I flew out of one of my favorite airports, the Ontario airport, headed for Tulsa, Oklahoma. Time to start knocking out marathons in some new states! For this trip, I used my last set of the Southwest free booze tickets. Coffee with Baileys Irish Cream... mmmmmm coupled that we free satellite TV via DISH made for a nice flight. I got to watch an episode of Man v. Food.
Southwest
Coffee and Baileys
I stayed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Main Street. The location was perfect. It was close enough to walk to the expo, the starting line, and right next the finish area. I parked my car in the hotel's gated parking lot and was able to check in early. I then decided to hoof it over on foot to the Cox Business Center (Tulsa Convention Center) for the expo.
It was a pretty cold walk, but it's always nice to stretch out the legs after sitting on the airplane. I picked up my race packet and went through the fairly small expo. It was cool to see so many familiar faces. I stopped by the Marathon Maniac booth to pick up my bracelet to gain entrance to the Maniac corner before and after the race.
Expo
After we were done with the expo, Marathon Mitch drove a couple of us to a nearby Golden Corral to carboload for tomorrow's marathon. The restaurant was located pretty close to the freeway, so it was very easy to find. After paying to get in, we grabbed an empty booth before going up to get our food. Definitely don't come here expecting gourmet food, but it was not bad here! It was pretty much good cafeteria food. They do have some nice comfort food. I liked their roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, meatloaf, steaks, carved meats, breaded shrimp, and breaded clam bites. You can load up on a big variety of food for such a low price. From the cashier to the people bringing out the food to even our bus boy, we had fantastic service. Everyone was friendly and nice even though it was not a very glamorous job.
Carboloading with friends
Plate#1
Plate#2
Plate#3
Plate#4
After I got dropped off at my hotel, I went through the expo haul. There wasn't much, but the drawstring bag was pretty nice. Too bad I have about a gazillion of them from other races. I need to figure out what to do with all of my race swag. Before calling it a night, I laid out my race gear. Originally I thought about wearing a cap in case it might be rain, snow, or wintery mix. Eventually I went with the knit cap for maximum warmth so that my ears don't freeze and fall off. :)
Expo haul
Race gear
Sunday
Brrrrrrrrrrr! Boy was the weather cold! It was in the mid 20's and the windchill made it feel even colder. Everybody I came across going to the starting area was either snickering at me for wearing shorts or asking if I'll be warm enough for the race. But hey I'm from Southern California where I don't need to own any running tights. All I have to choose from are shortie shorts, not-so-shortie shorts, and regular shorts. The calf sleeves, the arm sleeves, and gloves helped a lot. One big thing that I like about running marathons in very cold conditions is that I'm less susceptible to leg cramps. I made my way to the Marathon Maniac corner and got in with my bracelet. I lined up for the portapotty and realized that they were taking the group photo. I stayed in line since peeing before a race was much more important. :) I checked my bag and met up with my Oklahoman friends. We made our way to our separate corrals.
Course map
It was a bit crowded at the start and I took it slow. I made sure not to run any mile under 8 minutes. It was such a blast to see so many Marathon Maniacs and 50 Staters all in one race! It was also cool to see the Route 66 sign as we made a right turn onto Southwest Blvd from Riverside Drive. The full marathoners veered off as the half marathoners approached their finish line. In a nutshell, we ran to the University of Tulsa before running back to the finish line except we took the long way. Tulsa had a lot of rollers. I liked it. Kept it from getting boring.
From Dave Mari
During the last mile, I hung a right to take the detour to the Center of the Universe. At the turnaround, they were passing out beer. Just as the detour was about to rejoin with the course, they were a pair of volunteers handing out the coin for taking the detour. I was happy with my finish as even with the detour I was still able to finish under 4:40 which was my plan.
1: 9:04
2: 9:20
3: 8:44
4: 8:31
5: 9:15
6: 8:30
7: 8:36
8: 9:00
9: 9:48
10: 9:36
11: 9:38
12: 10:30
13: 9:43
14: 11:30
15: 10:54
16: 10:09
17: 12:30
18: 11:50
19: 12:00
20: 12:12
21: 12:01
22: 13:02
23: 11:24
24: 11:24
25: 11:59
26.3: 13:48
26.5: 2:10
Finish: 4:37:11
After crossing the finish line, I received a regular finisher's medal. I had to go to the Marathon Maniacs tent to exchange it for the Maniacs version of the medal. Before I found the MM tent, I went through the food and water tent. I skipped eating anything since I can't really stomach anything right after running a marathon. I shot the breeze with a few of my friends in the tent. We were all a bit cold from the weather even after putting on my jacket from my gear bag. I said my congratulations and decided to head back to my hotel room to take a nice hot shower!
Finisher stuff
I had dinner at The Tavern. I came here because it was just across the street from my hotel. I ordered their Tavern Burger. I also had a couple of their Marshall Big Jamoke porter on tap as well as a bottle of the Marshall Atlas IPA. I prefer the porter. The burger was very tasty... definitely a good burger! The burger came with shoestring fries. I would definitely not hesitate to come back here if I'm ever in Tulsa again. I sat at the bar and the bartender took good care of me the whole time. I was in the seat closest to the one and only TV. I would come here just for the great service. They could add a few more TV's in the bar section so people can come watch a sports game while they have a drink or eat a meal.
Marshall Big Jamoke porter
Tavern Burger
Marshall Atlas IPA
Monday
After checking out of my room, I still had time before I needed to head to the airport to catch my flight. So I drove out to the AMC Southroads 20 to watch The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This was the best movie theater that I'd been to in a very long time. It looked like they had just recently remodeled the place. There was no bad seat in the house! The seats were big, nice and comfy, and they all reclined with a foot rest at the push of a button. You also got to select your seats when you buy your tickets. After the movie, I gassed up the car at the gas station across the street and drove to the airport.
I dropped off the rental car and after getting through TSA, I had lunch at Home Team Sports which was located really close to my gate. I had their bacon cheddar burger with fries and a few large sized Shock Tops while waiting for my flight. The burger was pretty good for airport food. Service was great. I sat at a small table just away from the bar, but close enough so that I could see the TV. The bartender covered for the roaming waitress and even took my order instead of waiting for her coworker to come around to my table. They made sure to check up on me every now and then.
All in all, I enjoyed my trip and first marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Everyone that I came across during my visit all seemed really nice. I just might have to come back again for this marathon!
Shock Top#1
Bacon Cheddar Burger and Shock Top#2
Shock Top#3
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