State #44: Iowa

I went to Iowa and ran The Hillbilly Hike Half Marathon! I had to run this race. I so desperately wanted the race shirt. Get this, it is a picture of a Hillbilly, with a corn husk pipe running with a straw hat and boots. 

I Had to Have this Shirt!

I never told this story publicly, but a few years ago, pre-COVID, when I owned a wellness center with cryotherapy and my nutrition office, a runner came in. He wanted to use the Normatec Compression boots. Love these boots! I think Hypervolt bought Normatec now, but this was 2019. This runner made me very upset because he accused me of . . . 

1. "Cherry Picking" races so that I could place in my age group.
2. Running small local races because I wanted to place in my age group.

First, I have run plenty of large races. I was never too afraid to enter all of the World Major marathons knowing I would not place in my age group. I have run many large half marathon races - like the Oklahoma City Memorial Half, Boston's Run to Remember, DC Rock 'n Roll Half, Lady's Speedstick Half in Nashville, and Rock Hall of Fame in Ohio - in major cities - most of which I placed in my age group might I add!!! I may have chosen one race over the next in the beginning, like the first 10 or 15 states, but after awhile - and those of you who have tried to run a race in every state know this - time, scheduling, injuries, family, other goals in life, etc. don't allow you to have the luxury of "cherry-picking" a race. So, no dear, this is not true!

Second, I like the small town races. I like the post run exploration of local brewpubs, craft beers, whiskey halls, etc.. I loved when the older veterans came out to play taps on Veteran's Day in Indiana. I loved watching the kids jump into Lake Michigan from the Black Rock Cliffs in Marquette after running in Marquette. It is so beautiful in that part of our country. Hey, if I want to go to a big city, I can hop on the path train or drive the 12 miles to Manhattan any day of the week. After running some half marathons throughout America, what I realized is, I want to know what it is like in the smaller suburbs. I want to know what it is like in the small towns that make up the heartland of America.

Fast forward  . . . 

Yes, Iowa is in the books. It was pouring rain and cold. I was 11 months post knee surgery and 2 weeks post COVID. Yup, that's right, I had a torn meniscus repair, repair of torn cartilage, and two weeks before I ran this half, I got COVID for the first time. 

Not the greatest weather for the Hillbilly Hike Half. In fact, this is on their Facebook page:

See that - I am a Hillbilly Warrior - and don't you forget it!

I was better prepared to run this race versus Tokyo. I actually went to REI the day before and bought this waterproof jacket. My hands were still freezing, and when the race was over, I regretted not bringing a change of clothes. All I could think is how beautiful this race must be when the weather isn't so cold and rainy.

The course takes place on the Somerset Trail. The race starts in Indianola at Indianola High School and ends in Indianola at Carlsile. The trail was flat through woodlands, farmlands, and wetlands. I am glad it was flat because my knee was still giving me a good deal of pain. 

Got Air Cover! You Can Not Make This Stuff Up!

Miss You, Karen!

At the end of the race, they served biscuits and gravy. Ron was in his glory!

I came in fourth in my age group. I ran 2:06:01. This was a 9:37 min/mile. Not bad post knee surgery and post COVID! 

Slow, But Strong!

If you watch the Hillbilly Hike Half Marathon Finish on You Tube you will see my poor little hobble trying to get myself over the finish line. That's okay. I realized, soon after I watched my Dad struggle through Stage 4 Congestive Heart Failure, it's okay to be slow, because even though I may be slow, I know I'm strong.

After the race, I had French Toast! I hadn't had French Toast in decades! I threw all (Crohnny IBD) caution to the wind and splurged! Of course I shivered the entire time in Crouse Cafe because I forgot to bring a change of gear! The Crouse Cafe was jam packed with people! No breakfast pun intended! It was quite possibly the best French Toast I have ever eaten! Of course, I needed to replenish my sodium and potassium stores too . . . 

So Yummy!
Cheers!

Next stop, hot shower! Like my post Tokyo rainy, cold, marathon shower, this one had to be the best post half marathon shower . . .

Thawed Out, Time to Celebrate!

Time to eat, again, of course. or as Ron says, "Time to feed the machine!!!" LOL! So, I googled some restaurants. We drove to Des Moines, and stumbled upon this restaurant:

More Air Cover!

We walked in and said, "Lunch for 2 people." The waitress said, "Sit anywhere." I said, "Welcome to Iowa!" No matter what time of day, day of the week, in North Jersey, you always have to wait for a table. 

Johnny's was great! 

Great food, great beer, and the service was also great!

Iowa is very pretty. Iowa is the only state bordered by two navigable rivers; the Missouri River to the west and the Mississippi River to the east. The capital of Iowa is Des Moines. Iowa's nickname is the Hawkeye state. Iowa is a big farm state and of course, it is known for corn, lost and lots of corn.

Here's to finishing Iowa, State #44!

Woohoo!

Until next post, 

Train Hard,

Run Happy,

Run To Inspire

and

God Bless America!