It has been awhile since my last post, and while I'm still not quite ready to share my plans for 2025, there is a lot to catch up on this year.
Des Moines Corporate Games
On July 13th, just a couple of weeks after being cleared to start running again, Adam and I headed for Ames to run in the Corporate Games Cross Country Race. Adam was participating in the 8k and 4k, while I opted to only run the 4k. The 8k went first and Adam was so tired from that race that he opted to just jog with me for the 4k. I certainly enjoyed the company and encouragement along the way. It was a hot day, and I was out of shape and slow, but I managed to finish and it felt good to be running again. There was only 1 other person in my category and age group so I did manage to snag a silver medal and bonus points for John Deere.
The following weekend was the Corporate Games 5k Road Race, run as part of the Clive Festival. It turned out to be a rainy morning. Adam and one of my summer interns ran as well. We got soaked but still had a good time. I managed to finish in a time of 40:06, and was pleased with how I ran. My legs were extremely tired and sore the last mile but I pushed through.
Johnston Mayor's Run for the Trails 5k
I didn't really have a plan after the Corporate Games races, so Adam encouraged me to sign up for the Johnston Mayor's Run on August 10th. The race was held at Terra Park and we could not have asked for a more beautiful morning to run.
The nice weather was not enough though, as I had an absolutely horrible race. About 1/2 mile into the race, my right shin began cramping, by 1 mile in it was so unbearable I had to walk. Shin splints are not something I've dealt with much before and I was extremely frustrated. I did what I could the rest of the way and ended up finishing in 42:32. It took a couple of hours for the pain and cramping to subside after the race.
I was very frustrated for several days following the race, but luckily, after a few days of keeping my runs short, the shin splints subsided and I've been running pretty well as of late.
Upcoming Races
After easing back into running during the month of July, I've really gotten back at it during August. I've logged over 50 miles this month and have stacked up 4 extremely good training runs in the past week and a half. I'm not a patient person, so I'm very proud at how I've been able to take it slow without getting too frustrated.
Looking ahead, I am signed up for 3 races in September. On September 15th, I will be running the 5k as part of the HyVee Des Moines Half Marathon Series. The following weekend, I will be traveling to Champaign, IL to race in Tri the Illini, a sprint triathlon put on by the University of Illinois triathlon club. I will finish out the month of September with the Des Moines Area John Deere 5k in Ankeny on September 28th.
I've been starting to keep my eye on another milestone too. The Johnston Mayor's Run marked race #72 since I began racing back in 2014. That means that I could hit 75 races by the end of September!
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