HOTDM: Head of the Des Moines

Did you know Des Moines has a river called the Des Moines River? (Did you know Iowa even had a river?) I didn't either, until a few weeks ago. And then on Saturday, September 30th, 2006, I managed to tear myself away from other duties in life, and actually saw for myself that the rumors were true: Iowa does have enough water in the state to form a river. (I've heard rumors that there are other rivers, but we'll leave verification of those for another day, another race.)

That's me, in front, getting my shoes set in the right spot

I have officially raced as a rower now, and thus begins my one-year career as a novice (I can only race in the "novice" category for a year - I don't plan on quitting rowing after the next 12 months). I and three other girls, plus our coxswain (who steers and encourages us, all that) entered the Head of the Des Moines and rowed the Novice Women's 4+ (four rowers, the + means there is a cox in the boat, and we were all sweep rowing with one oar apiece). It was a blast.

From L to R: Kerry (you can only see her head; she taught me to row), Danielle, Georgie, Anna and me

Fall races are longer races than summer ones, and they're always called "Head of the _____" - I don't know why. So, the Head of the Des Moines was a 5000 meter race (about 3 miles for those of us who are Americans and can't remember a thing about the metric system). The best feeling was passing two other teams within 500 meters of the start, and holding off another team at the finish. Oh, and did I mention that we are part of a fantastic club? When we rounded the last bend (who knew there was anything in Iowa that wasn't straight or flat?), our team was there cheering us on - also another great feeling. We only came in 5th (but still earned points for our club which helped us tie for first place in points at the regatta), but I'm excited to get better. I want to win! I want a medal!

Last Few Hundred Meters: This is what nausea looks like (the precursor to dying right after the finish line)

My hands are like mincemeat these days: oozing sores, blisters underneath callouses, the whole nine yards (of medical tape and bandaids). But it's worth it. (It also helped that last night at practice, I finally realized that I've been very tense in my grip lately, so maybe I'll be getting fewer wounds in the future as I remember to relax.)

Saturday was a gorgeous day to race, and I'm excited for many future races. This is way too much fun to give up over a few bruises and blisters, sore muscles and frequent practices.