13.1 miles

Shazam!

This Sunday I ran in the beautiful Des Moines half-marathon and I couldn't have asked for more fun. I take that back, if there were kittens racing with me it would have been perfect. Regardless, I had a great time with beautiful weather, great co-racers, friendly volunteers and sweet friends in Iowa.

I roughly guessed I'd finish in 2:30 (keep in mind that my training for this race was running 8 miles two weeks before race day) and went over by only 7 minutes. Frankly, I know I would have met my goal, but...I chatted with too many people, wasting too much energy talking and walking to enjoy the conversations instead of jogging to keep on pace. I have no regrets for these choices that I've made. Learning about Patriot's Day from Boston Man is worth the extra 7 minutes alone. I am eternally grateful for his knowledge about General George Washington and his ability to keep the British at bay.

I used the half-marathon as an excuse to visit my Iowa-dwelling friends again, and really Iowa too. That made it worth the race: seeing my friends, driving around in an old Plymouth, talking about cows, drinking coffee, and having great conversations. And, even though Rebbeca, my friends' 2.5-month old, wasn't much for conversing, she still left me smiling.

At any rate, drop me a line if you want to join me on the race course in your running shoes...good times for sure.