Dam to Dam 10

So yesterday I ran one of my not so favorite races, Dam to Dam. For those of you not from Des Moines, this is a race that begins at the Saylorville dam and runs to downtown for a total of 12.4 miles (20K). Well, let me tell you about one thing that is always changing in Iowa – the WEATHER!

I got dropped off about an hour and 45 minutes before the race and it was just starting to rain. By the time I made it over the bridge, there was the announcement of “If it begins to thunder and lightning, stay low to the ground and do not touch the rails on the bridge” – serious! My shoes were soaked, I was shaking with goosebumps, and just laughing, because what else do you do in a moment like that!

Once the race started, I had the opportunity to run with a good friend of mine I hadn’t seen in 18 months. It was such a pleasure. We decided to use the Jeff Galloway method of running where we run for 5 minutes and then walk for a minute. My friend has been recovering from a stress fracture and I knew this would help her to hit her goal and finish the race.

The race began at 7am. It was rainy, windy and warm all at once. But I really didn’t care because I was running with a great friend. Many times she told me to just go, but I was not leaving my friend. At one point we ran up on a man who was 76 years old. He started singing and everyone around him sang with him. (I told her we couldn’t get beat by him, and we didn’t).

The last half mile the sun was beating on us. Cathy wanted to walk and I wouldn’t let her. She may have yelled at me. I may have ran backwards to encourage her, the Isiserettes were beating on their drums, I was dancing and waving my arms. And guess what? She didn’t walk – she ran – finished strong – hugged me at the end and told me she was sorry for yelling at me. I didn’t care.

Then, the reason I run was shouted out by another person – this gal said (and I’m sure I don’t have it 100% correct, but close) ‘We all need somebody like you to run with. You are so motivating.” I looked at her and told her “That’s what I do.”

• I’ll never be the fastest
• I’ll never be the slowest
• But I can certainly keep on going!!!