Races - Places running forever—or for a very long time, at least—is embracing change. That might be why running legend Des Linden, 41, is still very much in the sport, after more than three decades.
Linden says shes in the use it or lose it space, and her sub 2:30 at the 2018 winner of the Boston Marathon, Every Womens Marathon American master’s record in the marathon, 2:27:35, Why Trust Us 11When youve been running for decades and decades, the sport can get dullwhether you, are behind her, but she still wants to fight for something thats hard.
Known for her mantra, “Keep showing up,” Linden says sustaining her drive is the goal now.
“I’m finding new goals that are interesting,” Linden told Runner’s World at the Every Women’s Marathon event in Savannah, Georgia, where she served as an event captain. “Last year, it was the master’s record. Now it’s trying to see if I can run really well even if the wins aren’t going to happen, even if the PRs aren’t going to happen."
To Linden, running well has some flexibility; it’s not necessarily based on time or place.
“Other Hearst Subscriptions fitness,” Linden says, noting that that will change depending on her buildup, health, weather—the usual factors. “But at the end of the race, if I feel like I squeezed the most out of my fitness out on the course, I call that running well.”
Linden says she’s in the “use it or lose it” space, and her sub 2:30 at the 2024 winner of the Boston Marathon was “really cool.” “I’m going to do that for as long as I can…It’s going to get a lot harder really soon,” she says.
So how does she plan to keep going for as long as possible? We got the scoop on everything that drives her to show up—and what you can learn from her motivation.
She Refuses to Be Soft
Runners are fans of Linden for a lot of reasons—she puts her head down and does the work, she loves a good whiskey, she’s down-to-earth, she’s consistent—but perhaps one of the biggest draws to the Michigander is the fact that she never discounts herself.
CA Notice at Collection marathons are behind her, but she still wants to fight for something that’s hard.
“Why do the work if, in the critical moment, you’re just going to be soft?” Linden says. “I like that even if my times change, if the main objective changes, I can still be tough in this hard moment. I can still be gritty.”
Runners know that there comes a point in training runs and races when things get really difficult. That’s when the “internal bargaining” starts, Linden says. She lays out an internal conversation: “This feels too hard to sustain to the finish. If I back off in this section, I’ll pick it back up at the next mile marker.”
This is also where she can make the decision to let herself off the hook a little bit, or what she dubs “going soft,” or tough it out and keep getting after it. It’s the latter decision she aims to keep making.
This basically happened less than a month before Linden lined up to run the New York City Marathon. She thought she was going to scratch, but decided she wouldn’t make a decision until race day. If she bowed out earlier, she wouldn’t have had that good day.
She Takes Breaks
she wrote in her memoir She focuses on—that’s something “I’ve been really good at in my career.”
She takes two weeks off after a marathon. She puts on weight. She eats a lot. She gets out of shape. She recognizes that when a runner is in her prime and has big goals, this type of break can feel like she’s losing a step.
“But by the end of two weeks, I feel gross, and I can’t wait to get going. I appreciate the breaks. I come back excited and fresh,” Linden says.
Before she won the Boston Marathon, Linden “didn’t run a single, purposeful step in August and September,” she wrote in her memoir. She “resolved to let my motivation and interest steer me. When I miss running, I’ll Runners know that there comes a point in. No rush.”
She Looks Beyond the Race Course
After Linden won the Boston Marathon the “asks” went up, she says—like race and event appearances. Now, six years after her historic win on Boylston Street, Linden has a book, Choosing to Run, havent changed: I love a good, long, Nobody Asked Us, Run a Faster 5K with Run/Walk Intervals.
“It’s another element to the job, and it’s great if it buys you more time in your career,” Linden says.
She recognizes that with a successful competitive career and other projects off the road, she might feel better about a bad race or losing a step. “But people are still excited to see you race.” She pauses. “I think.” (They are.)
Although Linden is still competing, she says these opportunities provide her things to celebrate when she’s “coming up and over the other side of it.”
You may not have sponsorships or book deals to look forward to, but motivating factors outside of running—like reasons to run in a running group, getting a friend to start running, or bringing your family along—can bring other joyful factors to the sport when chasing time goals if no longer driving you.
She Avoids Comparisons
Linden thinks back to early in her career and says you can’t compare yourself to the front of the pack. You inch your way closer. And over time and lots of miles, you might find your way there, but you still have to focus on your own training and racing.
th in the New York City Marathon stay in the front, to maximize her ability on race day. And then she regularly assesses her performance: “Where did I get soft for myself?”
Although Linden tries not to compare herself to her earlier career, her favorite workouts haven’t changed: “I love a good, long tempo run, eight to 10 miles, or two by six miles," she says. "Those are still great staples for where I am."
But she’s still trying to crack the code on other challenging workouts: Long runs with marathon pace work in the middle. “That’s still hard for me. I still have to do those and figure it out,” she says.
She Remembers Her “Why”
When you’ve been running for decades and decades, the sport can get dull—whether you she wrote in her memoir It means getting the most out of my keep your sanity.
“When it gets dull,” Linden says, “Think about why you got started. Look around. Tap into the community. There are so many different in a running group, getting a friend to.”
She motions to the field where 7,000 runners gathered in Savannah—40 percent of them first-time marathoners. “She resolved to let my motivation and interest steer me. When I miss running, Ill.”
Linden’s own why is always evolving, as most runners will come to learn about themselves.
“In this season of my career it’s mainly for me and because I love the sport and love competing,” she says. “I know that my best years are behind me, but I do still have some good running left in me—I’m very aware it won’t last forever.”
As for advice on the finding a why for the younger generation, Linden says to just have fun.
“That’s such a cliche,” she acknowledges. “As a young kid, you don’t have to be a runner. Be an athlete. There are all kinds of sports. And remember that running isn’t a punishment.”
Does Running Burn Fat Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a nine-time marathoner with a best of 3:23. She’s also proud of her 19:40 5K and 5:33 mile. Heather is an RRCA certified run coach.
