My first race of 2023 was part of a double half weekend for me. This was the first time I had run two half marathons in the same weekend. I had been running two long runs every weekend during my training, so I felt prepared, but a little nervous about how I would do.
The weekend was planned as a girls' weekend with my sister, but due to family circumstances, Jennifer could only stay for half of it. But we made the most of it! We left Memphis Thursday morning and drove straight to Oklahoma City with a brief stop for lunch at Slim Chickens in Arkansas. The drive through Arkansas, especially right after leaving Memphis was nerve-wracking! So many trucks on both sides of the road. It was a relief to get past the trucks and finally make it to Oklahoma. There was an immediate change between the two states. Oklahoma was full of cows and casinos, and Native American land.
After driving past all the cows and rolling plains, we reached the very busy and congested OK City during rush hour just in time for some pampering. Since Jennifer couldn't stay for the massage on Sunday, we had facials on Thursday. Followed by a steak dinner at Cattleman's Cafe in the Stockyards City section of OKC. While waiting for our table, we found a store that sold cowboy clothes, Langston's. I have never seen that many boots, cowboy hats, leather and belt buckles in one place!
This was just the men's section!
The inside court of our hotel in OKC
Before heading back to our hotel for the night, we drove through the Bricktown section of OKC and got cupcakes at Pinkitzel Candy and Cupcakes. The cupcakes looked a little fake, but we decided to try them anyway and they were very good! Especially the strawberry cupcake.
Friday was our day to explore OKC and we started by making a stop at the OKC VW dealership! This was not a planned stop but after a light coming on in my car about low coolant, we had to make a pit stop. (Everything was okay, but they did have to top off the coolant.)
Our first real stop was the OK City bombing memorial. This was not a fun exhibit, but very powerful. They did a great job telling the story through the eyes of the people who were there that day. At one point, a lady near us was crying and later was showing her friend where she was sitting in a picture of a memorial service. It is a place that is needed to help us remember.
There was one chair for each person who died in the bombing. And the chairs for the children were smaller.
Lunch was in Bricktown at the Old Spaghetti Factory. We both had mushroom stuffed ravioli and it was the best meal of the trip in my opinion, right behind the steak dinner!
We explored a few more places...the Myriad Botanical Gardens (free admission that day!) including the crystal bridge.
We saw the Centennial Land Run Memorial...
We did not go to the skeleton museum but did see a car that may have been going to that museum!
The skeleton was looking out the back window!
We finished our OKC tour with a stop at a Route 66 site...the Milk Bottle Grocery. A 350 square foot store that, to our disappointment, is now an appointment only nail salon.
After leaving OKC, we drove to Stillwater to pick up our bibs and get ready for our race the next day. We ate at Hideaway Pizza, a popular restaurant in Stillwater. We had pepperoni and mushroom pizza and fried mushrooms. It was a mushroom kind of day!
Sights we found on the way to Stillwater!
There is not much to do in Stillwater, so we went back to the hotel and watched the Netflix Alex Murdaugh documentary! Very interesting and messed family!
Saturday morning dawned bright and early and a little cold. The race started and ended at Boone Pickens Stadium on the campus of Oklahoma City University. Jennifer and I ran the first three miles together and then she finished her 5K and headed back to Memphis for her son's final play in high school. I finished my half and was happy with a post-surgery PR of 2:25:19! It was a hilly race, small, but very well run. They even called out my name when I crossed the finish line!
Waiting for the race to begin!
Jennifer after her 5K
Much of the half was around a lake
Amy after her half
After the race, I quickly cleaned up at the hotel in time to check out and hit the road to Arkansas! It had been a fun time in OK, but the weekend was not over yet!!
On the way out, I stopped at the first Sonic to get chicken strips and tater tots. The tater tots were good at least!
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