A few pics from Saturday's run

Our Saturday army has swelled to 430ish, and last Saturday was a great day albeit a little warm. But there's nothing like an early morning run to get the sweat glands working. (Remember--dead men don't sweat.) The earlier start gave us a jumpstart on the the heat, and we were treated to some awesome cloud formations and a great sunrise.
Coach Kathy sent the faster groups off first. The papparazzi was late getting away from the start area, but soon caught up with most of the runners. (Ok, so I stopped for a few sunrise pictures too.)
We ran through some of the older neighborhoods in midtown--circling Swan Lake and taking a loop through Mapleridge.
This next Saturday, most groups will be adding a mile. The route will be straight south on the river trail, and runners will get to see some of the Midnight Madness ultra-runners as they run their 4th or 5th lap in their 51.5 mile race. Be sure to give them a shout-out as you pass. Finishing this race, which will start at 11:59 pm Friday night, will be a huge accomplishment considering the heat and humidity. And I know that some of you will be out there yourselves in the next couple of years. This running thing--I think it is catching on.

Let the training begin!!!

Saturday morning was the kick-off. Not of a football, but of something much more than that--the RunnersWorld Rt 66 Marathon/Half Marathon Training Session. Arriving while it was still dark, Coach Kathy set up tents and got the water and Gatorade ready, and then worked on the registration tables.


I always enjoy the first Saturday the group meets and all the group signs.Bobby displays the Road Runners logo. Bobby does stray to the dirt trails, so this sign is not entirely truth-in-advertising.

Tatur Dave brought back the Ethiopian Elites name, since REO Speedwagon threatened a lawsuit. (j/k)

The 13-14 m/m Marathon group--Chasin' Booty. ARRRRR!

Possibly the best party group, the Blazing Turtles. This group does it all. They run, they bike, they eat like there was no tomorrow (after a run), and they do a great disappearing act involving beer cans.

Amanda's Half group--the Pacemakers. This was the early favorite for best sign. Would it win out?

Half Fast, another 1/2 Marathon group. Is it me, or does that name sound like something my Dad used to say?

I don't know who goes with this sign, but I donated a dollar.

My favorite sign from last session. The Dominatrix Domin8rz led by the submissive Larry Davied.

RockStar Eddie leads a group or rebels and babes once again. His sign cracks me up!

The competition for best sign heats up. Brian's sign is cool, although I thought the stick man had the scriggly lines from having ate the Volcano Burrito from Taco Bell.

Matt didn't win the competition for best sign, but he did win the award for best stick.

And the winner for best sign--1/2 & 1/2. They're Milkin' it for all it's worth!


A couple of faces from the past--Larry is flanked by Stefani and Simone. Larry has had some injury problemss but is back in the saddle and I hope it goes great for him. Simone recently put another marathon medal on the shelf, having finished San Diego in 5:20. And Stef is back for another run at 26.2. we've missed ya, Stef!

By far the biggest group, the Blazing Turtles keeps growing. Have fun and the world flocks to your doorstep.

My designated group[, Chasin' Booty. The pirate theme never gets old for me. I still have the Pirate setting on my FaceBook page.

Kathy employed the voice of Tulsa running, Mr. Jack Wing, to make the pre-run announcements.

So far, we have the most runners ever for a training session. With well over 400 and a lot more will sign up in the next week or so, we could top 500. 22 weeks of training and no fee for running with us.

We took off in waves, with the faster groups getting a head start. It was a warm morning, but for most of the way, we had a good breeze.

North on the river to 11th, and then south on the west side.

Spirits were high, and why not? Just a quick 5 miler and it was time to eat some breakfast! :-)

To a casual spectator, it probably looked like a race was going on. By the time we reached the pedestrian bridge, the sporadic line of runners was almost 2 miles long.

One session down, and 21 more to go. Bring on the summertime heat!!

Weeknight Runs

For those new to running with us, or those who are on the fence of whether or not they want to give running a try--JOIN US! We don't bite!We meet on Monday and Thursday nights at the store at 5:30 to run. The usual course is from the store through the neighborhoods to the riverparks at 41st st. From there, we usually go north and run until we turn around. Most runners go 3-4 miles, and some go further. As you can see from the above picture, there is no age limit. We have several senior citezens who run with us. (a jab at my buddy Tom Robinson!) Before our runs, we give kudos to our friends who might have ran a recent race. In this case, Pat and Sandra have just got back from running the Wounded Warrior Half marathon in Texas. They battled temps near 100° to finish another half.
Bobby and Susan have ran with us for over 3 years. They both are run leaders and are always helping in setting up our event tents and packing things away after our Saturday runs. Bobby has gone from couch potato to a multi marathon finisher, and he is training for his second 50K. More on Susan later in this post.
A few minutes after 5:30, Brian makes a slew of announcements about upcoming events, birthdays in our group, any PRs or other racing accomplishments, and the bunny slippers. (More on the bunny slippers in a later post.)
If you see a wild (but good looking) guy taking pictures of passing runners, indulge him. These pictures are often used in this blog.
Susan had her first RUN in a while. Since she has worn this cast, she has led a couch-to-5K group mostly walking, but tonight she ran. She'll have this cast remover in one more day!!! A big celebration is to follow.
After the evening runs there almost is always an EAT CLUB meeting. A group of us meets to eat some din din--sometimes healthy, sometimes not. But tonight, the run leaders from the new training session met at Mazzios for pizza and planning for Saturday's kickoff. Kathy goes over the agenda between mouthfuls of supreme pizza.
The Gulley girls ran a spirited run and await their marching orders. Pizza was not their food of choice, although I did my best to tempt them with a pizza pie.
Tatur Dave is the architect of most of our running routes. If you like the courses on Saturday, let him know. If you don't like the hills, eat them anyway--they're good for you.
Brian has that dazed look--but he was drinking soda. Rockstar Ed polished off a few brewskies though. Gotta wash that pizza down with SOMETHING.
Laurie, leader of Chasin Booty, ignores the odd looking guy behind her.
And finally, Edward poses with his little snuggly doll. I'm sure there is a good story behind this--I'll try to uncover it. (An edit: Laurie E tells me, "It was the doll he was carrying, while wearing a kilt, during TulsaTough – taunting the riders up crybaby hill!")

You've Been Served

Official Notice, that is, that the Runners World 2011 Oklahoma City Marathon Training Session is over, and that the Runners World 2011 Route 66 Marathon Training Session will soon be starting - as in next Saturday - as in June 18 - as in at Veteran's Park - as in 6:45 AM'ish (I think).

But there's a catch, a condition if you're more comfortable with that, some corporate red tape if you're the sort who responds or reacts more favorably to structure - you HAVE to FILL OUT an information/application sheet and turn it in to Runners World. Remember, just filling out the form is not good enough - you have to actually get it to Runners World via fax, by mail, by conning a friend or foe to do the legwork, or by physically taking it into the store yourself, plopping it on the counter and obnoxiously shouting "I Want In!" to whoever is ignoring you at the time. Your choice really, although one method that I might have listed last will leave a notable, yet undesirable impression with Coach Kathy that apparently takes several years to fade - if ever. Bonus Tip of the Day: Faxing in a blank form really doesn't advance the sneaker very far, so be sure to fill out a few basics before surrendering your family history, education background with grades and any meritorious awards, along with your solemn lifetime vow to raise your young'uns as RW disciples. Remember, e-mail addresses must be exact, and legibility counts if you desire to land in really cool running groups.

Here's the link to the form (surely you don't expect us to hold your hand while filling out the form), so please take a moment if you haven't already to fill it out and send it in:
http://tatur.org/rt-66-2011-ud-reg.pdf

Also, for a limited time, please note that bonus points are being awarded to those who recruit new victims aspiring marathoners into our lair. If you do recruit new runners or runnerettes, try to act sincere and downplay the question regarding "next of kin" as we are just being nosy - rather than some ominous foreshadowing event.

We hope to see a lot of both familiar and blissfully new/naive faces next weekend at our R66 Training Kick-Off Session. And for those who completed their first marathon, remember the fine print that requires you to return for a second session if you set a PR at your first event (I'm sorry, but there's no latitude in this rule).

Lastly, in the category of a threat or a blessing (your choice), if you fail to submit a new RW form, you will be dropped from future RW training emails and invitations. And if you do sign up, we continue to vow to not short change you on your training miles - kind of a Dom-N-8RZ rule.

Larry

A huge dose of inspiration!