Oklahoma City Marathon Preview

This week, I have just had fun with running as my usual hard 90 minutes was brought down to maybe 75 and my recovery runs brought down to 50 minutes.  I have put forth so much hard work that it is now time to relax and rejuvenate my body and mind for a blistering hard effort at the marathon. OKC marathon will be my first official attempt at the road distance and I am ready to run well.

THis race for me is a symbol and a remnant of Oklahoma and my 5 years here. All of the trials and tribulations and all the running that has helped me grow and cope. Ashlee and myself are almost at the point to end one chapter and begin another.  There is excitement and fear but ultimately, the future looks as bright as an Oklahoman clear sky.  To imagine I strolled into OU, a glossy-eyed freshman not knowing what to expect and I leave here with the love of my life and glad I made the decision to travel half-way across the country to wind up here of all places, OKlahoma.  Oklahoma is a very interesting and awesome state except for when the wind howls but that is all the allure of this place.  It is wild and rustic and expansive.  There are towns that have only a gas station in them and dirt roads that stretch miles and miles.

I want to thank all those that I have met in this state and I hope I can continue to make you proud in all of my future running endeavors.  Thank you Backwoods, OK Runner, and the Belmar Golf Club Members for giving me the support to reach for my dreams.

As far as the marathon goes, I have Scott Downard helping me out with the pacing which will be great and I know that this race will have a ton of emotion for me but let me use it to come from behind and maybe win the whole deal.

2:30 seems realistic and maybe 2:25 if I feel great.  May this race be truly, "A Run to Remember"

RUn Cole Run

I have been running a bunch lately and I feel great!!!!  OKC marathon here I come. I have run with Scott, Lake T-bird, to Noble and all around Norman.   I have logged an average of maybe 90 miles this week and am so ready for running fast!

I ordered my pair of La Sportiva Vertical K for my future in trail running and I am very excited to test them in my next trail races this summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoQxRMourrQ



I have run 75 minutes or so the past days with hills on the east-side of town and I feel GRRRRREEEAAATTT. SUnshine makes the spirit feel snappy and it is only a few days away until the OKC marathon where I am right now just enjoying running and not fretting about my performance this Sunday.

Redbud 10k!!!! Day with Ashlee!

The photos from the day at Redbud right near Oklahoma City Golf and COuntry Club through the nice homes of Nicholls Hills.

To sum up the race it was a little warm and extremely windy, windy enough to make any fast runner become slowed by the 40mph gusts.

Redbud was the first large-scale 5k/10k I have ever run. The race was huge with people ranging in the thousands like maybe 6 thousand runners.  The race also took place at the heat of the day at 2pm which for running fast is not always the best thing.  I though there might be some real competition but unfortunately, Oklahoma really does not bring the thunder with super fast road racers except if they were a Kenyan from OSU.  The course was rolling which suited me great but the strong cross and headwinds did not as the 40mph winds just sucked my 5:10 pace right out of me.  My first 5k was solid but the last one suffered as 5:10 pace became 5:30 pace as my overall time was 33:30 or so which translates to like 16:40's.  This was not a fast time but at least I kept a controlled effort the whole way even though I stopped for maybe 20 seconds to 30 seconds to scarf down some gatorade because I was dehydrated and had bad muscles cramps in my stomach.  All in all, my new Karhu Flow kicked major bush and thank you to Jordan Kinley for that sweet deal on the shoes.  I would also like to thank Ashlee for her support and hard effort running to the finish a long hilly mile away and my sponsors, Backwoods, OK Runner and Acidotic Racing for all the gear that makes me perform my very best.

Advice for those who proceed me in the Redbud:

Rule 1: Hydrate, Hydrate Hydrate

Rule 2: Run the hills controlled and you will be fine.

Rule 3: At the last 2 miles you cross into 5k finishers, shove them, yell at them do all that it takes to show you are running twice their distance and much faster than them and you deserve some space.

Rule 3: If the day is windy, drafting off of someone is a necessity.  That wind this year was insane!!!!!

Rule 4: If you place in the top 3, no need to stay for the awards as everyone leaves and you are left with the band just chilling.

Rule 5 and Final Rule: I am sorry but Redbud is not such a high profile race as it used to be as prize money does not exist nor does really fast competition.  Run this race for training or for fun as it will not be the best race to run your best time if you are ultra-competitive. If you are a mid-pack runner then this event is great as you have thousands of people with you along the way!

Here is a link to the picture of me from the race http://newsok.com/photo/pid/1696434

OH AND 1 MORE RULE: If you Burn easily, wear sunblock as I got a little sun because of the time of day...now I have to apply aloe.....ugh!

AND THIS RACE DOES GIVE PAPER COVERAGE WHICH IS NICE....

http://newsok.com/davis-crosby-win-redbud-classic-10k/article/3666862

RUNNING IN A TORNADO!!!! FRIDAY THE 13th

So I decided to run before a bunch of rain and to make matters short, I was running in the middle of a tornado that roared through Norman, OK this afternoon at 4:01pm.


I texted Ashlee where I would be heading which was 36th and Cedar Lane out towards Noble.  The thing was, I never expected the storm to be so severe. I made the stupid mistake of leaving my phone at home with the fear that a heavy rain would destroy the phone.  I began my run with the dangerous storm at my back as violent lightning and a sky as dark as midnight approached. People were driving by the thousands it seemed out on the country roads and like "bats out of hell" too.  As I made the crossing over Highway 9, a woman dragged me into her SUV as she yelled to me that there was a tornado right on the OU campus near the Weather Center and highway 9.  It was scary and even scary-er to know that Ashlee was on her way home from work and that I was out in the wilderness away from her and the cats.  I knew she would be terrified. ANd so the phone tag game began. I kept calling her but the phone would not send the signal.  I kept trying and trying but no go.

Then I had arrived at the woman's house right near the Noble middle school about 7-10 miles from the tornado. We could see it swirling around and in that moment I saw my very first tornado.  There I met Jenn Kennedy who worked at Belmar and I hung out with them as I finally was able to reach Ashlee and boy was it a relief.  I had run a total of 39 minutes almost at my turn-around point only to find I was in the middle of a tornado.  After all was done, I was reunited with Ashlee as we had the chance to relax after the crazy afternoon festivities.

OKC Marathon Preparation and FastPacking

Here is a link that explains all about what fastpacking is http://www.seriousrunning.com/blog/trail-running/fast-packing-is-extreme-trail-running/

As far as training has come, I have run with Ashlee and a fast-paced 72 minute night run through the OU campus, a Friday work-day where running to grab clubs and golf carts exhausted my body and today I ran a nice hilly Noble run out along 36th street.


It is almost time to move from Oklahoma and head out towards New Jersey and New York.  I look forward to trying out fastpacking out in the Catskill Mountains and the Adirondacks of NY.

My Running is coming along nicely as sleep and recovery are making me strong and ready for a fast marathon. Bring it on OKC!!!!

Future dreams as of now would be to be sponsored by Marmot. They make great outdoor equipment and apparel and I would love to grab my hands on a fast pack of their own the Kompressor!

And for those who do not know what fastpacking is....this sport is growing in the trail running community as adventure running where you take a minimal trail backpack about 20-30 liter capacity and pack your bare essentials and then trail run and camp out for at least a day out in the wilderness. I look forward to doing such adventures in the near future.

Training Since Thursday---Has been AMAZING. I have run mileage and felt great. Some days I go fast and shorter say 10-11 miles and other days long and steady like 2 hours or 1 hour 30 minutes.  

Monday I ran with Scott Downard all along OU and Norman. Got a nice effort in like 1 hour and 30 minutes or so and I feel great.  Once Ashlee wakes up from a nap, we are going for a fun running adventure later and I cannot wait.  

Fun run out on Alameda to 72nd street. Nice hills and a nice sunset. My next pack of the day is the Salomon XA 20 liter bag which is waterproof and has great features for adventure racing and fastpacking.