2024 in Review and Ironman on Hold

Ironman on Hold

I'll start off with the disappointing news first. After a lot of thought and conversations at home, I've decided to alter my plan for 2025. While there were several things that I took into consideration, the deciding factor was lack of available time to train this winter/spring due to family commitments. Additionally, my wife, Erin, is currently going back to school and will be entering her final year next fall. I really want her to be able to travel with me to the race and that may not be possible with her schedule. 

Thy good news is that I have a plan! Instead-  of 2025, I am planning to delay 1 year to fall 2026. With the change in plans, my 2025 racing schedule has been reset and I'm currently working through what the year will look like. More to come on that soon. 

2024 in Review

2024 was an extremely challenging year and did not go as I expected. Even with the unexpected challenges and disappointments, there were a lot of highlights as well. Below are some of the defining moments of 2024 for me.

• Great start to the year - I went into 2024 in really good shape and started off strong at the Tri for a Cause at the end of January. I made huge strides and finished significantly faster than in 2023
  
  
  
  
  
• The end of an epic run streak - On February 4th, my run streak came to an unexpected end after 727 days. I'm still in awe of what I was able to accomplish. What started as a way to get me back into running took on a life of its own making it even harder when it ended.
• Kidney stone and 2 surgeries - The reason that my streak ran turned into a life altering experience. I have not been the same physically, mentally, or emotionally since last February. So many impacts from such a small stone. 
  
  
  
• Racing 4 days post surgery - Cleared by my doctors (although they thought I was crazy) I raced a 5k a mere 4 days after my 2nd surgery. After a month with limited exercise I was out of shape but still remember how great it felt to run the Time to Paddy 5k on March 3rd. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Ankle sprain - In the early morning hours of April 8th, I stepped on a rock, twisted my ankle, and fell while half way through a 1 hour run. It turned out to be a 2nd degree sprain and forced me to the sidelines (mostly) through the end of June.
  
  
  
  
  
• Market-to-Market Relay - It was probably a dumb choice, but I opted to follow through on running the Market-to-Market Relay in May even with a sprained ankle. This had been a bucket list race and I was so excited to finally have a team to race. I fought through the pain and we had a fantastic day!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• DSM Corporate Games - I missed the triathlon in May, but was able to race in the Cross Country Race and the 5k road race in July. After 3 months of very little running (and feeling sorry for myself) I was extremely out of shape but still gave it everything I had. 
  
• A new run streak begins - On July 31st I officially started a new run streak. I'm officially 166 days in with a long way to go to get back to 727, but taking it 1 day at a time. 
• Tri the Illini - In September, I loaded up my bike and headed for Champaign, IL for my only outdoor triathlon of the year. It stormed all night and rained for the entire race, making for miserable conditions. I was happy to stay upright on the bike and felt amazing as I crossed the finish line. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Fall Improvement - I ran several 5k races throughout the late summer and fall gradually improving my fitness and speed along the way. My best post-injury race was the Turkey Trails 5k on November 17th, running a time of 37:33. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 14 Races - Even with nearly 4 months of the year lost to injury, I was able to complete 14 races in 2024. 

1. Tri for a Cause Indoor Triathlon - 1/28
2. Wellmark YMCA Red Flannel Run 5k (Walked) - 2/17
3. Time to Paddy 5k - 3/2
4. Des Moines St. Paddy's Day 5k - 3/16
5. Market-to-Market Relay - 5/11
6. DSM Corporate Games Cross Country 4.2k - 7/13
7. DSM Corporate Games Road Race 5k - 7/20
8. Johnston Mayor's Run for the Trails 5k - 8/10
9. HyVee Half Marathon Series 5k - 9/15
10. Tri the Illini Sprint Triathlon - 9/22
11. John Deere Des Moines Area 5k - 9/28
12. Hillbilly Hike 5k - 11/2
13. Turkey Trails 5k - 11/17
14. Waukee Turkey Trot 5k - 11/28

I'm ready to turn the page on 2024 and completed my first race of 2025 this morning. Thank you to everyone for the words of encouragement throughout last year. Part of my goals for 2025 are to get back to blogging regularly again. Check back often for updates. 

The Beginning of an Epic Journey

The Intro

In 2016, I completed my first triathlon. After crossing that finish line, I set a personal goal to complete an Ironman. I'm here to share that the time has come, and I am committing to realizing that goal. This fall, I am setting out on a grueling journey to train for what will certainly be the hardest race of my life. 140.6 miles broken into a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run to cross the finish line that I've been chasing for almost a decade. 

The Background

What I left out of the intro is that this goal included a deadline of completing the race before I turned 40. I turned 40 just a couple of weeks ago and the fact that I haven't yet attempted a full Ironman has been eating at my all year. In 2019, I completed my 2nd half Ironman race at the Door County Triathlon. While I checked off a lot of goals and had a very successful racing season, I also burned out hard by the end of the year. I decided to take 2020 off of serious training and racing in preparation for a full Ironman in 2021. At this point, it is well documented that did not pan out as I had planned. 

I have learned a lot from training and racing over the last 11 years, but this race is a whole different level. At this point, both the swim and bike portion are longer than I've ever gone in a single activity. I was humbled by my first half Ironman race in 2017 as well as my first full marathon in 2019. The one thing that I am certain of is that I will not be going into this training plan or race overly confident. 

The Race

I've gone back and forth on which Ironman race I want to target, but I have finally settled on Ironman Wisconsin in early September. In the end, the deciding factors were the proximity to home and the time of year. A fall race gives me the best chance at maximizing the outdoor training that I can do. This also schedules most of my dedicated training outside of basketball season.

As a warm up to Ironman Wisconsin, I am planning to race Ironman 70.3 Des Moines in June. The timing falls almost perfectly in my training cycle and it gives me a chance to compete in another goal race in the same year. For those in the Des Moines area, it would be awesome to have a cheering section for this race. I will post more details when it gets closer.

The Disclaimer

With my current fitness level, I have a long ways to go to even begin training for a full Ironman. My formal training will start in February and I am in the process of setting benchmark goals for myself for the next 4 months. If I reach those benchmark goals, I will sign up for the Des Moines 70.3 and begin training. Based on how the base building phase of training goes, I will then sign up for Ironman Wisconsin. These races not only take A LOT of time to train for, they are extremely expensive. I want to be sure that I'm able to confidently toe the starting line before making that level of investment. 

Although I'm very confident in my commitment and abilities to do this, the past year has shown me that there are things in life that I cannot control. If, for some reason, I'm not ready in 2025, my back up plan will be targeting the same races in 2026. 

The Reality

Triathlon may be an individual sport, but I can't do this on my own. I have sat down with Erin and the girls to ensure that they are onboard and we all understand the sacrifices that I'm asking them to make. I have some very encouraging training buddies in Adam and Kyle that I know are going to help me along the way. For everyone else, I am asking for your support as well as your patience, grace, and understanding throughout 2025. 

The Conclusion

I am extremely excited to take on this challenge over the next year, but also a little uneasy and scared. This is something that I have to do for myself. There is a good chance that I will fall short, but trying and failing would be better than carrying around the regret of not trying at all. 

 “You can keep going and your legs might hurt for a week, or you can quit and your mind will hurt for a lifetime.” - Mark Allen.

September Race Recaps and New Run Streak

After a disappointing race in August I was excited to redeem myself with 3 opportunities in September on sequential weekends beginning on the 15th. 

HyVee Half Marathon Series 5k

It was a nice cool morning as I headed downtown on the 15th. I was able to get a parking spot 3 blocks from the start line which gave me plenty of time to pick up my packet and walk back to my truck to drop off my race packet. I found Adam, who was running the half marathon, shortly before it was time to line up. The half, 10k, and 5k all started at the same time so I lined up as far back as I could. 

As the race started, I felt pretty good. My goal for the race was to try and break 40 minutes. I settled in behind a few different runners which really helped me keep an even pace. The problem with that ended up being when we hit the 5k turn around and everyone I was running with continued on. With a gap over 100 yards to the next runner, I just kept myself focused on them and slowly began closing the gap. Before I knew it I was past Principal park and heading back to Court Avenue. 

I looked at my watch for the first time with about a half mile to go and was pleasantly surprised to see that I would easily break 40 minutes. I gave it all I had the last quarter mile and ended up finishing in 38:41. 

I stuck around to watch Adam finish his half marathon (in just over an hour and a half) before heading to meet the girls at church. This race was exactly what I needed to bounce back from my bad race in Johnston in August. I was able to cut off almost 4 minutes from that time. 

Tri the Illini

After a week of vacation, I loaded up the truck with all of my triathlon gear and headed for Champaign, IL on September 21. The 5 hour 30 minute drive felt like it took FOREVER, but I finally arrived around 2pm. I located the parking lot that would be transition and drove the bike route before heading to packet pickup and checking into my hotel. One of my coworkers, recently turned employee, lives in Champaign so he picked me up and we went out for some bbq for dinner. 

It stormed overnight, and while the thunderstorms ended around 6:30am, the rain continued throughout the morning. I sat in my truck pondering my interest in completing the race in such miserable conditions but ultimately decided to do it. Not only had I driven over 5 hours to the race, this was also my last and only opportunity to complete an outdoor triathlon in 2024. 

I set up my transition in the pouring rain. All of my stuff was wet including my cycling shoes, running shoes, socks, and both towels. I then headed into the rec center to await instructions and the start of the race. 

The race consisted of a 300 meter swim in their outdoor 50 meter pool, a 14.4 mile out-and-back bike ride, and a 5k run through campus. We were self-seeded based on swim time and took us out to the pool 50 people at a time. I was very impressed at how well run the race was as they managed to get everyone started within about 40 minutes (over 400 racers). I was happy with my swim and really enjoyed the 50 meter pool. My time was 9:33, but that included about 150-200 meter run out of the pool to transition. 

I was EXTREMELY nervous heading out on the bike and did not go nearly as hard as I would normally go. The streets were wet, and in some cases had standing water, and it was still raining. I slowed down a lot for turns and managed to stay upright the whole time. I was very thankful for the closed bike course. Usually the bike ride gives me a chance to dry out after the swim, but the combo of the rain and my back tire splashing water on me the whole way made me even wetter than when I started. Either way, I was happy to make it back to transition in a time of 53:22. 

I took some extra time in transition to take in a GU gel and drink some water. It felt so gross putting my wet running shoes onto my soaking wet socks. As I headed out of transition I could tell that my legs were very tired and the run was going to be difficult. I took several walking breaks throughout the run and was thankful for a flat course. As I crossed the finish line, in a time of 1:50, I was just happy to be done. I quickly headed to transition to pack up all of my wet stuff before heading to the truck and driving to my in-law's in the Quad Cities. 

Even though the race was miserable and I was not really in race-ready shape, it felt great to get a triathlon into the schedule before the end of the year. 

John Deere Des Moines Area 5k

It was a beautiful morning on Saturday, September 28. With a 9:00 am start time, I was able to sleep in before picking up my friend, Kyle, on the way to John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny. Both Kyle and Adam were running too but Adam was running a 5k at DMACC before the John Deere 5k (he is kind of crazy sometimes). After picking up our packets we made the rounds and talked to various coworkers that were also doing the race. 

There was a short kids race before the 5k started, but before I knew it, we were off. The field felt much smaller than last year and it didn't take long for me to be running with nobody around me. The course was very flat as we weaved in and out of the various buildings at Des Moines Works. I tried my best to keep a consistent pace and with about 3/4 mile to go I started to push a little harder. As I crossed the finish line I was a little disappointed as I felt like I had a lot left in the tank and should have kicked a little sooner. 

My final time was 39:01, almost an identical pace to the HyVee 5k less than 2 weeks prior. I was happy with the result and hung out with Adam and Kyle as we waited for the awards. 

New Run Streak

After getting cleared to start running at the end of June, I was struggling to build consistency in my training. As the end of July approached, I decided to start a new run streak and did that on July 31st. As of today, that run streak is at 61 days and counting. In those 61 days, I have run 119 miles. The best part has been seeing consistent and incremental improvement in my running again. Just like last time, I have a long way to go but am taking it 1 day at a time. 

Up Next

So what's next? That's a great question. At this point I am not signed up for any more races in 2024, however I'm looking at a few more 5k races in November and will probably sign up this week. It's hard to believe that the racing season is winding down. It was such a difficult year for me and I have caught myself thinking of what should have been far too often. Even though I wasn't able to accomplish most of my goals for the year I'm still proud of myself for sticking with it and working to overcome the adversity that I faced.

Stay tuned, because I hear there is a BIG announcement coming to my blog very soon!

DSM Corporate Games and Johnston Mayor's Run

It has been awhile since my last post, and while I'm still not quite ready to share my plans for 2025, there is a lot to catch up on this year. 

Des Moines Corporate Games

On July 13th, just a couple of weeks after being cleared to start running again, Adam and I headed for Ames to run in the Corporate Games Cross Country Race. Adam was participating in the 8k and 4k, while I opted to only run the 4k. The 8k went first and Adam was so tired from that race that he opted to just jog with me for the 4k. I certainly enjoyed the company and encouragement along the way. It was a hot day, and I was out of shape and slow, but I managed to finish and it felt good to be running again. There was only 1 other person in my category and age group so I did manage to snag a silver medal and bonus points for John Deere. 

The following weekend was the Corporate Games 5k Road Race, run as part of the Clive Festival. It turned out to be a rainy morning. Adam and one of my summer interns ran as well. We got soaked but still had a good time. I managed to finish in a time of 40:06, and was pleased with how I ran. My legs were extremely tired and sore the last mile but I pushed through. 

Johnston Mayor's Run for the Trails 5k

I didn't really have a plan after the Corporate Games races, so Adam encouraged me to sign up for the Johnston Mayor's Run on August 10th. The race was held at Terra Park and we could not have asked for a more beautiful morning to run. 

The nice weather was not enough though, as I had an absolutely horrible race. About 1/2 mile into the race, my right shin began cramping, by 1 mile in it was so unbearable I had to walk. Shin splints are not something I've dealt with much before and I was extremely frustrated. I did what I could the rest of the way and ended up finishing in 42:32. It took a couple of hours for the pain and cramping to subside after the race. 

I was very frustrated for several days following the race, but luckily, after a few days of keeping my runs short, the shin splints subsided and I've been running pretty well as of late. 

Upcoming Races

After easing back into running during the month of July, I've really gotten back at it during August. I've logged over 50 miles this month and have stacked up 4 extremely good training runs in the past week and a half. I'm not a patient person, so I'm very proud at how I've been able to take it slow without getting too frustrated. 

Looking ahead, I am signed up for 3 races in September. On September 15th, I will be running the 5k as part of the HyVee Des Moines Half Marathon Series. The following weekend, I will be traveling to Champaign, IL to race in Tri the Illini, a sprint triathlon put on by the University of Illinois triathlon club. I will finish out the month of September with the Des Moines Area John Deere 5k in Ankeny on September 28th. 

I've been starting to keep my eye on another milestone too. The Johnston Mayor's Run marked race #72 since I began racing back in 2014. That means that I could hit 75 races by the end of September!

Big Things Are Coming

On Monday, I had my final physical therapy appointment, ending nearly 2 weeks earlier than originally planned. I'm officially cleared to resume my full training regimen and am already easing my way back into a run training program. 

My ankles are probably stronger than they have ever been, and it has been great to get a few miles running under my belt. I'm certainly not in the best shape at the moment and it is going to take awhile to build that back up so I'm planning to take it slow for the duration of the summer. Without running, I've spent a lot more time on the bike (mostly inside) and strength training so I will not be completely starting over. 

Looking at the remainder of 2024, I'm trying to stay flexible but will begin racing again soon. In July, I'm planning to compete for John Deere in the Des Moines Corporate Games cross country race and 5k road race. I also have a couple of sprint triathlons that I'm considering in September. To finish out the season, I'm planning to put an IMT Des Moines Marathon Relay team together. The season certainly isn't going the way that I had planned or hoped, but that doesn't mean I can't end it on a high note. 

The bigger news is what is brewing for 2025. I'm not quite ready to publicly share my plans, but I will tell you that it is big...REALLY big...and I will share more as it comes together. For now, my focus will be getting back into running shape and increasing milage on the bike. I have set a goal to complete my first ever century ride this fall, which should be a lot of fun. 

That's it for now, but keep an eye out for race updates in the coming months.