Bix 7 and Training Updates

Bix 7

I completed the Bix 7 for the 5th time on Saturday morning. The whole week leading up to the race was extremely hot and humid but a front moved through on Friday night that cooled the temps and lowered the humidity. We woke up to temperatures in the low 70s, but maybe even more helpful, cloud cover. 

Originally the Bix was sort of an afterthought as I only signed up because it lined up with the week that the girls were spending at Grandma and Grandpa Weiler's house. However, once I signed up, I took my preparation and training quite seriously. I knew that it would be hot (it always is) and I also knew that the hills were no joke. Grimes is extremely flat, so I made sure to do some of my longer runs away from home on some hillier routes to prepare. Also, for the 2 weeks leading up to the race I waited to do some of my training runs in the evening hours when the temperatures and humidity were much higher. 

Originally, Erin was planning to walk the Quick Bix with her mom, Abigail, and Bridget but ended up having a liver biopsy on Friday morning so she had to back out. The girls did walk with Grandma and they all had a fantastic time. After the race, all Bridget could talk about was coming back to do it again next year. 

The whole crew on race day

We arrived with plenty of time to spare before race time and I quickly remembered how big this race actually was. I opted to line up with the walkers instead of in my assigned corral so that I could spend more time with Mary and the girls before the race started. With about 10,000 racers all lined up on Brady street it took almost 10 minutes for me to finally reach the start line after the gun went off. 

Bix Course Map

I spent the whole 1st mile, including the climb up Brady Street hill, weaving in and out of other racers. I was hoping to average under 13:00/mi but knew that the first mile might be one of my worst. As it turned out, I logged a time of 12:59 for mile 1 and was feeling very strong. The Bix is one of the few races that I have done where people are lined up throughout the entire route and all of the encouragement and excitement along the way does help the miles go go by quickly. 

Mile 2 was almost all downhill and I logged 12:06. I love banking some time early in the race on the Bix because the middle part of the course is brutal. Everyone always talks about Brady Street hill, but in my opinion those mid-race hills on tired legs are more difficult. Mile 3 was a little slower, at 12:48, but I was still happy with my effort. As expected, the hills in miles 4 and 5 slowed me down a bit as I turned in times of 13:12 and 13:22. 

My legs were still feeling good as I crested the last hill and things flattened out for mile 6. With the hills behind me I started to push myself a little bit and was able to log a time of 12:49. By this point in the race, most of those around me were doing a lot more walking than running so I was consistently passing people. As I started mile 7 near the top of the Brady Street hill, I put the hammer down and didn't let up until I crossed the finish line. It is no surprise that mile 7 was my best, at 11:47 and I still felt great as I headed to the post-race party. 

I was able to grab some food and quickly find Mary, Abigail, and Bridget. After snapping some quick pictures and hearing how their race went we headed for the car. Not only had I finished, but I met my goal of going sub 1:30 and my body felt great afterwards.

There is good and bad that comes with racing the same course again. The good comes from the familiarity with the course and typical race conditions. It is always helpful to know what to expect so that I can prepare myself both physically and mentally for race day. For me, the bad is that it becomes very natural to compare my performance in this race to those of years past. 2016 was the last time that I raced the Bix and I was able to finish with a time of 1:11:51. While my time this year was a long way off from that time, it was my 2nd fastest time out of my 5 races here. 

Me on race day in 2016

This race also brings back very fond memories as this was the 1st official race that I ran when I started on my weight loss and running journey back in 2014. Both of the other times were when I was in college and I walked the course with family. With Bridget's excitement and my determination to get better, the Bix might just become a regular on my schedule each year.

Mary and I after the Bix in 2014

July Training Updates

July was another great month for me. With a long weekend over the 4th and last week off of work I really took advantage and logged a lot of extra training hours. Erin has been getting back into a regular schedule of working out as well so we took several trips to the Waukee Y together. It is extra hard for her right now due to all of the medical issues so I really admire her for trying to find ways to be active in spite of the pain she experiences. 

I think my biggest success of the month has to be my running mileage. With the Bix being a 7 mile race, I gradually ramped up my mileage throughout the month, logging my 1st month over 100 miles in a looooong time. Even more impressive to me was that even with the increased mileage, I was able to maintain my time per mile average from June. 

In addition to all the running, I managed to put in over 250 miles on the bike as well. Scheduling 2 more triathlons this season has really kept me going on that front. I've also picked up my focus on getting comfortable on the PR3 and spending time on the aero bars. The PR3 is currently on the trainer in my basement but I'm hoping to get it outside some in August and maybe even use it for the race in September. 

If I have a regret from July it was my lack of time spent in the pool. Even though I wish that I had done more swimming, I did manage to log 5,000 yards, including my longest swim of the year at 1,700. I've been actually incorporating some drills and speed work back into those workouts as well but still not getting too serious about swimming at the moment. 

Another step I took in July was to increase the duration, and number of lifts that I complete during my strength training sessions. Strength training still is not my favorite thing but I'm really starting to see and feel the difference in my body because of the work I'm putting in. 

I have 2 races planned for August, the Rexy Run 5k on August 19th and the Hero Hustle Sprint Triathlon on August 27th but my training focus is shifting towards longer runs as I prepare to run the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon in October. I'll be putting a lot of miles on my legs over the next few months and am really hoping that I can stay mentally focused and engaged. There may also be some new and exciting things in the works, but I'll leave you hanging and save those for future blog posts. For now, back to work and back to having fun!

Having Fun and Living in the Moment

I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but something is very different. Running and triathlon has always filled me with a sense of accomplishment. It has provided me with an outlet for stress relief and a way to ponder and work through the big emotions in life. It has built my confidence and given me a sense of purpose, something to really drive me. But this year, these last 5 months, there is something much more to it. 

Maybe Counting Crows was right when they sang "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone..." Somewhere between 2019 and 2023 I lost myself, and gradually, over these last 5 months I've found myself again. A lot happened over those 3+ years and I'm a different person than I was back then. Life is fleeting, and we never get the years, months, days, hours, or minutes back. Maybe it is this realization that has made me view training and racing in a whole new light.

In the past, I was always looking forward to the next race or the next big challenge to overcome. I enjoyed each race but I never really took the time to slow down, look around me, and be in the moment. I can't explain why, but my viewpoint is so different now. I still spend some time looking to the future and dreaming about what can be and what I want to do, but mostly, I am spending my time enjoying each moment. When I began my run streak more than 530 days ago, I thought that running every single day would eventually get old and boring but it really hasn't. I will admit that their are occasionally days that I don't want to run, bike, swim, or strength train but I am happy to say that they are few and far between. I'm just glad that I'm back at it and I'm feeling more like myself again. 

There have been so many little moments these past few months that have stuck with me. Some of those things have always been there, and others are new, but I'm noticing them all and every one of them is having a positive impact on me. 

Getting out of my warm bed, stepping out the door to feel the frigid winter air on my face each day during winter and early spring was so invigorating. 

All smiles after a bitter cold training run
in March

Toeing the start line and far exceeding my own expectations on race day give me such a fantastic feeling of accomplishment and self worth. 

Excited to finish an early season 5k and
place 2nd in my division

Rediscovering familiar courses and remembering how fun the environment is at some of my favorite races. More importantly, feeling okay with where I'm at and not comparing myself to past-Patrick at those same races. 

Really remembering how great it feels to
push myself during a race

Really appreciating what it means to have great friends in my life who truly care about me. Even better yet, being able to meet each other where we are at and discover new ways of spending time together. 

One of many fun bike rides with Kyle and Adam this year

Rediscovering my love of swimming. How peaceful it is in the pool when all other noise and distractions disappear and it's just me and the water. One of the few times in life that I'm able to just turn my brain off for a little while. 

Enjoying the opportunity to swim again

Feeling a deep appreciation for each person who takes time away from their life to show up at a race and cheer me on. Building a deeper connection with those people in my life who show interest in my races, especially several coworkers who ask how things went first thing Monday morning at work

Soaking in every moment of racing with a cheering section

Understanding and appreciating the sacrifices that my wife and kids make so that I can do something that I love. Even better than that, watching my kids start to take interest in swimming, biking, running, and overall fitness. Getting text's from my wife telling me that Bridget took off running yelling "I want to be like daddy!"

Finding true happiness in my wife and kids
coming to watch me race

Making connections with people at work through racing and training, especially through the Des Moines Corporate Games. Just knowing they understand the sacrifice, hard work, and passion associated with this sport the way that I do. Also, being able to represent my employer once again, fills me with so much pride. 

Feeling honored to represent John Deere
in the Corporate Games

So many other feelings that are hard to describe...

• The butterflies I get the night before a race
• Crossing the finish line
• Having a group of friends on Garmin Connect that push me to be better and encourage me
• The relief of finishing a hard workout
• The feeling of pushing myself beyond what I thought was possible
• The gut wrenching heartbreak of a bad workout
• All of the time I get to spend enjoying time outside
• The drive to get 1% better every day
• Meeting other competitors on race day
• Seeing the same people in my neighborhood out walking and running each morning
• Looking at my medal rack and thinking back on all of those great memories

I know that triathlon is not for everyone, but I hope that everyone can find something that fills them with as much joy as triathlon does for me. When you find it, make sure you make the time to follow that passion and never take a moment of it for granted. 

I am having so much fun right now. There will come a day where I can't do it all anymore, so for now I'm not taking any of it for granted.

Des Moines Corporate Games - 2023

Cross Country Race - 7.5k

On Saturday morning I picked up my friend, Adam, and we headed for the ISU cross country course in Ames. The weather was absolutely beautiful with temperatures in the upper 50s and sun shining. I raced the same course in 2018 but then I represented Dupont Pioneer and I ran the 4k. This year I was racing for John Deere, our 1st year participating in the corporate games, and I opted for the longer distance race. 

The course included 2.3 laps with the south half of the loop being fairly flat and out in the open while the north half is wooded with some challenging hills. I started off a little faster than I wanted but my legs were feeling pretty good. I handled the hills on the first lap very well with 12:13 and 12:17 splits. The hills took their toll a bit on the second lap as I went 12:29 and 13:03 for miles 3 and 4. I finished the race in 58:16 which was both good enough for last place overall AND 2nd place silver medal in my category. Even with the last place finish, I was very pleased with my 12:27/mi average and grateful to cross the finish line prior to the start of the 4k race. 

Adam ran both races, so I enjoyed chatting with some other Deere employees while cheering him on during the 2nd race. Adam finished in 3rd place for his category in both races. After collecting our medals, we headed for home to recover in preparation for the Triathlon/Duathlon on Sunday. 

Silver medal and 50 points earned for Deere

Sprint Triathlon

I've never raced twice in a single weekend before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. My alarm went off at 5:00am on Sunday morning and I was able to quickly get ready to go and feeling pretty good. It was another beautiful morning to race with cool temperatures and light winds. I arrived at Big Creek just after 6:00 which gave me plenty of time to get transition set up and enjoy meeting and conversing with the few other athletes competing for John Deere. It was very nice that they grouped together athletes from the same company in transition. We had 3 other triathletes racing for John Deere and 4 duathletes, including Adam.

Beautiful morning for a race

The John Deere triathlon crew

Time went by quickly, and before I knew it we were headed down to the beach to line up for the swim start. When I raced here in 2018, they did large wave starts which can be very intimidating. They have since changed to a rolling start format like my other 2 triathlons this year. As I waited on the beach, I ran into someone that I had met at the Ames triathlon and we chatted about triathlon until it was our turn to start the swim. 

The 400 yard swim felt very short, and due to the course setup with the angle of the sun, sighting was extremely easy. With the exception of swimming through a couple floating seaweed mats the swim was uneventful. I didn't even bother to check my watch as I ran up the beach, but I knew that I had swam well. When checking my times after the race, I saw that I completed the swim in 10:12 (2:33/100) which is my best swim pace of the season. I focused on being very efficient in T1 and quickly got out on the bike course. Later I saw that my T1 time was 1:46, which is not only my best T1 time this year, but it is one of my best of all time. 

The bike course was a 20k out and back course that was mostly flat with some gradually rolling hills and no big climbs at all. The combination of a short course with no climbs and no head wind made me decide to really push it on the bike. I was able to finish the bike course in 41:49 (17.8mph) which blew away my 16mph average at the Quad Cities Triathlon 3 weeks ago. I managed to get through T2 in 1:38, which was also my best time for the year.

With a seasons best in the swim, T1, bike, and T2 I headed out on the run feeling great. Even though it wasn't very hot out, the sun was pretty intense so I decided to not push very hard at the beginning of the run. My 1 mile split was 12:25 and I was feeling pretty good so I started to push a little harder and completed a mile 2 split of 12:15. I steadily increased my pace over the last mile to end with an 11:51 split and a total 5k time of 37:21 (12:01/mi). Even though my time was about 50 seconds slower than the Ames Triathlon, it was still an unthinkable time even a month ago. 

Running hard to the finish line

Going into the race I knew that I was the only triathlete in my category and just had to finish the race to win. Even without direct competition, I was able to put together my best race of the year so far. This was my 3rd triathlon in 4 weeks and I have improved so much over those 3 races. It has done really great things for my confidence. My 1st place finish and gold medal meant another 80 points for John Deere. 

My turn on the podium

John Deere medalists

Wrap Up

I really like competing in the corporate games as it gives an extra sense of purpose to racing. It is also an opportunity to meet other coworkers who share hobbies. Even though I earned medals by default in both races, I'm still very proud of them. 6 months ago I wasn't even sure that I would ever get back into training and racing and look at me now! My passion for triathlon has officially been renewed and it feels like a part of me that has been missing for awhile is whole again. 

Next up I will be racing in the Bix 7 on July 29. Originally the Des Moines Corporate Games was supposed to be my last triathlon of the year, but I've been enjoying it so much that I am pondering signing up for 1 or 2 more this year. Whether or not I sign up for another one, it has been such a fantastic and memorable racing season and I'm hoping it only gets better from here. 

Ames Triathlon - 2023

 It was cloudy and windy as I backed my truck out of the garage to head north at 5:00am on Sunday morning. After such a successful race in the Quad Cities just last week I was feeling confident but the wind had me a bit nervous. I arrived at Ada Hayden just before 6:00am and got a spot in the first parking lot across the road. I had opted to skip packet pickup on Saturday to save the extra 1.5 hours of drive time so I headed to the registration table right away. After getting my packet I got marked and headed into transition to get things set up. 

Transition was set up with an aisle down the middle and racks on either side. My spot was exactly in the middle of transition and on the outside by the fence, which I liked because there was some extra space for me to leave my bag so that I didn't have to walk it all the way back to my truck. After setting up and hitting the bathroom I found my friend, Adam, setting up his bike. Adam and I have been doing some training together over the last few months and he was competing in his very first duathlon. We killed time before the race walking around to loosen up. Having someone to talk to helped keep the nerves at bay as well. 

Soon after transition closed we began lining up for the swim start. I spotted Erin heading toward me as I was line and she snapped a quick selfie with me. 

Pre-race selfie with my biggest fan

The race start was similar to last week, a self-seeded time trial start, so I was lined up near the back again. This week, they started people much more quickly and I was in the water by 8:17am. It didn't take long for me to realize how much of an impact the wind and waves were having on my swim. I struggled to keep a straight line with the cross wind and every few breaths a wave would break over my head as I was breathing. I swallowed A LOT of lake water. After about 150 yards I reached the first turn buoy and was headed straight into the wind. Breathing was easier now but it was slow going fighting the wind. I could feel that I was using a lot of energy and tried my best to get into a rhythm but just never got there. I finally reached the far buoy and turned with the wind at my back for the last 400 yards. Swimming was much easier at this point but I would again occasionally have a wave break over my head as I tried to breathe. I finally reached the boat ramp after what felt like hours and got up out of the water to head into T1. 

And I'm off!

Battling a cross wind

Great view of the swim course

Emerging like Aquaman once again

As I crossed the timing mat into T1, I checked my watch and was very disappointed to see a time of 24:30 as I had hoped to finish around 20 minutes. Determined to improve on last week, I sped through T1 in a time of 2:26, a HUGE improvement over the 4:04 from last week and giving me more than 1:30 back from that horrid swim time. 

My bike got off to a slow start as we had to ride on the shoulder of highway 69 for about a half mile and I was unable to pass. We then had a short climb before turning West and heading directly into the wind for about 2 miles. The wind was over 20mph and gusting about 30mph and it had a huge impact on the early portion of the race. I got a small reprieve from the wind as we turned north for a mile before heading back west again. It is at this point of the race that we hit the biggest and steepest climb and I think I may have averaged about 8mph going up that hill. It was brutal! Eventually I reached the farthest west part of the course and turned north before heading back east with the wind. Although the north/south sections of the course weren't into the wind, that cross wind really pushed me around and it took a lot of effort just to keep my bike going in a straight line at times. I finally reached the turn back onto highway 69 and down into Ada Hayden but my legs were on fire.

Heading back into the park towards T2

I managed to complete the 15.5 mile bike course in 59:28 which means I met my goal of finishing in under 1 hour. Because I know what I'm capable of, it seems laughable to type this but I'm actually very pleased with the 15.6mph that I was able to average on the bike course considering the conditions. I know what I am capable of on the bike when I'm in peak condition so watch out world when next season comes around!

I once again made up some time in transition with a T2 time of 1:44. The run course was a figure 8 on the trails around Ada Hayden lake, and I'm sure it is a gorgeous place to take a walk on a sunny and not-so-windy day. As I headed out on the run course I didn't have a good read on my body. My legs didn't feel super heavy like they sometimes do at the transition but I also wasn't feeling particularly ready to push it on the run. I had a GU gel in my back pocket and pondered using it for awhile but opted not to. About 2/3 of a mile into the run I began monitoring my heart rate and I was consistently staying in zone 2 so I knew my body was holding up. I pushed through mile 1 and was excited to see a sub-12:00 minute time. I tried to keep the same effort through mile 2 and was surprised to once again see a sub-12:00 minute mile. I kept the hammer down and gave it everything I had for the remaining 1.1 miles. I kept waiting to hit a wall but it never came, and before I knew it I was heading around the south end of the lake and the finish line was in sight. As my watch buzzed to signal the completion of mile 3, I was very surprised to see a time of 11:45. 

High five from Bridget as I head out
onto the run course

Settling into a good pace early in the run

Heading into the finish chute

I completed the 5k run in 36:32, an average of 11:46/mi. I'll be honest, I did not know that I had that type of run in me right now, nonetheless after a hard swim and bike. To put all of this in perspective, during all of the miles that I have run during my 500+ day run streak, there have only been 2 miles that came in under 12 minutes, both were 11:59 and came on different training runs. I just completed 3 consecutive miles, all under 12 minutes. As mentioned previously, it has been very hard for me to view anything as a success because I'm always comparing myself to past-Patrick. The feeling that I had about that run is pure pride and accomplishment. I quickly headed over to find my family to celebrate.

Bridget and Abigail were equally proud
of me AND cold

I mentioned earlier that I had a friend competing in the duathlon. It turns out that he is every bit as amazing as I thought he was and he had an amazing race as well. I was able to catch up with him at the finish line as well as he was nice enough to stick around to watch me finish. 

Adam headed out on his 2nd run

2 very accomplished gentlemen

Due to logistics and the fact that spectating these races can be tricky and boring at times, it has been rare for Erin and the girls to attend my races. Honestly, it doesn't bother me at all when they do not come BUT I'm very happy when they do. It was great having them to cheer me on the whole time and I couldn't help but smile every time I heard "Great job daddy!" on the course. It wasn't just me that had to brave the yucky weather, they did as well. 

Cold, and probably a little bit bored

Finding a way to stay warm

Now I'm not going to dwell on this next part too much, but it is part of the story and needs to be told. Excitement after crossing the finish line did not last long as Erin informed me that she got a fraud alert on one of her credit cards during the race. We tried to think through where she would have used the card that could have resulted in the number being stolen. Her and the girls headed back to the car quickly to verify that she hadn't accidentally dropped or left it somewhere only to find that the passenger side window of her car had been broken and her satchel with Id and credit cards was gone. There were several Sheriff's deputies already on scene as about 40 cars were hit (all racers and spectators). Without going into too many details, Ames police were actually able to track the guy down and arrest him. We spent the rest of our day cleaning up the mess and making phone calls and appointments. I'm not going to lie, it really put a cloud over another successful race. 

Broken glass everywhere

It was certainly another successful step on my comeback tour. I've spent some time thinking about how great it will be when I can finally put all of the pieces back together. If I could have paired last week's swim with this weeks transitions and run it would have been outstanding. I'm really starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is still very small and very far away, but it is there and I am heading in the right direction. I've been having so much fun racing, that I did some digging and found another sprint triathlon in Marengo, IA on my birthday weekend in September. I might just sign up for that one too!

I have 2 weeks of recovery and training before my next race but it will actually be 2 races in 1 weekend. On July 8th I will head back up to Ames to compete in the 8k Des Moines Corporate Games cross country race. Then on Sunday, July 9th I will head out to Big Creek to race at the Des Moines Corporate Games triathlon, proudly representing John Deere in both. 

Thanks for reading!

Quad Cities Triathlon - 2023

It was such a fantastic weekend in the Quad Cities. Erin, the girls, and I left Grimes late in the afternoon on Friday and stopped at West Lake Park for packet pick up before heading to my in-laws house for the night.

The girls and I checking out my spot in transition

Got my arm and calf tattoos put on before bed 

After watching some TV and having a delicious éclair dessert that Mary made, I got to bed way too late with an alarm set for 3:45 am. 

I woke up to my alarm and might have hit the snooze a time or two before getting out of bed. After putting on my tri suit, I got my bike loaded and my bag ready, and hopped in the truck for the 25 minute drive to West Lake Park in the dark. The park opens at 5:00 am and even though transition doesn't close until 6:45, there is limited onsite parking and I really didn't want to park a couple miles away and ride my bike in with all my things.

After getting into the park, I got to work setting up transition before heading up to get my timing chip. I had about 30 minutes to kill so I sat in my truck enjoying an apple and some cool drinks of water. At about 6:30 I made all of my final preparations and headed for the beach.

Transition set up and ready to go

Shortly after transition closed, Erin and Mary arrived on the last spectator shuttle. Of course without my glasses it was a trick finding them in the crowd of spectators but they ended up finding me. The swim was a time trial start with 2 people starting every few seconds. I know that I am not a good swimmer so I stayed towards the back, which meant I waited about 30 minutes before starting. I met a very nice man in line who is 64 and lives in the Quad Cities. We spent that 30 minutes chatting before being 1 of the last 4 people into the water. 

Checking the time and making sure my watch
is ready to go

Making a new friend while we wait

I really wasn't expecting much out of the swim. While I was very confident in my ability to finish all 600 yards easily, I have not done much training in the water. When I did my 1st open water swim of the year last week I averaged a little over 3:00/100 which is atrocious. I have been averaging around 2:30/100 in the pool, which isn't great either but I hoped that I would land somewhere in the middle and be happy with that. 

As I entered the water I got comfortable really quick. I'm too big to fit into my wetsuit currently, but even though the race was wetsuit legal the water really wasn't too cold. I passed about 20 people on the swim which made me discover that I really like swimming from the back of the pack. I was able to complete the swim in 15:46, which is 2:38/100 and I am extremely happy with that.

And so it begins

Quickly catching the groups in front of me

Finishing really strong

Just like Jason Momoa

I took my time heading up the hill into T1 and was definitely rusty as I didn't have any urgency and started putting everything on out of order but quickly got things straightened out and headed out on the bike course. I made the conscious decision to run the extra 20 yards up the hill out of transition to make getting on the bike easier and that was probably a very good decision. I did struggle a bit to get my 2nd shoe clipped in but I eventually did and got up to speed quickly. 

Finally getting my bike off the rack and
heading for the bike out

On the bike and ready to roll!

I passed a few people on the park road and many cyclists were already returning as I headed out but once I turned out onto the main road I looked out ahead and couldn't see anyone for at least a half mile in front of me. This may sound a bit strange, but my strategy on the bike course is usually to pick out the person in front of me and make steady progress until I catch and pass them. Without a person in front, I just tried to keep a reasonable cadence and paid close attention to my heart rate. Before I knew it, there were other racers in sight and I passed the next person on the first climb. After both of the climbs on the way out I was feeling pretty good. As I made the turn north I saw my speedometer hit 20+mph a few times and quickly realized that the wind was at my back. I gave it everything I had to the turn around knowing that things would slow down on the way back. Luckily the wind wasn't too strong after I made the turn at the halfway point and before I knew it I was turning back east and had completed 10 miles. I could really feel my calves and hamstrings screaming at me after the last 2 climbs but with only 1.5 miles left I pushed through. I had hoped to finish the bike in under an hour and as I headed down the hill into transition I glanced at my watch to see just over 55 minutes. My official time on the bike ended up 56:05 which is a 16mph average. 

A quick wave for my cheering section as I near the dismount line

T2 went much better, but still wasn't very speedy. I will be completely honest here, I did not have a good read on my body as I left T2 and headed out on the run. Lots of things were going through my mind but I was mentally preparing for anything, including walking as much of the 5k as I needed to. I felt a little shaky on the first quarter mile of the run course (which is all grass and gravel) but once I got out onto the main road I found my stride and pace and just kept things really easy. As I hit mile 1 I was averaging just below 14 min/mi. Quite slow, but I was still feeling good so I decided that I would keep it easy and see what happened in mile 2. There are a few rolling hills but I just kept a steady pace and when my watch buzzed at mile 2, I saw that my pace was now below 13 min/mi. I kept it easy going up the hill and back into the park but with about a half mile to go kicked it into another gear. I certainly didn't go crazy and probably left a little in the tank but it really was a good run for me. I finished the run in 41:50 with a 13:28/mi average. Not great compared to what I have been doing in training but perfect for my first outdoor triathlon in almost 4 years. 

Heading out on the run course

Heading in towards the finish line

This is a picture of me feeling more pride
in myself then I have felt in a long time

Words cannot describe what it feels like to cross the finish line of a race. This one in particular was a long time coming. This was the 3rd time that I've raced this course, and my worst time BY FAR, but that didn't matter at all to me and still doesn't. I am so proud to have finally made the decision to do this again and I'm so excited for what is to come. Everything about triathlon just feels right to me and I'm able to draw so many parallels to the other parts of my life. What a challenge. What an accomplishment. Best of all, what a great new memory!

Proud finisher!

Time to give a huge shout out to my in-laws, Kurt and Mary for hosting us this weekend. To Mary and Erin for getting up early to come cheer me on and taking great pictures. To all my training buddies on Garmin Connect, Adam, Kyle, Megan, May, and Robbie who help keep me accountable and provide motivation every day. Lastly, to Erin, Abigail, and Bridget for all of the love, encouragement, and support they give me every day while I train. 

Best cheering section a guy could ask for

One last thing before I close out this post. I wasn't going to include it because I feel that it really draws away from the success of this race but I also felt that not sharing it would be hiding a part of myself and I strive to make every blog post as authentic as possible. Before I dive in further, I want to ensure you that everything I said above in this post is 100% true and authentic and I still feel an extreme sense of pride in myself.

When we got back to my in-laws house, after I had an opportunity to shower and rest for awhile I asked Erin if I could see the camera to look at the pictures that she took. Now I am well aware that I was racing a triathlon at a weight much higher than I had before, but when I saw the pictures of myself I was absolutely disgusted. Tri suits aren't designed to be flattering, they are designed to be functional but I have seen pictures of myself in this exact suit before but have never felt the disgust and repulsion that I felt while looking through these pictures. It nearly sucked the joy out of all of it instantly. 

I've had more than a day to think about it since looking at the pictures and have realized that I still have farther to go on this journey than I thought. I'm not referring to the weight I have to lose, that will happen in time, but more about my mental journey and improving my self-image. I could have made the choice to keep the pictures to myself (and I'll be honest, I hand picked the ones I thought weren't too bad) but I didn't. I want to share my journey with everyone with the hope that someone else out there can relate. I am imperfect, and always will be, but as always my goal is to just keep getting better and better both physically and mentally. 

I hope that you enjoyed my race recap. It is going to be a quick turn around as my next race is less than a week away at the Ames Triathlon on 6/25. I'm hoping to improve on my success from the Quad Cities but am also being realistic about only having a week to prepare. Until next time...