April 2023 Recap

April was a fantastic training month for me as I was able to hit all of my training goals for the month. I had set 4 primary goals for the month and here is how they turned out.

Goal: Keep my run streak alive!

I was able to successful keep my run streak alive by run all 30 days in the month of April bringing my run streak to 448 days. I've actually been making a lot of progress with my running this month and the results showed when I ran the Drake Road Races 10k on April 23rd. 

I ran a total of 85.58 miles for the month which comes out to an average of 2.85 miles per day and is the most miles I have run in a month since my run streak started. I completed 4 runs that were 6 miles or longer, including my longest of 7 miles on April 9th. I also managed to average a pace of 13:42/mile which makes it the first month that I have averaged less than 14:00/mile since my run streak started. During the Drake Road Races 10k, I was able to break a goal that I had set back in February to run a sub-12:00 minute mile when I ran 11:59 on mile 6. 

I expect my running mileage to decrease in May as I have officially shifted my focus to triathlon and spending more time on the other disciplines. 

Goal: Complete 15 strength training sessions

I don't know why, but strength training is one of my least favorite forms of exercise. That being said, I know that it plays a key role in longevity with both running and triathlon. More importantly though, it is great for weight loss and general health and fitness. I have been working really hard to build good habits around strength training and I'm actually getting there as I was able to accomplish this goal as well. In April I did a great job of building consistency and have really been focusing on the parts of my body that I know are weakest. It is already making a difference. 

Goal: Bike 100 miles

A modest goal for sure, but I was successfully able to accomplish this goal as well. During April, I completed 11 rides totaling 139.59 miles. I was able to average 18.1 mph but admittedly most of these rides were on the trainer in the basement (no wind, no hills, no traffic). I'd like to see that average up around 20mph, but a more important metric to me is average cadence. My average cadence for the month was 65 rpm but I would really like that to be closer to 80 rpm. I certainly have some work to do on the bike, and am hoping for more favorable weather in May to allow me to get outside more often. 

One highlight of the month was getting outside for my 1st bike ride of the year. I was able to put a few miles in on the Chichaqua Trail on April 14th with my friends, Kyle and Adam. We had a blast and Adam even enjoyed it enough to go out and buy a nice bike of his own afterwards. 

Goal: Complete 4 swims

Another seemingly modest goal, and another one that I was able to complete. I actually ended up swimming 5 times for a total of 3.21 miles for the month. My longest swim was 1500 yards on April 17th. I was very consistent, averaging around 2:30/100 yards for each swim although I certainly built up my swimming endurance as things felt a lot better and my stroke was a lot more smooth by the end of the month.

Unlike on the bike, I'm actually happy with where I'm at with my swimming....for now. the longest swim for any race that I have this season is 750 meters, which I will be able to get through no problem. Improving speed and form with swimming is better saved for the off season anyways and with how these sprint triathlons are set up, swimming is such a small portion of the race. The cost vs. reward on spending a lot of time on it just isn't there right now. One thing I will need to do within the next month is get into the open water a bit, of course mother nature will have the biggest say on when that will happen. 

Another lesson that I am quickly learning is how different life is now than it was back in 2019. Both of our girls are in countless activities, some of which I am helping out. Pool hours are fairly hard to come by due to a lifeguard shortage at the YMCAs in the area. Although these things sound like excuses, they are a reality that I have to deal with and it often just means less time in the pool. I was lucky enough to find some times that worked during April that allowed me to swim while Abigail was taking a class at the Y. 2 birds, 1 stone. 

Enjoyed a mid-morning swim on a day off work

Wrap Up

One thing that I haven't done much of is focusing on my weight. This means that I haven't been weighing in regularly but I do try to do it around the beginning of each month to see what progress I have been making. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, I'm sinking a lot of energy into working out and following my training plans consistently. I have found in the past that if I try to take on too much at one time that I will either get burnt out or dejected if things don't go my way. I've let myself, for the most part, keep eating however I want. One good thing is, the more consistent I get at training and working out, the better I tend to eat without even thinking about it.

The second reason is that there are so many things I want to focus on that just aren't weight. I know that losing weight will help me reach my goals but sometimes the weight doesn't go down, or doesn't go down as fast as I would like and I get frustrated. The truth is, each day I'm getting a little faster on the bike, in the pool, or while I run. Each day I get a little stronger when I lift. I want to focus on those more tangible and meaningful things to me, at least for now. 

During May, I am going to work on being more intentional with my eating. I don't have a concrete plan in place yet but I'm hoping to figure something out and take small steps to get there. Just like in 2014, when this all began, I'm in it for the long haul and not just seeking short term gains. I'm also very excited for what is in store this May. I don't have any races on the schedule, but training for a triathlon is very exciting. I am a triathlete at heart, so I'm just out there working hard to feel more like myself each day. 

Drake Road Races 10k 2023

The sun was out and winds were light, and even though it was a little cold, it turned out to be a beautiful morning for a race. The Drake Road Races is one of my favorites each year because of the timing, atmosphere, and variety of races they offer (5k, 10k, and half marathon). With a 5k under my belt back in March, I opted to sign up for the 10k to see what I could do. 

My alarm went off at 5:30, giving me plenty of time to get ready and head down to the Drake campus. My friend, Adam, decided to come to the race with me to cheer me on so I picked him up at 6:30 and we were on our way. I found a parking spot on my favorite neighborhood street that allows for an easy exit after the race and we made it to the starting line with plenty of time to spare. I didn't really feel like doing a warm up run, so we walked around a bit to stay warm in the cold.

All 3 races were sold out this year so the start line was a sight to see. Before I knew it, I heard the starting pistol fire and we were off. I felt really good from the start and successfully weathered the storm of everyone else going out fast. My legs were good and stretched out by the time I reached the 1 mile marker and I managed to keep a fairly consistent pace for the next 4 miles. My legs were tired, but I felt like I had something left so I put the hammer down with about a mile to go and ended up running a sub-12 minute mile for mile 6. I've been trying to reach a sub-12 minute mile for a couple of months now so it felt good to actually get it done. Heading down the hill and into the stadium was very cool, as always, and I gave it one final kick as I headed to the finish line. 

My goal for the race was to finish in under 1:25, but I knew that if I raced really well I might be able to go sub-1:20 and that is exactly what I did. My official time was 1:18:35 and I don't think I could have done much better than that. This was only my 3rd 10k since I started racing back in 2014, but it was my slowest (by far). This race, and training these last 2 months though, has really given me the confidence that I will, in time, get back to where I once was. 

My biggest highlights of this race come from the results themselves. As already stated, I ran some very consistent splits the whole race and I was able to hit that sub-12 minute mile time during the race. Additionally, I was very happy to see that the final 5k of the race was faster than the first. In fact, not only was it faster than the first 5k of this race, it was faster than the 39:07 that I turned in at the St. Paddy's 5k back in early March by 36 seconds! It may not seem like much, but every step I take, no matter how small, gets me 1 step closer to reaching my goals. 

Consistent splits, but how about that mile 6?

Faster coming back than going out

With Drake in the rearview it is time to turn my focus to triathlon. I am planning to race 3 sprint triathlons in 4 weekends beginning June 17th at the Quad Cities Triathlon. With that race nearly 2 months away, I have plenty of time to prepare and may look to add an additional road race to my schedule in May. 

Developing a Support Network

This post could very well apply to any part of life, but my focus will be on developing a good support network for training and racing. A lot of my own time and effort goes into training and preparing to race but none of it would be possible without my support network. I can break down my support network into 4 different roles. I have several people who fit into multiple roles and each role is crucial to my success.

1. Coaches
2. Cheerleaders
3. Managers
4. Teammates

Coaches

I was born a problem solver, and I love to figure stuff out on my own. That being said, early on in life I learned that the best way to learn is to listen to the stories of people that have been where you are and worked through the challenges that you are facing. I've never hired a formal coach for racing (although they do exist) but I have learned a lot from those around me. A few different coworkers at Pioneer really helped me a lot in those early years. 

Robbie, a fellow software developer, was (and still is) an avid runner. He gave me a lot of advice those first few years as I really got into running. He shared different training ideas with me based on his experience. Even as I am diving back into training now, we are still connected on Garmin Connect and keep in touch that way. Robbie is also the person that taught me to appreciate a good new pair of running shoes. 

Mike was another software developer at Pioneer. We were at a similar point in our running journey back in 2015-2018. We shared our training plans with each other and he taught me about time-based training (as opposed to distance based). 

Megan, another software developer at Pioneer, and now working for me at John Deere, was a swimmer. Back in 2016 when I was trying to teach myself to swim freestyle I was constantly bouncing ideas off of her. Megan ended taking up running as well and for a couple of years we would run together before work or over lunch. It helped both of us with accountability and companionship in a sport that could, at times, be very lonely. 

Chris was another coworker at Pioneer. He had gotten into triathlon a couple years before me and we crossed paths often at races. I didn't know many triathletes so it was nice to have someone else with the multi-sport mindset to talk with about training and races. 

Learning from those around me, as well as making those social connections, really had a huge impact in those early years. Without those coaches around me, I'm certain that I would have run into many hurdles that would have changed into complete roadblocks that would have stopped me completely. 

Cheerleaders

To me, a cheerleader is anyone who shows an interest in my racing. There are so many ways to be a cheerleader from reading my blog, liking a Facebook post about a race or accomplishment, asking me about how training is going or if I have a race coming up, or actually showing up on race day to cheer me on. 

I am very lucky to be surrounded by many cheerleaders and I'm certain that I won't be able to mention everyone here. Just know that even if you aren't referenced in this post, I notice and appreciate every single person in my life who has taken an interest in my journey, no matter how small. 

My mother-in-law, Mary, has been one of my biggest cheerleaders from the beginning. Way back in 2014 when I started on this journey my first race was the Bix 7 in Davenport. This is a race that Mary walks every year so we went to the race together and she cheered me on every time we crossed paths on the course. Mary also was there for my first half marathon, my first triathlon, and a number of other races as well. Mary is also an avid reader of my blog posts and often the first person to like any status I post on Facebook.

Mary and I after the Bix 7 - July 2014

My parents, Dan and Shirley, support me in everything that I choose to do in life. When it comes to racing, they are never shy about telling me how proud they are of me. My parents have traveled all over Iowa to watch me race. I can remember one time, in August 2017, when they came down to our house, got up ridiculously early in the morning and rode with me up to the Bluff Creek Triathlon. I was supposed to race the Olympic distance triathlon that morning but things changed when a thunderstorm pushed through. Mom and dad sat in the truck with me waiting out the rain until we were given the all clear, but with the late start, everyone would be racing the sprint distance. 

Mom and Dad with me and Abigail after the
Bluff Creek Triathlon - August 2017

Dad with me before the Des Moines Triathlon -
September 2016

Their are many other examples of family and friends who have, and continue to be my cheerleaders as well. There has been several occasions when my sister, Melissa, and her husband, Mike, have been great cheerleaders for me. Mike went with me to my 2nd half marathon in 2015 to keep me company and cheer me on during the race. Melissa brought her kids up to the Bluff Creek Triathlon several years to cheer me on as I raced. Just last summer, I went out to Adel to run a 5k that my nephew Brycen was also running and received their support and encouragement that day too. Everyone I know has busy lives, but with 3 kids of their own, they are especially busy so it means a lot for them to take time to support me. A whole host of family members came out to support me during the Des Moines Triathlon in 2016 and a large group of family and friends came out to cheer me on at the Cyman Triathlon in 2018. 

Cheering Section at the Des Moines
Triathlon - September 2016

A lot of amazing support at the Bluff Creek Triathlon - 
 August 2017

Family support at the Cyman Triathlon -
 September 2018

Great support from my friends at the Cyman Triathlon -
 September 2018

Of course, I can't end this section without calling out my 3 biggest cheerleaders. My wife, Erin, and daughters, Abigail and Bridget, are always cheering for me. When I return home from a long run or a trip to the gym, I'm often greeted with a "GOOD JOB DADDY!" Whenever they come to a race, they cheer louder than anyone else and give me as many high fives as they can. There are always hugs at the finish line as well. They encourage me on the days that I really don't want to do it anymore, and console me on the days when things are extra hard or don't turn out the way that I want them to. One perfect example of this was when I completely bonked during the run at the Legend Ad Adstra 70.3 Triathlon back in 2017. Erin went with me to the race and supported me the whole day. The race was hard, and it turned out that I was not as prepared as I thought I was. When my calves completely seized up about 8 miles into the run, she walked with me for a couple hundred yards as I cried. She encouraged me to keep going, but I also know she would have thought no less of me if I had stopped. In that moment, she was my strength and got me through the end. 

Bridget excited to see me (and my medal) after
the Des Moines Triathlon - September 2016

 

My #1 cheerleader after the Legend Ad Adstra
Triathlon - September 2017

Mary and Abigail cheering me on during
the Quad Cities Half Marathon - September 2015

There is one last group of cheerleaders that I need to mention. The random strangers that line the race route and the other athletes in the race. Words of encouragement coming from someone that you don't even know, someone who has nothing to gain by building you up, someone that you probably will never see again is just so genuine. There are a lot of reasons that I love to race, but the community around road races and triathlon are just so accepting, positive, and uplifting. I could share many examples for this one, but last year at the Drake Relays Road Races I was amazed and uplifted by all of the sororities and fraternities that were lining the streets of campus cheering on the runners. Certainly up earlier than most college students on a Sunday and dressed in silly outfits.

Managers

Out of all 4 roles in my support network, managers are the most important people. They are the selfless individuals who give up their own time to help me along my journey and often get enough of the credit. Managers are the people who babysit my kids so that I can travel to a race, those who let me sleep on their couch or in their spare bedroom the night before a race, the ones who drive with me to a race or drive me home after so that I can rest. 

My biggest manager, and it should be no surprise, is my wife. I could write several blog posts on all of the work she has done, and sacrifices she has made just so that I can be an amature runner and triathlete. The biggest example of her support came back in 2019, and it was the whole year. We sat down before 2018 even ended and I laid out what I was thinking, she was all in with no reservations. In addition to working a fulltime job, and fitting in family time/events, I averaged about 20 hours a week of training. This meant that I was almost always gone in the mornings so she needed to get the girls out of bed and ready by herself. I was also gone several evenings a week forcing her to take on a bigger role with dinner and bedtime (along with several other things). Erin also brought the girls to several of my races that year to cheer me on along the course. Every hour that I spent training and racing, forced her to take on more of the load and I am so grateful for her willingness to do that. 

Another great example comes from the Legend Ad Adstra 70.3 triathlon in 2017. My in-laws, Kurt and Mary, drove over from Bettendorf to watch the girls while Erin traveled with me to Kansas City early on Saturday. Erin's aunt and uncle, John and Susan, graciously gave us a place to stay that night and fed us dinner. On Sunday, after the race, Erin drove my truck all the way back to Des Moines so that I could rest and sleep in the passenger seat even though she HATES to drive my truck. Just that 1 race took a lot of sacrifice and time from a bunch of people. 

In 2019, Erin's parents once again watched the girls as we headed to Door County Wisconsin for me to race in the Door County Triathlon. I have also raced several times in the Quad Cities:

• Bix 7 2014 and 2016
• Quad Cities Half Marathon 2015 and 2016
• Quad Cities Triathlon 2018 and 2019
• Davenport YMCA Turkey Trot 2015 and 2016
• Dewitt Crossroads Triathlon 2017

Each of those races I was able to stay with my in-laws and was also fed very well by Mary. 

In 2016, on the day of my 1st triathlon, I know that my mom really wanted to come watch me race but instead she sacrificed and stayed at home with the girls so that my dad and Erin could come to the race with me. Similarly, I know that Erin would love to attend more of my races, but with 2 daughters at home she is only able to come to a few of them. 

Teammates

Running and triathlon are, for the most part, individual sports. However, teammates are those people who are in it right along side me. The people who spend time training with me or racing with me. They are a source of motivation and bring a lot of fun to a sport that can be boring and monotonous at times. I have had some excellent teammates over the last several years. 

During my years at Pioneer, I was blessed with a lot of great teammates. As mentioned earlier, for several years, I would go on weekly runs either before work or during lunch with my coworker Megan. On occasion, our coworkers Steve or Brandon would join us as well. It was something I looked forward to each week for both the accountability and the companionship. I was also lucky enough to participate in several Des Moines Corporate Games events with many coworkers. When I got into cycling, I discovered that my coworker, Kyle, loved to bike as well. We took several rides together, including my longest at the time of 72 miles when we completed the Raccoon River Valley trail loop for the first time. 

Beyond training, I also loved the opportunity to race some relays with friends. These were some of my favorite races because of the atmosphere and everyone working together and cheering for one another. I raced the Des Moines Marathon relay 2 times and did a triathlon relay as well. So...much...fun!

Des Moines Marathon Relay Team - October 2016

Des Moines Marathon Relay Team - October 2017

Accel Triathlon Relay Team - July 2019

In addition to the relays, I also had the honor to race with several different people in a variety of races over the year, including with Erin on several occasions. I've mentioned it before, but with 2 young kids at home training was extra difficult, especially when both of us were doing it at the same time. Training and racing with someone builds a special connection, and will cherish those forever.

Grimes Governor's Days 5k with Erin - June 2015 

Davenport YMCA Turkey Trot with Erin - November 2015

Quad Cities Half Marathon with Erin - September 2016

Kickoff 5k with Uncle Mike - February 2019

TriByKnight Triathlon with Justin - May 2019

Virtual Drake Relays Road Races with
Abigail - September 2020

Recently, I have started to rebuild my support network. Even with a 3 year hiatus from training and racing I am extremely lucky to have a lot of these same individuals in my life. In the last couple of months, a group of close friends at work consisting of Kyle, Megan, and Adam have all connected using the Garmin Connect app/website and have been communicating through Slack. We were all interested in beginning or rekindling a fitness journey of some sort and we are using these tools to encourage and challenge one another. We are holding each other accountable and pushing each other to do better and be better. All of us have very different goals but we are accomplishing them at a rate that none of us could do as individuals. It is these 3 that have really relit the fire inside of me and gotten me on the road to dreaming big once again. It is great to have a community of friends to lean on each and every day. 

Conclusion

There are many ways to build a support network, and it will look different for each individual. However, one thing is true for everyone and that is the fact a support network is 100% necessary for me to accomplish my goals.

I purposely kept this post focused on those roles people play in my life that supported me. I did want to mention that if you choose to start on a journey of your own, there will also be people in your life who aren't supportive and who try to tear you down. Be prepared for that, as it may sometimes even be the people that you least expect. I don't know why it happens, maybe it is jealousy, but either way you should not view it as a reflection of you but instead on them. 

The last thing that I will leave you with. My network has no limits and I am always recruiting new people to be min my support network. I'm also always looking to join the networks of others. If you could use some extra support or accountability, if you want to start on a journey of your own but need some help, if you need a cheerleader or someone to watch your kids, be sure to reach out and let me know. We are all in this together!

March Goals Accomplished

I'm about a week late in writing this post, but wanted to share the success that I had in the month of March. After the Time to Paddy 5k at the beginning of the month, I dove right into my 10k training program in preparation for the Drake Road Races in April. I also wanted to start getting myself doing some additional workouts beyond running so I set a goal of spending 8 hours on the bike and walking 15 miles in March. Very achievable goals, but something to help me focus and continue to improve. 

The walking goal fit right in with my plans to do some hiking at the cabin early in the month as well as a trip to NE Iowa with my family over spring break. Walking isn't the most interesting exercise to me, but it is much lower impact than running and is a great way to lose weight and improve fitness. I was successfully able to complete the 15 miles of walking, even with all the crazy weather that we had. 

Beautiful sunshine and fresh snow while hiking at the cabin

Hiking at Effigy Mounds

A very cold hike at Pikes Peak State Park

The cycling goal was less interesting, but it was building on a similar goal that I had completed in February and the intent was to start getting my legs ready for triathlon training and (hopefully) outdoor cycling starting at the end of April. With the less than ideal weather, all of these miles were logged on my spin bike in the basement but I did get to watch a bunch of my favorite movies while I road. 

I did manage to hit a 19 mph average on a couple of the rides and really pushed myself throughout the month. Still a lot of work to do on the bike this year, but meeting this goal got me off to a great start!

My last goal for the month was to keep my run streak going. The weather and planned travel didn't always make it easy, but I managed to accomplish that too. To put some icing on that cake, I was able to log 74 miles running for the month, the most miles that I have run in a month since September 2019!

After such a successful March, I decided to set some new goals for April. I will be continuing my running streak, while ramping up mileage to prepare for Drake, but I am also hoping to complete 100 miles cycling, 4 swim workouts, and 15 strength training workouts. At only 8 days into April, I can tell you that I am well on my way to completing all of these goals. 

Learning to Forgive Myself

2019 was an amazing year for me. After an outstanding end to the 2018 racing season, I rolled right into 2019 with huge goals and so much purpose. I put my heart and soul into that season, giving it everything I had, and I was rewarded with a lot of success. It was the culmination of 6 years of hard work and I was left physically and emotionally exhausted as I crossed the finish line of my final race, the IMT Des Moines Marathon, that October. My plan heading into 2020 was to dial it back for a year, but to still stay active. I wanted to get involved with myTEAM Triumph and do some racing with my daughters. I was going to dial it back, but my intention was to get back after it in 2021 with my first full Ironman triathlon. 

Like most people, I did not predict having to navigate a global pandemic in 2020 nor the ways in which that pandemic would change our world and my daily life forever. I learned a long time ago that in stressful situations I always fall back into bad habits and that is exactly what happened for me. I did not cope well with having to work from home and the isolation that came with it. I missed spending time with family and friends. The absolute worst part for me though, was not knowing when, or even if, it would end and things would go back to normal. Training was slowly eliminated from my daily routine until it eventually stopped altogether. 

At some point in early 2021 a feeling of desperation came over me. I began to fear the fire in me, the one that was lit back in 2014, was fading away for good. From past experience I knew that signing up for races provided me with the motivation necessary to lace up my running shoes and get out the door. So I put a schedule together and began training. I quickly realized that I wasn't the same Patrick that I was in 2019, when I set all of those personal records. I set my sights too high which ultimately resulted in fleeting motivation and eventual failure. 

As the calendar turned to 2022 the only thing that I felt was shame. I have 2 medal racks in my living room that are completely full and a race bib folder on my desk at work that are supposed to remind me of how far I've come. Instead, each and every time that I looked at those I was embarrassed at how far I had fallen and I absolutely hated myself for it. I knew that those feelings were wrong, I knew that I should have felt pride in what I had accomplished, but that just made me feel even worse as I continued to spiral out of control.  

At the start of 2022, things were not going so well in life. My wife, Erin, had been facing medical issues for awhile and ended up having surgery at the end of January and the recovery was extremely long and hard for her. In addition to taking care of her, the house, and the kids, and working my full time job, I was also in the midst of basketball season. The stress was wearing on me and I was exhausted all the time. I needed something to get me through, something to focus on, something to make me feel better, I needed to run. As documented in my previous post, on February 7, I started a run streak and have been going ever since. 

For several months, the runs were short and extremely slow, but I continued to run every day. Gradually, I started to feel better and having the motivation of keeping the run streak going became my new focus. I did run a couple of 5k races in 2022 and it really felt great to be racing again. As the end of the year approached, the fire in me started to return. During my daily run I often found myself dreaming about racing and remembering what it felt like to cross those finish lines in the past. 

As 2023 began, I started pushing myself by increasing my mileage and adding in some swimming, cycling, and strength training. On an extremely cold Sunday morning at the end of January I participated in an indoor triathlon, my first multisport race in over 3 years. After the race, I couldn't stop smiling. It was in that moment that I finally began to forgive myself for everything that had happened during those 3 years. For all of the days that I should have gone on a run or taken a trip to the pool. For all of the days that I ate horribly and let myself go. For all the lost time and lost opportunities to improve and challenge myself. 

It has been 2 months since that race, and I am still on the road to complete forgiveness. The weight has started to lift from my shoulders and it has helped greatly with my motivation and determination. I have a lot hopes, plans, and dreams for the year but I am taking it 1 race at a time. Next up on my schedule is the 10K at the Drake Road Races on April 23rd and training has been going very well. With each day that goes by my confidence has been growing as has my trust in myself.  I'm not sure what it will take to completely forgive myself, but the path I'm on seems to be the right one.