Des Moines Marathon - RunMarathon

What a roller coaster of an experience, frightfully many ups and downs...

Headed up!
For the first time in marathon training, I managed to run every mile of my training plan. Sixteen weeks of hard work down, and now it was finally time to put my fitness to the test. A few weeks ago I felt like I could tackle this no problem.

Down I go!
Then, 11 days before the race I got a cold, the taper made me feel like a sloth, working nights the week of the race didn’t help, and to top it off I got a painful stye in my eye a few days before the race that swelled my eyelid half shut.

Back up!
Two days before the race, I was feeling much better. Race weekend was here, time to see if I could get a PR (3:19:47), and in the best case scenario qualify for Boston (3:10:00).

Down!
Saturday arrived, and my wife Emily got sick. Fever. GI illness. Not good. She ran her first marathon in 2006, and has been trying to do another one ever since. Several stress fractures have knocked her out of previous attempts, but this time she had made it through her 16 week plan in good shape. Race morning arrived, both of our alarms went off simultaneously, but after I finished showering I found that she had gone back to bed. She couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without being winded. No race for Emily. So. Freaking. Sad. I offered to stay home with her, but she insisted I go run my race. Breakfast was a bowl of cereal and a bottle of Powerade. Then I spent some time researching nearby marathons in the next few weeks that Emily might be able to do when she recovered.

Up up up!
Got to the race in plenty of time, had a Stinger Waffle, and loaded up my fuel belt with 6 Hammer Gels. I also carried a package of Sport Beans. I found the 3:10 pace group, and next thing I knew the race had begun. I tried to settle in with my group, but felt a bit off the first few miles. Doubt about my ability to hold pace started creeping in, but by the time I was in the hills portion of the race that was over and I was feeling good. I soon found myself unable to tolerate the pace fluctuations of my group, and the leader hadn’t said one word to any of us through six miles. I decided to go it on my own, and I settled in to my own pace. This may have been a mistake, I know better than to push the pace early in a marathon. I hit the runners high as usual around mile 8 or 9, God I love that feeling. Took a gel every 4 miles, and ate a sport bean every mile that didn’t have me sucking down a gel. Had good success with on-course hydration, taking water mostly early in the course and the Gatorade Endurace in the middle and late. I also started dumping water over my head late when I was fading and the sun started bearing down. Through 20 miles I was running at about 3:08 finishing pace.

Down into the depths!
About mile 20 I felt it begin, that old familiar foe rearing its ugly head. The Wall. Pace began to drift slower, I began to make calculations in my head about the pace I’d need to maintain to keep my BQ finish. I started grabbing more fluids, grabbed an on-course gel to have at mile 21, and began to despair while circling Gray’s Lake. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so bad in a race in my life. I so desperately wanted to stop running, just to walk for a little bit. The 3:10 pacer blew by me, and I just about lost it. Then I started imagining just how I would feel if I crossed that finish line a minute past BQ, knowing that I walked and gave up that time. I went into some kind of haze, and I don’t remember miles 21 through 23 very well. I do remember chanting to myself “For Emily!” over and over. Seems kind of silly, as she’s just sick and will be able to run a different race, but hey, it worked in the moment.

Up to the peak!
A second wind hit, and I felt decent from mile 24 to 25. At that point, I knew I had a chance of making it. I resumed the Emily chant, I started looking at my watch way too often, and forced myself to shorten stride, quicken cadence, and make it to the line. The last 0.2 miles were some of the most painful yet joyful moments running for me ever. When I stopped my Garmin and it read sub-3:10 after the finish line, the feeling was indescribable. Only 30 seconds later did the pain hit. I had noticed no knee pain during the race but suddenly I couldn’t move my right knee without it screaming at me. I didn’t care. Boston 2014 here I come!

Can't say enough good things about this race. There's the beautiful but challenging course, the outstanding and plentiful volunteers, great aid stations and on-course support (medical and cyclists with supplies), well-organized start/finish area, plenty of amenities and varied tasty food at the finish. I'm proud to have such a great home-town race. I think people are noticing, once again a record crowd this year, with 8,413 registered (most for the half marathon).