“Embrace the suck.”
Those were the words of advice Des Linden, 2018 Boston Marathon champion, told us as the rain fell harder and harder on the pavement. We were standing under a park’s pavilion in Biloxi and as a featured guest at the weekend’s events, Des Linden was on hand to inspire us. And honestly, that’s a pretty inspiring mantra.
On a Monday morning in April, Linden had pretty much given up the day amidst pelting rain, strong headwinds, and near freezing temperatures. But she decided she’d help out a teammate, to push her along for as long as she could. But something happened that day — Linden found a second wind and she herself made up time and ultimately pulled away from the pack. She ultimately won out over the sucky day, defying the weather gods and beating the odds to mount a comeback from behind. As the first American woman to win Boston in 33 years, it was already a momentous victory; to do so when all signs pointed to a DNF, well, that’s all the more impressive and inspirational.
So when Des Linden advises you to embrace the suck… you really ought to embrace the suck.
I’ve run in worst conditions than today. Hell, I ran Boston with Des earlier this year. Well, not with her. I was a bit behind her the whole way. And by “a bit” I mean “way, way, WAY” behind her. But I got through that and various others, so I could handle a 5K in the rain.
For the first time in forever, I was partially prepared, having tossed a rain poncho in my bag as I was packing. I look like a Blue Falcon wannabe and because I am who I am I still sported my sunglasses, vowing this liquid sunshine was just that — the run’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.
Unfortunately, that poncho cut out all of my peripheral vision… or at least made me feel like a horse with blinders on. I tried to allow for runners beside me as I tried to avoid the large puddles that developed on the road, I would occasionally unintentionally jostle a compatriot. But we were all in this together and there was a real sense of comraderie to the run, more so than the last few races I’ve done. Maybe I was projecting, trying to “embrace the suck” and share a sense of goodwill and cheer with others, hoping to see them in a shared misery find a comfort. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it could’ve been.
In the end, I finished a respectable 22nd, 5th overall in my age group.
And even better than that, I was in a prime spot for the Q and A session with Des Linden afterwards. I imagine she gets tired of always being asked he same questions but you wouldn’t know it from her enthusiasm and answer. I would’ve been sick to death of telling folks the same things over and over — what was it like to win, why are you so awesome, what’s your pre-race meal, when’s the best time to have whiskey (as she’s a whiskey aficionado, her answer was anytime).
And so that’s the real thing I wanted to end on here. Des Linden has every right to be arrogant and stand-offish. But she’s not. She’s incredibly personable, friendly, and thrilled to be a role model.
I’ve run with a lot of people, the majority truly inspiring and wonderful no matter what times they wind up with, no matter what distances they do. I’ve also run with a few folks who are arrogant jerks. I suppose I should embrace the suck when I encounter them but honestly, if Des Linden is nice, why can’t we all be?
