Back to the DAM - D2D 2024 recap

What can I say?

DAM to DSM is my favorite race, and it never disappoints. My finish times, however, have not always been what I’d hoped… but the event, itself, is pretty stellar. 

This was my 17th time taking part in all the DAM fun. Again, it gave me a taste of all things good…

Most know how much I look forward to this point-to-point race every summer. Most know, as well, that this spring wasn’t very conducive to long-distance training (at least not in comparison to what I usually have in terms of time and availability). 

Nonetheless, I wasn’t gonna sit this one out...

Instead of dwelling on my insufficient training, I chose to focus on the race itself, and the simple joy in being there. As much as I’m craving another sub-2:00 finish time, the probability of it happening at the DAM this year was out the window. I knew I could finish the 13.1 miles, why not just be grateful for that (which is a feat all on its own)? 

So, that was my strategy. Instead of toeing the start line with anxious thoughts about the race, this year I felt the excitement comparable to running a new race for the very first time. There was no pressure to run any specific pace, and any thoughts of PR’ing were MIA. It felt like a gigantic weight had been lifted!

Another huge stress-reliever was the race day weather. Like all seasoned runners, I'm no stranger to the weather-stalking game. Fortunately, as race day drew near, the weather turned more favorable. All week, the forecast had been showing possible rain, but by race day that had changed to partly cloudy conditions instead, with (what I consider) perfect temps.

Race morning, upon wake-up

Being a point-to-point to race, all runners are bussed to the start line at the Saylorville Dam. With a 7:00 start time, and 13-plus miles to travel, the busses start boarding at 5:00 from downtown Des Moines, with the final ones departing at 6:00. Honestly, the most stressful part of the day (for me) was figuring out the time span of waking up, letting Max out, and getting myself to the bus “corral” on time. 

All those busses…

I made it to the bus pick-up by 5:15, and was seated and headed towards Saylorville Dam a few minutes later. We arrived at the DAM well before 6:00, giving myself plenty of time to stretch, take my turn at the porta-potty, and drink a little more water while walking around and visiting with a few friends. 

Walking towards the start line on the dam

The start line is situated near the far end of the dam, and it’s quite a hike to get there. Runners are lined up along the entire length, *somewhat* by designated pace banners. 

Every year, I look for the Principal Tower, and snap a pic of it. Knowing I’ll be in close proximity to the Tower, in 13.1 miles, always excites me. 

Can you see it? 

The first several miles are always a tight cluster of runners (and, unfortunately, walkers who didn’t heed the pacing banners). Nonetheless, I’m always glad to be there! 

The first few miles felt great! I tried to keep my pacing conservative, but there are a couple of substantial declines where gravity kind of takes over. 

The temps were cool, for summer, but the air was damp and pretty humid. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal for a summer race. Given the fact that we hadn’t had much for humidity yet this season, it did make for some challenging conditions. We did get a very brief (and very light) shower when I was near the 3-mile mark, and then some residual mist for another mile or so…which actually felt refreshing.

A view of the Tower, shortly after the 4-mile mark 

Although the first half of the route has us running amidst the Iowa countryside, there’s decent crowd support. So far, things were feeling good and I was remembering to stay on-task with fueling and electrolyte supplementing. 

A favorite feature of the D2D route is the I-80 overpass, just before the halfway point. There are numerous vehicles honking (the drivers are probably wondering what’s up with all those runners at such an early Saturday morning hour). 

crossing I-80

Once past the I-80 overpass, we have another mile or so before “the hill.” This hill encompasses maybe “only” half of Mile-8, but it feels much longer (and is much steeper than it appears in the photo below). This was the first year, in a long while, that I’ve had the energy and stamina to run the entire length of this beastly hill. Given my state of ill-preparedness, that was quite a personal feat! 

approaching the hill; notice all the walkers?

Up until the 8-mile mark, I had only taken brief walk breaks at the water stands. Knowing I had conquered the toughest part of the route, and was well past the halfway point, I decided to filter in a few "bonus" walk breaks as we entered the River View Park area.. By then, the clouds were breaking up, the sun was emerging, and the humidity and the temps were increasing. I saw a porta-potty, with no line, so decided to pull over ...only to see both doors were locked. After a good 30 seconds of waiting, I gave up and headed back to the race course. 

Near the 9-mile mark...getting closer

So, onward to Mile-10! Although I was starting to feel ever so slightly fatigued (I had been up since 4:15 that morning, don't forget), overall I was still feeling good. The recent hamstring tightness, that had been an issue in recent weeks, was MIA. My feet were still in good shape (no quirky strained arches). And me energy seemed to be fine (though my brain may have been a bit foggy, LOL).

It was in Mile-11 when I decided to take a few more walk breaks. As mentioned earlier, I had nothing to prove to myself (or anyone else). There were a lot of other walkers as well, so I had good company.

The Mile-12 water stand is always manned by former Dam-to-Dam committee personnel, most of whom are wearing vintage D2D shirts. I think it's great they're all there, showing their support to the now DAM to DSM event. 

Just before the 12-mile mark...notice the D2D logo on the banner? and the Principal Tower?

After a decent 12th mile, the 13th mile saw a lot of walking. No special reason, I just didn't feel like being a hero. I wasn't especially tired, but I figured since my finish time would be well over that 2-hour mark anyways, I'd just take my sweet time in getting to the finish line. Besides, there still was plenty to see along the route before I turned the final corner. Once I spotted the finish line, though, about 1/4-mile up ahead, I got a good surge of mojo. My legs sprang to life, and before I knew it I was crossing the final timing mat.

With all the walking I'd done, I was estimating I'd be in the 2:15-2:20 range, and I was content with that because I'd ran the race (my favorite race) on my own terms and had a great morning in doing so.

Although I had been glancing at my Garmin, and noting the mile splits, my runners' math was way off, LOL. It came as a total shock to see my finish time was actually 2:10 (and change). Considering my average half marathon finish is in the 2:05 vicinity, I was ecstatic to be within five minutes of that (especially since I was feeling pretty under-trained crossing the start line).

My mile splits tell the story, and were all over the place:

Mile -1 - 9:45 (crowded start)

Mile -2 - 8:53 (downhill!)

Mile -3 -9:14

Mile -4 -9:18

Mile -5 -9:39 (photo stop for pic of Tower)

Mile -6 - 9:37 (photo stop for pic on I-80 overpass)

Mile -7 - 9:43

Mile -8 -10:19 (the hill)

Mile -9 -10:38  (first official walk break, porta-potty delay, and another pic of the Tower)

Mile-10 -9:36

Mile-11 -11:57 (lots of walking and photo stop for another Tower pic)

Mile-12 -10:02

Mile-13 -11:18 (yep, more walking)

final .10 -.52

This event always has top-notch swag: gender-specific tech shirt, headband (which I wore on race day), and this year we also got beach towels!

 

...and the medal? Pretty DAM sweet!

So that's a wrap on the 2024 DAM to DSM Half Marathon. Registration for 2025 opened last week, and I took full advantage! This was a very unique experience for me this year. Throwing out all expectations and PR pressure made a world of difference in my experience. I've often said not every "race" needs to be all-or-nothing effort, and this proved to be a fine example.

A few final thoughts:

**There's much to be said about cross-training and having a solid base. I've been consistent with biking, and I truly believe my cardio base and leg strength are what carried me (especially with my less-than-ideal long distance training)

**My fueling plan was Honey Stinger chews (pre-start line and at Mile-6) and Salt Stick chews (Miles 4, 8, and 10)

**I didn't carry my own water, but had a few sips at every water stand (pretty much every-other mile)

Have you ever run a race with ZERO finish time hopes or expectations? 

I'm linking this with Zenaida and Jenn for the TuesdayTopics Linkup. 

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