Race Recaps
Time Travel 5k
On January 12th, I headed to Altoona for the Time Travel 5k. It was an extremely cold and windy Sunday morning but I bundled up and got ready to run. The race was an out and back and started with a quarter mile down hill, meaning that it ended with a quarter mile up hill. I didn't have any really ambitious goals for the race but was hoping to finish in under 40 minutes. My race belt started slipping down about a half mile into the race so I walked while trying to adjust it before finally giving it up and shoving everything into the pouch of my sweatshirt. Things went better after that and I was able to keep a consistent pace throughout the race. I was especially happy with how well I handled the hill at the end and passed several racers walking. My final time was 38:51 (12:28/mi) and I was happy with my performance.
Tri for a Cause
On January 26th I headed to the Walnut Creek YMCA to participate for the 3rd time in the Tri for a Cause Indoor Triathlon. This race is a fundraiser for Girls on the Run. The race consists of a 400 yard pool swim, 7 mile ride on a spin bike, and 2 mile treadmill run. I was in the first swim wave at 7:00am and was very excited to get started. I kicked things off with a great swim time of 9:59 (2:30/100 yd). After drying off and changing in the locker room, I hoped on the spin bike where I turned out 7 miles in 18:53 (22.2mph). I'm happy with that time, but realized after the race that I could have pushed a lot harder. After a good bike, I was the 2nd one onto a treadmill. I intentionally started off slowly and gradually increased speed, finishing the 2 miles in 24:48 (12:24/mi). My overall time was 53:40. A few minutes slower than last year, most of that in the run. I was happy with my performance in this race as well and it felt great to race a triathlon this early in the year.
Couple Shuffle 5k
I headed for Gray's Lake on February 2nd. It was an extremely foggy morning, which took some of the enjoyment out of the race. I got to the parking lot about an hour early and hung out with my friend, Adam, until race time. Just like at Tri for a Cause, I started conservatively. After feeling good through the first mile and having the field stretch out, I picked up the pace a bit. The course was just a little long, at 3.14 miles, but I ended with a time of 37:37 (11:59/mi) which was good enough for 3rd place in my age group. I was extremely happy, and a little surprised, with my time. I cut nearly 30 seconds per mile off my pace from the Time Travel 5k just 3 weeks earlier.
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| So much fog, you can't see the lake |
Cupid's Chase 5k
I picked up Adam just before 9:00am and headed for Principal Park on February 8th. The race start time was 10:00am, a little later than most races but thankfully the ice and snow that was forecasted held off. It was a windy morning, but with temperatures just below freezing, it didn't feel too bad once we started running. Unlike the last 2 weeks, I pushed hard from the start. The course was a very flat and fast out-and-back with the turn around on the Gray's Lake bridge. I was able to hold my fast pace the whole race and consistently passed other racers after the turn around. The course was a little short, at 3.04 miles, but I was able to cross the finish line in 35:16 (11:37/mi) finishing 1st in my age group. That was more than 20 seconds per mile faster than at the Couple Shuffle just 6 days earlier. I am still in awe at what I was able to do in this race. I've been running with so much confidence the last couple of weeks and it just feels so good to be progressing like this so early in the season.
2025 Race Schedule
I've progressed on putting a schedule together for the year, although I'm keeping things pretty fluid. Coming into the year, I was at 78 races since starting in 2014. I decided that it would be cool if I could make it to 100 this year, so my goal became to race 22 races this year. I've also decided that I want to wrap up my racing season (for the most part) before deer season opens in October. Below are the races to which I'm currently signed up for:
- Des Moines St. Paddy's Day 5k - March 15
- Time to Paddy 10k - March 16
- Beer & Bagel 4M Run - April 12
- DoNot Stop 5k - April 13
- DSM Corporate Games Sprint Triathlon - May 18
- Clear Lake Sprint Triathlon - May 24
- Hometown Half Marathon 10k - May 25
- Ames Triathlon - June 22
There are several other races that I'm planning to sign up for, but either registration isn't open or I'm waiting on family schedules to be sorted out:
- MS Moments/Governor's Day 5k - June 7
- Quad Cities Triathlon - June 14
- Trestle Hustle 5k - June 21
- Fire Cracker 4M - June 29
- DSM Corporate Games 5k - July TBD
- Johnston Mayor's Run for the Trails - August TBD
- Summer Sizzler 5k - August 18
- Black Hawk YMCA Sprint Triathlon - September 6
- John Deere DSM Area Employee 5k - September TBD
- Gateway Challenge Sprint Triathlon - September TBD
- TBD Turkey Trot - November 27
Training Updates
I decided to join Erin in doing the "Lazy Y Tri" at the Waukee YMCA with the intention of getting myself to log some miles swimming and biking at a time of the year that I struggle to do both. The challenge includes completing all of the distances of an Ironman Triathlon, 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking, and 26.2 miles running, between January 20 - February 20. I was able to complete the challenge in 16 days and really enjoyed doing it.
January was a very productive month of training. I ran every day for a total of 69 miles, 17 bike rides for over 238 miles, and 3 swims for 1.28 miles and I've already gotten off to a great start in February. I'm 3 weeks into an 8 week 10k training program targeting the Time to Paddy 10k in March. So far the weather has allowed me to complete most of my runs outside and I hoping that trend continues for the rest of winter.
While I'm very hesitant to count my chickens before they hatch (especially after last year) things are really starting out well for me this year. My overall goal is to just continue to progress and gradually improve my fitness throughout the entire year.
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