It’s that time of year! This is a good exercise to look back on the past season, and it’s fun to relive some of those top moments. Along with the highlights, there are certainly some valleys as well. Good or bad, let’s dive into it!
St. Louis Marathon:
My first time running a stand-alone marathon since 2019. My main goal was to get that BQ with a secondary of running under 2:45. The most exciting part of this race was lining up with my brother Scott, who was running his first marathon. This was also one of my most well executed races. I had a heart rate plan that allowed me to increase it throughout the race along with how often to take nutrition. I would say that I executed this perfectly in that my heart rate constantly rose throughout the entire marathon. I was essentially running at my threshold for the final 10k. Other than the bathroom stop at mile 14, I wouldn’t change a thing. I ended up finishing 10th overall, with a time of 2:43:01. While I was certainly happy with this time, and the Boston qualification, there’s always part of me that knows I can be faster.
Chattanooga 70.3
This was my first triathlon of the season, and I was really looking forward to going back having raced the previous year. My expectations were very high since I was fully rested and not coming off an Ironman two weeks prior. The amateur field was stacked and I was ready to see how I fared. Unfortunately, this was where I had my first bike mechanical and I could not shift out of the little ring. Despite losing close to 10 minutes, I kept my head in the game and put the rest of my energy and effort into the run. I passed over 40 people and ran my fastest 70.3 split in under 1:18. Even though the result wasn’t what I wanted, I am very proud of how I pushed to the line.
Des Moines 70.3
This was my redemption race after Chattanooga. Despite knowing the course, I accidentally made a wrong turn that cost me about two minutes. Once again, I had to shake it off and stay focused for the remainder of the bike ride. One of my goals for this race was to prove that my Chattanooga run was not a fluke because of the easier bike ride. I am very proud to follow it up running 1:18 again. I made my way to 4th overall in the last 1/4 mile.
Ironman Wisconsin
Madison was the most important race on my calendar this year. I chose to forgo the Ironman World Championship in Nice France and chose to race Wisconsin. This was my A race, so everything I did was to prepare myself for this one day. Everything leading up to the race went as well as it could, and I truly felt like I was ready and prepared. Before the race, I felt the weight of the opportunity in front of me. It wasn't until the gun went off that it all went away, and all I had to do was race. When Ty told me I was in 4th overall on the bike, I felt like winning was within my grasp. I also received time gaps from other spectators, and everything pointed to me taking it on the run. The defining moment was at 10K when I finally made the pass into 1st at observatory hill. When I got down the hill and headed up State Street, I had my entire family and support crew waiting for me as I was running behind the lead vehicle. At that moment, I felt like I had won, but I remembered there were other strong runners behind me with 16 to go. Fast forward to the finish, and my dream of breaking the tape came true. Not only was this the happiest moment of 2023, but it was my happiest moment since starting triathlon six years ago. My wife greeting me inside the finish chute put me on cloud nine.
Here are my top 3 take-aways from 2023:
Never give up. It would have been easy to call it a day at Chattanooga and not turn myself inside-out on the run. I will remember that there’s always something to fight for.
Not everything is a lesson: https://youtu.be/kyy5pirAaoI?feature=shared. Sometimes there isn’t anything to “learn” from an experience, and that’s ok. For me, I learned that it’s important to stop searching for a reason and move on.
I can win. No more being intimidated when I toe the line. If I have my day, anything is possible.
Little bonus if you’ve made it this far… I’m not typically open about my goals, especially the big ones. But here are my Top 3 Goals for 2024:
1. Top 5 AG 30-34 in Kona.
2. Win an IM branded event.
3. 2:35 Marathon at Boston
