Oklahoma

Order in which state was run: 15

Order in which state was admitted into the union: 46

 

The Oklahoma state flag honors more than 60 groups of Native Americans and their ancestors. The blue field comes from a flag carried by Choctaw soldiers during the civil war. The center shield is the battle shield of an Osage warrior. It is made of buffalo hide and decorated with eagle feathers. Two symbols of peace lie across the shield. One is the calumet, or peace pipe. The other is an olive branch. Crosses on the shield are Native American signs for stars, representing high ideals.

 

 

 

Date: April 30, 2006
Race: Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon
City: Oklahoma City
Cost: $45.00

 

Four months into 2006 and I completed my fifth state.  Running in the shadows of the Memorial and visiting the museum the day before was an excellent reminder of what matters in life.

 

 

 

Up next: Missouri

Utah

Order in which state was run: 14

Order in which state was admitted into the union: 45

 

On a blue field, appears the state seal. In the center of the seal is a beehive, the state emblem, with a sego lily growing on either side. The sego lily stands for peace. The state motto "Industry" means steady effort. A national flag shows that Utah supports the United States. The eagle stands for protection in peace and war. The date 1847 represents the year that Brigham Young led a group of people to the Salt Lake Valley to reestablish in Utah, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, also know as The Mormons. The date 1896 represents the year that Utah gained admission to the Union of the United States.

Date: March 18, 2006
Race: Canyonlands Half Marathon
City: Moab
Cost: $50.00

Two weeks after running in hilly Little Rock, I ran in mountains and canyons in southeast Utah. 

Highlights of the trip:
- Visited and hiked in both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks
- Saw (and used) a porta urinal hexagonal shaped porta potty pre race
- Toured Salt Lake City the day before my return flight seeing the Mormon Tabernacle Organ
- Managed to maintain by sub 2:00 half marathon streak coming within a minute of hitting 2:00

Up next: Oklahoma

Arkansas

Order in which state was run: 13

Order in which state was admitted into the union: 25

A diamond on a red field represents the only place in North America where diamonds have been discovered and mined. The twenty-five white stars around the diamond mean that Arkansas was the twenty-fifth state to join the Union. The top of four stars in the center represents that Arkansas was a member of the Confederate States during the Civil War. The other three stars represent Spain, France and the United States, countries that had earlier ruled the land that includes Arkansas. Flag adopted 1913.

 

 

 Date: March 5, 2006
Race: Little Rock Half Marathon
City: Little Rock
Cost: $64.40

 

Barely into March of 2006 and I ran my third half marathon in a third state.  Highlights of Little Rock:

- Duck parade at the Peabody Hotel

- William J Clinton Presidential Library

- SEC Women's Basketball Tournament going on the same weekend

 

 

 

Up next: Utah 

Texas

Order in which state was run: 12

Order in which state was admitted into the union: 28

The flag was adopted as the state flag when Texas became the 28th state in 1845. As with the flag of the United States, the blue stands for loyalty, the white represents strength, and the red is for bravery.



I registered for the Texas Half in Dallas when I thought I would be returning to New Orleans a few months after Hurricane Katrina had me working in Texas on a temporary basis.  I wound up running seven other Texas races that were a half marathon or longer distance.  I also had my only DNS (did not start) half or longer distance in San Antonio November 14, 2010.  I probably would have at least walked the Rock n Roll half event but I tore my muscle 10 days prior to the event.

The Texas half was also a special event in that it was the first race that I ran under an 8:00 minute per mile pace.  Getting under a 1:45 had been a goal of mine since I started running the distance and I accomplished it on my 15th attempt at the distance.

Date: February 11, 2006
Race: Texas Half
City: Dallas
Cost: $38.53

 

  



Date: January 14, 2007
Race: Aramco Houston Half Marathon
City: Houston
Cost: $50.00

 

 

 

Date: November 11, 2007
Race: San Antonio Half Marathon
City: San Antonio
Cost: $48.93

Date: February 17, 2008
Race: at&t Austin Half Marathon
City: Austin
Cost: $70.23

Date: January 18, 2009
Race: Chevron Houston Marathon
City: Houston
Cost: $85.00

 

 

 

Date: May 16, 2009
Race: Hogs Hunt 25k
City: Huntsville State Park
Cost: $40.00

Date: November 7, 2009
Race: Rocky Raccoon 25k
City: Huntsville State Park
Cost: $40.00

 

DNS but made the trip as a spectator

Date: February 20, 2011
Race: Livestrong Austin Half Marathon
City: Austin
Cost: $70.20

 

 

Up next: Arkansas

Arizona

Order in which state was run: 11

Order in which state was admitted into the union: 48

 

The 13 rays of red and gold on the top half of the flag represent both the 13 original colonies of the Union, and the rays of the Western setting sun. Red and gold were also the colors carried by Coronado's Spanish expedition in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540. The bottom half of the flag has the same Liberty blue as the United States flag. Since Arizona was the largest producer of copper in the nation, a copper star was placed in the flag's center.

 

Date: January 15, 2006
Race: PF Changs Rock n Roll Half Marathon
City: Phoenix
Cost: $45.00

 

Rock n Roll Arizona may have been Elite/Competitors 4th racing event.  I registered for this race while still living in New Orleans; otherwise, I would have run the Aramco Half Marathon in Houston held the same weekend.   I was able to get a couple of rooms at the Ritz Carlton in Phoenix at the family rate.  A highlight of this trip was touring Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in Scottsdale.  I had previously toured his home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois on a business trip to Chicago and would tour more of his works on future running trips.  A $10 gift card to PF Changs received in the mail either before or after the race was a pleasant surprise!

 

 

Up next: Texas