there at the end or even toward the end of the marathon.
I wish there was a way to convey how important running is to me. When people ask why I run, my response is generally “because it keeps me sane”. And it does. It makes me feel good. It’s a sense of accomplishment. It’s the feel of the pavement under my feet. I am a runner and it’s the rhythm of my life. It’s the struggle against the wind and the struggle against my own laziness. It’s the chance to grin (or grimmace!) and lift a finger in acknowledgment of other runners on the trail. There’s a sense of freedom, a release of my cares and stresses. It’s selfish. It’s so I can wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say “I am a runner!” It’s “me time”.
So why do I imagine my friends and family at the finish line?
Like John said:
