Five of us gals got up at 4:30 am and headed to downtown Oklahoma City for the tenth annual OKC Memorial Marathon. It was a cold morning, much colder than I anticipated for OKC in April. So we spent a lot of time huddling together trying to stay warm.
Me at the end of my leg, getting ready to hand off to Mendy.
Exchange point from leg 4 to leg 5.
The Forward Motion Team ~ Meghan, Mendy, Cristina, Amber and Amy.
This run was so much fun, and my best run to date! I attribute it all to the lower elevation. Right off the bat, my leg started with a run up a bridge. When I first saw it, I wasn't too thrilled. But I breezed up and the rest of the run was fairly flat. I got to run through a beautiful historic neighborhood with sprawling estates and large trees lining the road. It was gorgeous and I enjoyed the scenery as I ran. I also enjoyed interacting with the crowd that lined the streets. There were tons of supporters clapping and shouting and holding funny signs. My favorite: Please don't die. I know that was for the full marathoners, but I enjoyed a quick laugh.
My leg was a 5K but turned out to be an actual 3.5 mile run. I was surprised when I came to the end of my leg because I thought I had about a half mile to go, and I still had steam in me! That was a good feeling because I never did hit a wall. I ran in the moment and enjoyed everything and everyone around me. It was truly a fun and easy run.
I think next year it would be great to have two teams so we each have a partner to run with. The camaraderie with friends was really fun, but it could have been even better if we were running side by side. It was an amazing experience to run with 23,000 other runners for a cause that is so close to my heart. Thanks girls for making this a memorable experience! I can't wait to do it again next year.
1 comment:
That is wonderful Cristina! It looks like it would have been fun!
Post a Comment