August 2025 Race Recaps

My racing season slowed down a bit in August with only 2 races on the schedule. Even with the lighter schedule, I've continued to train hard and improve my fitness. 

Summer Sizzler 5k

At the end of May, I decided to focus my season on breaking my 5k PR of 27:51. In late June I took the first step towards this goal by beginning a 5k training block, with a new program, focused on getting faster. I had a couple of chances in July, during the 8 week training block, to see where I was at and I did well both times. While the progress what apparent, I had my focus on August 16th and the Summer Sizzler. My goal was clear, a sub-30:00 5k requiring a pace of 9:39/mi. 

Even with an early start time of 7:00am, the race lived up to it's name with a temperature of 75 degrees at the start and extremely high humidity to go with it. In addition, I had tweaked my lower back while working at the cabin the day before and it was very stiff and sore when I woke up. I arrived at Gray's Lake plenty early to pick up my packet and ensure that I got a close parking spot. I did a half mile warm up before changing into my brand new New Balance FuelCell Supercomp Elite V4 racing shoes and getting in a few strides. 

   

I lined up closer to the start line then normal to avoid as much congestion as possible to start the race. I knew that I could not hold anything back, and I had no intentions of using my hurt back as an excuse after training so hard the past 8 weeks. I took off fast right when the race started and really pushed the pace. For the first half mile, I had to navigate through other racers but eventually the field got strung out a bit. Luckily my back wasn't bothering me at all and I just focused on my form and breathing. I came through mile 1 in 9:36 and was overjoyed to be ahead of pace. I kept pushing hard as the race headed around the west side of the lake and into an out-and-back section towards MLK. My split for mile 2 was 9:37, still ahead of pace! I could feel my legs getting tired but with just over a mile to go I kept pushing. Mile 3 was a little slower at 9:47 but I had a great kick and managed to finish with a 9:37/mi average. The race was a little long, at 3.15 miles, so I didn't quite make it under 30 minutes, finishing in 30:18. 

Hero Hustle Sprint Triathlon

Even though my focus is on a 5k PR, when Adam proposed a trip to Manchester to race the Hero Hustle I just couldn't pass it up. I raced the Hero Hustle Triathlon in 2023, and that year it was a bit of a break through race for me. Going into the race I had to acknowledge that I've only been focused on running so I tried to keep my expectations in check. Even without dedicated training, I thought there was a good chance to race well due to my drastically improved fitness. 

Adam and I headed for Manchester after lunch on Saturday. After settling into our hotel, we headed out on a very windy bike ride to stretch our legs a bit. We rode to Schram park to check out the race venue before riding a few miles of the bike route. After the ride and a shower it was off to dinner and driving the whole bike route before an early bedtime. 

Other than the wind, I don't think I've ever raced in nicer weather. We woke up to temperatures in the low 50s and low humidity on Sunday morning. The race didn't start until 9am, so we checked out of the hotel and headed for the park around 7:00. With plenty of time before the race, we took a stroll around the pond and I double and triple checked my transition set up. 

The triathlon started with a time trial format and I lined up towards the back, in fact there were only 6 people behind me at the start. The swim was 400 yards, but then there was an additional 100 yards to transition. I swam hard and felt pretty good in the water. It wasn't very fast, but I managed to finish in 12:35. I passed several people during the swim, but there weren't many bikes left in transition when I got there. I managed to get through T1 in an impressive 1:30 before heading out on the bike course. The NW wind was at my back for the 8 miles out and I took advantage of it passing a lot of people on the way out. The turn around was at the bottom of a hill and headed back into a wind. The next 2 climbs into the wind were quite challenging, but I just kept my legs moving until things flattened out for the last 4 miles. I passed around 50 people on the bike course, so I knew that everyone was struggling with the wind a little. I finished the 16 mile bike course in 51:53 good enough for the 38th fastest time in the field!

I got through T2 in less than a minute. My legs felt a bit heavy heading out onto the run, but I took a GU and downed some water and everything loosened up about 3/4 mile in. I came through mile 1 in 10:51 but was feeling really good. I picked it up quite a bit for the 2nd mile going 10:14. As I turned onto  the road into the park, with less than a mile to go, Adam was waiting for me and ran with me for about a quarter mile. He told me that I was looking really good and that gave me a boost of confidence. Mile 3 was 10:02 and I finished the 5k course in 31:21. I finished 68/137, a very rare top 50% triathlon finish for me. I also managed to beat my 2023 time by 2:43. It is no surprise that my run was the highlight of the race. 

Wrap Up

I'm very pleased with how well I've raced over the last couple of months. My fitness continues to improve and I'm starting to look forward to fall races. Next up on the race calendar is the Black Hawk YMCA Sprint Triathlon in Waterloo on September 6th followed by a 5k road race and 5k trail run later in the month. My next target race is the Spooky Sprint 5k the first weekend of October. I'm currently on week 2 of a 7 week training block with a focus to average 9:15/mi at the Spooky Sprint. 

July 2025 Race Recaps and Running 100 Races

After a very busy race schedule in June, I slowed down a bit in July. Early in the month I completed my Ironman in a week challenge but otherwise I've been hyper focused on my current 5k training block. I ended up racing 3 times during July, 2 5k races and the Bix 7. That brings me to 22 races this year and the Bix marked my 100th race since starting back in 2014. 

Cubbie Bear 5k

A Sunday morning race in downtown Des Moines at Principal Park. Training had been going very well and I was excited to see what I could do. I rode with Adam to the race and we arrived plenty early to pick up our packets and ensure we got close parking. The temperature started off in the 60s, but the sun was intense and the race didn't start until 9:00am so it got hotter quickly. 

The starting line chute was pretty narrow and I started off way too far back. I tried hard to push from the start but had to weave in and out of people for the first half mile before we got onto a road and things widened out. I was disappointed when I came through mile 1 in 10:18 but kept the peddle on the gas. I was very surprised when mile 2 was slower at 10:21. I gave it everything I had for the rest of the course and pushed hard as I ran around the warning track inside Principal Park heading to the finish line. I crossed the finish line in 32:17, about 45 seconds slower than I had hoped. 

Even though I feel that I should have run faster, I couldn't be too disappointed with the time. This was my fastest 5k of the year and fastest since 2019. 

DSM Corporate Games 5k

The race was run with the Clive Running Festival 5k on Saturday, July 19 at Campbell Park in Clive. The course was changed from past years due to the construction and bike path closure for the current Interstate 35/80 construction. I woke up to severe thunderstorms and a tornado warning that kept me from leaving the house to pick up Adam. Eventually the warning ended and I headed to pick up Adam. When we arrived at Campbell park it started pouring rain. They ended up delaying the race for 30 minutes to let the storms pass. 

The race started going straight up hill, but it was on the road so there was plenty of room to space out. At the top of the hill we turned onto a side street before connecting with the bike trail that took us through the park and onto an out and back section. There was a lot of puddles to dodge and late in the race the sun came out raising the humidity a lot. Similar to the previous week, I pushed hard from the start coming through mile 1 in 10:12. I was extremely happy with that split given the uphill start. Navigating the water station at the turn around slowed me a bit but I came through the 2nd mile shortly after with a split of 10:07. I turned on the jets for the last mile running my first sub-10:00 mile of the year in 9:47. I crossed the finish line in 31:05, averaging 10:00/mi. 

This was the performance that I had hoped for a week prior at the Cubbie Bear 5k and I was ecstatic at how well I raced. 

Bix 7 and Race #100

When I started running back in 2014 I would never have predicted that I'd complete 100 races or that I would still be doing it 11 years later, but here we are. On July 26, 2014 I officially completed my first race at the Bix 7. I was just a few months into running and extremely overweight, but I was determined to run it. That race was hard, REALLY hard, but I kept putting 1 foot in front of the other and eventually I reached the finish line in a time of 1:47:47. I was very proud of that accomplishment and still am today. 

I had no plans to run the Bix this year, but a few months ago when my mother-in-law Mary asked if I would be there to run it, I took a look at my schedule and quickly realized that it would be my 100th race. I just couldn't turn down the chance at a story like that. My 1st race was the Bix 7, and my 100th race would be at the Bix 7 exactly 11 years later, to the day 

The forecast for Saturday morning did not look good. Storms and rain overnight continued into the morning. For the first time in 51 years, they decided to delay the start of the race by an hour. While the chances of thunderstorms cleared out, the rain did not. Mary's sister, Lisa, was also going to be walking the Bix so the 3 of us piled into Mary's car and headed for the race. We stayed in the car as long as possible before walking through the rain and dodging puddles to get to the starting corrals. 

After a short wait, we heard the horn and we were off and headed up the Brady Street hill. I've raced this course enough times to know how challenging it is, but knowing doesn't make it easier. I took it easy going up the hill to both conserve energy and not fall on the wet pavement. After turning off Brady, the road essentially turned into a flowing river from all the rain and my feet were soaked immediately. My mile splits were slower than I had hoped, but my legs felt good through the 3.5 mile turnaround until about mile 4. After 4 miles, I struggled to find any extra effort to push so I just tried to keep a consistent effort for the last 3 miles. I came into the race hoping to average around 10:45/mi and finish under 15 minutes but I ended up finishing in 1:17:41, a few minutes short of my goal but still my 2nd fastest Bix in 4 attempts of running it and over 30 minutes faster than the first. 

After the race I endured a huge downpour while waiting for Lisa and Mary to finish. Once we reached the car, it felt so good to get the wet shoes off of my feet and a dry shirt on. I've had some time to reflect since the race and have become more pleased with how I performed. While I didn't hit my goal, my current reality is that I'm in the middle of a 5k training block. This race was the farthest I've run since early April 2024, before I injured my ankle. I haven't been training a lot of hills, but I still handled them quite well during the race.

Wrap Up

Things slow down a bit in August as I only have 2 races on the calendar. I'm nearing the end of my 5k training block and am excited to see what I can do at the Summer Sizzler 5k on August 16th. My goal for that race is to run sub-30:00 on my way to a 5k PR attempt this fall. For now, I'm continuing to train hard and work towards that goal getting a little better every day. 

Ironman in a Week

A full Ironman triathlon is 140.6 total miles, consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Earlier this year, I participated in the Lazy Y Tri at the Waukee YMCA which involved completing these distances over the course of a month. I was able to complete the challenge in 16 days, but I knew that I could do better. Erin and both girls were gone at various camps last week so I decided to use the extra time to try the challenge over and complete it in a week. 

Day 1: Sunday, July 6

I woke up at 6:00am to cloud cover and extremely humid conditions with no wind as I headed out the door for a run. Since it was a Sunday morning, I knew traffic would be light, so I decided to head east across Hwy 141 on a route that I haven't taken in a long time. I was scheduled for a 1 hour easy run and logged 5.24 miles to kick off the challenge. 

After dropping Abigail off at Y Camp, I headed to Dallas Center to meet Adam for a bike ride. It was a little warm but the winds were light and my legs were feeling really good. Even while keeping an easy effort, we rode 24.91 miles in 1:23:02 for an 18mph average. It was a really good first day, but I still had a lot of miles ahead of me. 

Day 2: Monday, July 7

I was very torn when I woke up Monday morning. I needed to get some laps in at the pool, but I knew a morning swim would mean doing my run workout in the heat later in the day. I took the chance and headed for the pool. I was pleasantly surprised by how few people were there when I arrived just before 5:30. I easily got a lane and was able to knock out 30 laps/1,500 yards in 38:24. 

After a long day at work, I got home and changed into my running clothes and headed out into the 86 degree heat with no wind for a speed workout. My workout consisted of 3 sets of 4 x 2:00 at 5k pace. I knew it was going to be a tough workout when my visor was dripping with sweat by the end of my warm up. I struggled through the workout without being able to hit many of my speed interval paces but managed to complete 5.67 miles in 1:07:31. It felt so good to get back into the air conditioning but I was completely wiped for the rest of the evening. 

Day 3: Tuesday, July 8

Without a run workout on the schedule, I opted for a brick workout in the morning. I started off with a 20 mile indoor ride on the trainer, completed in 51:07, before heading outside for a 2.21 mile run in 23:40. I had recovered well from running in the heat on Monday and felt really good throughout the entire brick. 

I decided to try something new on Tuesday evening. I braved rush hour traffic through the Hickman construction zone to head for Valley View Aquatic Center in West Des Moines. I arrived a little before lap swim hours started at 5:30. It may sound silly, but I'm a routine oriented person and don't normally feel comfortable trying out new things but in this case I'm glad I did. The water was cool and the sun was bright. I had a very enjoyable swim and completed another 30 laps/1,500 yards in 37:29. 

Day 4: Wednesday, July 9

Another run workout, but this time in the morning with temperatures 20 degrees cooler than my Monday afternoon workout. 35 minutes moderate pace with 10 x 15 second hard strides. I completed 3.94 miles in 44:16. 

Wednesday turned out to be another hot one. I met Adam and Kyle in Madrid for a ride on the High Trestle Trail. We headed East from the trail head, but instead of turning South in Slater, we connected to the Heart of Iowa Trail and made our way out to Huxley. It was a new trail for all of us and I'd like to explore it more in the future. We ended up riding 25.09 miles in 1:31:54 and it turned out to be a very beautiful evening in spite of the heat.

Day 5: Thursday, July 10

I woke up Thursday morning to thunderstorms. I had originally planned to run in the morning and go for an outdoor ride again after work. With so many miles left, I knew that I couldn't take the morning off so opted to jump on the indoor trainer again for a long ride. I rode 30.01 miles in 1:11:41, a fast ride even on the indoor trainer. I headed to work with tired legs but was starting to heave the end in sight. 

A morning ride meant that I had to run in the afternoon heat again. It was 88 degrees but there was a nice wind. I kept and easy pace for the shorter 2.28 mile run, which I completed in 26:01. I took the rest of the evening off and was super tired so decided to head to bed early. Mother nature didn't care how tired I was and non-stop storms overnight kept me from sleeping much at all. 

Day 6: Friday, July 11

The rain stopped early morning so after almost no sleep, I drug myself out of bed and headed out the door for another run workout. The workout consisted of 3 x 8:00 at half marathon pace. I ran extremely well given I was operating on almost no sleep. I ran 4.86 miles in 54:01 but could barely keep my eyes open when I got home. I decided to call into work to take off the morning and crashed on the couch until around 10:00 am.

I had originally planned to swim over lunch, so I decided to head to the Y and fit in the last few miles on the bike before logging into work for the afternoon. When I arrived at the pool I was surprised to see how busy it was. I had to wait about 15 minutes for a lane, but then made quick work of the 25 laps/1,250 yards completing them in 31:14. With this swim, I officially hit 2.4 miles for the week.

When I got home, I quickly changed into my cycling gear and hoped on the indoor trainer again. I completed my final 12 miles in 28:49, and just like that, my 112 miles of cycling was complete too. 

Day 7: Saturday, July 12

With a race on the schedule for Sunday, I moved my long run to Saturday morning. It was a beautiful morning to run and even though I only needed about 2 miles to complete the challenge, I ended up logging 6.08 in 1:10:00. And just like that, the challenge was complete. 

Conclusion

This challenge turned out to be really fun and gave me a glimpse into the higher mileage training that awaits me next year. It gave me the chance to build up my heat acclimation, an opportunity to check out a new bike trail, and most importantly got be back in the pool. Even with the added mileage and training time this week my body held up extremely well. I'm feeling strong and am looking forward to the races during my current training block. Below are my overall stats for the week. 

Swim:

• 3 swims
• 2.41 miles
• 85 laps
• 1:47:07
• 2:31/100 yards average

Bike:

• 5 rides
• 112.03 miles
• 5:26:32
• 20.6 mph average

Run:

• 7 runs
• 30.28
• 5:45:29
• 11:25/mi average

June 2025 Race Recaps

June was a very busy and productive month of racing and I had a blast. For the 2nd month in a row, I saw a significant improvement in my fitness and performance as the month progressed. Below is a recap of each race. 

Quad Cities Triathlon (June 16)

On June 14th I participated in the very LAST Quad Cities Triathlon. This was my 4th time at the race and I'm very bummed that it is coming to an end. Not only was it convenient because I'm able to stay with my in-laws for the race, West Lake Park served as a fantastic venue for a race. We stopped at the park on our way to the Quad Cities on Friday evening to pick up my packet and then continued on to spend the night with Erin's parents. Erin rode with me to the race to cheer me on, but it made for an extremely early morning for both of us with a 4:15am wake up time. We arrived at the park just before they opened the gates and managed to get a parking spot right outside of transition. 

Setting up transition

Before I knew it, transition was closed and we all headed for the beach. I'm not a fast swimmer even when I train a lot but going into this race I have not been swimming at all. With that in mind, I stayed towards the back when lining up for the race. I finished the 600 yard swim in 17:15, which is bad even for me. I kept a short memory as I came out of the water and ran up the hill into transition. 

LET'S GOOOOO

Out of the water and headed for T1

I was very efficient in T1, getting through in 3:16. I then headed out onto the bike course. Unlike 2023, I was able to see people in front of me when I got on the bike and consistently passed people throughout the entire course. The WNW wind was higher than expected making the last 5 miles of the bike course a challenge, but I pushed through and finished the 15 mile course in 51:10. 

Headed back into transition

I was feeling good after getting off the bike and got through T2 in 1:25. As I headed out on the run course I took it easy through the grass and gravel until we got out onto the main road. I tried to keep a consistent pace but when I hit mile 1 and saw a time of 11:54, I was not happy. I pushed harder from there and finished the 5k run in 35:21 with negative splits. My instant reaction when crossing the finish line was that I should have pushed a lot harder on the run. Even though I raced well, I could have done a lot better. 

Headed out onto the run course

Finishing strong

Proud finisher

After the race, I took a quick shower before loading up our bags, leaving the kids behind, and heading for a short trip in Dubuque with just Erin and I to celebrate our 18th anniversary. 

Trestle Hustle 5k (June 21)

The first race in a 3 race weekend. There was a heat advisory in place the entire weekend and it was already too hot to run when Adam picked me up to head for Madrid and the High Trestle Trail head. Adam was racing the Duathlon but I opted for the 5k. The Duathlon had a different start & finish line than the 5k & 10k race, so after starting the Duathlon the race director walked us all across Highway 17 to start our race. 

Even though it wasn't a huge race field, it was pretty crowded at the start line and I did something I rarely do and lined up towards the front. I took off fast and tried hard to hold that pace through the 5k turnaround. Even though there was high winds, the trees along the trail blocked most of it and it was angling to our back after the finish line. I was dripping with sweat more than normal. I slowed down quite a bit on mile 3, and the course was a little long at 3.25 miles. My official time was 35:37, which I was very happy with given the weather conditions. As a bonus, I managed to finish 3rd in my age group. 

Done with race #1 of the weekend

Iowa Trail Run Series: A Midsummer Night's Run 5k (June 21)

I loaded up my truck for both the Saturday evening and Sunday morning races and headed for McFarland Park north of Ames. Temperatures were in the 90s but with the breeze and sun starting to get lower on the horizon, it really didn't feel that bad when the race started around 7:45pm. This was only my 2nd trail run ever so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. They sent us off in waves of about 20 people to make sure the course, run on 2 track and 1 track paths, didn't get too crowded. I started off running hard but pulled back at the half way point and jogged out the rest of the race to conserve some energy for the morning. 

There was a long out and back stretch with runners going in both directions, some technical portions of trail, and a couple of good sized hills on the course. This was my first time at this park and it was absolutely beautiful! I may need to go back and explore more in the future. I finished in a time of 38:38 with legs that still felt relatively fresh. I quickly made my way to the truck to get into the air conditioning, picked up some Jimmy John's for dinner, and then headed to my friends, Kelly and Susan's, house to stay the night before the Ames Triathlon the next morning. 

A beautiful sunset at the finish

Race #2 of the weekend is complete

Ames Triathlon (June 22)

I awoke early on Sunday morning, but not nearly as early as if I had slept at home. I drove the 2 miles to Ada Hayden Park and arrived just as packet pickup and transition opened. I took my time getting everything set up. It was already hot and windy, but the wind was forecast to pick up even more. I made sure that my transition was set up so that nothing would blow away once it did. I found Adam and we hung out until it was time for me to line up for the swim and him to head for the Duathlon start. 

Beautiful sunrise on a very hot and windy day

Even though the water was cold enough to be wetsuit legal for the race, I opted to go without the wetsuit because of how warm the air temperature was. Getting into the water felt great and I kept a very steady pace throughout the swim. Just as with the Quad Cities Triathlon a week earlier, I didn't expect much from the swim. I came out of the water completing the 750 meter swim in 24:21 which was faster than my time in 2023. I got through T1 in 2:06, also faster than 2023, and headed out onto a VERY windy bike course. With the wind blowing >20mph, I wasn't expecting much on the bike. I ended up finishing the 15.5 mile bike course in 55:06, more than 4 minutes faster than 2023 (which was also windy). Even though I struggled a bit on the bike, I still managed to have the 94th fastest bike split out of 225 racers. 

Heading out onto the bike course

I got through T2 in 1:36, again faster than 2023, and headed out onto the run course with very tired legs. By this time, the sun was getting fairly high in the sky and the course offered little shade. I was dripping with sweat and very uncomfortable, but just kept putting 1 foot in front of the other. I finished the run in 39:48, which was slower than 2023 but I had banked enough time that my overall time of 2:02:57 was still faster than 2023. Even though my run was slow, it was the most consistent 1 mile splits that I have ever managed in a race. 

Happy to be finished with race #3 of the weekend

Storm the Park 5k (June 28)

No heat advisories this weekend, but it was still plenty hot and humid to make things uncomfortable. I picked up Adam early enough to arrive when the gate opened around 6:30am. We picked up our packets and walked part of the race course before eventually heading into the park to the start line. The race as limited to 300 participants and 288 of those showed up on race day. The course started with a short loop through the entrance of the park before leaving the park for the first mile. We then returned to the park running south to the waterpark and then looping back past rollercoasters before finishing where we started. 

Cruising through the park

I started off fast and kept my foot on the gas for the whole race. The course turned out to be about 0.2 short, at 2.92 miles, and I finished in a time of 30:50 with an average pace of 10:33 and good enough for 97/288 overall. I was a little disappointed that the course was short but was very happy with how well I ran. 

Proud finisher

All American 4 Mile (June 29)

On Sunday morning Erin and I headed for Terra Park in Johnston for my 2nd race of the weekend. Erin decided at the last minute to sign up for the race and walk it while I ran the race. Adam was running as well. It was another hot and humid morning but I was thankful for the cloud cover. I got a 30 minute walk in to warm up my legs before lining up for the race. 

4 miles is a bit of an odd distance so I decided to pace it similar to a 5k. Similar to Storm the Park, I ran fast from the start and came through the turn around in 21:08. I tried my best to push hard through the last 2 miles but ended up slowing down significantly on mile 4 finishing in a time of 42:38. Slower than I had hoped but still good enough to finish 1st place in my age group. 

Proud of another podium finish

Adam easily won the 4 mile race. After grabbing some Kona Ice, we walked the course back until we met Erin and then tried our best to keep up with her as she cruised at an extremely fast walk through the finish line. 

It felt great to do a race with Erin again

June Wrap Up

I raced 6 times in June, brining my total races for the year to 19, already 4 more races then I've ever done in a year and I still have 6 months to go. In addition to the races, my fitness continues to improve at a fantastic rate throughout the month of June. Last week I started a new training block with a focus on reducing my 5k time. I've set a goal of running a 5k PR by the end of the year and set an interim goal of running a sub-30:00 5k at the Summer Sizzler in August. As long as I stay healthy I'm confident that I will meet that goal. 

I've taken next weekend off of racing but will return to action the week after with the Cubbie Bear 5k. I will also be racing the DSM Corporate Games 5k and the Bix 7 during the month of July.  

May 2025 Race Recaps

I have had an incredible couple of weeks both training and racing. I raced 4 times in 9 days and was very happy with how well my body held up and what I was able to do. As I've said in past blog posts, I try really hard to not compare myself to 2019 Patrick because I'm older and not in the same shape. However, I've made so much progress in the last month that I feel that I can accurately compare myself to Patrick in the fall of 2023. The progress has almost been unbelievable and I'm very excited to see what I can do with the remainder of my season. 

Race for Hope DSM 5k

On the morning of Saturday, May 17, Adam picked me up to head for Water Works Park in Des Moines. It was cloudy, windy, and very cold so I kept going back and forth on whether or not I was going to wear my sweatshirt for the race. Right before race time the sun started to come out and it felt warmer so I opted for no sweatshirt and was glad I did. 

The plan for the race was to run well but not too hard to make sure I had some left in the tank for the DMCG Triathlon on Sunday. I felt really good from the start and kept a very consistent pace throughout the very flat course. I came through mile 1 in a time of 10:32 which really surprised me. My legs felt really good and I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard so I just kept going. I finished with a time of 33:02 with my watch showing 3.17 miles. That means my pace was sub-10:30/mile. I looked back over all of my past races and got all the way back to the Quad Cities Triathlon in June 2019 before finding a 5k that I ran faster. That's right, we are at a point where I can start comparing myself to Patrick of 2019. 

Des Moines Corporate Games Triathlon Duathlon

A first for me in all of my years racing Triathlon. The air temperature on the morning of Sunday, May 18 was in the low 40s so the race director decided to cancel the swim. There was already a duathlon happening alongside the triathlon so all racers competed in the same event. My biggest worry that morning was that the 400 yard swim was now replaced with a 2nd 5k run. I didn't feel prepared to run that much, especially after racing on Saturday. 

They divided the field into 3 groups and allowed us to self-seed. I opted to join the 3rd group to start because I was planning to run the first 5k at a very easy pace to ensure that I had enough left for the bike and 2nd run. Shortly after crossing the start line, I looked behind me and realized that I was officially in last place. I didn't panic and settled in to a very steady and easy pace. I was able to pass 5 people during the first run and finished with a time of 37 minutes. It felt a little strange going into transition with only a couple of bikes left on the racks, but I quickly got through T1 and out on the bike. 

My cycling has not been where I want it to be, but I knew from the start I was going to give it everything I had on this short bike course. I passed someone as we headed out of the park but then was stricken when I looked as far as I could down the road, about a half mile, and didn't see another cyclist. I knew that my run was slow, but I did not expect that. I tried to stay focused and settle into a hard but comfortable pace. Before I knew it, I started to catch other cyclists. I ended up passing 30 people on the bike and averaging 17 mph. Certainly not my best bike time but much better than I had expected. 

As I headed out of T2 back onto the run course I was able to pass a couple more people, but then was also passed back by 6 other people. A quick glance at the back of each runner's calf revealed that 5 of the 6 people were members of team relays meaning they had fresh legs. That was a little depressing. I was very happy to finish the 2nd 5k in a faster time of 32:29. My time was good enough for 3rd place in my age group. A podium finish that scored bonus points for John Deere. 

TRI Clear Lake Sprint Triathlon Duathlon

That's right, for the 2nd weekend in a row, the swim was canceled due to cold temperatures. The big differences this time was they announced it on Thursday and the 500 meter swim was replaced with a 1 mile run. I drove up to Clear Lake on Friday afternoon in time to pick up my packet, have some dinner, and chill in my hotel room. I had a good week of training but my legs still weren't fully recovered from last weekend.

I got to bed early and was up at 5:00 am and headed to the race by 5:30 am. I was able to get a parking spot just a couple blocks from transition and was able to get everything set up very quickly. I did some walking to check out the start/end of the bike course and the run course. Similar to the previous weekend, they started us in waves and I was in the 2nd to last wave. Unlike the previous weekend, I had no intention of holding anything back during the first run. 

I ran hard from the start coming into T1 with a time of 10:03! Transition was on the road in a long horseshoe. My rack was close to the run in/out but very far from the bike in/out so I had to run a long ways in my bike shoes making both transitions take a little over 2 minutes. Just like with the run, I hit the bike course very hard. The course had rolling hills but no real climbs and I knew that I would have the wind at my back on the way out but be biking into the wind on the way back. With both and Olympic and Sprint distance duathlon, the racing field was huge and I was constantly passing people throughout the entire course. I made quick work of the bike course finishing in a time of 40:18, for an average of 18.5 mph. That was a big improvement over last weekend. 

Coming out of T2, I was still feeling good so I decided to give the 5k run everything I had. I ended up running a time of 35:39 with negative splits for all 3 miles. I was extremely efficient throughout the whole race and finished with very little left in the tank. I felt so good after the race and was excited to see that I placed 2nd in my age group. My 2nd podium in as many weeks. I packed up transition and then braved the cold to stick around for the awards ceremony. 

Hometown 10k

I'm still not quite sure what possessed me to sign up for a 10k the day after a triathlon, but that is exactly what I did. After making it home from Clear Lake, I spent the rest of Saturday resting as best I could. An early start time on Sunday meant that I was picking Adam up at 5:45. The race was on the Trestle to Trestle trail to the Neal Smith Trail which is a course I've never raced before. The race included a half marathon, 10k and 5k which meant it was a pretty big field to start.

The gun went off at 7:00 am and we were off. My legs were extremely sore and tired so I wasn't sure what to expect. I came through mile 1 in 12:09 and mile 2 in 11:52. Starting at about 2.5 miles I decided to kick it up a notch. I ran negative splits for the whole race and mile 6 was 11:02. The course ended up being a little long at 6.56 miles but I still finished strong finishing in 1:15:19 (11:29/mi). That time was good enough for 3rd in my age group. My 3rd podium in the last 3 races and 7th podium of the year so far. 

Wrap Up

I haven't just been racing well, I've been seeing a lot of progress in my training too. Looking at my average running pace over the last 3 months tells the story very well as I progressed from 13:40/mi in March, to 13:01/mi in April, and 12:06/mi in May. The mileage is a little lower, but the improvement is very similar to what I did at the end of 2023.

With how well I've been progressing, I've decided to set a new stretch goal for the year. I spent some time trying to decide if I wanted to target a half marathon later in the year but decided to go a different route. With how well I ran the Race for Hope 5k, I've decided I want to try for a 5k PR by the end of the year. My current PR is 27:51 set at the Kickoff 5k in February 2019. It is going to take a lot of hard work AND staying healthy but I have confidence that I can do it.