Bix 7 and Training Updates

Bix 7

I completed the Bix 7 for the 5th time on Saturday morning. The whole week leading up to the race was extremely hot and humid but a front moved through on Friday night that cooled the temps and lowered the humidity. We woke up to temperatures in the low 70s, but maybe even more helpful, cloud cover. 

Originally the Bix was sort of an afterthought as I only signed up because it lined up with the week that the girls were spending at Grandma and Grandpa Weiler's house. However, once I signed up, I took my preparation and training quite seriously. I knew that it would be hot (it always is) and I also knew that the hills were no joke. Grimes is extremely flat, so I made sure to do some of my longer runs away from home on some hillier routes to prepare. Also, for the 2 weeks leading up to the race I waited to do some of my training runs in the evening hours when the temperatures and humidity were much higher. 

Originally, Erin was planning to walk the Quick Bix with her mom, Abigail, and Bridget but ended up having a liver biopsy on Friday morning so she had to back out. The girls did walk with Grandma and they all had a fantastic time. After the race, all Bridget could talk about was coming back to do it again next year. 

The whole crew on race day

We arrived with plenty of time to spare before race time and I quickly remembered how big this race actually was. I opted to line up with the walkers instead of in my assigned corral so that I could spend more time with Mary and the girls before the race started. With about 10,000 racers all lined up on Brady street it took almost 10 minutes for me to finally reach the start line after the gun went off. 

Bix Course Map

I spent the whole 1st mile, including the climb up Brady Street hill, weaving in and out of other racers. I was hoping to average under 13:00/mi but knew that the first mile might be one of my worst. As it turned out, I logged a time of 12:59 for mile 1 and was feeling very strong. The Bix is one of the few races that I have done where people are lined up throughout the entire route and all of the encouragement and excitement along the way does help the miles go go by quickly. 

Mile 2 was almost all downhill and I logged 12:06. I love banking some time early in the race on the Bix because the middle part of the course is brutal. Everyone always talks about Brady Street hill, but in my opinion those mid-race hills on tired legs are more difficult. Mile 3 was a little slower, at 12:48, but I was still happy with my effort. As expected, the hills in miles 4 and 5 slowed me down a bit as I turned in times of 13:12 and 13:22. 

My legs were still feeling good as I crested the last hill and things flattened out for mile 6. With the hills behind me I started to push myself a little bit and was able to log a time of 12:49. By this point in the race, most of those around me were doing a lot more walking than running so I was consistently passing people. As I started mile 7 near the top of the Brady Street hill, I put the hammer down and didn't let up until I crossed the finish line. It is no surprise that mile 7 was my best, at 11:47 and I still felt great as I headed to the post-race party. 

I was able to grab some food and quickly find Mary, Abigail, and Bridget. After snapping some quick pictures and hearing how their race went we headed for the car. Not only had I finished, but I met my goal of going sub 1:30 and my body felt great afterwards.

There is good and bad that comes with racing the same course again. The good comes from the familiarity with the course and typical race conditions. It is always helpful to know what to expect so that I can prepare myself both physically and mentally for race day. For me, the bad is that it becomes very natural to compare my performance in this race to those of years past. 2016 was the last time that I raced the Bix and I was able to finish with a time of 1:11:51. While my time this year was a long way off from that time, it was my 2nd fastest time out of my 5 races here. 

Me on race day in 2016

This race also brings back very fond memories as this was the 1st official race that I ran when I started on my weight loss and running journey back in 2014. Both of the other times were when I was in college and I walked the course with family. With Bridget's excitement and my determination to get better, the Bix might just become a regular on my schedule each year.

Mary and I after the Bix in 2014

July Training Updates

July was another great month for me. With a long weekend over the 4th and last week off of work I really took advantage and logged a lot of extra training hours. Erin has been getting back into a regular schedule of working out as well so we took several trips to the Waukee Y together. It is extra hard for her right now due to all of the medical issues so I really admire her for trying to find ways to be active in spite of the pain she experiences. 

I think my biggest success of the month has to be my running mileage. With the Bix being a 7 mile race, I gradually ramped up my mileage throughout the month, logging my 1st month over 100 miles in a looooong time. Even more impressive to me was that even with the increased mileage, I was able to maintain my time per mile average from June. 

In addition to all the running, I managed to put in over 250 miles on the bike as well. Scheduling 2 more triathlons this season has really kept me going on that front. I've also picked up my focus on getting comfortable on the PR3 and spending time on the aero bars. The PR3 is currently on the trainer in my basement but I'm hoping to get it outside some in August and maybe even use it for the race in September. 

If I have a regret from July it was my lack of time spent in the pool. Even though I wish that I had done more swimming, I did manage to log 5,000 yards, including my longest swim of the year at 1,700. I've been actually incorporating some drills and speed work back into those workouts as well but still not getting too serious about swimming at the moment. 

Another step I took in July was to increase the duration, and number of lifts that I complete during my strength training sessions. Strength training still is not my favorite thing but I'm really starting to see and feel the difference in my body because of the work I'm putting in. 

I have 2 races planned for August, the Rexy Run 5k on August 19th and the Hero Hustle Sprint Triathlon on August 27th but my training focus is shifting towards longer runs as I prepare to run the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon in October. I'll be putting a lot of miles on my legs over the next few months and am really hoping that I can stay mentally focused and engaged. There may also be some new and exciting things in the works, but I'll leave you hanging and save those for future blog posts. For now, back to work and back to having fun!

Having Fun and Living in the Moment

I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but something is very different. Running and triathlon has always filled me with a sense of accomplishment. It has provided me with an outlet for stress relief and a way to ponder and work through the big emotions in life. It has built my confidence and given me a sense of purpose, something to really drive me. But this year, these last 5 months, there is something much more to it. 

Maybe Counting Crows was right when they sang "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone..." Somewhere between 2019 and 2023 I lost myself, and gradually, over these last 5 months I've found myself again. A lot happened over those 3+ years and I'm a different person than I was back then. Life is fleeting, and we never get the years, months, days, hours, or minutes back. Maybe it is this realization that has made me view training and racing in a whole new light.

In the past, I was always looking forward to the next race or the next big challenge to overcome. I enjoyed each race but I never really took the time to slow down, look around me, and be in the moment. I can't explain why, but my viewpoint is so different now. I still spend some time looking to the future and dreaming about what can be and what I want to do, but mostly, I am spending my time enjoying each moment. When I began my run streak more than 530 days ago, I thought that running every single day would eventually get old and boring but it really hasn't. I will admit that their are occasionally days that I don't want to run, bike, swim, or strength train but I am happy to say that they are few and far between. I'm just glad that I'm back at it and I'm feeling more like myself again. 

There have been so many little moments these past few months that have stuck with me. Some of those things have always been there, and others are new, but I'm noticing them all and every one of them is having a positive impact on me. 

Getting out of my warm bed, stepping out the door to feel the frigid winter air on my face each day during winter and early spring was so invigorating. 

All smiles after a bitter cold training run
in March

Toeing the start line and far exceeding my own expectations on race day give me such a fantastic feeling of accomplishment and self worth. 

Excited to finish an early season 5k and
place 2nd in my division

Rediscovering familiar courses and remembering how fun the environment is at some of my favorite races. More importantly, feeling okay with where I'm at and not comparing myself to past-Patrick at those same races. 

Really remembering how great it feels to
push myself during a race

Really appreciating what it means to have great friends in my life who truly care about me. Even better yet, being able to meet each other where we are at and discover new ways of spending time together. 

One of many fun bike rides with Kyle and Adam this year

Rediscovering my love of swimming. How peaceful it is in the pool when all other noise and distractions disappear and it's just me and the water. One of the few times in life that I'm able to just turn my brain off for a little while. 

Enjoying the opportunity to swim again

Feeling a deep appreciation for each person who takes time away from their life to show up at a race and cheer me on. Building a deeper connection with those people in my life who show interest in my races, especially several coworkers who ask how things went first thing Monday morning at work

Soaking in every moment of racing with a cheering section

Understanding and appreciating the sacrifices that my wife and kids make so that I can do something that I love. Even better than that, watching my kids start to take interest in swimming, biking, running, and overall fitness. Getting text's from my wife telling me that Bridget took off running yelling "I want to be like daddy!"

Finding true happiness in my wife and kids
coming to watch me race

Making connections with people at work through racing and training, especially through the Des Moines Corporate Games. Just knowing they understand the sacrifice, hard work, and passion associated with this sport the way that I do. Also, being able to represent my employer once again, fills me with so much pride. 

Feeling honored to represent John Deere
in the Corporate Games

So many other feelings that are hard to describe...

• The butterflies I get the night before a race
• Crossing the finish line
• Having a group of friends on Garmin Connect that push me to be better and encourage me
• The relief of finishing a hard workout
• The feeling of pushing myself beyond what I thought was possible
• The gut wrenching heartbreak of a bad workout
• All of the time I get to spend enjoying time outside
• The drive to get 1% better every day
• Meeting other competitors on race day
• Seeing the same people in my neighborhood out walking and running each morning
• Looking at my medal rack and thinking back on all of those great memories

I know that triathlon is not for everyone, but I hope that everyone can find something that fills them with as much joy as triathlon does for me. When you find it, make sure you make the time to follow that passion and never take a moment of it for granted. 

I am having so much fun right now. There will come a day where I can't do it all anymore, so for now I'm not taking any of it for granted.

Des Moines Corporate Games - 2023

Cross Country Race - 7.5k

On Saturday morning I picked up my friend, Adam, and we headed for the ISU cross country course in Ames. The weather was absolutely beautiful with temperatures in the upper 50s and sun shining. I raced the same course in 2018 but then I represented Dupont Pioneer and I ran the 4k. This year I was racing for John Deere, our 1st year participating in the corporate games, and I opted for the longer distance race. 

The course included 2.3 laps with the south half of the loop being fairly flat and out in the open while the north half is wooded with some challenging hills. I started off a little faster than I wanted but my legs were feeling pretty good. I handled the hills on the first lap very well with 12:13 and 12:17 splits. The hills took their toll a bit on the second lap as I went 12:29 and 13:03 for miles 3 and 4. I finished the race in 58:16 which was both good enough for last place overall AND 2nd place silver medal in my category. Even with the last place finish, I was very pleased with my 12:27/mi average and grateful to cross the finish line prior to the start of the 4k race. 

Adam ran both races, so I enjoyed chatting with some other Deere employees while cheering him on during the 2nd race. Adam finished in 3rd place for his category in both races. After collecting our medals, we headed for home to recover in preparation for the Triathlon/Duathlon on Sunday. 

Silver medal and 50 points earned for Deere

Sprint Triathlon

I've never raced twice in a single weekend before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. My alarm went off at 5:00am on Sunday morning and I was able to quickly get ready to go and feeling pretty good. It was another beautiful morning to race with cool temperatures and light winds. I arrived at Big Creek just after 6:00 which gave me plenty of time to get transition set up and enjoy meeting and conversing with the few other athletes competing for John Deere. It was very nice that they grouped together athletes from the same company in transition. We had 3 other triathletes racing for John Deere and 4 duathletes, including Adam.

Beautiful morning for a race

The John Deere triathlon crew

Time went by quickly, and before I knew it we were headed down to the beach to line up for the swim start. When I raced here in 2018, they did large wave starts which can be very intimidating. They have since changed to a rolling start format like my other 2 triathlons this year. As I waited on the beach, I ran into someone that I had met at the Ames triathlon and we chatted about triathlon until it was our turn to start the swim. 

The 400 yard swim felt very short, and due to the course setup with the angle of the sun, sighting was extremely easy. With the exception of swimming through a couple floating seaweed mats the swim was uneventful. I didn't even bother to check my watch as I ran up the beach, but I knew that I had swam well. When checking my times after the race, I saw that I completed the swim in 10:12 (2:33/100) which is my best swim pace of the season. I focused on being very efficient in T1 and quickly got out on the bike course. Later I saw that my T1 time was 1:46, which is not only my best T1 time this year, but it is one of my best of all time. 

The bike course was a 20k out and back course that was mostly flat with some gradually rolling hills and no big climbs at all. The combination of a short course with no climbs and no head wind made me decide to really push it on the bike. I was able to finish the bike course in 41:49 (17.8mph) which blew away my 16mph average at the Quad Cities Triathlon 3 weeks ago. I managed to get through T2 in 1:38, which was also my best time for the year.

With a seasons best in the swim, T1, bike, and T2 I headed out on the run feeling great. Even though it wasn't very hot out, the sun was pretty intense so I decided to not push very hard at the beginning of the run. My 1 mile split was 12:25 and I was feeling pretty good so I started to push a little harder and completed a mile 2 split of 12:15. I steadily increased my pace over the last mile to end with an 11:51 split and a total 5k time of 37:21 (12:01/mi). Even though my time was about 50 seconds slower than the Ames Triathlon, it was still an unthinkable time even a month ago. 

Running hard to the finish line

Going into the race I knew that I was the only triathlete in my category and just had to finish the race to win. Even without direct competition, I was able to put together my best race of the year so far. This was my 3rd triathlon in 4 weeks and I have improved so much over those 3 races. It has done really great things for my confidence. My 1st place finish and gold medal meant another 80 points for John Deere. 

My turn on the podium

John Deere medalists

Wrap Up

I really like competing in the corporate games as it gives an extra sense of purpose to racing. It is also an opportunity to meet other coworkers who share hobbies. Even though I earned medals by default in both races, I'm still very proud of them. 6 months ago I wasn't even sure that I would ever get back into training and racing and look at me now! My passion for triathlon has officially been renewed and it feels like a part of me that has been missing for awhile is whole again. 

Next up I will be racing in the Bix 7 on July 29. Originally the Des Moines Corporate Games was supposed to be my last triathlon of the year, but I've been enjoying it so much that I am pondering signing up for 1 or 2 more this year. Whether or not I sign up for another one, it has been such a fantastic and memorable racing season and I'm hoping it only gets better from here.