Turkey Trot and 2023 Racing Season Recap

YMCA McCarthy Bush Turkey Trot - 5 Mile

Thanksgiving included a family trip to the Quad Cities this year and an opportunity to race in the Davenport YMCA Turkey Trot for the 5th time. It was a family affair this year as Erin, Abigail, and Bridget signed up to walk the 5k while my mother-in-law, Mary, and her sister, Lisa were walking the 5 mile course. Additionally, one of my employees was visiting family in the Quad Cities as well and joined me for the race.

The whole crew ready to go

Austin and I before the race

It was a brisk morning with a cold wind but the sun was shining and there were close to 2,500 runners and walkers. I last raced here in 2016 but haven't done the 5 mile course since 2015. While not as widely known as the Bix 7, this race essentially includes the same famous hill as the Bix, just 1 block over on Main Street instead of Brady Street. The course is mostly an out and back, but after going up the hill, we do get the opportunity to traverse Vander Veer Park before heading back down and to the finish line in front of the YMCA. 

I had been working hard all month at increasing my average speed with the goal of running a sub-11:00/mi average on race day. Training had been going even better than expected so my confidence was very high on race day. The race started off very well and I kept a very stead pace over the 1st mile, which included the Main Street hill, with a time of 11:12. A little behind pace but with the hardest part of the course behind me I picked up the pace and logged times between 10:30/mi - 10:40/mi for the next 3 miles. Just before mile 4, I passed the girls after the 5k turnaround and got some much needed cheers and encouragement. I really used the hill coming back down and my last mile time was 9:49. My fastest, and first sub-10:00 mile of 2023! With those splits, I was able to absolutely crush my goal for the race, finishing with an official time of 53:11. 

Austin was at the finish line cheering me on, then after I finished I waited around to cheer everyone else on as they finished the race. 

Bridget running hard to the finish

Erin and Abigail finishing shortly behind Bridget

Mary and Lisa done with their 5 miles

2023 Racing Season Recap

A racing season that was never meant to be. At some point early in the year, I quietly set a goal of doing 8 races this year. To be honest, I never thought I would actually do 8 races but I really loved the idea of getting back into racing. With the encouragement and accountability of a few friends I got started and my March I was working out and training consistently. For me, getting started was the hardest part and after getting the first couple of races under my belt I just knew that I was back. The joy, confidence, and feeling of accomplishment that I got from each race left me hungry for more. I often found myself dreaming about all of the possibilities now that I was officially back into racing. 

In the end, I ended up completing 15 races in 2023:

1. Tri for a Cause Indoor Triathlon (January 29)
2. Time to Paddy 5k (March 5)
3. Drake Road Races 10k (April 23)
4. Quad Cities Sprint Triathlon (June 17)
5. Ames Sprint Triathlon (June 25)
6. Des Moines Corporate Games Cross Country 7.5k (July 8)
7. Des Moines Corporate Games Sprint Triathlon (July 9)
8. Bix 7 (July 29)
9. Rexy Run 5k (August 19)
10. Hero Hustle Sprint Triathlon (August 27)
11. Gateway Challenge Sprint Triathlon (September 16)
12. Capital Pursuit - 10 Mile (September 24)
13. John Deere Des Moines Area 5k (September 30)
14. IMT Des Moines Half Marathon (October 15)
15. Davenport YMCA McCarthy Bush Turkey Trot - 5 Mile (November 23)

2023 Race Recap Video

Earlier this week I was asked if I had a favorite race this year. I thought very hard about it and can confidently answer that I do not. The year was full of so many great memories that it is impossible to pick a favorite one. My fitness and speed had a consistent progression throughout the year and I was doing my best racing at the end of the year. I just kept signing up for races, setting goals, and crushing them. Below are just a few memories from the year. 

• My friend, Adam, coming with me to the Drake Road Races to cheer me on
• Erin and Mary cheering me on at the Quad Cities Triathlon
• The feeling of calm confidence that I felt during the QC Triathlon 
• My amazing run at the Ames Triathlon
• Competing alongside Adam for the first time at the Ames Triathlon (he did the Duathlon)
• Finishing dead last in the Cross Country race but not caring at all and feeling great about how I raced
• Meeting new coworkers at the Corporate Games Triathlon
• Bridget and Abigail doing the Quick Bix with Mary and finding them at the finish line after I finished the Bix 7
• Getting to race with my Uncle Mike again at the Rexy Run 5k
• Enjoying getting back into triathlon so much that I sought out and found both the Hero Hustle and Gateway Challenge triathlons to do later in the year
• The incredible sense of accomplishment I felt when crossing the finish line in under 2 hours at the Capital Pursuit
• Racing with coworkers again at the John Deere 5k
• The consistency in my splits at the IMT Half Marathon, especially coming off a week of being sick

I wouldn't have probably said this even 2 months ago, but I can say with some level of confidence that 2023 turned out to be the greatest year of racing that I've ever had. I spent a lot of time in past blog posts talking about the comparisons I constantly draw to 2019 and while I wasn't breaking many records this year it truly was a year where I consistently progressed from start to finish and enjoyed it the whole way. By late in 2019, I was burned out and ready to be done. This year, is the opposite as I just want to keep going. I'm already formulating my plans for 2024 and am excited with how my season plans are coming together and can't wait to get started in about a month. 

Thanks for following along this season! The support and encouragement that you all provide means so much to me. 

Training Updates and a New Goal

Training Updates

I'm not quite sure how it is possible, but the month of November is upon us and I am staring down the end of my racing season. Right now I am trying to stay focused as the seasons of my life begin to change. Deer hunting season is upon us which means more time spent at the cabin and fitting in my training runs around my morning and afternoon hunts. Next week will be a true challenge as I will be at the cabin all week and will need to head into town for some of my longer runs. 

Mid-day run around the big field

Running along the river in Ottumwa

In addition to the start of deer hunting season, the weather has been changing as well. Days are much shorter and my morning runs are 100% in the dark again. The temperatures have dropped and I've had to start wearing my running tights and gloves when I head out to run. The trails and sidewalks that were full of morning dog walkers and other runners just a couple of months ago are now mostly vacant. It can be a depressing time of the year, but I actually find joy and peace in the silence and darkness of early mornings. 

Another change that is just around the corner is the start of basketball season. I will once again be coaching high school boys basketball at DCG, but this year I will be working with the sophomore team instead of varsity & JV. My primary motivation for making this move was to keep coaching but have a smaller time commitment. This new role will allow me to continue to train throughout the winter and will also allow me to spend more time with my family. Speaking of my family, Abigail started her first Jr. High basketball season last week. Sophomore practices are mainly in the morning before school which will allow me to attend her basketball games in the evenings (except for when I have games as well). I still have to work on my training schedule for basketball season, but I've been forming a general idea in my head. 

Despite all of the changes that are happening, I have been running extremely well lately. My training run last Sunday was just a little over 10K and I averaged 11:35/mi. My fastest 10K of the year, and it wasn't even close. In fact, I have averaged sub-12:00/mi for every run this week. 

Crushing it this week

I have a very challenging goal of running the 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving at a 11:00/mi pace. I think it is attainable, and I'm certainly headed in the right direction but I think I will need a combination of luck and having a good running day to accomplish it. I am up for the challenge. 

A New Goal

It has been no secret that I have an active run streak going. As you can probably assume, along with training for races this year, my mileage has increased as well. On my quest to catch and surpass 2019 Patrick, I continually monitor my progress over time through the reports in Garmin Connect. Last week I made a few observations that made me start to dig a little deeper. It turns out that I ran 123.3 miles in the month of October. Not only was that the most miles that I have run in a month this year, it is my 2nd highest monthly mileage of all time. If that isn't enough, I discovered that I have logged more than 100 miles each of the last 4 months. All 4 months fall in the top 10 for my all time highest mileage months. 

It has been an impressive summer and fall of running

That led me to another observation. As of today, November 1st, I have run 865.8 miles in 2023. Just last week, surpassing the 840.67 miles that I ran in 2019 and pushing me into 2nd most miles in a year all time with 2 months remaining. The only year of my life that I have ran more miles was in 2017 when I ran 1,020.95 miles. 

Now I officially have that record in my sights and have decided that I'm going for it. My new goal is to run more miles in 2023 than I have in any other year of my life. While this goal seems 100% attainable, it won't be easy with the unpredictable Iowa weather, basketball season, and holiday celebrations but with just under 80 miles to cover each month, I'm confident that I'll get it done. 

Thanks for reading!