2018 Drake Relays Road Races 5k

It was another great day at the Drake Relays Road Races this year! With the addition of a 10k race this year the field was certainly bigger than last year and the weather could not have been better. I got down to the Drake campus about 15 minutes before the start of the 10k and half marathon and 30 minutes before my race. I saw several coworkers from Pioneer running in all of the races and really enjoyed the opportunity to watch the start of the other races before toeing the line myself. 

I wasn't really sure what to expect out of myself today coming off a week of being sick, but things felt good from the start. I pushed on the throttle early and never had to let off. The course was relatively flat and temperatures in the upper 40's were the perfect running conditions. A unique change to the race this year was getting to end with a half lap on the blue oval which was an awesome experience. Knowing that the very same track would be host to some of the best high school, college, and professional athletes in the world later this week left me in awe. 

I had decided to not look at my watch and try to run by feel to gauge where my pacing is at for the year. After crossing the finish line I did look at my watch and was extremely happy to see a sub 10 min/mi average pace. After evaluating my splits and heart rate data, I ran a nearly perfect race. I maintained negative splits the entire way (each mile was faster then the previous) and I kept my heart rate in zone 5 for nearly 25 minutes to end the race. I may not be in the best shape to start off the year, but I was certainly ready to race. 

Keeping it in the red nearly the whole race

Fantastic race to kick off my 2018 season

Even though place doesn't matter that much to me, I was also excited to have a good showing in both my age group and overall place for the race. I placed 287/779 overall and 11/25 in the Male 30-34 age group. 

Official Results

There really is no way to spin a downside with the race today. I am extremely proud of how well I ran and I had a lot of fun as well. My next race is the Hickory Grove Triathlon 4 weeks from today and I am really looking forward to it. 

First Race Week Of 2018

IT'S RACE WEEK!

It has been 21 weeks since I have been able to say that and, oh boy, does it feel good that it is finally here. This Sunday I will be running the 5k at the Drake Relays Road Races. I ran the half marathon there last year and am looking forward to being back. There is a few changes to the race this year. They have added back a 10k distance and moved the races to the weekend preceding the Drake Relays. This move allows all of the races to finish inside the stadium on the blue oval which adds some extra excitement. 

It has been a very strange off season for me, plagued by bad weather for training, struggling to stay motivated and unexpected race schedule changes. To top it all off, I came down with a cold last week that has slowed me down considerably going into race week. I feel like I finally turned a corner today but with 5 days completely off of training and 3 other extremely light training days, I'm not exactly feeling very prepared for this weekend. 

The good news for me is that once my season kicks off, the races will pile up relatively quickly and racing always helps to re-energize and motivate me. 

At this point, all that is left is to pray for good running weather on Sunday, then go out there and do what I always do. 

If Shoes Could Talk

Today I officially "retired" my most storied pair of running shoes yet. I've mentioned it before, but a feeling of sadness always comes over me when each pair of shoes comes to the end of their life. This pair, however, will always be special to me for so many reasons.

This pair of shoes, a pair of Saucony Omni 13s, was my saving grace last spring when I injured my foot. They provided enough support for my foot that I was able to get back to running quickly while allowing my foot to heal. This pair of shoes not only logged a lot of miles in training, but were with me for most of my races last season:

• Marathon to Marathon - Half marathon
• Accel Triathlon - Olympic Distance
• Crossroads Triathlon - Sprint Distance
• Bluff Creek Triathlon - Sprint Distance

Heading for the finish line at the Bluff Creek Triathlon

• Legend Ad Astra Triathlon - Long Course/Half Ironman
  They were with me the whole way, through all of the miles, all of the pain, and all of the tears. To this day, they are still stained from the gravel portion of the run route

Heading out on the half marathon course at the Legend Ad Astra

• Cyman Triathlon - Sprint Distance
• IMT Des Moines Marathon - Marathon Relay
• Des Moines Turkey Trot - 5k

It was also these shoes that were with me when I set a new 5k PR during a time trial training run on October 29 of last year. They have pounded out miles on the burning hot pavement of mid-summer and kept me upright while braving freezing temperatures on icy and snow-packed trails. I recorded 83 training runs and races with these shoes totaling 399.4 miles.

Well worn running shoes

With the sadness comes excitement as I have 2 identical pairs waiting in the wings. One has under 70 miles while the other just arrived in the mail this week. I am certain that these shoes will help to provide new memories as I begin to rack up the miles on them as well. In my eyes, this could not have come at a more perfect time as I am finishing up my off season training this week with my first race of 2018 a mere 3 weeks from now. 

Pre-Season Updates And A Shift In Focus

No matter how well I try to plan out my racing season, it seems that something always happens to derail it a little. So far, 2 of my major plans for the year have already fallen through, or are likely to fall through.

For starters, my planned "A" race for the year was suppose to be the Des Moines Olympic Distance triathlon on Labor Day weekend. It has come to my attention that the triathlon may fall through and not actually happen this year. I'm not entirely sure the reasoning but the gossip that I have heard is that they don't have a series or sponsor for the race this year.

In addition to that, my goal of qualifying for the Heart of America Triathlon Series championship is most likely not going to happen either. I already knew that I would have to miss one of the races in early August due to a family obligation, but was pretty sure that I could overcome that. When the schedule was released recently, it included 2 additional races that are new to the series and it appears that I won't be able to race in either of those due to other commitments as well. With missing 3 races in the series, I no longer like my chances to win my age group (although I suppose anything is possible).

With these 2 blows, my season has taken quite a hit before it has even started. Without a target race or a focus this season, I've been scrambling to figure out what I want to do. After spending some time talking with Erin, I think the best option is to not worry about it, try to have fun, and maybe shift some of my goals around to compensate. With that, I have decided to shift my focus for the year entirely towards weight loss. As I have stated before, I have some enormous dreams for my future and it will be much easier to accomplish those at a lower weight. So at this point, my goal of weighing under 220 lbs by the end of 2018 has shot up to the top of the list.

Don't worry though, even with the change in focus, I still have a full slate of races to keep me motivated throughout the year. In addition, I plan to stretch out my speed based goals throughout the season and aiming to peek later in the year. It is going to be a great year and I'm very excited to get started with my first race, a 5k road race that is just over a month away.

Now for some updates. My lack of blog posts over the past 2 months does not reflect the work that I have been putting in. Although my distances have decreased, the intensities of my workouts have increased. The only downside has been the weather. Unlike the past few winters that I was able to run almost exclusively outside, high winds, frigid temps, along with snow and ice have forced me to miss some training runs (especially when we have been out of town) and spend a lot more time on the treadmill. With only a couple of weeks left for preseason training, my number of workouts and distances have been gradually increasing and I feel like I am in a decent place with my fitness coming out of winter.

I'm also happy to share that this week marked the start of Erin's 8 week training schedule leading up to her first ever triathlon. She will be participating in the Tri by Knight sprint triathlon at Wartburg college in Waverly on the first weekend in May. This race met her one stipulation of having a pool swim instead of an open water swim (something that I cannot blame her for at all). Once again, spending some time training together is benefiting both of us this year.

With the warmer temps this week, I am hoping that spring weather is here to stay. In the next few weeks I'm hoping to get back outside running and to dust off the road bike and hit the trails. I am very much looking forward to what the season has to offer and will continue to warm up to the idea of focusing on having fun in spite of unexpected changes to my plans.

2018 Races and Goals

My racing season for 2018 is taking shape. With only 1 more week of post-season training left, I spent the weekend putting together my 10 week pre-season training program. My focus is on shorter but more intense workouts and also finding ways for Erin and I to work out and train together.

As previously mentioned, 2018 is not going to include long races as my focus is on getting smaller (losing weight) and getting faster. With that in mind, below I have listed my racing schedule so far:

April 22 - Drake Relays Road Races 5k
May 20* - Hickory Grove Triathlon (Sprint)
June 3* - Pigman Sprint Triathlon
June 16* - Quad Cities Triathlon (Sprint)
June 30 (Tentative) - Nishna Valley Triathlon (Sprint)
July 14* - Accel Triathlon (Sprint)
July 15 - Des Moines Corporate Games Triathlon (Sprint)
July 28 - Bix 7 (Quick Bix)
August 19* - Bluff Creek Triathlon (Sprint)
September 2 - Des Moines Triathlon (Olympic)
September 23* - Cyman Triathlon (Sprint)
October 20-21 - Des Moines Marathon (5k and/or 5m)

* Signifies a Heart of America Series Race

Besides racing the Heart of America Triathlon Series this year, there are a few other highlights to my season. I'm kicking my season off at the Drake Relays Road Races this year. I absolutely loved running the half marathon there last year and am excited to return for a shorter event. On the 2nd weekend of July I will be competing in 2 sprint triathlons in the same weekend. On Saturday I will be in Waterloo at the Accel Triathlon while on Sunday I will be competing in Des Moines at the Corporate Games/Iowa Games Triathlon for Pioneer. My "A" race this year is the Olympic distance at the Des Moines Triathlon. That is where it all began for me 2 years ago and I am very much looking forward to racing there again.

I will be racing all across the state of Iowa this year, so if you have the chance to come out and spectate, I would highly encourage it. Not only would it be great to have people out there cheering me on, but triathlon is a very unique and exciting sport to watch. Some of the best athletes from around the state compete in these races and it is fun to see.

Now, only my goals for the year. Last year was all about setting goals based on distance and signing up for longer and longer races. Since this year is about speed, that is what I am focusing on for my goals.

1. Run sub-8:00 min mile
2. Run sub-27:00 min 5k
3. Bike > 20mph average in a race
4. Swim sub 2:00 min/100 yrd average in a race
5. Swim sub-1:45 min 100 yard
6. Weigh <220 lbs on December 31, 2018
7. Qualify for champions wave of the Heart of America Triathlon Series by winning my age group (male 30-34)

Some of these goals are pretty lofty, while others are extremely attainable. If I happen to break one of them fairly early in the year, I will try to add to the list. One thing is for sure, 2018 is going to be another EPIC year!