After completing the Race for Hope 5k on May 17, I set a goal of setting a new 5k PR before the end of the year. I completed that race in 33:02 (3.17 miles at 10:26/mi) which showed a huge improvement for the season but was a long ways from the 27:50 that I would need for a new PR.
Reviewing My Previous 5k PR
27:51 was the 5k time to beat. That was the time that I ran in the Kickoff 5k in Kansas City on February 3, 2019. It was an amazing start to what turned out to be an incredible 2019 racing season and often gets overshadowed by all of my other accomplishments that year.
I was in really great shape in 2019 but was training for longer races when I ran the Kickoff 5k. The race was a bit of anomaly that year as looking through my list of fastest 5k times, prior to 2025, most of them come from 2016 and 2017. It was also the only time that I recorded a sub-9:00/mi pace for a 5k.
Creating a Plan
In my 12 years of racing, this is the first time that I've really focused on the 5k. I've historically used some pretty simple training plans from Hal Higdon but I knew that my goal was very ambitious and that would require a new way of training. While I set the goal in May, I was already in the middle of a triathlon training block that took me through the end of June. I used that time to research and plan a schedule of target races. With 8-ish week training blocks and not wanting to attempt a PR too late in the year to avoid unpredictable winter weather, I identified the Turkey Trails 5k in late November.
With a target race identified, I did some research and settled on using the Boston Athletic Association 5k Level 3 training plan. The 8 week training plan is a time-based training plan built around a goal pace. Each week followed a similar pattern:
- Monday - Rest day (I'm in the middle of a run streak, so just added an easy run here)
- Tuesday - Workout with 5k pace intervals
- Wednesday - Easy run
- Thursday - Tempo run followed by hard strides
- Friday - Easy run
- Saturday - Workout with longer 10k pace or half marathon pace intervals
- Sunday - Long run
Looking at the race calendar, I identified 2 additional races to use as a benchmark for my progress. The first one was the Summer Sizzler 5k on August 16th. Working backwards, that meant my first training block would start on June 23rd. The 2nd race was the Spooky Sprint 5k on October 4th. That gave me 8 weeks to train for the first race, 7 weeks for the 2nd, and then 7 more weeks until my target race.
Training Block #1
My first time through the training plan I didn't really know what to expect. I wanted to set reasonable goals along the way to ensure that I was progressing but also building confidence. My goal for the Summer Sizzler 5k was to break 30 minutes, meaning I would need to average at least 9:39/mi. I added all of my workouts to Garmin Connect with the following target paces:
- 9:40/mi 5k pace
- 10:05/mi 10k pace
- 10:30/mi half marathon pace
From the very start, the program was extremely challenging. During the first 3 weeks I struggled to hit any of my interval paces, and when I did it was on the high end of the 15 second buffer that I built in. On July 13th I ran the Cubbie Bear 5k in 32:17 (10:17/mi pace), my fastest of the season. That built some confidence that the plan was working and the workouts got better after that. The following weekend, at the DSM Corporate Games 5k, I ran 31:05 (10:00/mi pace) another confidence builder.
During the last few weeks heading into the Summer Sizzler, I had really noticed how great I felt on my Saturday workouts with the longer 10k or half marathon pace intervals. I was going into the Summer Sizzler with a lot of confidence and feeling great, until I managed to tweak my lower back working at the cabin the day before the race.
Luckily my back felt fine during the race, and I ended up 30:18. Just over my goal of sub-30:00 but the course was a little long so I actually averaged 9:37/mi which was better than my goal pace and another huge season's best.
Training Block #2
After a successful first training block, I was ready to get started again and keep getting better. With 7 weeks until my next target race, the Spooky Sprint 5k, I started with the 2nd week of the training plan. This time around I knew what to expect with the plan, which also meant I knew which workouts to dread and which to look forward to. With a focus on continuing to improve, I set the following target paces for this training block:
- 9:15/mi 5k pace
- 9:40/mi 10k pace
- 10:05/mi half marathon pace
The hardest workouts of the training block are the Tuesday workout on both weeks 3 and 4. The workout includes 3 x (4 x 2:00) @ 5k pace. The work is absolutely brutal, but the best part of doing it 2 weeks in a row is that it provides and opportunity to see progress. The first time I completed the workout I managed to hit my target window on 5 of 12 intervals with just 1 below my 9:15/mi target pace. Just a week later, I was able to hit 10 of 12 with 6 below my 9:15/mi target.
During this training block I competed in the Hero Hustle Sprint Triathlon and the Black Hawk County YMCA Sprint Triathlon. In both races I performed extremely well, especially on the run where I averaged 10:21/mi and 10:05/mi. 2 week before the Spooky Sprint, I raced in the John Deere DSM Area Employee 5k. I opted to NOT skip any training and intentionally go into the race on tired legs. I moved my Saturday workout to Friday morning and completed a 25 mile bike ride that afternoon. Even on tired legs, I raced extremely well finishing the 3.14 mile course in 29:17 (9:19/mi average). Another huge confidence builder and the 3rd fastest 5k of my adult life.
The last 2 weeks of the training block went pretty well and I put in solid efforts. Confidence was high going into the Spooky Sprint 5k but I knew that it would be a challenge. Unlike the John Deere 5k, which was entirely flat, this race course was more rolling. When race morning arrived, I wasn't feeling it. I had a gut feeling that it just wasn't my day, but I had put in the work and was going to give it everything that I had. I was a little ahead of pace at mile 1, but things fell apart when I hit the hill and I wasn't able to recover. I finished the 3.18 mile course in 29:55, a 9:24/mi average and was a bit disappointed.
Training Block #3
I would be lying if I told you that my performance at the Spooky Sprint wasn't a little demoralizing. Everyone has bad days and everyone has bad races, but that one stung, especially after showing consistent progress several races in a row. I started sandbagging a little going into my 3rd training block. I even went as far as to have conversations with Adam about not hitting my goal. I mean, I progressed so much throughout the year, there would be some sort of moral victory in there right?
I again had 7 weeks until my next target race, the Turkey Trails 5k on November 23 and again I started with week 2 of the same BAA 5k training program. This time around, I set the following target paces:
- 8:50/mi 5k pace
- 9:15/mi 10k pace
- 9:40/ mi half marathon pace
Just looking at those numbers seems absolutely insane. The target 10k pace was faster than the goal I had just missed and the half marathon pace matched my target 5k pace from Training Block 1. I was convinced there was absolutely no way that I could do this. The goal was too ambitious, and I was running out of time. Even with all the negative thoughts, I took the most important step and I began.
I worked really hard, but the first couple of weeks made it seem impossible. In the first workout I was only able to hit my pace, and the very high end of it, on a single interval and I vented my frustrations on Garmin Connect. I was quickly reminded why it is so important to have a good support network.
After a couple more less-than-stellar workouts, I decided to take a different approach. Instead of focusing on the target paces I wasn't hitting, I started comparing them to the same workout from the previous training cycle. It quickly became apparent that even though I was struggling, I was still progressing and getting faster. On the hard workout that I described in the last section, I actually improved A LOT over the previous training block
This new lens was just what I needed to keep going. I continued to put in the work and a couple weeks into the training block I had a bit of a breakthrough and really started to stack up some great workouts. I raced the IMT Des Moines Marathon 5k on October 19 with no intentions of running hard. I treated it like a training run and ran 3.17 miles in 30:11, a 9:31/mi pace. All 3 workouts the following week were absolutely amazing capped off with 3 x 9:00 @ half marathon pace on Saturday. I absolutely nailed all 3 intervals and my legs felt amazing.
My next race was on November 1st in Carlisle at the Hillbilly Hike 5k. My tempo run on October 30th was possibly the best training run that I've had all year. I averaged a 10:00/mi pace for 40 minutes and it felt REALLY good. As I wrapped up that run, a fleeting thought ran through my head that maybe, just maybe, I could PR at the race on Saturday.
Hillbilly Hike 5k
It was a rainy and windy morning when I hoped in the truck to head for Carlisle. My truck was loaded down with hunting gear as I was heading to the cabin for a hunting trip following the race. My friend, Adam, was running the half marathon but it is a point to point race and he was already on a bus to Indianola and his start line by the time I arrived. I parked at the high school and made my way to packet pickup before going back to the truck. There was some light rain and I chose to stay warm in the truck as long as I could. At about 7:30, an hour before race time, I headed to the Carlisle HS track for my mile warm up. My legs were feeling really good. I took off my warm up gear, changed into my New Balance super shoes, and headed for the start line.
The 5k was a simple out and back on the Summerset bike trail. I did some strides on the bike trail and retied my shoes. Thankfully the rain had stopped, but the wind was cold and I was eager to start. With good intentions, I did something that I normally don't do and lined up near the front. I planned to run fast and didn't want to risk getting stuck behind walkers on the narrow bike path.
I came off the line very fast. I knew that to have a chance, I would have to run a fast first mile and then do whatever I could to hold that pace the whole time. Again, this is very different from my normal race strategy of going out conservatively and pushing for negative splits. It sounds silly, but a 5k race is short that having a first mile be just 10-15 seconds slow could be very hard to make up later. I felt really good during the first mile and could tell that I was running fast.
I came through mile 1 in 8:45, well ahead of the 8:57 I needed and even faster than I expected. I held on through the turn around and tried my best to not lose too much time or momentum on the 180 degree turn. I came through mile 2 in 8:56, slower but still ahead of pace. The last mile was brutal as my breathing was heavy and my legs were burning. I focused on keeping my cadence high and my eyes looking down the trail. The nice part of a flat out-and-back course is the ability to see the finish line from a long ways out. I hit mile 3 in 8:55 and gave it everything I had left as I watched the clock tick closer and closer to 27:50. The remaining 0.14 miles (the course was a little long) I covered at an 8:10/mi pace. My average pace for the race was 8:50/mi even, exactly matching my target 5k pace for the last training block!
My official time was 27:46, a new PR by 5 seconds and 3 weeks ahead of schedule! According to Garmin, since the course was a few hundredths long, my 5k time was 27:29. To say I was overjoyed is an understatement. The feeling that I experienced in those moments after crossing the finish line are indescribable.
That rainy day in Carlisle was more than a 5k PR, it is one of the first times that I actually inspired myself. Something that began as a dream 6 months earlier. A goal that, at times, seemed impossible, had just been reached. The hard work, consistency, and dedication paid off in a big way. I ran the same race last year on November 2nd in 38:25. That means I cut 10:39 off my time from last year.
Wrap Up
So what's next? I'm finishing up my current training block and have 3 races left this year, all 5ks. I did give myself permission to skip a couple workouts in the last week while deer hunting. It gave both my body and mind a well deserved break. After this training block ends, I will be taking a month off structured training, from Thanksgiving week through Christmas week. After that I will be embarking on a journey to tackle my next big goal, a full Ironman in September 2026. A goal that seems impossible now, but if there is one thing I've learned on this journey it is that with the right amount of work and dedication, I can make things that seem impossible possible.
