Ironman on Hold
I'll start off with the disappointing news first. After a lot of thought and conversations at home, I've decided to alter my plan for 2025. While there were several things that I took into consideration, the deciding factor was lack of available time to train this winter/spring due to family commitments. Additionally, my wife, Erin, is currently going back to school and will be entering her final year next fall. I really want her to be able to travel with me to the race and that may not be possible with her schedule.
Thy good news is that I have a plan! Instead- of 2025, I am planning to delay 1 year to fall 2026. With the change in plans, my 2025 racing schedule has been reset and I'm currently working through what the year will look like. More to come on that soon.
2024 in Review
2024 was an extremely challenging year and did not go as I expected. Even with the unexpected challenges and disappointments, there were a lot of highlights as well. Below are some of the defining moments of 2024 for me.
- Great start to the year - I went into 2024 in really good shape and started off strong at the Tri for a Cause at the end of January. I made huge strides and finished significantly faster than in 2023
- The end of an epic run streak - On February 4th, my run streak came to an unexpected end after 727 days. I'm still in awe of what I was able to accomplish. What started as a way to get me back into running took on a life of its own making it even harder when it ended.
- Kidney stone and 2 surgeries - The reason that my streak ran turned into a life altering experience. I have not been the same physically, mentally, or emotionally since last February. So many impacts from such a small stone.
- Racing 4 days post surgery - Cleared by my doctors (although they thought I was crazy) I raced a 5k a mere 4 days after my 2nd surgery. After a month with limited exercise I was out of shape but still remember how great it felt to run the Time to Paddy 5k on March 3rd.
- Ankle sprain - In the early morning hours of April 8th, I stepped on a rock, twisted my ankle, and fell while half way through a 1 hour run. It turned out to be a 2nd degree sprain and forced me to the sidelines (mostly) through the end of June.
- Market-to-Market Relay - It was probably a dumb choice, but I opted to follow through on running the Market-to-Market Relay in May even with a sprained ankle. This had been a bucket list race and I was so excited to finally have a team to race. I fought through the pain and we had a fantastic day!
- DSM Corporate Games - I missed the triathlon in May, but was able to race in the Cross Country Race and the 5k road race in July. After 3 months of very little running (and feeling sorry for myself) I was extremely out of shape but still gave it everything I had.
- A new run streak begins - On July 31st I officially started a new run streak. I'm officially 166 days in with a long way to go to get back to 727, but taking it 1 day at a time.
- Tri the Illini - In September, I loaded up my bike and headed for Champaign, IL for my only outdoor triathlon of the year. It stormed all night and rained for the entire race, making for miserable conditions. I was happy to stay upright on the bike and felt amazing as I crossed the finish line.
- Fall Improvement - I ran several 5k races throughout the late summer and fall gradually improving my fitness and speed along the way. My best post-injury race was the Turkey Trails 5k on November 17th, running a time of 37:33.
- 14 Races - Even with nearly 4 months of the year lost to injury, I was able to complete 14 races in 2024.
- Tri for a Cause Indoor Triathlon - 1/28
- Wellmark YMCA Red Flannel Run 5k (Walked) - 2/17
- Time to Paddy 5k - 3/2
- Des Moines St. Paddy's Day 5k - 3/16
- Market-to-Market Relay - 5/11
- DSM Corporate Games Cross Country 4.2k - 7/13
- DSM Corporate Games Road Race 5k - 7/20
- Johnston Mayor's Run for the Trails 5k - 8/10
- HyVee Half Marathon Series 5k - 9/15
- Tri the Illini Sprint Triathlon - 9/22
- John Deere Des Moines Area 5k - 9/28
- Hillbilly Hike 5k - 11/2
- Turkey Trails 5k - 11/17
- Waukee Turkey Trot 5k - 11/28
I'm ready to turn the page on 2024 and completed my first race of 2025 this morning. Thank you to everyone for the words of encouragement throughout last year. Part of my goals for 2025 are to get back to blogging regularly again. Check back often for updates.
