“The process of becoming is better than the process of being. Set big goals and learn to love the work that gets you to them. Even if you fall short you will still be winning.” -Desiree Linden
If you are looking for a little inspiration for your running, a great place to look is at Des Linden:
- Boston Marathon Champion (2018)
- Two time Olympian (2012, 2016)
- Two time NCAA All-American
- 15:08 PR in the 5km
- Fourth place California State Track Meet 3200m
- Note that she was not first in California in high school…but she kept plugging away and became the best in the world!
- Second place California State Cross Country Meet
But more than the results…what is inspirational to me about Des is the process. Des (Davila) Linden was not the biggest phenom runner in high school (she was competing against Shannon Rowbury and Sara Bei who both got a lot more attention back then). In the 2012 Olympics, Des was not able to finish due to an injury. She scored a lot of second place or podium finishes in big meets, but never was on top of a big race–until Boston last year, when she won in some of the most horrendous weather that the Boston Marathon ever endured.
Some days it just flows and I feel like I’m born to do this, other days it feels like I’m trudging through hell. Every day I make the choice to show up and see what I’ve got, and to try and be better. -Desiree Linden
Des is 5′ tall and weighs about 100 lbs–she would have fit right in with the Monta Vista team! Des is not defined by her size, she is defined by her heart, her persistence, her determination–her grit. (Angela Duckworth would LOVE Desi!) Many people would have given up along the way but Des stuck with her passion and was rewarded with a Boston Marathon win!
Here are a couple of nice articles (you can search and find more, too).
- Written before the 2018 NY Marathon (has a nice video clip if you would like to hear her answer some questions).
- Here is some video of the finish of the 2018 Boston Marathon (check out this weather; Des used the bad weather as an advantage, she didn’t let the weather stop her). Runner’s World recap with Desi interview of the 2018 Boston Marathon.
Running Plan for Weeks 7 and 8
The plan is attached here.
“Running is just you, the work you put in, and the clock. You can’t cheat yourself. If you don’t put in the miles, you can’t go the the starting line thinking you are going to pull a miracle out of nowhere. You get out exactly what you put in.” -Desiree Linden
Maybe we can get Des into league finals with an MV uniform???