OKC half marathon

Catching up : the Oklahoma City Half Marathon!

On Saturday morning, 4/26, we headed out bright and early for Oklahoma City. We met the group at the office at 7:00 and off we went! My friend Angie rode up with us, and we had a great time chatting and watching movies.When we arrived in OKC, we went to the Expo to pick up the race packets. It was fun to see Aspen excited and nervous to pick up her first half marathon packet.

Car selfie of the four of us

First half marathon for Aspen! We are so proud of her for training!

Aspen and Chris (the crazy Babers!) after picking up their packets at the Expo

One of the best things about race weekends...Chris likes to rest and relax (which is something he is usually against!) Here he is at 3:30 in the afternoon on Saturday, taking a little snooze :)

Us at 4:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, before Aspen and Chris boarded the shuttle to the start line.

13 of the 15 FDLIC runners! Two stayed at a different hotel. Amber, Steven, Kelly, Alvino, Aspen, Anna, Terry, Chris, Katie, Kris, Angie, Josh, and Melinda.

The awesome spectators!! :) Allison, Bradye, Forrest, and me! Yay!

Unfortunately, there was a 2 hour rain/lightening delay...so there was a lot of sitting around. First in the starting shoot, and then we all transferred to the parking garage so we could get out of the rain.

Mr. Baber ran a fantastic race and looked strong at the end! He came in first from the FDLIC group...

Us spectators looking a little rain logged, but still cheering!

Aspen ran great! She shot me an "I'm dying" look as she passed us in the finish shoot, but she had a decent time and more importantly, she finished!!! And now has a cool medal to prove it :)

How quickly the pain is forgotten, and the accomplishment shines through!! So proud of them both!

Allison, the master cupcake baker, make a selection of delicious cupcakes for the runners!

After the Expo, we went and had lunch with the entire group at a brewery. Once we had full bellies, we went to check into the hotel and relax for a bit before dinner. Chris likes to really take it easy the day before a race, so we lounged in the hotel room; watching tv, reading, napping. Then we got ready for a group dinner at a restaurant across the street called Zios. We had a great evening of fellowship with everyone and finalized the plan for the morning.

The runners had to be on the shuttle to the start line at 4:45 am on Sunday morning. So we were up quite early. They boarded the shuttle, and then us spectators grabbed a light breakfast at the hotel. Then we, too, headed to the start line.

Once we arrived, it began to drizzle a bit. And then rain harder, with the addition of lightening. The race ended up being delayed for 2 hours, so we stood in the rain, and then moved to parking garages for shelter. There were 26,000 runners, so you can imagine the mob and the craziness. Once they started the run, the runners were hungry and tired and antsy from being delayed, but there were determined to make the best of it. All 15 of our runners finished the race, and most were around their goal times. It was a proud day!

Chris ran a great race, though he didn't meet the time goal he was hoping for. More than anything, he was like a proud papa duck watching all of his trainees come across that finish line! He was glowing with pride for them, and it was neat to witness. Aspen ran a great race too, and though she was hurting at the end, she finished with a smile! She put in the time to train for this big event, and I think this really showed her that if you put in the work, you can pretty much do anything. Which is a great life lesson!

After we rounded everyone up at the finish line, we all headed back to the hotel to clean up and then had yet another meal together! This time at Charlestons, and it was yummy! Afterwards, we were back on the road to Abilene...

What a fantastic weekend! They are already talking about the next one :) And new people are showing interest. Chris is over the moon!