OKC Memorial Half Marathon

Last year at the end of April I flew to Dallas Texas and rented a car and spent the night by the airport at an Embassy Suites. The next morning, I checked out and headed to Arlington were I had lived in 1981 when my ex was pregnant with my son and we were waiting for my Air Force school to start. I visited my Dad's old house where we had stayed for awhile and then the apartment building we moved to later and the Church's Chicken I had worked at. Then off to Oklahoma City. Got bored with the interstate, so I took a side road and when I got hungry stopped at a busy little town diner. Walked in and almost fell over from the disgusting smoke. Didn't know there was anywhere in the country you could still smoke in a resturant- it was revolting. I ran outside to the patio and the girl served me out there by myself. Made it to OKC and checked into the historic Skiverin hotel downtown. Picked up my race packet and saw people going to the arena for the Thunder versus Dallas playoff game. The next morning I got ready to run and walked over to the start line which was at the OKC memorial. It was just before sunup and the chairs were lit and it was one of the most powerful sights I'd ever seen the way the memorial looked in the dawn. Wish I'd had my camera. We lined up and had silence for 160+ seconds, one for each person killed. Then we started and it was fairly flat. Ran back through downtown and then through the cool resturant district and then past the state capitol building and then out past a Jimmy's Egg breakfast place and some nice houses. I went nice and slow and even while looking around. Finished downtown at 2hours 15minutes and got some drinks and bananas and headed back to the hotel.

Had a giant pancake breakfast that I couldn't finish and then went and toured the state capitol and the toured a really cool cowboy art museum. After that I got ready and met my step-sister Jodie at Cattlemen's steak house. It was an incredible place. Had the presidential t-bone and some lamb fries and a great visit. The next morning I checked out and went to Jimmy's Egg and had breakfast there, it was pretty good. Made it to Dallas and checked into the Doubletree inn just outside downtown. Went into downtown and visited the Sixth Floor museum in the book depository where Oswald shot Kennedy. Very powerful museum with good displays. Outside people were selling conspiracy literature, I passed on that. Walked around Daly Plaza and the grassy knoll. Back at the hotel I had a room almost on the top floor and was tired, so I sat on the deck and watched the Dallas skyline. The next morning, I ran the Katy trail in downtown Dallas for 3 miles. Very cool trail, but the people were really unfriendly, I said hi to everyone I passed and they would be startled or not look at me at all. Then the flight home. Really

liked the race and LOVED the memorial. I bought a painting for $75 they had in the gift shop of the chairs at first light.