64. Desiree Linden
Ali on the Run Show
Ali Feller
4.9 • 4.2K Ratings
🗓️ 15 March 2018
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"We fail all the time, and we learn from it and we get better. I think that's amazing. You fail your way to success. That's how it happens, and I'm super comfortable with that. I have no problem pointing out a bunch of failures in my career. But I don't define myself or my career as a failure." —Des Linden
Desiree Linden is a professional distance runner who has represented the United States at the London and Rio Olympics. She runs for the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in Michigan, and is a strong, consistent 2:22 marathoner. In one month, Des will race the Boston Marathon, and on this episode she talks about how her training has been going, and why she's in it to win it. She also talks about why she thinks women are often hesitant to admit their big, scary, awesome goals, and opens up her recent running burnout — and how she busted out of it. Plus, Des talks about failure — and why she's not afraid of it — and shares her big post-Boston goal. (Hint: She wants to make big moves in 2020.)
This episode is brought to you by Strava, the leading social network for athletes. Click here to join today, and then enter for your chance to win a 2018 TCS New York City Marathon entry and a $500 travel stipend! https://blog.strava.com/nyc-marathon-contest/
What you'll get in this episode:
- How Des is feeling a month out from the Boston Marathon and what her training strategy and approach have been this time around (2:10)
- Whether Des has had any of those magical runs yet in her Boston training (4:50)
- The marathon taper: Love it or hate it? (6:40)
- What would make Desi's husband say, "She's batshit crazy" (7:45)
- Whether Des is superstitious or what her pre-race rituals entail (9:45)
- How Des thinks she's evolved as a competitive athlete (11:40)
- How Des evaluates her race performances (13:00)
- What Des is thinking when she's standing on the start line (13:35)
- How Desi became such a consistent runner — and ran perfectly even splits at last year's Boston Marathon (16:00)
- Who Des says is her biggest competition at this year's Boston Marathon (17:00)
- Des shares her best advice for Boston first-timers (18:10)
- Whether Des notices spectators when she races — and what YOU need to yell to her when you see her run by! (18:45)
- Why Des never looks rattled or emotional when she runs (21:40)
- How Des is feeling about the United NYC Half
- The women Des loves racing against (24:30)
- How Des kicked her running slump (25:05)
- How Des feels about the word failure (26:00)
- How Des met her husband, Ryan, and the hilarious story about their first encounter (31:05)
- How Des would describe herself as a runner (37:00)
What we mention on this episode:
Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of The Alley on the Run Show is brought to you by Strava, the social network for athletes. |
| 0:10.0 | Welcome to The Alley on the Run Show. I'm your host Allie Feller and today you're listening to episode 64. |
| 0:16.0 | My guest today is professional runner, Des Linden. |
| 0:20.0 | Des is one of the strongest female American marathoners and she's represented the United States at both the London and Rio Olympics. |
| 0:28.0 | Des runs with the Hanson's Brooks team and right now she's gearing up for the 2018 Boston Marathon, which as she says in this episode, she officially wants to win. |
| 0:38.0 | This weekend, Des will be running the New York City Half Marathon, so if you'll be on the sidelines, scream extra loud for her and send her some love and good vibes as she continues on her road to Boston. |
| 0:50.0 | On this episode, Des also talks about how her Boston training has been going, how she busted out of a long running slum last year, and why she thinks people, especially women, are often really reluctant to admit our big scary, awesome goals. |
| 1:03.0 | Plus she opens up about all of her, which is awesome. This episode is filled with good stuff, so take it away, Des. |
| 1:13.0 | Des Linden, welcome to The Alley on the Run Show. |
| 1:15.0 | Thank you. Thanks for having me. |
| 1:17.0 | Thank you for coming on. So before we get into it, I think probably a lot of people listening know who you are, but warm us up. Tell us who you are, where you're from and what it is that you do. |
| 1:28.0 | That's such a big question. |
| 1:30.0 | I know. |
| 1:31.0 | I'm Des Ralein, a group in San Diego, California, went to school at Arizona State University and now I'm training with the Hanson's Brooks Distance Project in Rochester, Michigan. |
| 1:43.0 | So I am lever of all weather conditions, Marathoner, and all around fun person. I think I love the fun person in there. I love that you didn't stop after talking about running. |
| 1:55.0 | So we're going to have a lot of fun today. First, I want to get right into all the good Boston stuff because we are a little over a month out from the Boston Marathon, which you are training for. |
| 2:06.0 | So with a month and a half to go, how are you feeling? |
| 2:09.0 | Yeah, I wish I had a heart rate monitor on so you could see what that did. It definitely raised up the heart rate a little bit. I'm excited. |
| 2:17.0 | I know there's a lot of big work ahead. I'm still like kind of just getting to the heart of the training. So that's always a little daunting where you're really tired already, but then you know you have the biggest weeks left. |
| 2:29.0 | But that's fun. I feel like that's when you find out the most about yourself and hopefully there's good things going on with me so that I can push through and be ready to go on race day because the field's absolutely fantastic. |
| 2:41.0 | John Hancock is in the tremendous job as always, but this year I think is a little more exciting, particularly for female distance running fans and American distance running fans. |
| 2:51.0 | It is going to be an amazing race. I cannot wait to be watching that day. So tell me a little bit about this training cycle. Are you doing anything different this time around or kind of what's your approach to training for this race? |
... |
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