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!