Aimee's TNT Training

surprise! des moines half

It's a surprise because I wasn't signed up until a week prior. My training partner, Sherry, is working on 50 marathons in 50 states, and needed Iowa. Months ago, I said I'd go with her. The past few weekends I did a tri, then two 10 milers, and thought, hey, I'm ready, I'll do a half!

Short Version: Second half marathon I've done, 1:45:26, PR by just over a minute. 4th in age. First two miles, 7:45s. Too fast! The next 6 miles, right on about 8:00s. Then they drop to 8:10s or so, due to being tired and the course being crowded (it's an out and back, and catching up to lots of walkers at that point). Average pace, 8:03.

Long Version: We get to Des Moines, and we're in bed by 7pm. Our lights are out by 8pm. (don't ever tell anyone we're that lame) We were sure we were going to be woken up by all the kids coming back from the Green Day concert, but didn't hear a peep. So the next morning, we're up at 5:15. I go down to the lobby to get our coffee and bagels, and when I come back up, Sherry's on the phone talking about an unexpected guest. I look in the bathroom, and there's a HUGE, live cockroach under a glass (Sherry put the glass over it). When Sherry hangs up, she tells me they comped our rooms. Yay!

So the line up is right outside of our hotel. Literally, we walked outside and into the corral. Then we're off, and I do my first two miles in 7:45. I run the next 6 miles in 8:00. Much better. At about the 5 mile point, the half and full routes split, and while I cross a bridge, I see the marathoners go up a HUGE hill. Apparently, that wasn't the worst for them. Fortunatly, the half was flat, while the full was wicked hilly.

After that, our course was beautiful. On a path in a park around a lake. The Parrotheads are at a water stop at mile 8, and I get lei'ed (hee hee), twice! Woo! I'm having a good old time, as the day and scenery are so beautiful, and at this point, the course is pretty flat. With a mile and a half to go, we go up a ramp and over a bridge (ouch!), then down the bridge to the final water stop. Up a ways, right at the turn to the 1/4 mile straightaway to the finish, someone has a sign that says, "One last push!" And I'm thinking, just ONE? C'mon, a quarter mile? That's, like, THREE last pushes!

I get up to the room (the finish was a block away), shower, nap, make some phone calls, and go down to see Sherry come in. She is a 4:05 to 4:10 marathoner, and shooting for Boston with a 4:05. Well, the 4:00 pace group she started with comes and goes. Then the 4:15 and 4:30 pace group go by. It's a small race, so I know I didn't miss her. I start to worry, but then I see her. She finished with a 4:38. The race was a lot hilier than she thought and the day was in the 80's, so it wasn't her race. But no worries, she still has Columbus, the race she BQed in last time.

This was my first small race, about 2700 people total, if htat, which is TINY compared to 20,000-35,000! I loved it. I may not go back to do it again, and I may not recommend the marathon unless you LOVE hills, but it was a great half, and a well-organized race, and a beautiful town.

posted by Aimee @ 4:46 AM