I have had an incredible couple of weeks both training and racing. I raced 4 times in 9 days and was very happy with how well my body held up and what I was able to do. As I've said in past blog posts, I try really hard to not compare myself to 2019 Patrick because I'm older and not in the same shape. However, I've made so much progress in the last month that I feel that I can accurately compare myself to Patrick in the fall of 2023. The progress has almost been unbelievable and I'm very excited to see what I can do with the remainder of my season.
Race for Hope DSM 5k
On the morning of Saturday, May 17, Adam picked me up to head for Water Works Park in Des Moines. It was cloudy, windy, and very cold so I kept going back and forth on whether or not I was going to wear my sweatshirt for the race. Right before race time the sun started to come out and it felt warmer so I opted for no sweatshirt and was glad I did.
The plan for the race was to run well but not too hard to make sure I had some left in the tank for the DMCG Triathlon on Sunday. I felt really good from the start and kept a very consistent pace throughout the very flat course. I came through mile 1 in a time of 10:32 which really surprised me. My legs felt really good and I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard so I just kept going. I finished with a time of 33:02 with my watch showing 3.17 miles. That means my pace was sub-10:30/mile. I looked back over all of my past races and got all the way back to the Quad Cities Triathlon in June 2019 before finding a 5k that I ran faster. That's right, we are at a point where I can start comparing myself to Patrick of 2019.
Des Moines Corporate Games Triathlon Duathlon
A first for me in all of my years racing Triathlon. The air temperature on the morning of Sunday, May 18 was in the low 40s so the race director decided to cancel the swim. There was already a duathlon happening alongside the triathlon so all racers competed in the same event. My biggest worry that morning was that the 400 yard swim was now replaced with a 2nd 5k run. I didn't feel prepared to run that much, especially after racing on Saturday.
They divided the field into 3 groups and allowed us to self-seed. I opted to join the 3rd group to start because I was planning to run the first 5k at a very easy pace to ensure that I had enough left for the bike and 2nd run. Shortly after crossing the start line, I looked behind me and realized that I was officially in last place. I didn't panic and settled in to a very steady and easy pace. I was able to pass 5 people during the first run and finished with a time of 37 minutes. It felt a little strange going into transition with only a couple of bikes left on the racks, but I quickly got through T1 and out on the bike.
My cycling has not been where I want it to be, but I knew from the start I was going to give it everything I had on this short bike course. I passed someone as we headed out of the park but then was stricken when I looked as far as I could down the road, about a half mile, and didn't see another cyclist. I knew that my run was slow, but I did not expect that. I tried to stay focused and settle into a hard but comfortable pace. Before I knew it, I started to catch other cyclists. I ended up passing 30 people on the bike and averaging 17 mph. Certainly not my best bike time but much better than I had expected.
As I headed out of T2 back onto the run course I was able to pass a couple more people, but then was also passed back by 6 other people. A quick glance at the back of each runner's calf revealed that 5 of the 6 people were members of team relays meaning they had fresh legs. That was a little depressing. I was very happy to finish the 2nd 5k in a faster time of 32:29. My time was good enough for 3rd place in my age group. A podium finish that scored bonus points for John Deere.
TRI Clear Lake Sprint Triathlon Duathlon
That's right, for the 2nd weekend in a row, the swim was canceled due to cold temperatures. The big differences this time was they announced it on Thursday and the 500 meter swim was replaced with a 1 mile run. I drove up to Clear Lake on Friday afternoon in time to pick up my packet, have some dinner, and chill in my hotel room. I had a good week of training but my legs still weren't fully recovered from last weekend.
I got to bed early and was up at 5:00 am and headed to the race by 5:30 am. I was able to get a parking spot just a couple blocks from transition and was able to get everything set up very quickly. I did some walking to check out the start/end of the bike course and the run course. Similar to the previous weekend, they started us in waves and I was in the 2nd to last wave. Unlike the previous weekend, I had no intention of holding anything back during the first run.
I ran hard from the start coming into T1 with a time of 10:03! Transition was on the road in a long horseshoe. My rack was close to the run in/out but very far from the bike in/out so I had to run a long ways in my bike shoes making both transitions take a little over 2 minutes. Just like with the run, I hit the bike course very hard. The course had rolling hills but no real climbs and I knew that I would have the wind at my back on the way out but be biking into the wind on the way back. With both and Olympic and Sprint distance duathlon, the racing field was huge and I was constantly passing people throughout the entire course. I made quick work of the bike course finishing in a time of 40:18, for an average of 18.5 mph. That was a big improvement over last weekend.
Coming out of T2, I was still feeling good so I decided to give the 5k run everything I had. I ended up running a time of 35:39 with negative splits for all 3 miles. I was extremely efficient throughout the whole race and finished with very little left in the tank. I felt so good after the race and was excited to see that I placed 2nd in my age group. My 2nd podium in as many weeks. I packed up transition and then braved the cold to stick around for the awards ceremony.
Hometown 10k
I'm still not quite sure what possessed me to sign up for a 10k the day after a triathlon, but that is exactly what I did. After making it home from Clear Lake, I spent the rest of Saturday resting as best I could. An early start time on Sunday meant that I was picking Adam up at 5:45. The race was on the Trestle to Trestle trail to the Neal Smith Trail which is a course I've never raced before. The race included a half marathon, 10k and 5k which meant it was a pretty big field to start.
The gun went off at 7:00 am and we were off. My legs were extremely sore and tired so I wasn't sure what to expect. I came through mile 1 in 12:09 and mile 2 in 11:52. Starting at about 2.5 miles I decided to kick it up a notch. I ran negative splits for the whole race and mile 6 was 11:02. The course ended up being a little long at 6.56 miles but I still finished strong finishing in 1:15:19 (11:29/mi). That time was good enough for 3rd in my age group. My 3rd podium in the last 3 races and 7th podium of the year so far.
Wrap Up
I haven't just been racing well, I've been seeing a lot of progress in my training too. Looking at my average running pace over the last 3 months tells the story very well as I progressed from 13:40/mi in March, to 13:01/mi in April, and 12:06/mi in May. The mileage is a little lower, but the improvement is very similar to what I did at the end of 2023.
With how well I've been progressing, I've decided to set a new stretch goal for the year. I spent some time trying to decide if I wanted to target a half marathon later in the year but decided to go a different route. With how well I ran the Race for Hope 5k, I've decided I want to try for a 5k PR by the end of the year. My current PR is 27:51 set at the Kickoff 5k in February 2019. It is going to take a lot of hard work AND staying healthy but I have confidence that I can do it.
With how well I've been progressing, I've decided to set a new stretch goal for the year. I spent some time trying to decide if I wanted to target a half marathon later in the year but decided to go a different route. With how well I ran the Race for Hope 5k, I've decided I want to try for a 5k PR by the end of the year. My current PR is 27:51 set at the Kickoff 5k in February 2019. It is going to take a lot of hard work AND staying healthy but I have confidence that I can do it.
