First Leg

The big question that began to loom as the date for the relay got closer and closer was, "are we going to have 12," meaning twelve runners- the maximum number allowed per team. As it turned out the answer to that question was no. We approached enough people to fill out two full teams, but in the end we came up short. We were lucky then that the Relay organizers put us in touch with a group out of the Des Moines area that wanted to do the relay, but didn't have near enough for a team. This group came to be known to us as the Des Moines four. Then, there were three. Until this morning we their existence seemed like an ethereal thing. Now known to us as Tim, Mark, and Amy- they were, until we met up with them at the Floyd Monument simply the (now) Des Moines three. How grateful I am to have them on our team.

We checked in, got our t-shirts (first, what confidence that we'll finish) and heard the orientation from one of the organizers. Then it was time to send Micah out for the first five miles. It took him up and down the steep hills of Glen Ave. and its detour, out Morningside Ave. past the Hwy 20 bypass, past the funeral home and Memorial Park cemetery. We drove out to the 5 mile mark and waited.

It was a beautiful day to run. On the cool side with a gentle breeze. Enough sun to be warm, but enough clouds to create the occasional cover. Micah rolled up the road and handed the GPS tracker to Mark for the next 5 miles. 

In Bronson we parked at a nice little park with a baseball diamond. The van caught up with us and they broke out the frisbee. Meanwhile I was itching to go. Eager to put in my five. The chance came soon enough and I was off, GPS hooked to my shorts, earphones in, Foo Fighters driving me up the first hill with Monkey Wrench. I know my running playlist, know what songs correspond, roughly, with distance.  As I came over the crest of a hill I was only a few songs in but there was my team on the side of the road with another crew. That is one of the great things about this so far- the other teams, the other runners. There are some wonderfully weird and playful people out here with us. I knew I couldn't be at five miles. They had just stopped to cheer me one- which was nice.

I wrapped up the first leg soon enough. The last two runners from our vehicle took their turns and we were done for the next four hours. We diverted up to Correctionville for lunch at the Cosmos Lounge- Reuben sandwich for me. We talked nutrition and beer and strategies for sleep. With bellies full of fried food, we made our way back to the course to check in with the rest of team before finding a spot for a quick nap before taking up the second leg of our trek across Iowa.