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Driftless Half Marathon-Lansing IA-State 49-Oct 8 2022
Iowa! Who knew how beautiful Iowa was?! And who knew Iowa was not flat?! The Driftless half marathon claims to be one of the most scenic courses you will run and I put them to the test being my State 49 and 103 half marathon! This is another race that had been on my list since before breaking my ankle in 2018 so I was excited to finally do it! It would be my 2nd to last State and my 4th weekend in a row of running a half marathon.
I always imagined Iowa as flat prairie farmland. Little did I know there are actual hills and bluffs and rivers and lakes to break it all up. The farmlands alone were actually quite beautiful themselves, but add in the Fall colors of the leaves and it made for a really surprising and stunning landscape that I was not expecting. By the end of the weekend, I even found myself saying I could possibly live there.
Flights to Iowa from Florida are not cheap and neither are the car rentals which of all the 50 states, Iowa was among the most expensive. I arrived at night, had one full day to explore, run the next day and then fly out after the race, trying to save money. I flew into Cedar Rapids and ended up staying about an hour away from the race start just because I couldn't find anything unique enough for this to be my 2nd to last state! ....I mean, what compares to staying on an old farm grain bin while in farmland state Iowa?! I thoroughly was not disappointed in the experience of the Airbnb nor in driving along the farmlands on the east side of Iowa, but as I finished the race and rushed straight to the airport, I wish I had planned at least one night in Lansing (the finish area) to celebrate. All of the small towns in fact impressed me. They were fun to walk and explore the shops, restaurants, and people. Maybe I'm realizing I'm more of a small-town farm gal after all.
My Airbnb was near the Field of Dreams complex where the movie takes place. What is more appropriate than wrapping up your 50 state goal with a Field of Dreams? It was pretty cool to see and tour the property and learn facts about the current owners, the original land owner/farmer and the movie itself. You could even play ball on the actual field, sit in the actual stands, or porch swing, and walk into the actual cornfields. What made it extra cool is my flight home from New Hampshire the week prior was actually playing this movie! Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately for baseball players) they will be undertaking a huge project adding extra fields and a hotel for practice and games. They said it's not going to be a tourist trap, but I have doubts. It definitely will not have the small-town farm in the middle of nowhere feel it has now.
After exploring the Field of Dreams site and washing down the largest pretzel (with bacon n cheese) I had ever seen in my life with a corn brewed lager at a local brew pub, I circled around to Pikes Peak State Park which overlooks the Mississippi River with short trails to hike. It was a beautiful Fall day with the leaves changing colors and nice cool temps!
Sun sets early in the Fall in Iowa so I made sure I found my way back to the Airbnb to take in a sunset bonfire where a curious deer walked straight up and joined me! What, a bear the week prior joined me in the backyard in NH, and now a deer in IA!
It was almost a full moon, so it was pretty amazing to lay in bed and see the moon set from the picturesque large windows as I was waking up for the race!
The drive in the pitch dark to race start is not suggested with deer, racoon, and skunk that frequent the dark streets which added extra time as I drove slower.
The race is a point to point that takes place on a scenic byway along the Mississippi River on the east side of Iowa, starting near Harpers Ferry and ending in Lansing. Point to points mean shuttles and usually extra early mornings. We met at a fire station to board the shuttle. Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was on the first shuttle otherwise I would have waited longer because it was 26 degrees and icy cold with nothing to protect you at the Starting area except of the porta potties.
Thankfully small town races come with friendly people so the conversation kept the time moving! It was an "explain the directions and then 1 2 3 Go" type of start. I put myself in the back not knowing how I would feel after 3 races the prior 3 weeks. My body felt alright but I knew there would be inclines to deal with. And with the cold, I didn't know how quickly my muscles would tighten up. It didn't help the race directors final words as we were lining up were "sorry" for how difficult the course was going to be. She may have gotten into my head a little.
Surprisingly my first mile came quick and super fast but then I realized the rest of the course my laps were off from the course signs, so I knew my gps wasn't calculating properly. Didnt matter, this was a matter of survival for this race!
The first part of the course went on a gravel road along the water. It was a foggy cold morning which made for a beautiful sunrise but what was even more beautiful was the constant raining of the fall leaves. We were constantly being showered with beautifully bright red yellow and orange leaves. Because we were on back roads and it was early, it was super quiet. All you could hear was our steps on the gravel, our breath, some distant geese calling, and if you listened closely enough, the leaves falling. You could actually hear the leaves fall. It probably was one of the most magical running experiences I felt.
As I was embracing the magical Fall moment, I suddenly realized I was running down 'gravel' hills without a panic in my chest. Since falling and breaking my ankle in 2018, sometimes I can't even walk my slanted driveway, much less run a decline, without a flashback of falling. It made me feel like I finally was making some progress.
You wont find spectators on this course; barely a volunteer to pass out water. There maybe was one photographer with a phone camera. The only people you will see are the couple that may be out taking their morning walk or out on their driveway getting their newspaper.
After the run through the woods, we were on a somewhat main road but not a lot of traffic. The rolling hills continued the entire course. I really thought the description had mentioned just one tough area, so every time I conquered a hill, I thought "ok, its gonna be okay from here" and then another hill would come. Being a small race, and not being a strong hill runner, I was alone most of the course. There was a point I got to chat with someone while battling a hill; we encouraged each other and continued on our own ways. It reminded me how much I love races and runners. It is the most friendly of people that you will ever meet in life. Complete strangers willing to give you words of encouragement in your most challenging times.
I don't know if I was becoming delirious from the back to back race weekends, the challenging hills, the freezing cold, or if I was just bored from being mostly alone on the hilly course, but my mind started interviewing my shadow for most of the middle section of the course. I really like when I have runs where I am racing my shadow; sometimes its a friendly competition, other times its a visual reminder of how strong I actually am. I found it really entertaining because I was actually answering my questions and reminiscing the past 12years of my 50 state journey. It was a very surreal moment realizing I only had one more half marathon to run after this one. How is that even possible. Its difficult sometimes to sit back and reflect on it all and realize I just did that. This race was the perfect time to do so.
As I was doing my own interview, I also kept coming across discarded items on the side of the road that reminded me of Dad.....his old black work gloves, Busch beer cans, a pack of Marlboros, even a man that looked just like him walked right passed me out of nowhere. All the signs, including the deer from the night before, just showed me that I was not alone after all. Dad had always kept telling me I better finish the mission. Not that I ever was 'not' going to, but knowing how much he wanted to see me finish and knowing the world kept me from completing it while he was still alive makes it hard.
The Finish line is right near the Black Hawk bridge that crosses over the Mississippi River into Iowa which you see for the last few miles. Bridges and piers, I have come to learn over the years, are deceiving as you think they are much closer than they are. I'm pretty sure the last couple of miles were the most difficult because of this mind trick. Or maybe it was the past 4 weekends catching up with me. Ive done challenges before, but never 4 weekends in a row. I really had no one around me as I finished those last couple of miles.
Even my Finish Line picture, you can see it looks like I ran a race all alone or came in last even though i did not. The expression on my face is priceless though, showing the pure exhaustion of doing 4 half marathons in 4 weekends with the most challenging being the last one, but also feeling that pride of accomplishment! And then there was Just One race left.
The finish line was at the fire station where we parked to take the shuttle. They had a volunteer group providing a hot pancake breakfast for a donation. It was probably one of the best breakfasts I had at a race (because I was that exhausted). I got to chat with one of the hosts who was trying to track down the race director because she was so excited to talk to me about my story. It was really nice to have someone be so excited for me in a moment of my weakness and being alone.
This year the race had monetary and manufacturer issues with the medals. Just weeks to race day, they decided to forgo the medals and give cups instead. Usually that would be fine, but I was devastated being State 49. Thankfully they had medals left over from prior races and allowed those that were traveling for the 50 States to take one of the prior years medals. (I later remembered I actually have 2 other states that I don't have a traditional medal. ND was a coin, and AZ was an arrow)
Overall I would recommend this race if you are looking for a peaceful and challenging race. It was a pretty course and perhaps the most scenic for Iowa? Iowa, you did impress me and I would come back in a heart beat.
If you build it, they will come.💗
State 49
Half Marathon 103
13.1-2:45
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Smuttynose Rockfest-Hampton Beach NH State 48-Oct 2 2022
Smuttynose Rockfest-the race I held onto for years trying to make it my 50th state or 100th half marathon celebration because I knew it was going to be that much of a blast! Unfortunately, timing didn't pan out for the milestone but boy the race weekend didn't disappoint!
First off, nonstop flights with Jet Blue to Boston from Florida makes this one of the cheapest flights of all the 50 states. Unfortunately, car rentals are still pretty insane with the economy so the overall weekend cost ended up about the same.
I decided to stay a little shy of an hour inland at a cute little Airbnb in New Boston/Goffstown because, to be quite frank, none of the beach properties looked inviting. Plus, New Hampshire is known for its beauty in the country, lakes, and mountains during Fall color season so I wanted to be centrally based! I drove the top rated scenic route of Kancamagus Hwy in the White Mountains and the colors were gorgeous! I spent an entire day enjoying small hikes and tons of scenic overlooks. The Airbnb had not only a sleep number bed, but a relaxing wooded backyard set up with waterfall, gazebo with firepit, and hot tub! Oh and a bear that tried to join me twice!
Rockfest takes place in Hampton Beach NH, which is an old beach town with overpriced rates. You know, the kind that has dead sewer rats on the race course. Yes that happened. I didn't realize until the day before the race, parking was not included and we were expected to pay $20. This could have played a factor in me staying at the beach, but probably not. It was frustrating as an out of towner, not knowing the secret (cheaper/free) parking spots, as we ran we passed a $10 lot not far from Start. The beach itself is really pretty however. White sugar sand and their boardwalk reminded me of home in Virginia Beach.
There wasn't an expo, so I opted for race day packet pick up which was just your hoodie and bib.
I had barely escaped Hurricane Ian down in Florida, in fact my flight was cancelled the day prior shortening my trip. But the remnants of Ian arrived to New Hampshire on race day! In fact I seriously thought the packet pick up tent was going to be blown away! Winds were over 25mph the entire morning and temps in the 50s. Its a good thing they gave us hoodies and not shirts because they sure did come handy waiting for the race to start and for the after party!
My friend Barbara from Mass decided to drive up and meet me race morning to run. The race consists of about 2,000 half marathoners and 1,400 5k runners starting right after. We headed to the very congested and a little chaotic starting area with not even a Starting Line banner or timing line up but I didn't care too much as everyone was squeezed together blocking the cold wind!
The course ended up having a good number of spectators cheering us on and music playing either thru speakers or bands throughout as well.
The first few miles were a little crowded on the small beach streets as we made two laps past the Finish Line twice. I thought the crowd was keeping us from going too fast, but we were hitting times I hadn't seen in a long time! And I felt great! My adrenaline was pumping not only running in this crazy wind, but it was perfectly cool temps as I like for running, I had my friend with me who is in better shape than me right now so motivating me to keep going, we were at the beach which I haven't seen in entirely too long, there seemed to be speakers of music playing everywhere, and there were spectators already cheering for us!
I had no idea how I was going to feel for this race after just running two half marathons the past two weeks, but I ended up making it past 3miles nonstop with the fastest times I had seen in a long while. I knew I was excited for a flat course with cool temps but man I had no idea I had it in me.
Miles 4-8 we were in complete headwind at the waters edge. With the fast start and the wind making us work harder, I was crashing fast. It was almost miserable as it felt never ending. I mean I even said out loud "this is miserable." I gave in to more walk breaks and told Barbara to keep going. I felt ridiculous. I had come all this way. 48 states 102 half marathons, 14 years of my life! I should be appreciating every moment of it no matter how miserable. And I do, but sometimes your mind takes over. Its the real strength that comes in when you can control those ridiculous thoughts. I continued on because thats what I do. Little did I know just another mile or so the course entered a neighborhood to block the wind and then it was a straight shot back down the beach with the wind at our backs! We ended up finishing just minutes apart.
The spectators were on point at this race, standing out in the cold wicked wind! One even drill sergeant yelled at me, one telling me I'm going to have Pink Feet (little do they know), one yelling Go Boss (I took this as a New England thing?), a couple little kids cheering and one asking why I'm walking (you're right kid!) and one little old Memaw sitting in the window waving. I felt like Memaw was with me. My favorite was when volunteers would yell "You got this!" and I would yell back "Yep, its only my 102nd half marathon!" One guy read my back bib during one of my walks and as he ran by encouraged me with a 'Cmon Pinkfeet!' I felt like the entire race was my cheering squad for wrapping up these 50 states!
The water fuel stations were stocked well and even gave gels a few times which I needed.
The last 3 miles I felt great. I'm sure the wind on my back helped, but I felt strong. I felt excited that I was about to wrap up State 48. Everything was hitting me, that I am actually finishing this mission! I ran fast and took shorter walk breaks. I was actually passing people. The closer to the Finish line I got the happier I was, but even just a tenth of a mile away my watch and my body said I was done. I peeked around the corner of where I thought the line was (I mean we passed it twice already!) and it wasn't...I yelled out 'Where the F is the finish?!' and made a couple of spectators burst out laughing.
I finally see it! I finally hear the announcer. And then I hear the music. They are blasting 'Dont Stop Believing' song! I start bawling. I never gave up. 2 more states!
The Finish Line and After Party area was just a block over from parking, which made it nice to be able to get out of the sweaty clothes and into that warm hoodie they provided! The oceanfront boardwalk is where they had the lobster rolls, hot soup, and wraps. It was the best roll I have eaten yet! The oceanfront stage is where they had the beer and live band. You were given one ticket for food and two tickets for drinks. No one took the tickets for drinks. They had seltzers as well which were tasty. The band was rocking and it was fun, but it was still so windy and cold, New Englanders were wearing Parkas! Ready to warm up, I realized they also had two bars that were providing drinks to the runners with the beer tickets. I walked into one and was right at home! They had Vikings playing on the big screen, someone strumming on the guitar, the beer selection included Pumpkin and you could still see the ocean inside! I settled in for my recovery lunch before heading back inland.
I would recommend Smuttynose Rockfest for a good time and easy scenic course. I would even run it again despite my theory of not repeating races (besides The Donna). However, I definitely suggest extending the stay to explore New Hampshire in the Fall with all the colors if you have not done so before! Register early for savings on the race, follow them on social media for specials, and plan to pay for parking!
State 48
13.1-2:34
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Monument (Half) Marathon-NE-Sep 24 2022
This was the 11th Annual Monument Marathon (and Half Marathon). They claim "Nebraskas most beautiful race;" the reason it has been on my 'states' list since before I broke my ankle. But I didnt realize I was 'that' excited to run it until I showed up to the Expo and found out I was registered Twice! Oops.
All I knew about Nebraska was corn fields. I didn't quite realize how desolate it was until I flew into Denver and drove 3 hours through nothing but deserted prairie lands, desert mountains, and corn fields to Scottsbluff NE. The town is a very small industrial farming town, home of Kelley Beans and Western Sugar. We even got a bag of beans in our race packet!
The expo had a handful of local companies but not really much to shop. They did offer a pasta dinner, but we opted to check out the 'town.' After our exploring I would recommend Flyover Brewery for the best food. They also ended up being the sponsor of the 'after party' which gave you a free beer and some live music. I also found a hidden gem in the cornfields- Papa Moon Cidery. They have an amazing outdoor setting to enjoy drinks and small bites as well as enjoying the sunset and weather. They host events as well; while we were there it was a comedy show, but we were too exhausted to stay.
The race committee was one of the most organized races I have ever experienced out of 101 half marathons I have completed now! They had a welcome packet printed out in great detail, even warning you about a possibility of rattle snakes on the course (twice!) Thankfully (but at the same time disappointedly) I did not run into one. These warnings are also at the surrounding Chimney Rock.
They even contacted me and a few other runners for an interview about the 50 states mission! A small race of about 500 runners combined for the marathon, half marathon, relay, and 5k made things simple. Parking was right next to Start/Finish which was held at the 5 Rocks Amphitheater. (Marathon was shuttled to a different start.)
My friend decided to meet me for the race. She flew into Rapid City which was equal driving distance as Denver to Scottsbluff. Both are great destinations if you are looking to piggyback on trips. Since I was just coming from Wyoming the week prior, this was just a short visit and Denver had the nonstop flight for me. The area does have some recommended hiking within driving distance (Wildcat Hills, Agate Fossils, Toadstool, and even Fort Robinson) but alas I needed more rest this trip than anything.
We stayed at an Airbnb off of Lake Minatare, home to one of the only inland lake lighthouses. The lake ended up being much larger than I thought, with ample camping, even on the sand beach! Unfortunately, I found out it is an irrigation lake and with the drought, it was a lot lower than expected when I jumped in after the race!
Towards the last couple of miles we ran through a cemetery where I saw her stop, take a picture, and then yell out 'love you Dad!' It is amazing how much we do because of others. One of my Dads last wishes was for me to finish these 50 states. Dad had only made it to 48 states himself. I could have given up a long time ago when I broke my ankle, but his voice has stayed in my head telling me to Stay Strong.
Scottsbluff sits at about 4,000ft in elevation. I felt pretty good for the first half but was pretty beat with the frequent small inclines. (Yes even after 101 half marathons, this Florida gal still struggles on inclines). However, every single mile was just gorgeous as we circled the park. Also every single volunteer seemed to be extra cheerful which helped to keep a smile on your face. There were even prairie dogs around M10. The water/fuel stations were stocked well and even offered gels, but I still carried my own water, just coming from Wyoming, I had a feeling the dry air (and elevation) would get to me faster.
At the Finish line I headed straight to the complimentary massage tables as my hamstrings stayed tight the entire race after just running Wyoming the week prior! They then provided pizza and snacks as well as a free beer. (you could purchase more if you wanted.) They even had a food truck where they gave you a discount. The day started off cool, but the sun was bright, so it warmed up for a nice Fall Day. We headed up to the top of the Monument on our way home to see the overlook of the valley.
I love that the medal is in the shape of the state!
I highly recommend this race. The course was way more beautiful than I expected. Every single mile I was just staring in awe of the different landscape. They definitely held up their word!
State 47
13.1-2:52
Course was over by .5m
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