The plan was to run around Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City, 9.73 miles to prove to myself that my legs are ready for the OKC Memorial Marathon half on April 29.
Mother Nature had other ideas.
If it had been cold, rain or some combo thereof, I would have powered through it. However, these were wildfires in northwest Oklahoma — and the smoke blew into the city.
Friday night, Oklahoma City looked like fallout central for a large volcano. Hazy. Smoky. Tough to breathe.
My little run? Not so important.
First-responders were working their tails off in Dewey County and Roger Mills County. Homes burned. Cattle was lost, as was a human life.
Nevertheless, I didn’t want to run outside in compromised air, not two weeks before my half. The air quality was mostly better the next morning, but the Oklahoma wind was blowing at 40-50 mph.
Ridiculous.
So, I hit the treadmill at the Northside OKC YMCA for 10 miles. And came out a-ok.
Treadmill running is b-o-r-I-n-g. Zzzz.
No foot pain. Legs were a little tight. And I was good-to-go the next day.
I’m ready for another year, more and more convinced that even running novices (moderate novices) overtrain for half-marathons. They’re not that hard if finishing is your main thing.
Finishing faster? That’s a whole other thing — but keeping the legs and feet fresh these next two weeks is priority No. 1.
