New Year’s Goal | The Dish on Des Moines

Let’s face it – summer is a busy time for most people, and my schedule has been no exception. Since my last post about my goal to run five 5K’s in 2011, I’ve run race number three, the Amanda the Panda Popsicle 5K, and race number four, the Ankeny Family YMCA 5K/10K Race.

For my fifth and final race (I can’t believe I’m this close to accomplishing my goal), I’m running the Flapjack 5K/10K race benefiting Children’s Cancer Connection, a local non-profit organization that enhances the quality of life for Iowa children and families who are affected by childhood cancer. I have personally seen the respite and comfort this organization provides local families and I wanted to find a way to give back – so I’ve decided to create a team for the event!

The “Flapjack 5K/10K” will be the last race that I run and I want you to join my team – “Breakfast in Bed” – to be a part of the day and to support a great, local non-profit! The “Flapjack 5K/10K” will be held on Sunday, September 11 at 9:00 a.m. at Water Works Park in Des Moines. Following the race there will be race typical race food as well as a community pancake breakfast!

Let’s make a difference together:

Register for the “Flapjack 5K/10K” – make sure you put that you’re on team “Breakfast in Bed” under team name. (If you register before September 2 – you’ll save $10.)
Add a donation onto your race fee (you’ll see a field for it when you register online) – whether it’s $10, $15 or $50 – anything above and beyond the registration fee will enable you to be a part of team “Breakfast in Bed”…and let’s be serious, who doesn’t want to be a part of “Breakfast in Bed”?

I’d love to get a big group of people together to help support this race and to make a difference in the local community. Eleven people have already signed up to be part of the team, and we’re looking to add a few more. And if you’re worried that you can’t complete a 5K…believe me, if I can do it you can do it. Let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to running with you!

It was nearly 85 degrees, we started 20 minutes late and I was surrounded by thousands of other nervous runners, but running the Dam to Dam 5K was an experience that I’ll never forget. Dam to Dam is the largest 20 kilometer race in the nation and the largest 5 kilometer race in Iowa, and it was held this past Saturday, June 4 in Des Moines.

With nearly 12,000 runners, 10,000 spectators, 260 portable toilets, 6,000 gallons of water, 1,000 gallons of beer, 10 bands, and 140 school buses, Dam to Dam is a race that represents the solid running community in Des Moines and in Iowa.

As one of the 5K runners I ran in the streets of downtown Des Moines, through the East Village, by the Botanical Center, alongside the river and back towards Nolan Plaza. The race route was a Des Moines-lovers dream, and the community I became a part of by running Dam to Dam was an experience in itself.

Sometimes it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about finishing something that you’ve set out to do. And with Dam to Dam, it was exactly that for me. Dam to Dam helped me inch closer toward my 2011 New Year’s goal of running five 5K’s in 2011, as it was the second local race that I have run. After 3.1 miles in the 80-some degree weather, I was happy to cross the finish line as a participant in this classic Des Moines race.