Race Recap: Des Moines Women’s Half Marathon

I completed the Des Moines Women’s Half Marathon (my 11th half marathon) as part of my (re)scheduled 20-mile training run. This race was a bit momentous for me, as it was my LAST race in the 30-something age group. Admittedly, I got a little choked up that morning. After finishing my 7 miles on the paved trails in Water Works Park, I lined up with the 1,800 other runners to start the half marathon.

des moines half marathon flat runner
Flat Melinda ready for Half Marathon #11

Registration and Cost: Registration was online. I was nervous the event would sell out, considering how late I signed up (only after my original weekend plans were canceled). There was an option to purchase an extra glass of wine with registration for $5 (yes, please). My cost after fees and extra booze was $81.12.

Packet Pick-up: I had a bad feeling when I got an extra email this week AFTER the “this is the last athlete email” was in my inbox (the “last athlete email” where the participant guides were also not hyperlinked). It was about parking, and that’s something that stresses me out more than it should. But since I am still unfamiliar with most of Des Moines (and still have to use my GPS to get anywhere), it’s always a concern — particularly for races. They also urged participants to pick up their bibs on Saturday; despite my plans to go early on race day, I decided to make the extra trip out to Jasper Winery.

Well, parking was annoying — mostly because it seemed no one really knew where to go; once I found the grassy lot behind the winery, I was OK. But people were parking on the front road and side road and trying to parallel park. And there were a lot of people walking in the road (wtf?!). Because I parked in the back of the building, there were no signs directing me where to go — I had never been to Jasper Winery. I saw a bunch of tents and went in that direction (even though I entered the wrong way, seemingly).

And then I realized that there was a line around the front side of the building for packet pick-up. The backup was because we had to sign TWO waivers before picking up our bib. WAIVERS. When registration was ONLINE. It was a little ridiculous.

My gut feeling was proving to be right — and this was a case where I didn’t want to be right!

Registrants then went to a separate table to pick up their bibs; the lines were formed by bib numbers. And then there was a third set of tables to pick up the swag bag. I also got my extra wine ticket, and took that immediately to the winery so I could relax and enjoy (it really was a beautiful day!).

des moines womens half marathon finisher medal and bib

All that said, I really, REALLY loved the bib design!

Expo: There were a couple tents set up outside for the race promoter and Girls on the Run, and the rest of the “expo” was inside the winery. SHAPE is a sponsor of the event and had a mini-shop with its workout apparel. There was also a giant display with every runner’s name printed. I noticed on my way out that the banners on the way out ALSO had names printed on them. I liked the integration!

That's me!
That’s me!

As you exit, you can grab a glass of wine (I think they also had beer) and sit outside and enjoy the weather. My Front Porch Rosé was a perfect complement to the weather.

Swag and Medals: The half zip, a branded wine glass, the medal. Yeah, this swag is pretty awesome.

DSM Womens Half Marathon swag glass jacket

Weather: The weather, honestly, could not have been more perfect. It was 57 degrees and sunny at the start — warming up to low 70s by the time I finished.

Course and Elevation: Extremely flat — really, a perfect race for any first-time half marathoners. The start was in front of Jasper Winery and continued past Gray’s Lake into downtown, around Principal Park, connecting to the paved trails that lead back to Gray’s Lake again, and finishing the last miles on the trails at Water Works Park.

dsm half marathon women start line
Ready to go! (I took advantage of a delayed start by getting all my extra miles in BEFORE the race)

Start Line and Parking: The race was delayed by 15 minutes BECAUSE OF PARKING. There were no corral openings — at least none that I could see walking up as far as I could fit to the 11-minute pace sign; runners filtered in from the back. They ended up having to start two different waves because they couldn’t get runners all filed in. Also, I never saw anything posted that parking was at Water Works — everything said the winery. I guess it could be assumed if you are familiar with the area… but I’m not.

Aid Stations: I was happy with the spacing of the water stops, but not too happy to get to the one at 3 miles and find it not have Gatorade as promised in the Athlete Guide that was provided the week of the race (when we got the actual email where the links worked). In fact, there was supposed to be Gatorade at the Mile 6.5 aid station (there was not); there was also definitely no “athlete nutrition in the form of bananas, Clif Bars, Fruit Strips and Twizzlers” at Miles 7.5 or 11. Those aid stations DID have Gatorade though (grape, gross).

Fans and Experience: There were EXCELLENT cheer sections and “fans” along the course, and some of my favorites were the Girls on the Run (who were volunteering at the aid stations; definitely not their fault AT ALL that the stops were not stocked as promised), the Velorosa cyclists, the lululemon Des Moines cheer squad, and the Pure Barre West Des Moines (they’re opening next week!) ladies near the finish line. I saw a lot of repeat spectators who moved along the course, spotting them again-and-again and exchanging “woos.”

Total Bullshit: I have a list of things per this race experience, but overhearing runners NOT be cool to cyclists was stoking my Run Rage. In fact, there was a lot of race etiquette lost on many of the participants of this race. They’ll learn; I can’t fault them for being new to the race mores. BUT DON’T BE DICKS TO CYCLISTS. Because you’re racing on the trails does not mean the outdoor world shuts down for you.

des moines woman half marathon after party jasper winery

Finish Line and After Party: The race ended where we started — at Jasper Winery. Our finisher medals were handed to us at the end of the “chute” and volunteers passed out bottles of water. You could get individual printed results outside the finisher area — where they also had a live band, food tents, food TRUCKS… and wine. Did I mention that free glass of wine for finishers? They did one better by me by having FREE SANGRIA. Which was a good thing because the athlete food line was SO LONG, I didn’t bother. I guess that was free, too, per the tab on my bib.

des moines half marathon finish line winery sangria

And then I waited in my car for a half hour trying to exit the park because the race didn’t keep any traffic volunteers or cops on duty to assist with getting everyone out of the parking area (one giant grass lot and one light that let out about 5 cars at a time). Parking sucks. The end.

OVERALL
THE GREAT: Free sangria!
THE GOOD: Great weather and awesome swag.
THE BAD: If the lack of race etiquette bothers you, this is not the race for you.
THE UGLY: I wrote four paragraphs complaining about parking. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

TL;DR: I didn’t hate this race… but I didn’t love it. There are definitely improvements to make for next year.

des moines womens half marathon finisher jacket
Hey baby, nice swag!

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2:15:19
Overall: 461 out of 948
Last race in the 30-something age group!
Females 35-39: 90 out of 161

Weekly Therapy: A Week of Awesome celebrating a Day of Awesomeness

the week:
This week we celebrated being awesome and being women. Every person I saw wearing red on Wednesday, I gave a mental fist bump.

weekend:
Swapped my long run to Sunday this weekend, which ended up being a good call with overnight snow on Friday and sub-freezing temps again on Saturday morning. The time change may hurt a bit though.

Saturday afternoon we’re going to the Iowa Asian Alliance’s Pho King Cook Off — while the tickets included all-you-can-eat Pho, it’s unlikely with all my food issues that I’ll find anything to eat (whomp, whomp). Though I’m excited to see the Celebrity judging and get one of those Pho King t-shirts.

seven things, seven days:
1. I broke out in a rash all over my arms and hands and was freaking out over what caused it. Then realized during my facial, the appointment included a massage in those areas. UGH. Thankfully it wasn’t on my face, but WTF!
2. Red LEGEND Compression Performance Socks are here!!!! And use Code: “runred” to earn 30% OFF a second pair of LEGEND socks or sleeves when you purchase a pair of RED.
3. Also, heyyyyyy look at who is up on the LEGEND Ambassador Athlete Page! ?
4. I miss David Letterman. {via Vulture}
5. What causes burnout and how to overcome it {via Lifehacker}
6. A Trail Sister from Iowa City!
7. Selling the thrill of the outdoors to the urban masses: Patagonia and The North Face

Vermont City Marathon: Training Week #2

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Vermont city marathon run blog

Because of the upcoming double digit distances this training plan, I worked with my coach to swap my long runs to Saturdays to participate more often with the Capital Striders (the Des Moines area running community) group runs — which are, painfully, at 7:30 am. I did something similar in my last marathon training and getting the long run over with early Saturday seemed to work well for me. Though getting up at 6 am on a Saturday is definitely not the easiest, I usually take a nice afternoon nap — and I wait to do my Sunday recovery run in the afternoon.

Week #2 of Marathon Training Plan looked like this:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Interval Run
Wednesday: Easy Run + Strength
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Recovery Run + Core

Iowa blogger run marathon

My treadmill is still busted, despite receiving two replacement motherboards from ProForm. So, that meant a couple evening runs in the dark after work and ALL of my runs this week outdoors. The whole situation is totally irritating seeing as how we’ve had the equipment for less than a year AND purchased a 4-year warranty — and bundling up just to do an easy 20-minute outdoor run pisses me right off… but I’m working through it. But if I don’t get a promise of a replacement treadmill by next month, I’m REALLY going to lose my shit on someone.

Monday: GLORIOUS REST — and another recognized holiday at work — has me feeling finally (mostly) back to normal. We got a crazy ice storm in the Midwest on Monday, but the above-freezing temps melted mostly everything away overnight.

Tuesday: Short run — 3 miles, followed by an at-home kettlebell-focused strength workout.

Average 10:25 pace

Wednesday: Tempo Intervals — 6x400s (with a mile warm-up and mile cool down) in my secret stretch of sidewalk near the backside of my development. I love it; it’s a near-perfect .25 mile block (a little over, actually) and only slightly uphill that I just run back-and-forth.

Finishing these intervals was TOUGH, and I slowed down quite a bit on the last set. Looking forward to seeing myself get more consistent for a full set.

Thursday: Yoga Roots at LifeTime Fitness. Some weeks I love this class and others I hate it. I guess that means it’s working. Recently the instructor changed the programming to hold poses for 10 breaths instead of 5 — and holding some of the poses are really, really hard. The instructor tried to adjust me in triangle and I nearly collapsed.

Friday: Rest Day! I ended up meeting some friends after work for happy hour at Wellman’s Pub.

Saturday: I had 6 miles on my training plan, so I joined the Capital Striders group run (at 7:30 am) for the short route (which ended up being about 5 miles). After my running friends departed, I explored the Drake University campus to finish out my last mile. It was a pretty nice day in Des Moines, and I can’t believe I got my ass out of bed that early.

Average 10:21 pace

Des Moines running group blogger

Sunday: Easy 20 minute run — and despite it being 37 degrees, it felt REALLY really chilly.

Average 10:11 pace

WEEKLY RUNS: 4
WEEKLY MILES: 16.1 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 18.11 miles

Want to join me in Vermont this Memorial Day Weekend? Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 during your online registration to save $5!

Weekly Therapy: Turkey for you, turkey for me.

the week:
Thanksgiving! No Turkey Trots for me this year, as we’re hosting some friends that are also staying in town — and my dad decided to fly out to Des Moines to join us! So, I’m on airport and hosting duties (but I did get my morning miles in to offset all those calories). I ended up getting to use PTO for Friday, too, so I have a very short work week!

A photo posted by Mel! (@melliesmel) on

weekend:
My dad is staying through Saturday, so we hope to do a little sight-seeing to show off our new city! On Black Friday, there is a Market Day Iowa pop-up in Capital Square — featuring a bunch of local artists and vendors. Did you take advantage of any Black Friday deals for yourself?

A week off from racing, but I plan to get out for a preview run of the Nature Center in Council Bluffs for my 12-miler this Sunday with a couple of fellow Turkeys.

seven things, seven days:
1. Pumpkin Cranberry Way Better chips season!!!!!!!
2. So thankful for my biweekly chats with my running coach. I was feeling a lot of anxiety about my upcoming trail race, and she helped remind me about the excitement and fun factor of doing a new challenge. I lose sight of that far too often.
3. I took a new cardio-based yoga class this week at my gym… and it was awful. -_-
4. I’ve also had an awful experience with Trunk Club and finally requested a new stylist. I am still not very impressed. I guess that I expected more from a Nordstrom service.
5. This article about psychologists Kahneman & Tversky got me all excited about Michael Lewis’ upcoming new book! {via Vanity Fair}
6. Just in time for Turkey Day: The Psychology of Comfort Food {via Luvo blog}
7. Tis the season to buy your loved ones discounted race registrations!

Weekly Therapy: It will be cold. You will get dirty. And you will get wet.

the week:
I had to give a presentation at work this week and if you know me: I HAD TO GIVE A PRESENTATION. This, coming from someone who had to drop public speaking THREE TIMES in college. Every thing about it scared the crap out of me, but I was given the opportunity and wanted to get past The Thing that I typically reject on account of nerves and fear and other silly personality defects and comfort zones. All that aside, I DID IT.

*THUMBS UP EMOJI*

container-store-des-moines-preview-opening-party

weekend:
This weekend is the Living History Farm Race — 7-ish miles of dodging mud and farm animals (yep, farm animals!) and other obstacles. Think of it as a Tough Mudder: Iowa Style. The promise is that it will be cold, dirty, and wet. Everything about that sounds terrible, no?

seven things, seven days:
1. I hit the halfway point of the 100 Striders Miles Challenge for November!
2. Work hosted a thanksgiving potluck – and there was an insane amount of food that I couldn’t eat. ?
3. I finally got out to a group run at Fleet Feet in downtown Des Moines — and it was Saucony demo day!
4. Speaking of Saucony, did you see (or buy?) their RunBox?
5. The Container Store is opening this weekend in West Des Moines, and we went to its fancy preview party. It was so nuts – but completely awesome! Check it out and shop this weekend, as a percentage of proceeds benefit local charity Variety.
6. Why our brains respond differently to Classical music. {via Pacific Standard}
7. What a cool research project — and discovery behind one of Cleveland’s historic landmarks.

Weekly Therapy: Set Your Intention and Purpose — with everything you do.

the week:
Something WAY important that I skipped in last week’s post — my annual skin cancer screening. I got two more biopsies of moles that have changed. One, a super black flat mark on my abdomen that has some irregular edges; the other, one of the god-awful ugly large brown moles that developed over the last couple years and now has a new dark ridge through it. The latter mole, mostly cosmetic, but everything they take off gets biopsied because of my history.

This is your reminder, 30-somethings (and other-somethings, if you’re here — hi!!!): Schedule your annual skin check!

weekend:
Well, I’m planning on getting my car washed and detailed (finally… only two road trips later) and want to finish the book I’m currently reading. I would also like to find some of my Halloween decorations to put out — because despite the weather being 75, it’s OCTOBER PEOPLE.

I’m also going to attempt some Meal Planning, thanks to some encouragement from Nymph in the Woods.

seven things, seven days:
1. I FINALLY got a massage this week, for the first time this training cycle. I upgraded for the “athlete” package — which included being rubbed down with IcyHot and my legs being draped in hot towels and OMG this might have been the best sports massage ever.
2. The Drake concert in Des Moines was INCREDIBLE. Great show, and I LOVED Future’s set, too.
3. I SWEAR that I woke up to an earthquake on Tuesday (unconfirmed, based on all my internet searching). That said, here’s some interesting science behind why the Midwest has earthquakes. {via Science Mag}
4. I added 4 more races to my fall calendar (sorry, boyfriend! haha)
5. Hillary for President. ✊
6. WINDIANS! #rallytogether
7. What separates Champions apart from “Almost Champions” {via Science of Us}

Race Recap: Capital Pursuit 10-Mile

The second of my back-to-back 10-mile weekends of this training plan included the Capital Pursuit race. This race is held annually, and is the right distance and timing leading up to the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon. No ifs, ands, buts about it: This race felt AWESOME for me. Though it also made the reality of a 2-hour time for this upcoming half seem pretty unrealistic (but so in reach!!!). I won’t focus my thoughts there quite yet.

pre-race-des-moines-capital-pursuit-blog
Race day prep!

Registration and Cost: The Capital Pursuit was super inexpensive for a 10-mile race, AND I saved $5 being a Capital Striders member — $40 in advance, $45 day of race. I registered online through GetMeRegistered.com for a total $38.69 charge (which obviously included some fees). There was also a 5K run as part of the Pursuit.

Expo and Packet Pick-Up: No expo, but packet pick-up was the day before at Fitness Sports in the Swanson Depot in Clive, or you could pick up your bib on race day. Note: No bag check or transportation at this race.

Free Swag: A nice blue long-sleeve tech shirt with the Capital Pursuit logo.

capital-pursuit-bib-medal-shirt-des-moines-race

Charity: A portion of the race proceeds assist Iowa Kidstrong, Inc. — promoting healthy, active lifestyles among children. There were about 40 See Us Run students and their running mentors racing the 10-Miler.

Start Line: Plenty of Kybos (that’s Iowan for port-o-potty) and a DJ to entertain the runners at the start. We lined up at the Locust & 15th Street intersection at Western Gateway Park, heading straight into the city.

Weather: Well… it was sunny and mid-50s when I woke up. But 90% humidity. So while it didn’t feel oppressively hot, I was sweating profusely throughout the race (in a tank and shorts in 50 degrees, wtf Iowa). I’m glad that I opted not to wear a hat, to be honest. Official race weather states: 60s and partly cloudy. -_-

Course: I guess the course changed this year (I have no reference, but a couple people said this to me), supposedly skipping one of the hills going towards the capital building. But this year’s route was a nice out-and-back, running into the city, then out into the neighborhoods near Drake University where it was so peaceful. I was impressed by the elevation changes running back into town on Ingersoll — though the skinny lane with regular traffic outside our set of orange cones made me nervous at times.. And then there was that nice “sweet spot” of a downhill at the end of the race. A few weird turns near the end of the course, but I enjoyed sprinting in on that straight-away down Locust towards the finish line.

Fans and Experience: A few fans along the course (though not many), and water/Gatorade stations with volunteers at about every 2 miles. I made a new running friend, naturally, and we ran together and chatted for nearly the entirety of the race — even getting him to sprint with me to the finish.

capital-pursuit-finish-line-10-miler-race
The boyfriend caught this great movement shot of me sprinting into the finish line — look at them legs!

Finish Line: I love, love, LOVE when the runners’ names are announced at the finish line. And we got medals! There was also a tent set up with a BUNCH of post-race snacks — the usual bananas, but an additional spread of bagels and orange slices and more.

After Party: There was an after party with, supposedly, a bunch of food and free drinks for participants at Exile Brewing… but it didn’t start until 10:30am. I walked down to the brewery and realized this when NOBODY was there. Kind of dumb, considering the start time of the race and anticipated finish times. Eh, great idea in theory, but I didn’t feel like waiting around another half hour.

Bonus: Chocolate milk at the finish line, YAY!

Random Bullshit: A TRAIN. Yep, a set of train tracks runs through downtown Des Moines and right on schedule during the first couple miles of the race. I heard its horn, and saw the light creeping around the corner — and I booked it over that set of tracks. I didn’t look back to see if anyone got caught up, but MAN… that’s not something you plan for AT ALL for race day.

OVERALL
The Great: Can’t beat a PR race! That’s two PR races in one month for me!!!
The Good: Putting a plan in place and getting in a GOOD training practice for race day.
The Bad: A MOVING TRAIN, YOU GUYS! Not ugly for me, but… holy crap.
The Ugly: (Men-folk, look away your sensitive eyes on this one) My freaking period started the night before the race (3 days early). It looks like I’ll be on my cycle for the half now, too, and that is NEVER fun to practice. >:-(

capital-pursuit-10-mile-race-blogger
Chocolate Milk!

Splits: 9:19 — WHOOOPS, started a bit too fast here! Blame it on the train 😉 (1) / 10:07 (2) / 10:35 (3) / 10:55 (4) / 10:50 (5) / 10:48 (6) / 10:45 (7) / 10:24 (8) / 9:45 (9) / 9:21 (10) — Check out the second half of that race! ?

OFFICIAL RESULTS
1:43:16 (no chip time)
#279 overall
45th in my age group

Weekly Therapy: “You didn’t quit; you learned.”

I’ve been completely inspired by podcasts these last few weeks. Today’s title quote comes from Episode 7 of the BibRave Podcast — an incredible interview with Race Director of THE Boston Marathon, Dave McGillivray.

the week:
I’ve felt very harried and scattered all week, despite getting plenty of good sleep and not changing anything in my schedule. My to-do list feels a mile long, and I’m really anxious at getting a lot done this weekend. I don’t know… it’s like nesting or something but without the pregnancy. Maybe because of the changing seasons?

weekend:
Tonight is the members’ preview of the Vivian Maier photography exhibit at the Des Moines Art Center. YOU MUST ATTEND THIS EXHIBIT! It’s open through January 22. We’re also having dinner at Eatery A for the first time. So, I guess we’re having a date night.

The Capital Pursuit 10-Miler is Sunday — I’ve got my race plan and I’m ready to tackle it! #positivethoughts

seven things, seven days:
1. Today is National Run at Work Day — kinda bummed that I found out about it too late to plan something. I participated last year and had a blast!
2. I’m so proud of LifeTime in taking steps to implement a social media policy, restricting use of photos in locker rooms, saunas, and other private areas — and adding: No member may capture another member’s likeness without their consent. YES.
3. That time I went to BibChat and wasn’t wearing pants. ? ? ?
4. Are you recovering properly? {via Appetite for Health}
5. How do you feel about getting older? Well… it’s complicated. {via Pacific Standard}
6. The appeal of Botox — the savior of Resting Bitch Face {via Pacific Standard}
7. Couldn’t miss this article all week — Hint: it’s about SUGAR (Ugh!) {via NYT}

IMT Des Moines Half Marathon: Training Week #7

I had another week that I cut out my second easy run. While I at least fit in a short circuit workout, the weekend was just too busy. All things considered, I only took one rest day from being active — AND I did something new! — so I am still happy with this training week. My chat with my coach this week really helped me think a little bit about my mental game and my ability to push a little harder. It’s there, but I can’t let self-doubt win.

My goal for the week: Stay in the moment.

WEEK AT A GLANCE:

  • One strength workout
  • One circuit workout
  • One easy run
  • One speed workout
  • One long run
  • And one fun hour of trail-skating!
mel iowa blogger trail skating des moines
Skating the trails!

MONDAY
My scheduled rest day in my training plan, but I went down to Gray’s Lake and skated the trail to downtown. A nice 5-ish mile loop on a very sweaty day! Having not been on my skates in six months, it felt really good. Though I forgot how much I had to carry with me when I skate alone!

TUESDAY
My weekly strength workout.

WEDNESDAY
Pick-ups scheduled, and I was in that headspace where I wanted to flip my speed and easy days. But once I got my 10-minute warm-up done, I wanted to do the speed work. Because I didn’t have my watch set up for that, I forgot to hit the lap button on each interval AND they weren’t exactly on the minute mark – but I got it done!

And then when filling in my training plan spreadsheet, I realized that I forgot to do my core workout. Whoops!

All said and done, I completed just shy of 4 miles (3.93) in 43:00 minutes.

THURSDAY
Four miles easy run on the treadmill at 10:23 pace

Splits: 10:04 / 10:18 / 10:29 / 10:41

FRIDAY
Attended the Go Blog Social networking and happy hour events, as part of the fun conference weekend here in Des Moines. I’ll have a blog post up about the event this week! It was a very fun rest day. 😉

SATURDAY
Krave Fitness Gym, a fitness center in West Des Moines and one of the partners of the Go Blog Social conference, held a workout in the morning before breakfast. It was circuit-based, with a focus on body strength workouts and core. I was really happy – as a fitness blogger and active person – to have the organizers schedule a workout as part of the conference.

I spent all day at the conference, and then went to my first Iowa-Iowa State party. I had another easy run on the calendar for Saturday, but just couldn’t fit it in.

mel iowa blogger runner treadmill long run
A girl and her treadmill — 10 miles done!

SUNDAY
On Sundays, we do long runs!

Because I had exhausted all of my mental energy from socializing for two days straight and I was experiencing some digestive distress in the morning, I kept this one on the treadmill (sad cakes, as it was BEAUTIFUL weather). I was moving SLOOOOOWWWWW for an “easy” pace. My splits were pretty consistently in the 11:15-11:25 range (with one outlier at 11:45, woof).

The first of my back-to-back 10-miler weekends is complete, and I look forward to this weekend’s Capital Pursuit 10-miler Race!

WEEKLY RUNS: 3
WEEKLY MILES: 17.9 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 110.56 miles — I hit the century mark!

Weekly Therapy: What makes something amazing is the possibility that it could destroy you.

I heard this quote on a podcast this week… HOLY SHIT.

the week:
The biggest news of the week — I got the job! The offer officially came over this week and was announced to our department. The congratulations notes from various coworkers really meant so much, and I’m incredibly happy to have been placed on such an amazing team.

weekend:
Tonight is the kick-off party to Go Blog Social conference here in Des Moines. I decided to make a little staycation out of it, and booked myself a one night-stay at Hotel Renovo.

Then after the conference ends on Saturday, I will be attending my first Iowa-Iowa State party (wearing neither of those colors). Somehow I’ll muster enough energy to run 10 miles on Sunday.

seven things, seven days:
1. Do you watch Mistresses? What. The. Fuck.
2. There’s a thing called chuckwagon racing in Iowa — and now I have to see this IRL.
3. Des Moines had an earthquake. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (missed it)
4. WFTDA roller derby playoffs are in progress! Check in on Columbia D1 games here.
5. Learning to Love My Anxiety {via Pacific Standard}
6. IT’S TIME.
7. How to be perfectly unhappy. {courtesy of The Oatmeal — love forever}