RRCA coaching certification class Part 1

Well this past week (and weekend) have been quite busy for me. If you happen to follow me on Instagram and/or Twitter then you know that I was in Des Moines, Iowa for the Road Runners Club of America convention getting me coaching certification. I didn't have any posts specifically talking about it beforehand but I did mention that I was going to get my certification in a couple of posts . The last two weeks leading up to the convention were very hectic and honestly, I was looking forward to a little break. So, let's just get down to the nitty gritty shall we? Instead of giving you all of the information in one post, I'm breaking it up. That way I can make sure you keep coming back. *evil laugh inserted here*

The convention was from Thursday until Saturday. I arrived in Des Moines midday on Wednesday to make sure I had enough time to get settled before the class started. 

My layover in Chicago

I was leaving 90 degree weather in Florida and entering breezy 30 degree weather in Des Moines. I had never been to Iowa and was excited to see it. Any place that I've never been to is exciting to me. The cab ride from the airport to my hotel was only twenty minutes and we passed a major park that had people doing all sorts of outdoor activities. I remembered the name of the park and decided that if I had enough time I would try and run there. 

The hotel I was staying at was the Residence Inn Des Moines Downtown. It wasn't the host hotel for the convention because that one was sold out, but it was close enough that I could walk to the convention in under fifteen minutes. My room was GREAT! 

I had a small suite with a king size bed. The room was clean and very comfortable. If I didn't have so much stuff to do I would've spent more time there (cause after one day touring downtown Des Moines, there isn't much else to do). Once I got settled in I wanted to take a tour of the city, so I headed out in search of bikes to rent. 

The bike station closest to me was out of service but lucky for me there was another one not too far away. There are places around Miami and Fort Lauderdale that you can rent bikes and check out the city. Since I live here I've never used them but always wondered how the bikes were. Well if these bikes were any sign of the overall condition of city bikes then I'm glad I never used them. The bike was pretty run down but it got me from point A to point B quicker than I would have been able to on foot. 

Downton Des Moines is rather small and is overlooked by the capitol building. 

The capitol building

Downtown Des Moines viewed from the steps of the capitol

Surrounding the capitol building were some nice statues and monuments honoring various important figures. 

For lunch I went to this place called Zombie Burger in the East Village.




I had a veggie burger patty that was absolutely delicious! If you happen to be in Des Moines for anything, I highly recommend going to this place for a good burger. I had planned to go back and have a specialty burger along with a desert. They had some crazy ice cream and cereal combinations that I was dying to try. Just so you know, I didn't go back. Bummer.

Once I ate and finished my tour of the city (which didn't take long) I decided to run to the park that I saw on the way to my hotel. Turns out that it was only two miles away from my hotel and there was a walking trail that I could take directly to it. So I went back to the hotel, changed my clothes and headed to the trail. Before I went on my run there was a pole vaulting event going on right outside my hotel that I had to take a peek at. 

Drake is the name of the local university that holds the Drake relays every year for the past hundred years or so. The relays are a big deal and bring out athletes from elementary school all the way up to elites and masters to come out and compete in various races and events. It's one of the top track and field events in the United States. This event was a good way of promoting the relays. I stayed for about ten to fifteen minutes then started my run.

I'll end it there since this post is a bit lengthy. I'll pick it up with the first day of the convention and my first day of class. Stay tuned!