My father in law drove me to the Texas/ Oklahoma border. It was nice and cool, still dark, with a little south wind to push me. It was a very lonely run, no pacers or anything. Just myself and the cows for a majority of it. This course is ran on state highway 83. A nice wide shoulder helps give you a bit more space away from traffic. Many cars would even get all the way over into opposite lanes just to give me a bit more space. I even came upon a large tractor which caused me to run down into the ditch to be extra safe. He smiled a waved as he passed. Very nice people out here.
This part of the country is very “country”. A very straight course with only 2 turns/curves makes it a bit of a mental challenge too; but there are plenty of cows, farmland, tractors, with a few big hills to climb to help keep me entertained. There's only one true town I ran through. And apparently Dallas Cowboy's Lynn Scott was from this area (according to a sign entering the town of Turpin). I met a nice lady working the gas station and she let me get some cold water.
It stated to get warm towards mid day so I decided to play it safe and met up with my family with about 7 miles left to grab a few more supplies before finishing the route. A physical and mental test. I dint quite reach my goal of going sub 5.5 hours but was still very happy to mark this run off my bucket list.