42 - Des Moines Marathon, Des Moines, Iowa

Why did I run the Des Moines Marathon?  It's all because of my friend Ann, who I taught with at The School at Columbia. Ann is originally from Des Moines, and she suggested that I run my Iowa marathon there.  It was a great suggestion, especially since Ann was able to come along.

We flew out of Newark on Friday night, and Ann's mother (Caroline) picked us up at the airport in Des Moines.  We spent the weekend staying with her mom, who is a total sweetheart.  It is ALWAYS a treat to stay and travel with a local person.

Farmers' Market

Saturday morning, we woke to crisp, clear autumn weather. The local Farmers' Market was our first stop. This farmers' market is no small-town farmers' forum—it is "world class!"  While browsing, we had a tasty egg sandwich and a Dutch Letter cookie for desert. There were tons of local goodies.

Mid-morning, we walked over to the expo center to pick-up my race number.  At the expo, the race director was giving a talk about the race the next day and what to expect.  He also recommended some sight-seeing opportunities for Des Moines.  Ann and I decided to take the tour of the State Capitol Building.  The tour was free and our guide was a wealth of knowledge about the Iowa government.

After the Capitol Building tour, our next stop was the Court Avenue Brewing Company, both for lunch and some local brew (Belgian White).  On our way home, we stopped at Dahl's supermarket to pick-up some marathon morning breakfast fuel.  Back at her mom's house, we relaxed for a bit, then had dinner at Skip's, a local favorite of Ann and her family.

Sunday morning, I was up bright and early, but once again the time-change g-ds were shining down on me. Ann dropped me near the Locust Street Bridge (the starting/finishing area) about 20 minutes before the start.  (Thank you Ann!) Brisk autumn air surrounded the starting area with the State Capitol Building as the backdrop.  Moments before the start, the sun make a brief appearance.

About 3 miles into the course, I heard someone yell my name— it was Ann.  She was with Tracy, her sister,  and Tracy's dog, Sophie; they were cheering me on.  It was a GREAT spot for them to be, since it was the beginning of the 'hills' portion of the course, which continued up hill until about mile 8 where the course flattened out.

Howling Basset Hounds

During this 'hills' portion, there was a women with her three basset hounds along the course; her hounds were howling barks of encouragement for the marathoners, making the hills more bearable.

For most of the marathon, I floated with the 4:25 pace group; the weather was ideal for marathoning— cloudy and cool, but not too cold.  We got to see lots of local sights: the home of the Governor of the State of Iowa; Waterbury, North Ingersol, and Drake Neighborhoods; the historic Jim Duncan Track at Drake University;  and 3 great parks — Greenwood Park, Water Works Park, and Gray's Lake Park.

The finish line at the Locust Street Bridge was a welcomed sight.  After the finish, there we physical therapist on hand to stretch out the runners.  Ann met me near the physical therapist tents with a coffee and a much needed BLT sandwich, which I had while I waited my turn to be "stretched."

On Sunday night, my marathon celebration dinner was held at Tracy's (Ann's sister) house.  A friend of hers, Jane Wolff, joined us.  Jane is originally from Minnesota and much to my surprise, has cousins in Hector, Minnesota where Mark is from!  According to Mark's mom (Lois), there may be a distant connection between the  Peterson's and the Wolff's.  (Mark always claims to be related to everyone in town in some way!) Also, one of Mark's high-school classmates (Pam Keinholtz) had Wolff as her maiden name.  I contacted Pam, and she said Jane could be a distant relation.

Gray's Lake

On Monday morning, we woke up to another gorgeous autumn day,  Ann, Caroline and I went to Gray's Lake Park and walked around the lake, a two-mile loop.  It was much more enjoyable this morning, than it had been the day before. During the marathon, we had run around Gray's Lake, but that was about mile 23, when I was ready to be done!

Late morning, Caroline dropped Ann and me at the airport for our journey home.



Thank you Ann for showing me the true Iowa!