Less than a year before the 2018 Boston Marathon, Des Linden told her agent that her running career might be over: 'Just don't help me. ... Don't waste your time being an agent for me.' OnlyAGameNPR WBUR
Heading into last year’s race, Des Linden was one of three runners with a good chance to break that drought. She was 34 years old, a two-time Olympian with an impressive running resume. And she had nearly won the race in 2011, coming up two seconds short after a sprint to the finish.
Mile after mile after mile, as Linden raced along scenic surf beaches, past Runaway Bay and around Paradise Point,And by the end I was like, ‘I could be done.’ No passion at all," Linden says. "I feel like it was a thing that I had been putting a Band-Aid on for a long time and it just finally bled out. The Band-Aid's not going to work anymore — like, you need to go get the stitches — this has been a bigger problem for a long time.
"I'm not a crier, but I finished, and I was in tears," Linden says."Because it's hard — you're like, ‘I just I think my body's done. I think mentally I'm done. Like, clearly physically, not responding. I hate how much work I'm putting into this to have a horrible experience and tarnish a thing I really love.’""Why am I so tired? How did I get so bad at this? What happened that I got this bad? Like what's going on?" Linden says.
And while she was out there on the water, the Great Lake that she says turns Caribbean blue and green in the summer,It was just go kayak and not worry about what's back on shore," she says. "I don't know if it was like, ‘I don't deserve it,’ or ‘I don't want you to invest in me right now as an agent.' So, I'm like, ‘Just don't help me. I think I'm done. I’m probably done, so don't waste your time being an agent for me.’"Then, in September, she started stringing running days together. And it felt good.
Around Mile 6, she told fellow American Shalane Flanagan that she might drop out. She also said,"If you need something, let me know."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Newsletters | Des Moines RegisterFind out everything going on in Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state, every weekday morning.
Read more »
Why ‘The Killing’s’ Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman want to kill each other in ‘Hanna’Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman, who played the mismatched detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder in 'The Killing' reunite to play mortal enemies in Amazon's 'Hanna.' They talk about their acting collaborations and their new series, a more political version of the 2011 feature film.
Read more »
5 places emerging as America’s new tech hot spotsSilicon Prairie, anyone? These unexpected regions have become tech magnets with no signs of slowing down.
Read more »
'Boom boom boom, run run run': Tourists flee huge wave as glacier collapses into lagoonThe dramatic incident was captured on video by a mountain guide.
Read more »
Switching Careers? 10 Ways To Prepare FinanciallyThere are so many factors to consider when you are making a career pivot, but the most important is whether your move is financially viable. Here are 10 tips from top wealth managers to help you prepare.
Read more »
Federer downs injured Isner for 101st career titleRoger Federer defeated a hobbling John Isner 6-1 6-4 for his 101th career title ...
Read more »
Roger Federer defeats John Isner in Miami Open final to earn 101st career titleRoger Federer earns his second singles title of the 2019 season, defeating John Isner in two sets at the Miami Open on Sunday.
Read more »
McDowell resurrects career with Dominican Republic winGraeme McDowell resurrected his stagnant career with a one-stroke victory at the...
Read more »
Federer downs injured Isner in Miami for 101st career titleRoger Federer defeated a hobbling John Isner 6-1 6-4 for his 101th career title ...
Read more »