I FINISHED THE DES MOINES MARATHON
(Copied from my team-in-training fundraising page, please visit for more marathon and TNT info)
My time was 4:40:11 which was in the range I was expecting so I feel great about that. I also finished feeling like I could have kept going or that I could have gone a little faster – both of which made me feel that it is pretty likely this is not my last one. I met a guy on the course today running a little slower than me that was on his 17th of the year and his 117th overall! He just kept going.
Des Moines
First, the course. The city of Des Moines is such a lovely place. Seriously. The course started downtown which felt clean and organized and there were so many volunteers there helping make the event happen. We started running towards the state capitol with morning sun reflecting off a classical gold dome, very relaxing actually. After a few miles in the business district which included the cheering support of my family, we went past a new sculpture garden, an amazing looking library and then up a hill which led into a beautiful residential district. They definitely took us through the nive part of town which is what you should do when 6500 people come for your race.
One of the neatest things were the number of people in these neighborhoods having outdoor parties for the race which included music of all kinds, not only for the runners but for the parties. We made our way on the Drake University campus where we got to run on the football stadium track and had our pictures up on the scoreboard video screen. 8 of the later miles wound through Des Moines’s Water Works Park which was just fabulous. Lakes, trees, fields, playgrounds, picnic tables. It’s very close to town and claims to be twice the size of Central Park. We left the park on mile 24 and were back in downtown and finished where we started downtown – and again I was greeted by cheering Gilberts.
The Team
Simply, there is no way I would have done this by myself – and I think there is no way anyone else in our group would have done it by themselves either. Fior many of us, making commitments is an entirely different experience when we do it publicly and with others. We set expectations for ourselves but we also do not want ot let our partners down. Being on the Team in Training (TNT)made me commit to raising money to fight cancer and complete the marathon – people were counting on me. That’s a different experience than commiting to myself where it is much easier for me to justify breaking a routine or accomplishing a goal. I need a teammate to help me stop biting my fingernails!
Wearing the purple jersey from TNT also means that I am a member of a team that has thousands of members over 21 years around the country. I was reminded just how special that was when a man wearing a TNT shirt from Illinois found me at the end of the race and thanked me for helping to save his daughter’s life. He explained that is daughter – now 10 – is approaching her five-year anniversary of being cancer free. Being personally thanked by this father for helping to save his child’s life was humbling, gratifying, meaningful, and tear-inducing.
Hard Work
Training and completing this marathon was hands-down the hardest work I have ever done in my life for anything outside of being a parent. I thought a lot about hard work throughout the race today and I realized that my experiences with truly hard work have been in short bursts. This was an experience of sustained hard work by choice no less, that involves complete physical and mental exhaustion.
What’s next?
I’m planning on doing the Lincoln Half Marathon in the spring 2010, hopefully with my TNT buddies and then I’m going to seriously start looking for another one to do next fall. Let me know if you are interested!
