Getting My Groove Back

 It has been nearly 17 months since my last race and my last blog post and it amazes me how much has changed in that time. In my wrap up post for 2019 I shared my intentions to take the 2020 season off of racing to spend more time with my family and at my cabin. Little did I know at the time that 2020 was going to bring a global pandemic and a lost season for nearly all triathletes and runners. 

After my season was over, I stopped working out completely for quite awhile and put on quite a bit of weight as a result. I was both physically and mentally exhausted from a long 2019 season and needed the time away. It was never my intent to avoid training and exercise completely so in February 2020, I started training with Abigail, my 8 year old daughter, to run her 1st 5k at the Drake Relays Road Races. We were several weeks into training when the pandemic became real and the race was postponed. Abigail and I did end up running our 5k virtually in the fall.

With the pandemic came working from home and being stuck in our own little bubble for several months. As you can tell from how I train, I am big into planning ahead and knowing what to expect. The pandemic took that feeling of comfort away from me and instead of turning to exercise for stress relief, I turned to food and gained more weight. I'm not going to sit here and act like all of 2020 was a complete loss and that my life was miserable because that would be a lie. Plenty of great things happened over the last year as I was able to spend plenty of time with my family and at my cabin, I continued to build on my career at John Deere, I had a very successful deer hunting season, and I found my way back into coaching high school basketball (for just a few examples). 

As the holidays came and the year turned to 2021 I knew that it was time to get back after it. My motivation was lacking but I wanted to start somewhere. I started setting an early alarm on weekdays to either go for a walk or ride the bike in my basement. Nothing too intense but at least I was moving a bit more. As basketball season was coming to an end, I put together a training plan and started to formulate a racing schedule for the year. The excitement was starting to build. My current weekly training schedule includes 3 runs, 3 bike rides, 3 walks, and 4 strength training sessions. 

2021 Tentative Schedule

• 5/1 - Live Healthy Iowa 5k
• 6/27 - Ames Triathlon - Sprint Duathlon
• 7/11 - Summer Iowa Games Triathlon
• 8/15 - Bluff Creek Triathlon - Sprint
• 9/? - Cyman Triathlon
• 10/17 - IMT Des Moines Marathon - Half Marathon

The schedule is purposely light as I need to ease my way back into racing. I'm starting off very out of shape and overweight so it will take awhile to build up my fitness again. Additionally, I have so far been uncomfortable with returning to the YMCA to swim (hopefully soon!) and haven't swam since August 2019, which is why my 1st 2 scheduled races don't include swims. 

My goals for the year are simple, I want to complete my racing schedule and return to an acceptable race weight. From the outside, I'm sure those don't seem too exciting but I have some REALLY exciting things in mind for 2022 and 2023 so it is very important to get my base fitness back. 

So far, things are progressing well. I am on my 3rd week of a 9 week training schedule leading up to my 1st race. While my pace is slow, I have worked my way up to running for 25 continuous minutes and am averaging nearly 19mph on the bike. I have also lost 7 lbs. More importantly, I have been feeling much better physically these past few weeks and have started to feel the power burn inside me again. 

It may not have turned out the way that I envisioned, but a year off is exactly what I needed. 

Some people want it to happen,

some wish it would happen,

others make it happen.

- Michael Jordan 

2019 Season In Review

My 2019 racing season was nothing short of amazing. My training schedule started on Christmas Day last December as I headed into what was supposed to be a very active winter and early spring schedule. I purposely had laid out a very ambitious schedule and I knew that it was going to be a very long season, but coming off such a great end to 2018, my confidence was very high. 

In addition to an ambitious schedule, I set some very challenging goals for myself this year:

• Complete my first full marathon
• Set a new PR for a 70.3 triathlon
• Set a new PR for an Olympic distance triathlon
• Set a new 5K PR
• Set a new 10K PR
• Set a new half marathon PR
• Set a new triathlon swim pace PR
• Set a new triathlon bike pace PR

With such a long list of goals, I knew that I would only have 1 or 2 chances to accomplish each one, so I had to stay focused leading up to each race.

My season did get off to a rough start when I had to miss my first 2 races, both indoor triathlons, in January. One was due to illness and the other was an unexpected death in the family. In addition to the missed races, I was battling brutal winter weather with a lot of snow, wind, and frigid temperatures. Even with several miserable days, I was running extremely well and feeling good. 

A brief reprieve from winter greeted us the first weekend of February as I headed down to Kansas City to run the Kickoff 5K with my uncle, Mike O'Connell. Coming off an illness the weekend before, I wasn't very confident in trying to set a new PR but I ended up doing just that. I finished the race with an official time of 27:51, 9 seconds faster than my previous PR, and happy to have goal #1 checked off my list. 

Super focused and running hard

Uncle Mike and I before the race

My next race was the St. Paddy's Day Half Marathon in Des Moines. I was a little nervous leading up to race day because rain, along with all of the melting snow and ice, had caused a large part of the course to flood. Luckily, the race directors worked with the City of Des Moines to alter the course. The weather on race day was perfect and I ended up running a nearly flawless race. I finished with a time of 2:08:14, shattering my previous PR of 2:16:18. In addition, I managed to run a 10K split of 1:00:39, breaking my previous 10K PR by almost 2 minutes! 

My friend, Dan, and I both had a great race

Feeling like I'm on top of the world

Here I was, 2 races into the season and 3 of my 8 goals already checked off the list. My next race was the Drake Relays Road Races 10K. Since I had already reached my goal of setting a new 10K PR, I decided to shoot for the stars and set a new goal to finish in under 1 hour. I pushed hard from the start of the race, but with a 1 mile split that came in over 10 minutes, I nearly gave up hope and actually took my foot off the gas pedal a little bit. As ran into the stadium and onto the world famous blue oval, I couldn't believe my eyes, I had done it! I finished with an official time of 59:49.

Giving it everything I had left for the last quarter mile

The warmer weather of spring meant that it was time to shift my focus from road races to triathlon. I kicked off my triathlon at the TriByKnight in Waverly, IA on the first weekend of May. I had just started ramping up my training on the bike and in the pool so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was able to kick off the rust and put together my most complete triathlon ever, turning in a time of 1:28:22 which included a bike pace of 19.0 mph and a 5k running split of 30:33. My favorite part of that race was competing alongside my longtime friend, Justin, for his first triathlon.

Justin and I after the TriByKnight

Even though I had a solid race at the TriByKnight, I was not able to check off any of my other goals. That put a huge weight on my next race, the Quad Cities Triathlon, in June. I was beginning to run out of likely chances to set new swim and bike pace PRs so I knew that it was important to knock off at least one of them. In addition, I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder going into that race as I struggled there in 2018. Even with high winds and the threat of rain. I ended up having an outstanding race. I was able to average 1:59/100 yards on the swim, edging out my previous PR of 2:01/100 yards. In addition, I was able to average 19.7 mph on the bike, narrowly missing the 20 mph that I was hoping for, but still good enough to beat out my previous PR of 19.4 mph. Just like that, I had checked of 5 of my 8 goals for the year. 

Coming out of the water after a record-breaking swim

Heading into T2 after a record-breaking ride on the bike

The year was half over, and I was having a blast! As I headed into the month of July, with the Door County Triathlon looming, I quickly realized that I was having a very special year and there was little room left for error. I had 3 goals remaining but only a single chance at each of them. 

Even though I had identified 3 "A" races for the year, the Door County half-Iron distance triathlon was truly the pinnacle of my season. My training schedule from late March through July was grueling. I was training more than I ever had and there was very little time for anything else in my life. Every race in which I compete holds a special place in my heart and provides a lot of great memories, but the Door County triathlon went to a whole new level. There are no words that I can write to truly describe how that race made me feel, I still get chills every time that I think about it. If you haven't read it, or if you are in need of some inspiration, I would suggest taking a couple of minutes to go back and read my blog post about the Door County Triathlon. My official time for the race was 6:53:24, beating my previous PR by nearly an hour! I raced better in every phase of the race and felt fantastic as I crossed the finish line. 

Conquering Lake Michigan

Crushing the Door County Triathlon Bike Course

70.3 miles in the books and cruising to the finish line

Extremely proud finisher

After the high of the Door County Triathlon, my season really started to slow down and my normal level of determination and focus started to diminish. 2 weeks after Door County, I raced at the Accel Triathlon in Waterloo, IA on a relay team. I did the 1,500 meter swim, my friend, Justin, did the 40K bike, and my friend Matt did the 10K run. It was a lot of fun, and even though it wasn't a goal of mine, I ended up with a swim time of 37:05, beating my previous PR by over 6 1/2 minutes for that same distance. Our team finished as the 2nd place relay team. 

We had a blast!

My racing season was quickly winding down, but I had 2 big races left and I needed both of them to count to check of my 2 remaining goals. Leading up to to the Bluff Creek Triathlon, I ended up injuring my foot. I was unable to run and wasn't sure what to do. Even if my foot would hold up, the likelihood of breaking my Olympic distance triathlon PR was fairly low. When race week arrived, I made the very difficult decision to pull out of the race with the hope that I would still be able to get back on track in time to run a the Des Moines marathon. 

Even though I didn't race the triathlon, I did decide to compete in the sprint Aquabike at Bluff Creek. For those who don't know, an aquabike is simply a triathlon minus the run. For that race, I competed alongside all of the other triathletes but just stopped when reaching T2. I had a really good race, and even managed to average 20.3 mph on the bike. To my surprise, I ended up being the overall winner of the sprint Aquabike. Let that sink in for a few seconds... It was, and still is, a very surreal moment for me. I purposely don't set goals that deal with placing or competing against other people because I honestly am not a very competitive person, but I would be lying if I didn't say that it felt good to be standing atop the (figurative) podium with a gold medal and prize in my hand. 

The long run uphill to T1 from the lake

Winner!

With my triathlon season complete, and knowing that I would fall a goal short for the year, September and October really turned into a grind for me. I pounded out a lot of miles over that time and by the time the IMT Des Moines Marathon weekend rolled around, I was just ready to be done. The weather on race day was picture perfect and I had my parents, wife, and girls out to cheer me on. The race, like the previous 2 months of training, was a grind, and was very hard, but I finished. As I crossed the finish line in downtown Des Moines with an official time just under 6 hours, I had some tears streaming down my cheeks. The tears were not only because of the pain and exhaustion but also from knowing that I had done it, not just finished the race, but finished my entire season. 

The most proud and supportive wife a
guy could ever ask for

To wrap it all up with a nice bow, I planned out a long season for 2019 and ended up executing it nearly to perfection. I set 8 very lofty goals, and was able to accomplish 7 of them. At this point, it is very hard to imagine having another year that is as successful as 2019 was.

I have a lot of thanks to give this year. To everyone who raced with me: Uncle Mike, Dan, Justin, and Matt. To those who came out to cheer me on throughout the year: my mom and dad, Melissa, Brycen, Aubree, and Callie and my friend Megan (and anyone else that I may have missed). And also, to everyone who has followed along on my blog or on Facebook throughout the year. All of your support and encouragement means more than you will ever know. 

Last of all, I couldn't draw the year to a close without a huge thank you to my daughters, Abigail and Bridget, but most of all to my wife, Erin. This year I was all in, and it required them to be all in too. You all get to read about all of my joy, struggles, and dedication, but hidden behind all of that is the sacrifice and support of my family. They are my whole world and I would never be able to do any of this without them.

I'm sure that you are all dying to know what is next, but the answer may not be all that exciting. The truth is, I have dedicated a lot of my life over the last 6 years to training and racing. I have learned a lot about myself over that time and have fallen in love with running and triathlon. 2020 is sure to be my most epic year yet, but in a very different way. My goals for 2020 will have little to do with racing, and a lot more to do with spending time with my family. As stated above, they have spent the last 6 years sacrificing for me, so it is now time for me to return the favor. I'm sure that I will run a few races next year, but there won't be any elaborate training programs and anything racing related will take a back seat to family time. Weekends will be spent at the cabin or taking family outings instead of spending hours on the bike or pounding the pavement. Instead of waking up at 5:00 am to run 10 miles, we will still wake up at 5:00 am but to go fishing instead. 

Des Moines Marathon 2019

It was 6 years in the making and I finally did it! I managed to cross the finish line of my very first marathon yesterday and I couldn't be more excited. It was a beautiful day to race with temperatures starting in the mid-40s and rising to around 60 degrees by the time I finished.

As always, the IMT Des Moines Marathon races were well run and did not disappoint. To add to the fun, my parents, wife, and girls spent the day in downtown Des Moines cheering me on.

Going into the race, I was very familiar with the course. Between the Drake Relays Road Races, Des Moines half marathon and marathon relay run in previous years, I had run on all portions of the course except for about a 3 mile section from mile 15 - 18. The first 8 miles contained a few hills, but the remainder of the course was relatively flat.

Erin and the girls were waiting for me at mile 12 as we ran a loop around the blue oval at Drake Stadium. To this point, I was running well but the hills had taken a lot out of my legs. I was sticking with the 5:05 pace group but started to drop back around mile 13.

Waiting patiently with their signs

Running into Drake Stadium with the 5:05 pace group

High fives from my girls

I knew coming into the race that I would start walk-running at some point and that started after mile 13. From there I kept the same cadence for the next 7 miles until I was in Waterworks Park and saw my girls a couple of more times. 

More high fives at mile 18

More motivation just passed mile 20

At mile 20, with 10K to go, I hit a wall and my body couldn't take much more. My right hip and feet were aching and my legs felt like they were being drug through mud. I ran very little during those last few miles but managed to fight through the pain as I made my way around Gray's Lake and back up MLK towards the finish line. 

Although I didn't race well at all, in the end, I managed to cross the finish line and that was my ONLY goal going into the race. I am extremely proud of myself, not only for finishing the race but even for showing up and starting it. As my multi-sport season came to an end and I battled a foot injury in early August my heart just hasn't been in it. I had to fight through every training run and for the first time since starting on this journey 6 years ago, I didn't want to do it anymore. For that reason alone, this finish line meant so much more than any of the rest

Heading into the home stretch

2 proud parents

The cutest cheering section that I saw all day

My rock. None of this would be possible
without her. 

The silver lining in not racing well is that it provides an opportunity to learn, grow and improve. I am already looking forward to my next opportunity to tackle a full marathon. As for now, it is time for some well deserved rest and relaxation as I head into my off season. 

Check back soon for my 2019 season recap and my plans for 2020. 

Bluff Creek Aquabike 2019

I was very disappointed a week ago when I injured my left foot, but I was downright devastated when I actually clicked the button to change my Bluff Creek race registration from the Olympic triathlon to the sprint aquabike. It is no secret that I have had an outstanding season and this was my only chance to accomplish my goal of setting a PR at the Olympic distance.

Even with the disappointment, I got into my truck just after 5:00 am this morning and headed for Don Williams park in the pouring rain. I arrived at the race plenty early to pick up my packet and get transition setup. It sure felt strange only setting up for the swim and bike. After racing here the past 2 years, I am very familiar with the course and have had a lot of success. In fact, last year I finished on the podium in 3rd place in Clydesdale division for the sprint triathlon.

The swim start is across the lake from transition so we have to ride on buses to get there. After a long wait and a short delay for them to finish setting up the swim course (they were running behind due to thunderstorms earlier) we got underway. The swim was 500 meters straight across the lake. I swam well but felt like I could have done better but my swim wave was pretty crowded. After exiting the swim, there is about 150 yard run uphill to transition. I finished the swim in 11:29 (2:06/100 average) which was better then each of the past 2 years on this course. 

Heading into T1

I made it through T1 in 2:05 and headed out onto the bike course. The 15 mile bike course heads out of the park and straight north for 7 miles before turning around and heading back. The winds were fairly light, about 10 mph, and with a tail wind on the way out I kept a pace well over 20 mph. With wet roads, I was a lot more cautious then usual but I still ended up crushing the bike course. I finished with a time of 44:19 (20.3 mph average), earning myself a 1st place finish. My official time was 57:54 and I finished more than a minute faster then the 2nd place overall finisher. 

Receiving my gold medal and prize

Super proud of myself

I'm not a very competitive person, and for me, racing has never been about beating anyone else. It is about improving myself and beating yesterday. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I have ever believed that some day I would be the overall winner of a race. Today was a very special day for me as I was handed a tough situation and found a way to make the best of it. I have learned a lot in the last 6 years of racing, but I think the 2 most valuable lessons have been:

1. I can only control so much, and most things are out of my control (weather, injuries, etc.)
2. Being able to make adjustments to what success looks like. 

It may never happen again, but today I won a race!

As icing on the cake, I also had a huge cheering section today. My sister, Melissa, and her 3 kids came to watch me race, as did my mom and dad. I've said it before and it still rings true today, I always seem to race better with a cheering section. 

I think someone asked us to point to the sky...

Proud parents

Bluff Creek was officially my last multisport race of the 2019 season. What an amazing season it has been! While I'm still disappointed that I didn't get the chance to improve on my Olympic distance PR, I sure am happy with how this race went. 

I have officially been pain free in my foot for 5 full days and am looking forward to building my miles back up. I only have 1 race remaining for the year, but it is sort of a big one. The Des Moines Marathon is 9 weeks away and I'm looking forward to checking off another item from both my 2019 goals and my bucket list. Wish me luck over the next 9 weeks that I can stay healthy and injury free!

As a bonus side note, I thought that I would mention that I have decided to join My Team Triumph as a volunteer, fundraiser, and angel. I will not be racing with them this year, but am looking forward to getting more involved in 2020. Although I have noticed them at races before, they had a HUGE presence at the Door County Triathlon and made a large impression on me. I have been looking for ways to make my training and racing mean more and have a larger impact on people and I think My Team Triumph is the perfect fit for me. 

Accel Triathlon Relay 2019

On Saturday I was lucky enough to race at the Accel Triathlon in Waterloo with 2 friends. We signed up to race the Olympic distance race as a relay team. I did the swim, my friend Justin did the bike, and my friend Matt did the run. The best part of the race for me was getting to pair triathlon with a chance to catch up with a couple of friends.

I drove up to Cedar Falls on Friday evening and camped with my parents at Black Hawk Park. I got up early and headed into town to pick up Justin and his bike. We headed for George Wyth State Park to meet Matt.

Justin getting his bike ready to go

Pre-race selfie

After picking up our packets and getting marked, we headed to setup Justin's bike in transition. This is my first time doing a triathlon as a relay so it felt strange how little setup and preparation was needed. The water was 76 degrees (although I'm still not sure that I believe that), meaning the race was wet suit legal. After meeting up with my parents, we headed down to the water and I got my wet suit on. 

The swim 1,500 meters and I was in the first wave. I felt really strong during the swim and ended up finishing with a time of 37:05 which beat my previous Olympic distance swim PR of 43:53, set 2 years ago at the same race, by nearly 7 minutes! I quickly ran up to transition and got the timing chip handed over to Justin who headed out onto the bike course. 

Finished with my swim and enjoying being done

Justin had estimated finishing the 40k bike course in around 1:30, so we were a bit surprised when he returned to transition in a little over 1:20. Matt followed Justin into transition, got the timing chip and headed out onto the run course. 

Justin heading into T2 with Matt chasing behind

A very proud cyclist

The 10k run included 2 laps so we got the opportunity to cheer Matt on at the half way point. It was starting to get pretty hot during the run but that didn't slow Matt down much as he finished with a blazing fast time averaging 7:30/mi. 

Matt at the half way point of the run

Our overall time was 2:47:41 and we finished as the 2nd place relay team. I don't think I'm going to be turning in my bike or my cycling shoes anytime soon, but I did really have a lot of fun doing a relay and will definitely do another one sometime. 

Proud 2nd place finishers

My parents came to cheer us on

Official results

My next race is in 3 weeks at the Bluff Creek Triathlon where I will try to set a new PR for an Olympic distance triathlon. That will also mark the end of my triathlon season for the year. I have had an awesome racing season in 2019 and hope to keep that rolling with my last 2 races.