IMT Des Moines Half Marathon - 2023

Early in the year, maybe late winter or early spring, I started chatting with my friends about signing up to do the Des Moines Half Marathon this year. This was before I had really started training hard, before I knew that I was going to stay committed. Adam committed to doing the race with me as his first half marathon as well. To show you exactly how serious I was at the time, I didn't end up actually signing up for the race until mid-July. 

Race History

I have a very storied history with the IMT Des Moines Marathon races and have really enjoyed them over the years. While the weather has been all over the place, it has never been extremely hot on race weekend and is a great way to wrap up a racing season. I have made some great memories at this race over the years.

Back in 2014, my first year of racing was caped off with the IMT Des Moines Marathon 5k. I don't recall a lot from that race other than running a lot faster than I thought I would finishing with a time of 42:09.

In 2015, I ran my 2nd half marathon at the IMT Des Moines. It was 3 weeks after my first half marathon in the Quad Cities and I absolutely crushed it. I went from a time of 2:57:03 in the Quad Cities to 2:45:48 in Des Moines. My brother-in-law, Mike, came along to that race to cheer me on and my friend, Lacy, was running in that race as well. 

Feeling great after my 2nd half marathon in 3 weeks

In 2016 I put a team together to compete in the Marathon Relay. The relay team consisted of 5 people who each ran a stretch of the full marathon route. Our team consisted of my wife, Erin, friends Joni, Ben, Megan, and myself. It was sort of a foggy and wet day, but we had an absolute blast.

2016 Relay team ready to get after it

2017 was another team relay year, but with a couple different team members. Instead of Ben and Joni, we had May and Justin. Again our team rocked it, and I ran particularly well through the hilly section of the course. I also ended up helping at at an understaffed water station while waiting at one of the exchange zones. 

2017 Relay team excited after the race

2018 was a little different, as I sat the race out so that my wife, Erin, could run the half marathon. It was a bitter cold morning and I took the girls downtown to cheer her on. 

High fives for mommy before the finish line

A new half marathon PR

2019 was the last time that I ran at the IMT, and that year I ran my first ever marathon. It was a great day, and I ran so well through 18 miles, but then hit the wall hard at mile 20. I finished in a time of 5:57:12, much slower than my target time of 5 hours. 

Very glad to be finished

2023 Recap

I was very excited in the lead up to the race this year. My training had been going very well and I was gradually increasing my speed while also increasing distance throughout late summer and early fall. I was feeling great after my 12 mile training run just last Sunday and with how I did at the Capital Pursuit just a few weeks ago. Confidence was very high. That confidence faded quickly when I started feeling under the weather Tuesday evening. I slept horrible for 2 straight nights and stayed home from work on Wednesday. I limited my work outs to just my training runs, drank plenty of fluids, and got to bed early the rest of the week. 

My 3 mile run on Saturday went pretty well, but I was still coughing and dealing with a runny nose. Sunday morning I woke up feeling somewhere around 75%. I headed outside for 15 minute walk to get the blood flowing and wake myself up. After a quick breakfast, I hoped in the truck and headed downtown giving myself about an hour to get parked and walk to the start line. 

I arrived at the start line with plenty of time to spare. The temperatures were in the mid-40s with winds out of the north. I had opted to stick with shorts and a t-shirt knowing I would warm up once I got going. I did wear a thin pair of gloves to keep my hands warm though. I kept walking around to stay warm until they requested racers make their way to the start. I had adjusted my pacing strategy and goal for the race on Saturday knowing that I wouldn't be at 100%. My goal was to beat my time from 2015 and my strategy was to stick between 12:15 - 12:30 for mile 1 - 5, 12:00 - 12:15 for mile 5 - 10, and then give it everything I had left for the last 5k. 

The race started out really well. At mile 4, right before the route split at the back side of Water Works Park, I passed Adam coming the other way and got a high five. I thought about the irony that I had run through Water Works Park so many times, but have never actually been to the park for any other reason. I was feeling very good as we made our way out of Water Works Park and around Grey's Lake. 

As I hit mile 10, I realized how consistent my splits had been, and ahead of pace too, but my body didn't feel like it had a lot left. It surprised me a little bit when I hit mile 11 and that split was slower than the rest. I picked it up for mile 12 but I think that may have been a mistake. About 2/10 of a mile before the marker I started to realize how little my body had left. At mile 12, I took a very short walk break and my legs were shaking. I started a much slower run after a couple minutes but my body just had nothing left. That is when the most amazing thing happened. The racers around me must have noticed I wasn't doing so well. They started talking to me, reminding me how close we were to the end, and giving me any encouragement they could. I managed to keep my legs going and gave it one last surge for the last quarter of a mile into the finish line. 

Surprisingly, after I finished, my legs were no longer shaking and I was able to walk just fine. My body was completely drained though and I was confident that I had given absolutely everything that I had in me. I finished in a time of 2:41:53, beating my time from 2015 by nearly 4 minutes. 

2023 splits on the left, 2015 on the right

Could I have done better if I hadn't gotten sick this week? I probably could have, but Erin has reminded me multiple times that life happens and their are certain things out of my control. I truly believe that I did the best I could with the circumstances that I was given. This was my 8th half marathon, and it won't be my last. 

Proud finisher

Wrap Up

So what's next? As of right now, I have 1 last race on my schedule for the year. I will be running the 5 mile Davenport Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. Between now and them I will be doing a lot of speed work and focusing on ending this unplanned season on a high note. I'm still hitting the weights and spending a lot of time in the pool and on the bike as well. I've got BIG things in the works for 2024 and am ready to put in the work this off season. It is going to be a challenge balancing work, basketball, family, and training this winter but if anyone is able to do it, I am. Thanks for reading!

John Deere Des Moines Area 5k - 2023

After seeing this race announced on the digital signs at work the last few years, I was excited to actually sign up for it this year. The race is a fundraiser for the United Way campaign and was held at Des Moines Works in Ankeny this year. 

It was my 3rd race in as many weeks, and my 13th race of the year. I've been racing and training really well lately so I decided to set a challenging goal. I've gradually been improving my 5k time throughout the summer but really wanted to break an 11:00/mi pace. My best 5k time of the year had been at the Hero Hustle Sprint Triathlon back in August with a time of 34:44 (11:11/mi) and I had nearly repeated that time at the Gateway Challenge Sprint Triathlon just a couple of weeks ago with a time of 34:50 (11:13/mi) so I was quite confident that the goal was attainable. 

The forecast for race day included record breaking heat, but I was grateful that it didn't come with humidity. I slept in until 6:30 and woke up feeling great. I headed out the door for a 15 minute walk before a quick breakfast consisting of a bagel and banana. On the drive to Ankeny I made sure to sip on a water bottle in preparation for the heat. When I arrived, I checked in and found a couple of my employees that were also racing. We hung out, chatted, and watched the kids races until it was time to line up for the 5k. 

The course was unique as it took us on a winding loop through the Des Moines Works campus, including through one of the factory buildings. After the first 2 miles we headed out onto some crushed gravel trails that meandered through some prairie grass before returning to the parking lot where it all began. The start/finish line included a John Deere sprayer (built at Des Moines works) with one of it's booms extended over the finish line. 

These sprayers are huge

Boom extended over the start/finish line

The field consisted of about 124 racers including runners and walkers. I decided to line up in the middle of the pack and then we were off. My strategy for the race was simple, go as hard from the start and hold it as long as possible. This is very different then my standard race strategy of starting with an easy pace and gradually building with negative splits but I thought it was my best chance to reach my pace goal. 

Mile 1 was 10:21 which banked me a lot of time early. By this time the race field had spread out a lot and my pace eased slightly once we started running north, with the wind at our backs, and it the sun and heat started to become apparent. I grabbed a glass at the single water station 1.5 miles in and then made it back out of the gate towards the prairie. Mile 2 came in at 10:45, slower, but still more time banked. I just needed to hold on for 1 more mile. As I hit the crushed gravel path, my heart sank a bit. The gravel was quite loose and my feet were slipping when I tried to stride out at all, for the next 3/4 of a mile my calves burned as I tried to keep my pace up as best I could. Relief came over me as I made it back to the parking lot and returned to pavement. Mile 3 ended up being 10:59. 

I was elated as I crossed the finish line in a time of 32:18. The course was about 0.08mi short of a 5k, but that still made my pace an average of 10:40/mi with all 3 miles coming in sub-11:00. I had absolutely destroyed the goal I set for myself. Not a PR, but a no-doubter seasons best.

Me, Adam, and Austin after the race

Andreas, me, and Austin representing the Totals Team

I've talked a lot in my blog posts this year about how far I've come, but also how far I still have to go. I often compare my current progress to where I was in 2019, which is well documented as my best year of racing, but this race is proof that we are finally starting to see flashes of the Patrick of old. For the first time I really feel like 2019 Patrick is in my sights and reaching and passing him is actually possible and that is really exciting to dream about. 

I have 2 races left on the schedule this year and am expecting great things out of myself. At the same time we are entering the time of year where my focus starts to shift to deer hunting followed quickly by coaching basketball. The off season is going to be a real test but it is one that I'm ready for. I'm still not quite ready to share my potential plans for next season but I will tell you that no matter what, 2023 will go down as an epic racing season and 2024 has the potential to be my best one yet!

Thanks for reading!

Capital Pursuit 2023

It was a quick turn around from the Gateway Challenge Triathlon last weekend to the Capital Pursuit this weekend, but I was ready to go. The Capital Pursuit is one of the oldest races in the Des Moines metro and is put on by the Capital Striders running club. There was a 10 mile and 5k option for the race and I opted for the 10 mile as it fit nicely in my half marathon training program. 

I set my alarm for 6:30am, which is really late for me, but was awake before it even went off. After getting changed I headed out on a half mile walk to wake myself up and then enjoyed a banana and bagel as a prerace breakfast. Traffic was light as I headed for downtown, and since it was a small race, there was plenty of parking near by so I got a spot just 3 blocks from the starting line. 

I quickly found my friend, Adam, and we hung out until it was time to line up. I had taken time to review the race results from the past several years and knew that I would be one of the last finishers, so I lined up at the back of the pack. After the national anthem played, we were off!

At the 1 mile mark, I was indeed in last place as the sweeper was hanging out just behind me. As happens in most races, everyone went out really fast but I tried to hold back a bit. I managed to pass a few people during mile 2 as we went through Grey's Lake Park. The park was super busy for a Sunday morning. We entered Water Works Park just before mile 3 and the crossed the pedestrian bridge over the river for a run through the woods. With so few racers around me and a lot of other people using the trails, it often felt more like a training run then a race. 

I kept a really good pace through the first 5 miles. My target pace was 12:30, which would give me a finish time of 2:05. I ran 10 miles in 2:07 last weekend so I felt that I may be able to go even faster. My 5 mile time was 58:17 so I was well ahead of pace and feeling pretty good. It is at mile 5 that I decided to see if I could push and beat 2 hours. Mile 6 began just south of Greenwood-Ashworth Park and was almost entirely up hill. It slowed me down a bit but I felt really strong the whole way. 

I've done so many races that the miles spent on Park and Kingman I already know like the back of my hand. The hills heading south on 28th to Grand were a little unexpected but I executed well on them also. As I turned onto Grand, I had just 1 mile remaining and shortly I found Adam who had circled back after finishing to find me. He ran the last 3/4 mile with me and I was grateful to have the company because my legs were really starting to feel it. As the clock at the finish line came into view I got excited to see it just crossing the 1:59 mark. I stepped on the gas for the last 100 yards and crossed with an official time of 1:59:23!

Adam running with me to the finish line

Finishing sub-2 hours

Garmin provided me all the data I could ever want

I was a little disappointed when I crossed the finish line and was told they had just run out of finisher medals. Lucky for them, even though I really like collecting medals for the memories, I'm in it for a lot more than that. Erin and the girls had come downtown after church to see me finish and it was great to see them. I quickly helped myself to Abigail's chair in the shade for a few minutes before taking some pictures and heading for home. 

Trying my hardest to get up

Adam makes me a better runner

My biggest cheerleaders

What a confidence builder this race was going into the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon in a few weeks. I was originally hesitant to sign up but am sure glad that I did. The race was both a physical and mental challenge and I can say that I raced harder than I have all year. My legs had very little left to give after crossing the finish line (I'm sort of dreading my run tomorrow morning). The best part though, I'm starting to see glimmers of my previous self except even better. 

Next up, the John Deere 5k next Saturday at Des Moines Works in Ankeny!

Gateway Challenge Sprint Triathlon 2023

 After work on September 15th, I loaded up the truck and headed for Marengo. I worked hard all summer to get comfortable on my PR3 with the hope that I could ride it in this race. The weather forecast was calling for rain and I wasn't so sure I wanted to risk the time trial bike on wet roads, so I took both bikes with me. Traffic on Interstate 80 was awful so the trip took an extra 15 minutes. Once I arrived I drove downtown to pick up my packet. I then proceeded to drive the bike course and discovered that it was extremely flat which got me even more excited for the race. 

When I signed up for the race, I envisioned having to get a hotel room nearby or staying with friends or family in Cedar Rapids or Iowa City then making the early morning trip back to Marengo. As it turned out, my friends Maureen and Nick lived just a few miles north of town and offered to give me a place to stay. I enjoyed the evening at their house playing with their dogs and children before getting a good nights sleep. 

It was still dark when I woke up the next morning, after putting on my tri suit and filling my water bottles I headed for Gateway park. I was greeted by thick fog with limited visibility and wondered what would happen if the fog didn't lift by race time. I arrived at the park about 5 minutes after transition opened. Even with the fog, the roads were dry and there wasn't any rain on the radar, so I unloaded the PR3 and got it ready to go. I dropped my things off in transition then headed to get marked. After getting things set up I checked out the transition area and swim course before grabbing a banana and waiting for the pre-race meeting. 

You can see the fog in the background

PR3 racked and ready to roll!

During the pre-race meeting the covered the usual stuff, an overview of the course, general rule reminders, etc. but also mentioned that they were going to start the race on time in spite of the fog hoping it would lift quickly once we were underway. As we lined up for the swim start, the fog was still thick enough that I could only see the first 2 sighting buoys. I started out pretty well on the swim and things went pretty well. It was a steep climb up out of the water to transition but I made it without issue. I didn't bother looking at my watch when I hit the button for T1 but didn't much care how long the swim took. 

I had been lined up at the back of the line for the swim so very few bikes were left in transition. Things went so smooth in transition. I used the same method as my last race and instantly sat down to get my socks and shoes on instead of trying to do it standing up. In no time at all my helmet was on and I was running for the bike out. A quick glance at my watch showed a T1 time of 1:26 which is an all time PR for me. 

Here is where the tricky part of the course came in. Transition was setup right along the lake in the grass and the parking area and road into the park was all gravel (and not in the best shape either). The mount line was out on the hard surface road just outside the park entrance. This meant that we had to push our bikes almost 200 yards from transition to the road and this time would count against our bike time. To make things more difficult, I had to do this wearing my cycling shoes (technically I could have done it with bare feet and put my cycling shoes on at the road as well but this seemed even more unpleasant). After making it to the road, I struggled to get clipped in before finally getting on my way. 

The 200 yard push at the start and end of the
bike really cut into my time

The bike course was a big loop that headed north out of town, east to West Amana, south to South Amana, and then back west to Marengo. As mentioned earlier the course was very flat and pretty open. The course was open to traffic but all of the vehicles that past were very kind to give us plenty of space Once out of town I got to work quickly. I had a goal to average > 19mph on the bike and I knew that I was already behind due to the rough start. I managed to track down 18 riders on the bike course and was extremely happy with my 5-10 and 10-15 mile splits. As I made my way through town and back to the park I was feeling pretty good but was also a little disappointed because my bike time wasn't going to be what I had hoped for. I dismounted at the park entrance and pushed the 200 yards back to transition very carefully.

Middle 2 bike splits were fantastic

After a very speedy T2, I was out on the run course. The run was an out and back along a fine crushed gravel path that looped around the lake and headed into town. I somehow managed to get out of transition before the race leader crossed the finish line which is very rare to me. The out and back course resulted in a lot of encouragement from all of the other racers on the course. This is one of my favorite parts of triathlon, the support that everyone has for each other.

My legs felt great but I didn't really push it very hard on the run. I opted to not take my GU gel like I had at the Hero Hustle. Even though it had made a huge difference there I really just felt like I had enough left to push through to the end of the race without it. I quickly drank a cup of Gatorade at the turn around water station and headed back towards the finish line. I pushed hard for the last half mile and felt fantastic as I finished. After receiving my medal, I had 2 other racers track me down to compliment me on how well I had done on the bike. The bike is my strength, and I know that, but all that I could think is how much better I could have and should have done. I probably just need to be better at accepting compliments. 

I quickly packed up in transition and headed for my truck to get home. Overall, it was a great race. While I'm not thrilled with the start and end of the bike, the rest of the course was fantastic and the triathlon was well run. With an open offer from Maureen to stay at their house anytime, I'm guessing that I will be back for this one in future years. 

Proud finisher!

Race Highlights

• 1:26 T1 is an all time PR
• 1:02 T2 is a SB
• 34:50 is my 2nd fastest 5k of the season, only 6 seconds slower than the Hero Hustle
• 38th fastest bike split out of 98 finishers

It is hard to believe it, but my 2023 triathlon season has officially come to an end. In a season that started with an indoor triathlon back in January, and no plans to sign up for another one, I ended racing in 6. I am extremely proud of how far I've come this year and really had a lot of fun along the way. I still have a few road races left for the year but it was very sad washing and packing away all of my triathlon gear this week. I've got a lot of work to do this winter in all 3 disciplines but I think I'm up for the challenge. I'm still not sure what next year will hold, but whatever it is, I'm certain that it will be absolutely epic. 

Hero Hustle Sprint Triathlon 2023

This morning I competed in the Hero Hustle Sprint Triathlon in Manchester, IA. Last night I stayed at my parents house to cut 2 hours off the drive this morning. I got a good nights sleep which was even able to sleep a little extra since the race didn't start until 9:00. the Hero Hustle Triathlon is in its 8th year and raises money for the Firefighters, EMS, and Police Officers in Delaware County. Some of my favorite races are those found in small town Iowa put on by the communities. Just like so many other races I've done, the town showed up to volunteer, race, and cheer on the athletes all morning. It was amazing!

With the later race start, I was very happy that the hot and humid weather of last week was behind us. We were greeted with temperatures in the mid-50s, very little humidity, and light winds out of the NE. Parking was right next to registration and transition which made setup a breeze. A short walk to the beach for the pre-race meeting, the national anthem, and we were off. There were about 180 athletes total between the triathlon and duathlon but the time trial/rolling start went very quickly. 

The water was quite warm (81 degrees) and I felt pretty good on the swim. I was a little disappointed when I got out of the water to see 10:40 on my watch and still had to run up the hill to transition. My official time in the swim was 11:40 which is pretty darn bad. I really need to spend time working on my swim this off season. 

Once I got into transition I took a play from my last race and sat down to get my socks and shoes on. Once again it paid off as I got out of T1 in a time of 1:35 which is a season best and one of my best all time. I got out onto the bike course quickly. The course headed South with a partial tail wind. It was an out-and-back course with a turnaround at 8 miles and some rolling hills with no big climbs. I pushed hard from the start as I wanted to take advantage of the 6 miles with a partial tail wind. At the 5 mile mark I was averaging > 19mph which made me very happy. I lost some time once I was headed back into the wind but still was able to finish the 16 mile course in 51:52 which was an 18.5mph average. Another season best time. 

I thought I had used my legs a little too much on the bike as I had caught myself mashing the pedals several times on the bike, but it turned out I was wrong. I got through T2 in 1:07, another season best. There was a water station about 1/4 mile into the run course and they were handing out small water bottles that were being kept cold in a cooler. I was overjoyed. I kept the bottle with me and decided to take the GU gel I had thrown in my tri suit. I don't normally take in nutrition during a sprint triathlon but I was feeling low on energy and knew it would give me some extra pep for the last 2.5 miles. As I hit the turnaround at about 1.25 miles I really pushed hard down the hill. My 2nd mile came in at 11:09 which is my fastest mile of the year. As I got into the park, the run finished with a lap around the lake on a gravel trail. The gravel did slow me down a little bit but I ended up finishing with a time of 34:44 (11:11/mi average). This marked my fastest 5k of the year, beating out the Rexy Run 5k last weekend by 11 minutes!

Very happy with how I raced today!

Transition all set up nice and early

Spacious transition meant everyone had plenty of space

Beautiful view of the swim course

After the race I got everything loaded up and made the 2 hour and 45 minute trip home. I stiffened up a little bit on the drive so after a quick shower Bridget helped me out with some PT. 

"Don't worry daddy. I've got this!"

I know that I still have a lot to work on, but everything really came together today and I am extremely pleased with my performance. My next race will be the Gateway Challenge Sprint Triathlon in Marengo, IA on September 16th. I'm really excited to see what improvements I can make in the next 3 weeks.