And So It Begins

Ironman training began on December 22. Somehow 13 weeks have already passed and there are only 25 more weeks until Ironman Wisconsin. With 1/3 of my training block behind me, I thought it would be a good time to review the past 13 weeks. 

Overview

My training plan of choice comes from the book "Be Iron Fit" by Don and Melanie Fink. I first used their training program as a trial run at the end of 2018 when preparing for a sprint triathlon. I liked it so much that I followed their Half-Ironman program in 2019 when preparing for the Door County Triathlon and it did an excellent job of preparing me to race. Their book provides 3 separate programs when training for an Ironman: Competitive, Intermediate, and Just Finish. Each program is 30 weeks long and the primary difference is the level of volume that you reach during those 30 weeks. I chose to follow the Competitive program due to my current level of fitness and wanting to include as much volume as possible going into race day. 

I ended the 2025 racing season in excellent shape and without injury. To avoid losing all of that fitness, I decided to bridge the gap with my own training plan. I combined a 12 week half marathon training program from the Boston Athletic Association with my own mix of strength training, cycling, and swim workouts and started 8 weeks early. My goal was to begin building volume on top of the fitness I gained last year while also increasing the early load of the 30 week program to account for starting off in such great shape. I'm officially past the 4 week overlap and my plan seems to have worked extremely well.

For the Iron Fit program, the 30 weeks are broken up into 3 phases: Base Training, Build, and Peak each 10 weeks in length. The Base Training phase calls for an average of 8.5 hours of training per week, but with strength training, my run streak, and adjusting for my 4 week half marathon overlap, mine will be closer to 12 hours per week. Each week includes 3 run workouts, 2 cycling workouts, and 1 brick workout. I add in 2 strength training sessions and 3 additional days of running to keep my run streak going. 

So far, everything has been going very well. My body is slowly adapting as volume increases and I don't think I've missed a single workout. We have had a few bouts of weather that have forced me exclusively inside or to train in some uncomfortable conditions outside but it has not limited me yet. Some recent nice weather has me looking forward to more outdoor rides and even getting into the open water to swim, but we aren't quite there yet.

Races

In 2025 I raced 33 times, so I knew things would be much slower this year. My focus for the year is 100% on Ironman Wisconsin but I do have some races on the calendar to keep me engaged, try out race day strategies, and provide check points on fitness along the way. 

On January 25th I raced the Tri for a Cause indoor triathlon. While it is a very short race, it gave me something to look forward to over the winter and gave me a reason to get into the pool and on the bike early and often. It was my 4th year racing and this years performance blew away all 3 previous years. 

400 yard swim - 9:31 (2:22/100 yards)

7 mile bike - 17:00 (24.7 mph)

2 mile run - 19:40 (9:50/mi)

On March 14th I raced the St. Paddy's Day Half Marathon. This race was the culmination of my 12 week half marathon training program and gave me a chance to work on my race day pacing and fueling strategy. The race went even better than I expected and I was extremely happy with the level of my fitness on race day. I finished with a time of 2:16:47, which is my 3rd fastest half marathon ever and I even followed it up with a 1 hour and 30 minute ride on the bike trainer when I got home. 

Fueling

Race day fueling is a huge component of Ironman racing. Knowing what your body needs on race day and ensuring that it can handle what you consume is so important. In the past I've relied heavily on GU gels and Jelly Belly Sport Beans but I knew there were so many better options out there. I ordered some combo packs of various gummies, gels, and high carb sports drinks to try out during my longer workouts. 

While I still have some work to do with the solids, I have identified the 2 types of gels that I will use on race day. I will be mixing in Carbs Fuel Gels (50g of carbs) and Enervit Carbo Gels (40 grams of carbs) to hit my 80-100g of carb per hour goal on the run. My stomach seems to handle both of these well and they give a noticeable burst of energy. The Cabs Fuel Gels also have options with added caffeine and sodium but I'm still working out how much of those I will need. I have also identified the 2 high carb drink mixes I will use, in combination with gels, on the bike. Science in Sport Beta Fuel and Amacx Turbo Drink both seem to work well for me. 

In addition to the high carb fueling, I will be experimenting with Salt Stick tablets for added sodium. I'm a heavy sweater and dealt with cramps in both of my previous 70.3 races, but I won't be able to reliably experiment with these until we get some warmer weather and the sweat really starts pouring. 

Lastly, I have started taking Creatine daily and mix it with an electrolyte drink after my morning workout. I'm not a huge believer in supplements and won't pretend to be an expert but I've read a lot of recent research that show there are large benefits to endurance athletes. It is hard to be certain, but I do believe that it has had a positive impact on my training and recovery. 

The mental game

13 weeks into training and I'm still very scared when I think about race day. I know that I still have 25 weeks in front of me and several other warm up races but there are a lot of days where the challenge seems insurmountable. When the fear creeps in, I fight it in 2 different ways. I focus harder on the training that is right in front of me by trying to get the most out of my workouts and making sure that I do the things that are within my control. I also remind myself, that no matter what happens on race day, when midnight comes, it will be over either way.

Admittedly, it is the unknowns of race day that bother me the most. I continue to plan ways to reduce the unknowns and to prepare myself for the various scenarios and issues that could arise that day. Being adaptable on that day will be extremely important but the more scenarios that I can put myself in ahead of race day the easier that will be. 

TLDR; I'm scared out of my mind but still moving forward. 

By the numbers

So how much training have I actually done in these 13 weeks?

Running

91 runs

409.02 miles

76 hours 8 minutes 5 seconds

Biking

31 rides

522.81 miles

26 hours 22 minutes 44 seconds

Swimming

20 swims

23.21 miles

18 hours 17 minutes 2 seconds

Strength Training

20 sessions

12 hours 124 minutes 32 seconds

Total

134 hours 9 minutes 8 seconds

Is it enough? Only time will tell, but it is certainly more than I've ever done in 13 weeks before and will only go up from here

Upcoming Plans

• Focus on increasing my mileage on the bike and getting more time outdoors in the saddle
• Continue exploring options for solid nutrition on race day
• Schedule a couple trips up to Madison this summer to ride portions of the Ironman bike course
• Incorporate more elevation on my bike trainer rides
• Evolve my diet to better match and fuel my training
• Get more sleep

Wrap up

These past 13 weeks have gone extremely well and I hope to carry that success into the next 1/3 of my training block. There is still a lot to do but it really feels like the plan is coming together. There may never be a point where I feel ready for this race, but as long as I continue to put in the time my hope is that race day will take care of itself. 

2025 - A Year In Review

After a year full of unexpected mishaps in 2024, I wasn't quite sure what 2025 would bring. I started the year with the goal of completing 22 races to officially reach the 100 race milestone. Beyond that, I really didn't come into the year with any big plans. The idea of racing an Ironman was off the table due to family demands, so I chose to start racing early and often. In a year that I didn't plan ahead more than a month or 2, I ended up completing an epic year of racing. While 2019 may have carried more big moments, I think what I accomplished in 2025 was far more impressive. 

By the Numbers

• 33 races (most in a year, beating out 15 in 2023)
• 1,139.46 miles run (most in a year, beating out 1,049.42 in 2023)
• 2,733.79 miles biked (most in a year, beating out 2,599.11 in 2017)
• 61:23:04 strength training (most in a year, beating out 40:59:03 in 2017)
• 471:53:33 time training and racing
• 10 age group podium finishes
• Best overall sprint triathlon finish (31/100)

Highlights

I am an extremely sentimental person so every race and every year creates a long list of memories, both good and bad, for me. With 33 races and so much time training, it will be hard to pull out the highlights from 2025 but I'm going to try. In no particular order:

Hip Injury

In late February I was building up mileage with the intention of running a 10k and maybe even a half marathon. I started experiencing pain while running in my right hip. Sometimes it was worse than others, but eventually it got bad enough that I was cutting my training runs short. After a trip to the doctor I was diagnosed with hip bursitis. Anti inflammatory medication, at home physical therapy, and significantly reduced mileage during the first 2 weeks of March were the suggested course of treatment. It took about 6 weeks for the pain to fully resolve and be back to 100%. This impacted my early spring race schedule a bit and ultimately was the reason that I stuck to shorter distance races for the year

Annual Good Friday Ride

As has become tradition, I went for a bike ride on Good Friday with Kyle and Adam. This year it was rainy and windy as we set out to log some miles on the Chichaqua Valley Trail. It was on this ride I realized exactly how out of shape I was. It was surprising for someone who was a couple hundred days into a run streak to be struggling so much, but for the first time ever, Kyle and Adam were having to slow down and wait for me. It was miserable and embarrassing, although neither of them complained once. It was this ride that made me reevaluate where I was and it became the turning point of my year. 

Beer and Bagel Run

My first ever trail run was a Jester Park in April. While I didn't instantly fall in love with trail running, I did like the variation in my schedule and the extra challenge that comes with running on trails. 

Race for Hope 5k

This race was on a Saturday of a 2 race weekend. It was windy and cold but I ran absolutely lights out. I finished with a time of 33:02, which made it my fastest 5k since 2019! It wasn't so much the race itself that made this a highlight, but instead how this race changed the trajectory of my year. I came away from this race with a huge boost in confidence and it was the first time I thought "maybe I should try to beat my 5k PR this year". 

Double Duathlon

I had 2 triathlons on the schedule in May. Admittedly, May is pretty early in Iowa to jump into a lake for open water swimming, but some years it is fine. This year, however, the weather was cold. In mid-May the Des Moines Corporate Games triathlon was switched to a duathlon (run-bike-run) due to cold air temperatures. Surprisingly, this is the first time that has happen and thus marked my first duathlon ever. The following weekend I was set to race Tri Clear Lake and that was switched to a duathlon as well due to the cold water temperatures. It all worked out well for me in the end as I finished on the podium in both races. 

The End of a Great Race

June marked the final running of the Quad Cities Triathlon. This race had become a staple on my schedule and I absolutely loved the course and the community. I am sad to see the race end but I made sure the last one was a memorable one and raced very well. 

Triple Race Weekend

Late in June for the first (and likely last) time ever, I raced 3 times in 1 weekend. To make things extra challenging, the weekend was super hot and humid. On Saturday morning I traveled to Madrid to run the Trestle Hustle 5k. In the afternoon I drove to McFarland Park in Ames to run the Mid Summer Night's Run trail 5k. I didn't race particularly well in either race, but was also trying to conserve some energy. I stayed with a friend in Ames on Saturday night before racing the Ames triathlon on Sunday morning. By the time I got to the run, my legs had so little left and heat was really getting to me but I managed to finish anyways. I think I officially found my limit for races in a weekend. 

My 100th Race

It was my 1st race in 2014, and my 100th race in 2025. The Bix 7 was delayed due to rain and involved running through what felt like a raging river. The unforgiving hills didn't disappoint either but at least it wasn't extremely hot. I didn't race as well as I had hoped, but this race was special for so many reasons. I've never made the Bix a target race, and it won't be in 2026 either, but I think I might go for it to see what I can do on that course not too far down the road. 

My Best Sprint Triathlon Ever

My focus on training in July and August was centered around a autumn 5k PR, but that focus produced gains elsewhere as I found a level of fitness that I had never seen before. With only a moderate focus on the bike, and very little swimming at all I still managed to put together a couple of VERY good triathlons. In early September I headed to Waterloo to race in the Black Hawk County YMCA triathlon. It was my last tri of the year and I really sent it in this race. I absolutely crushed it on the bike with an average of 19.7 mph and the 11th fastest bike split on the course. Putting myself so far up in the field going into the run ended up paying off as I managed to run fast enough to mostly hold my position and finished 31st overall, my best sprint triathlon finish of all time. 

5k PR and Consistency

The biggest highlight of my season was running a 5k PR at the Hillbilly Hike 5k the first weekend of November. I don't think I've ever trained so hard for a goal before and I certainly earned it. I won't go into details because this was well documented in an early blog post, but even sitting here nearly 3 months later I am still very proud of that moment. 

Maybe even more impressive than the PR was maintaining the same level of fitness over the next several weeks as I essentially matched that time again at the Turkey Trails 5k the weekend before Thanksgiving and then even raced well at an easier effort at the Ankeny Turkey Trot a few days later on Thanksgiving. I really ended my 2025 season at a peek level of fitness. 

Wrap Up

It is so exciting to think back on all of the great memories that I made while training and racing in 2025. I'm not sure that I will ever see a year with 33 races again, but it really was fun. I fell in love with shorter races and realized that will likely be the direction that I head in 2027 again. It is fun knowing that the success that I had in 2025 will always rank up there with the success of 2019. It also helped to rebuild my confidence that I haven't peaked yet and there are more great things to come. 

2026 is going to look A LOT different than 2025 and training is well underway for my first full Ironman. Here is to hoping that the success I had in 2025 leads into a very successful 2026.