Virtual Tulsa Run

The Tulsa Run was set to be on Halloween this year. When they announced the medal design, I was so excited about the race. I normally don't really care about medals but this one was so darn cool with the Halloween theme. I hadn't signed up yet when they had to switch to a virtual event, but I decided to go ahead and sign up anyway. Ty and I first ran the 15k in 2016 and we've done it every year since. Each year I've earned a 60/70 mug for running under 70 minutes in the 15k as a woman. It's a bit of a tradition and my goal is to earn a 70 mug for as long as I can. I decided since they weren't doing the mug this year due to no official results, I'd design my own mug on Etsy. I would have loved one with the awesome medal design, but I wasn't sure how to do that cheaply and dishwasher safe so I went with something pretty already designed on Etsy where I just added the words I wanted. Read about past races here: 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. 

All my race bling!

I didn't have much time to train for the Tulsa Run after taking some weeks easy after the Virtual Boston Marathon, but I felt confident I'd be able to get into 7:30 pace shape fairly easily since that's what I'd have to run to be under 70. I did a 6 mile tempo the week before the race in 7:17 pace even though it didn't go well and I felt a little rough. I was pretty sure I'd be able to run under 7:30 pace for 3 more miles but in the back of my head, I kept thinking back to my half-marathon I ran on July 4th that started out so well and then spiraled out of control for seemingly no reason. That made me a little nervous going into the race. I decided to go ahead and wear my bib because it was so cute! I'm glad I did because I saw other people run by wearing their bibs so we knew we were running the same race. I also passed one woman out running who cheered for me and the huge boost I got after that reminded me why races are so much more fun that virtual races! 

I decided to just run an out and back course on Riverside so I wouldn't have to worry about remembering where to turn or have to deal with traffic. I ran a mile warm up and then attempted to get my RaceJoy app to work so I could track my run and be included in the results. I couldn't get the app to work so I ended up putting my phone back in the car and just running without it. I planned to go out around 7:30 pace and then negative split the race. My first mile was 7:15 which was faster than planned but I felt great so I went with it. The 2nd mile took me up on a ridge by the water and the wind was fierce up there. I was glad I was running into the wind on the way out when I hit that section. My 2nd mile was 7:24 and I was just glad to still be under 7:30 with all the wind. My 3rd mile was 7:15 and I checked at the 5k to see where I was. I went through the first 5k in 22:47. My plan was to follow the same time goals as I did in 2017 when I was just shooting for sub-70. Hit the 5k mark in 23:00, the 10k mark in 46:00, and the 15k mark in 69:00. So I told myself in my head as a little mantra, "23, 46, 69," over and over. After the 5k mark I entertained myself by calculating what my time would be if I ran all my 5ks in 22:47. I ran out to 4.7 miles and then turned around. Mile 4 was 7:30 and I was really ready to turn around so the wind would be at my back! When I turned around I was confident I could make my next 5k faster than my first.

I went through miles 5 and 6 in 7:19 and 7:07. I checked my time at the 10k mark and I was at 45:30 so I went through the 2nd 5k in 22:43, just a smidge faster than my first 5k. I was excited as I calculated my likely finishing time between 1:08:15-1:08:30. I knew I could make my last 5k the fastest and maybe sneak under 1:08 even! My slowest Tulsa Run time was 1:07:39 in 2017, so it would be cool to be under 1:08, that way all my times would be between 1:05 and 1:07. Miles 7 and 8 were both 7:11 and I told myself to make mile 9 my fastest which meant running 7:07 or under. My legs were pretty tired and it was hard to push all by myself but I was able to hit mile 9 in 7:07. I was able to really pick it up once I hit 9 miles and when I looked down at 9.3 miles I was at 1:07:34. Since I was significantly under 1:08 and I normally don't hit right at 9.3 miles during the race, I decided to go ahead and run some extra. I was feeling good and not really paying attention so I ended up not stopping my watch until 9.36 for a finishing time of 1:07:54 and a finishing kick of 7:01 pace. I averaged 7:15 pace for the race and my last 5k was 22:09, much faster than my first two 5ks which was awesome!

I enjoy the more relaxed attitude I have training for a virtual race where if we are traveling or things don't work out, I'm okay with moving things around or even just skipping a tempo. Having virtual races to run helps keep me focused and motivated. But I sure do miss running actual races. Having people to run with and others around to cheer you on really makes a difference. Running this race made me realize how lucky I was my parents came out to support me in the Virtual Boston Marathon and dad and Ty rode portions of the race with me because it felt more like a race and I enjoyed having people on the course cheering for me. This Virtual Tulsa Run was really more of a tempo run that hurt more than usual other than seeing other people out running with their race bibs on!