So, as some of you remember, the 2024 Des Moines Marathon did not go well. It got hot, I felt sick to my stomach and couldn't take in any nutrition after mile sixteen, I went out too fast, etc., etc. I signed up for the 2025 race at the end of last year, literally referring to it as The Redemption, not to be dramatic or anything. I ran the Fargo Marathon at the end of May and got some confidence back, running my second fastest time ever at 4:35:01. I started training for Des Moines in mid-June.
The fall racing season leading up to Des Moines included the Harvest Moon Hustle 10K in Elmwood, NE; the Monument Half-Marathon in Scottsbluff/Gering, NE; and Market to Market from Omaha to Lincoln. My times/paces at all of them were pretty good, but not spectacular. Also, because of other races, I wound up doing my longest run of twenty miles five weeks out from Des Moines, which wasn't ideal. Any time anyone would ask me how I felt about Des Moines, I would preface with, "Well, I started my taper a little early, but..." My longest run is typically two-four weeks out. I wasn't sure how that would go.
I got to the expo late Saturday afternoon. Chelsea and Brock were working the Market to Market booth, and within half an hour of getting there I'd seen like six other friends who were signed up for the half, so that was awesome. The temperatures at the start were actually looking pretty chilly at that point and I had packed short sleeves and capris, so I decided to buy some arm sleeves at the expo. Sunday morning at the race I lined up with the 4:35 pacer and figured I would speed up if I could, hoping I could at least beat my second-best time from Fargo. The following things then happened:
1) I got ahead of the 4:35 pace group going up a hill during the second mile and decided to just roll with it. A few times during the first ten miles I knew I was going way too fast, like there were a couple of miles in the 9:30s, but I just decided to do what felt good and try not to think about it too much. This strategy worked pretty well; I slowed down a little as I went, but never really "bonked"; the first ten miles were mostly in the 9-10 minute range, the second ten were in the 10-11 range, and the last six were mostly in the 11-11:30 range. Ideally, I would want to pace a little more evenly, but I didn't have any truly terrible miles like I did at Des Moines last year, or Chicago in 2021 or Monument in 2023, so I was happy about that.
2) I crossed paths with Brock, Nick, and Mia, who were all running the half, at around mile three, I think.
3) Also at around mile three, I decided I was ready to ditch my arm sleeves. This turned out to be a Whole Deal since I had put both my watch and my pace bracelet on over them. Long story short, the pace bracelet had to be ripped off and got thrown in the trash at the next opportunity, and though I tucked the arm sleeves into my flip belt, I noticed at some point later that one was missing. I'm not allowed to buy arm sleeves ever again.
4) For nutrition, I alternated between Honey Stinger chews and mini Honey Stinger waffles every four miles through mile sixteen. Then, not long before I was supposed to have more chews at mile twenty, there was an aid station with pickles, so I had a hunk of one of those. Then there was an aid station sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers offering strips of bacon, so I had a bite of bacon. Oh, also, at some point, someone along the course offered me a Jolly Rancher, which I enjoyed because it kept my mouth from getting dry for awhile.
5) The Omaha folks who had run the half were there to cheer me on at the finish. Finish time was 4:32:05, almost three minutes faster than Fargo in May and just one minute and eleven seconds shy of my 4:30:54 PR. So, cautiously optimistic that I may be able to PR again one day.
Not sure if there are any huge takeaways to be had, except just try not to overthink things too much, whether in training or on race day. Both this and Fargo have been confidence-building. I have one more race left in 2025 with the Good Life Halfsy. In 2026, I'm looking forward to Grandma's Marathon, and looking into possibilities for fall marathons.
