Monday Night Runners

The weather was great for a December 29th.
We had 15 runners out tonight. 11 shown in the
first picture. Deon is by himself because he ran
double everyone else and missed the group shot.
Two others also missed the group shot and I failed
to get their picture before they left us. And myself,
the photographer filling in for Ken (Trail Zombie).
If everyone had been there we would have had
around 25.

We started off this past summer with only 3 or 4
of us running on Monday nights on the west side trail
at Turkey Mountain. When the nights started coming
sooner and sooner we had to move our running location
somewhere else because they still do not have the west
side trail in this area lit up. We moved to 21st and
Riverside and started spreading the word to other
runners to join us. Our Monday night group is growing.

Anyone looking for a group to run with on Monday nights
is welcome to come out and join us. Spread the word.

Others are running weekday mornings. If you would like to
run with them check out RunnersWorld Tulsa Google Group:

http://groups.google.com/group/runners-world-tulsa

Is it too cold to run when it's 12°F?

Is it too cold to run when it's 12°F with patches of ice?
At least six people in Tulsa don't think so.

I sent out an e-mail today announcing our usual Monday
night run. To my surprise Ken and Michael responded
and said they would be there. Now I have to go.

Brian e-mailed and said he would come out if it were not
for a meeting he had to attend. I wonder if he would have
shown up in shorts.

Prior to going Ken called and said he was reminded that he
was eating at Charleston's. I wish I'd thought of an excuse
like that. I think I would have picked Charleston's over
running.

Russell told me he thought about coming out to run til
he stuck his nose out the door and changed his mind rather
quickly.

The hardcore runner's that showed up were Michael,
his wife Chrissy, her sister, Debi and Carmen.
It was terribly cold but once we started moving it felt fine.

The only thing that got cold on me was my face.
I carried my water bottle as usual. When I finished my 3 mile
run It had already started to freeze. For every one's info I think
the water fountains along Riverside are either turned off or
frozen so I recommend carrying your own water especially on
your longer runs.

Michael and Chrissy (Chrissy's sister was in the warm truck)

Michael, Debi, Carmen

Michael, Debi, Bobby

Sunmart 50k Trail Race

I am not too thrilled about driving in Texas but Texas sure knows
how to put on an ultra marathon.

I finished my first ultra marathon at the 19th annual Sunmart
Texas Trail Endurance Runs 50k/50-mile race in the beautiful Piney
Woods of the Sam Houston National Forest at Huntsville State Park.

We drove to Houston on Friday where we were treated to an
awesome pasta dinner and was given our timing chips, race numbers
and a travel/duffle bag of goodies such as a shirt, hat, camera,
sunglasses, rain gear, mesh backpack, desk planner, etc.
Then we drove to Huntsville to sleep for the night.

Saturday morning at the park we were given a pre-race breakfast
of eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, juice, coffee plus other
items.

Then off went the 50 mile runners. Forty-five minutes later it was
our turn, the 50k (that's 31 miles) runners to start. Ken Childress,
his wife Dana, Bob Lovelace and I decided to stick together for the
duration of the run to support each other. Off we went into the
woods for our first loop of 6.7 miles. We returned to the start area
where we refueled, rehydrated and took potty breaks. Then we
were off for our first of two 12.15 mile loops around Lake Raven.
Every two to four miles we had the best aid stations where they
had plenty of food, water and sports drink. Every aid station had
porta Johns (thank goodness we didn't have to keep sneaking off
into the woods).

As we tired, Ken and Bob had to keep motivating Dana and I to
keep on moving to try to reach a specific goal we had. Dana and
I kept telling each other that we was going to throw Ken into the
lake and make him gater bait. Rumor is that there is alligators
around.

At the finish line everyone that had finished ahead of us were
waiting for us and cheered us on. What an awesome group of
friends. Bob had to finish a little ahead of us because of some
pains he was having. Ken, Dana and I crossed the finish line
together. We were awarded our finisher's medals and given a
finisher's jacket. Thank you Bob, Ken and Dana. It was pleasant
enduring this run together.

Food was waiting to be eaten after the finish consisting of
hotdogs, burgers, barbecue, potato salad, coleslaw and the best
macaroni and cheese on the planet. I like to eat.

After the race we returned to our rooms to watch the OU game.
After Susan and I knew OU had this one we decided to meet up
with about 15 of the TATUR's at a Mexican restaurant where we
had a nice pre-bedtime dinner. Way to go Sooners. We didn't go
around bragging because remember we are in Texas.

Sunday morning it was time to pack it in and head for the house.
I thought I would have a miserable ride back in the car, but to
my surprise it went pretty well. I was stiff every time we stopped
along the way, but no pain while driving.

Yes Coach Kathy, I will do another ultra.
100 miles? No! 50 miles? Maybe.

Hey man, got any vespa?



Yuck! Sweaty Bobby.


Thank you Texaco and Chevron for the fuel.


One of the trails.


Duh, start line.

Ken, Roman, Bobby, Susan.

Bobby, Dana, Ken.

Bobby, Jenni, Jeff, Lisa, Jason.

Coach Kathy Hoover.

Roman Broyles.

Dana and Ken Childress.

Bobby and lovely wife Susan.

Bobby pre-race.

Bobby after race.

Bobby, Dana, Ken coming into the finish.

Bob Lovelace coming into the finish.

Lake Raven pre-race.


Post race. I like to eat.

For more of the story and more pictures go here:

http://trailzombie.blogspot.com/

Sunmart - Registration is confirmed

Robert Michaels - Thank you for registering for

the 2008 Sunmart Texas Trail Endurance Runs 50K.

Your Registration is confirmed.

As if a marathon wasn't far enough I had to go and sign

up for the Sunmart 50k. I guess that makes me a certified

nut case now.

Does this mean I still have to do long training runs?

I renamed my blog to "I want to run an Ultra"?

Celebrity for a day

Well I did it. I completed my first marathon.
Not in a blazingly fast time. But finished none the less.
Clap for Bobby!

My goal was to finish with a 13:44 average pace per mile.
My finishing average pace was 13:54. Pretty good guess
for someone that has never done a marathon before.
The third place clydesdale in my weight class came in
at 5:56:54. I came in at 6:03:53. I was that close to an award.
The sad thing for me is that he was a walker that didn't pass me
until the way back from Jenks. Clap for Keith Landers for doing
so awesome! I have you in my target Keith for next time. You
inspired me to push a little harder next time (if there is a next time!).

Ken ran with me the entire distance carrying a sign saying
"CLAP FOR BOBBY" with an arrow pointing to me. I never heard so
many claps and yells of encouragement. I got cheered on by the
spectators, the aid station workers, the police, cheerleaders, runners
coming from the other direction, Candice, Joye, Christen, Ken's wife
Dana, Joe, some of the bands along the route and many more. At one
spot Ken started barking and even got a dog to cheer me on.
What an experience. I say "CLAP FOR KEN". Thanks Ken.

Special thanks to Ken's wife Dana the crew babe who met us at
several stops along the route to give us encouragement.
She brought us candy, potatoe soup, hot chocolate, chips, etc.
If anyone wants to hire the best crew babe I highly recommend her.

Most of the RunnersWorld group hung around long enough to see me
come in. They grouped together and ran me to the finish line with
encouragement over the last few steps.
Thanks to all of you. It felt great.

Wow I'm stiff. I didn't listen to Coach Kathy's advice. I should have
kept moving but the big, comfy chair was calling my name.

Oops!!! I forgot to slow down

Okay. Enough of the ugly girl. I had no takers.

So we are in our taper period preparing for our marathon

which is only three days away. Coach Kathy's orders: take

it easy and slow down and maybe even walk a bit.

Did I listen? Ask Susan. She told me she doesn't want to

hear me complaining. If I were in a 5k race tonight I

probably would have gotten a new pr.

Do I still want to run a marathun? You betcha. All this

training. I am now ready to put it to use. The weather

sounds like it is going to be ideal. I have avoided serious

injuries and am feeling relatively good. Hope I wake up

Sunday morning raring to go. Does anyone have a

bulldozer so we can go level out some of those hills?

Good luck to everyone.

I've been tagged by a Trail Zombie

Okay, I've been tagged by a Trail Zombie. I'll play along since

I have the best sense of humor on the planet. This is the sixth

picture from my sixth hot babe picture folder. I found this chick

on the Arkansas side of Tulsa. I thought I might introduce her to

one of my running buddies, Ed or Deon (which one of you guys

has the best dental plan?). Sorry Ken and Brian, you're both

already taken or I would have considered one of you.

See, I have a sense of humor. Here is my real photo.

This is my brother-in-law Russell and sister-in-law

Christin. Russell is Susan's brother in case you didn't

know. They have both joined in to this thing we call

running. They decided to give a little back to the

running community and volunteer at an aid station

at the Turkey and Taturs trail race this past September.

Susan and I had a good time manning this aid station with

them. If you have never gotten involved with the

volunteering side of running, I recommend it.

I tag Lisa. Now you have to post.

I also tag Sandra. Both from RunnersWorld.

What? Go Run 22 Miles?

What did you say Ken? I thought I heard you say lets go run 22 miles.

I did say that you lazy bum! Get out of bed and off the couch and give me 22 miles!

(I stole these photos from Ken).

We Did it. Ken got me through my first 22 miler ever. It sure helps to have someone there with you on those long runs. Thanks Ken. It must have been slow going for you.

In all seriousness, Ken was not a slave driver on our run. He was there to support me and walk when I needed. We did plenty of that. I think I learned a lot from this training run. I need to slow down and try to maintain a nice even pace. I need to eat better and probably get more sleep. The day before this long run was Halloween. At work we had all kinds of junk food that is runner unfriendly. I ate my fair share. I paid for it when I ran out of energy early in the miles.

I finished with a slower average pace than I had hoped for but we did stop several times along the way for extended amounts of time either walking, chatting with someone or eating and drinking the wonderful food and beverages we had along the way.

Can a fat boy finish a marathon. We are getting ready to find out in two weeks. Stick around for a full report.

Wanna See My Boo Bees

Can you identify this photo?

It's hard to believe the Tulsa Run has come and gone.

I had a great run. Shaved 10 minutes off last years time.

That's a minute a mile faster. My time was 1:48:57.

Not too bad for a fat boy. I met me a new friend while there.

I do not know if it is a he, a she or a combo of the two.

Mile splits: 10:48, 11:16, 10:46, 11:20, 11:27,

11:20, 12:13, 12:47, 13:00 (Denver hill).

Mondays 4 miler with Susan, Michael and Ken went well.

We will be running around Zinc Lake starting next Monday

due to daylight savings time ending this weekend. If anyone

wants to join us give one of us a shout.

Tuesdays 4 mile run seemed to go by fast.

10:34, 11:43, 12:28, 11:12.

Wednesday Susan and I went for a casual 8.5 mile bike ride

on the west side. If you have never biked over there I highly

recommend it.

For a little fun on Halloween I thought I would show you my

Boo Bees.

Thursday night we had a Halloween fun run staring at

RunnersWorld Tulsa. It was a blast. We ran down Peoria and got

lots of honks and stares from people eating at their favorite

Brookside restaurants.

I think this is the first time I have dressed up for Halloween since

I was 12 years old.

Tomorrow is our last long run. 22 miles.

I am looking forward to it to see how well (or how bad

I do). I hope everyone running tomorrow has a great run.

Nice Weather for a Run or a Bike Ride

Today went bicycle riding with Susan and Christin.
Rode 5 miles, stopped for a picnic, then rode 5 miles back.

Christin and Susan enjoying sandwiches.

Christin, Bobby and Susan.

Susan and Christin just outran the train.

I think I can, I think I can.

Christin pedalling up Turkey Mountain.

Susan gave up.

You're almost there Susan. Keep going.

Our last 5:45am Saturday morning I went running with the RunnersWorld group. We had another great turnout. Some of us went 10 miles others went 11, 12, 13 and more. Many ran further than they ever have before. Congratulations on your accomplishments. I hope everyone keeps running after their upcoming events. Kinda getting used to seeing everyone. Ed, Russell and I stuck together on our run. We had a strong 10 miles. Our average pace was 12:35. Here is our mile splits: 12:18, 12:10, 12:50, 12:11, 13:16, 13:14, 12:23, 12:55, 11:44, 12:52. Not too bad by this fat boys standards. Great job guys. Hope you are not too sore or too tired. I felt pretty good all weekend.

The city of Tulsa is launching a new web site on Tuesday where you can log your walking, running and biking miles. The goal is for the community to become healthier and to surpass one million miles within 12 months. http://www.tulsamillionmiles.com/

Great Weather for a Run

Our daughter is all grown up and

has become quite the independent

woman. Mother hen Susan can't

stand it and wishes she still had the

little chick to depend on her.

Daughter, we really are proud of you.

Now back to running.

Wow the weather plays a huge role in how a run goes.
Tonight ran 6 miles.
10:34
11:17
10:38
12:31
12:10
11:48
After 20 miles this last weekend 6 miles seems
relatively easy. I guess that is a bonus for doing the

long runs.

Ken and Johnny sure looked strong after their 100 mile

weekend. Roman kept up with them on the way out.

I tried but they were off in a blaze and I couldn't catch them.

Brian slowed to my pace for a little while and it was nice

visiting with him while it lasted. Linda and I ran back

from the turnaround then Roman joined in. We had a nice

run back to the store.

Last one in is a rotten egg

Dynamic Duo

(Ed and Bobby)

I guess I am the rotten egg. I was dead last coming in from
our 20 miler Saturday. But hey, I don't mind, I finished.
My 20 miler went decent. Strong for the first 10 miles.
Started going downhill from there. Struggled on the way back
but made it in close to my estimated time. As usual I started
out too fast then ran out of gas.

Ed and I pretty much stayed not far behind Team Bean.
Caught up with them at the top of Turkey Mountain (that
sounds impressive that we climbed a mountain). They were
soon out of site though. We stayed up with Rachael, Linda,
Jennifer and Tammy until the Jenks turnaround where they
activated their "Power Girl" powers and shot ahead. Never
seen them again from the Casino water stop until we got back
to the finish where they were still waiting to congratulate us.
Thanks girls, hope you weren't waiting long. Team Bean and
most of the others were still hanging around also. Thanks
for the encouragement guys and gals.

Did anyone else struggle with those stairs crossing Riverside
near 31st on the way back? Kinda made me feel like an old man.

Thank you Susan & Candice for being such great cheerleaders
and checking on us while we were out.

Thank you Dave for the course, the water stops and the chalk talk.

Ken, since you are running with me in the marathon here is my
one mile lap times (not counting brief stops) to give you an idea
of where I am at:

11:49 13:55 11:57 12:38 11:59 13:30 11:34 12:11 13:17 12:36
14:32 14:21 14:16 15:44 13:41 15:19 14:46 15:29 16:11 14:45

For something funny go here to see my campaign for President:
http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=46832&altf=Cpccz&altl=Njdibfmt

6 keys to efficient running

Running Efficiently

Smarter Cardio

6 keys to efficient running

By: Matt Fitzgerald

Illustrations by: Headcase Design

Run tall
Gravity and weak core muscles cause many runners to "fold"
in the middle when their feet land. This sitting-down movement
wastes energy. Imagine that wires are attached to your shoulders,
pulling you up slightly. Thrust your hips forward a bit and think
"stability" when your foot hits. Running tip: It's easier to run tall
if you've worked your core properly; find core exercises here.

Relax
Tension in your arms, shoulders, neck, and face reduces efficiency.
Arms and fingers should be loose. Unclench your hands and let
your jaw jiggle.

Breathe right
Your breathing should be rhythmic and deep, and you should
feel your diaphragm, not your chest, doing the work. Exhale
with controlled force. When you pick up the pace, don't let your
breathing get shallow.

Land on the midfoot
A heel-first landing is a brake. It means you're extending your
leg out too far in front of your center of gravity, so it takes more
energy to move forward. And it's shaky, so your muscles are
working on stabilization instead of forward motion.
Running tip: Shorten your stride. It'll feel odd at first, like shuffling,
but once you get used to it, focus on thrusting backward with force.

Run softly
The louder your footfalls, the less efficiently you're running.
Try running more quietly; you'll be unconsciously switching to a
midfoot strike and a shorter, quicker stride.

Swing symmetrically
Check your form on a treadmill in front of a mirror. If one arm is
bent more than the other or swings more, you have a
musculoskeletal imbalance that can slow you down. Target the
weaker side with strength and flexibility exercises.

Solid Nine

Saturday had a solid nine miler. The course was mostly the Tulsa
Run course including all of the hills. Have you signed up for the
Tulsa Run yet? This was a cut-back week from last weeks 18 miler.
After 18 miles, 9 miles seems short and easy in comparison. Even
though these long runs are keeping me sore, my legs are starting
to feel really strong.

This weekend Susan and I joined the bicycling world. Now we need
to put "On your left" into our vocabulary.
















My New Wheels

I noticed Ed is back. I seen his race results from the F3 Sprint
Triathlon in Claremore. Way to go Ed. Hope to see you out
running this week. How's that bunny slipper?

Happy Birthday Susan

Happy birthday Susan.

Cheer up, you are only 48, and have a great day.

Way to go OU, OSU, TU and RunnersWorld

We all won yesterday (Saturday). If you came out and ran,
whether you had a great run or a lousy run, like me, then
you won in my book.

Wow, 18 miles in the history book. Only a 20 miler and a
22 miler to go before the big event. Hang in there everyone
training for the Tulsa Run, Route 66 or whatever event you
are training for.

My run didn't go as well as I had hoped but maybe that
means my next long run will be better. I thought I had
slowed my pace but apparently not enough as evidenced
by Kathy's clock and by the way I started to feel. By the
time I returned from the second 6 mile loop my back and
legs started stiffening and tightening. My stomach was
churning and my feet were getting sore and tired. I had
one more 6 mile loop to conquer when the mind games
started - you can't finish the third loop, you will never run
a marathon, you feel too terrible, where's the restroom
(glad I found it in time), where's Ed? But I didn't listen to
those voices in my head, so I took off on that third loop.
I'll admit I slowed to a walk several times on this third loop.
It took over an hour and a half but I got it done. I was glad
to see some of the other runners and Coach Kathy had stuck
around to see the last of us come in and give us encouragement.
She stressed that it didn't matter how fast you think you should
be going but the time on your feet is what counts. It was a
learning experience.

I didn't have my usual running partner Ed with me this time so
had to put in all those lonely miles with my shadow.
Ed is in L.A. (Lower Alabama) on business. I hope he is getting
some running done.

Paparazzo Ken was missing in action also. He was off fighting his
own battle, A 50k run in Kansas. He called me Saturday evening
checking on my days run and to give me encouragement.
Thanks Ken for the call. Keep an eye out on the Trail Zombie blog
for his race report.