Well here we go! The Revolution. Hills, rain, alarm clock errors, mud, and one heck of a good time
Day 1 Olympic Rev
Rev3 Quassy - Olympic Rev
2012-06-02
Middlebury, Connecticut
United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
58F / 14C
Precipitation
Triathlon - Olympic
Total Time = 2h 45m 1s
Overall Rank = 127/656
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 21/84
Pre-race routine:
Quazzy! The 4th Quazzy weekend and my 3rd time doing the Revolution. Was feeling pretty good about my preps and then Monday afternoon my left knee just starts hurting out of nowhere in thw afternoon, kept hurting all the next day but faded until my run and then it was gone on Tuesday night. The whole thing just managed to total freak me out! Packed up Thursday night and then headed out Friday morning after letting the traffic clear from the morning rush. Survived to major traffic jams at the 87/287/17 split and on 84 for no good reason to just make it to the Park at 3:00pm when my stint in the Powerbar tent was scheduled to start. Fortunately, things were set up yet so I wasn't late. Manned the tent from 3-6pm handed out gel Blasts, Protein Bars, and Harvest Bars, talked to Tim Deboom and several other pros who came by the tent and then got my self checked in check in for the race. Was also able to swap out my PI Iso Transitions for the right size at the expo which was very cool. CHeck my bike in and then headed off meet up with my Teammated for dinner. Had a great Seafood Pizza and caught up with Sam, Jammie, Anthony, Ryan, Ryan, and Jordan, and finally Elane. After dinner, found the hotel, watched the Celtic-Heat game and called home as it started raining. Put on my tats and pack up my stuff for the race. Set the alarms (or so I thought) and went to bed. THe hotel clock radio sound was off and my Iphone was set to 4:50PM vice AM.
Ever have one of those dreams, where you wake up late and your race is starting, well it true suck when it comes true. My streak nearly came to an end when I woke up to light coming through the shades. 6:20!! AHHHHH
Event warmup:
Steady rain when I got outside, Warm up was race to the car, drive 80-85 mph from Meridian to Quazzy, just get in before they closed the park entrance at 6:53 am and raced to transition to drop off my stuff. The wetsuit in hand with goggles to the beach. Got in my wetsuit then found I was give a reprive since they delayed the start due to PA issues thanks to the weather. So I got to visit the Porta potties and then get back in my wetsuit with the help of the Team Fight coordinator who zipped me up. 4th wave. Plenty of time.
Swim:
Comments:
Rained picked up but no lighting and water was the place to be. Started middle and about 6 rows back so right in the middle of the washing machine. Wadded in and got wet and proceeded to try and find a little space to swim in. Not a ton of contact but no where to go for a bit. Finally things spread out and I got some open water as I drifted inside. Took the first guide buoy on the left (which was legal)then go back to the right. Got in a nice easy rhythm and had plenty of hats to guide off and each time I looked up I was right on the buoys. Good steady swim. Not the fastest but didn't see too many from the wave behind blowing past me.
What would you do differently?:
Started to the far inside and stay out of the mess at the start, and swim faster, never felt I was pushing it. Probably was because I was still not in the race mindset after my near miss.
T1:
Comments:
Lost a few spots in my AG 37th to 40th but gain a spot OA to 234th. Had a easy to find rack and my new shoes and swiftwick sock slide on. Easy time with my wetsuit despite no trislide only stuck on my heels a bit as the rain actually helped in this case.
What would you do differently?:
Good transition for me.
Bike:
Comments:
Did I mention it was still raining and quite hard. This is a tough enough course when conditions are dry but with the wet road and steady rain, I decided it was a day to dial it back a bit. Right off the bat I got hit with another issue, mounting my pedal get caught on something and it is my front bottle holder one screw missing and roted down, so me and a spectator had to figure out what to do so we pulled the holder off the other screw and he took it back to transition for me so I wasn't abandoning any gear.
Great what else could go wrong. Down to one bottle holder, which was OK for today, so I put it out of my head and rode. Started off nice and steady going up and around the lake. Started moving forward steady and got the feel of the wet pavement. Don't know why but everyone seemed to be riding the yellow line. This got really squirrly when you are flying downhill and can't make ant sudden movements. Got forced over the line a couple times but I wasn't hitting my brakes in this weather coasting downhill. Climbed really well. Dropped to the small ring on the back country hill after the turn and the steep hill up to route 48?. Rest of the time was in the big gear and just grinding away. Took the turns vey cautiously and basically coasted downhill if there were any turns to navigate. Had my glasses fog up on the route 48 hill and again on the big time hill on the way back. I hit 45 mph and it started raining hard at that point so the raindrops stungs, I couldn't see and I was gaining on the person in front of me fast. Man than was scarry, but I stuck with it and then sucessfully braked for the hard left at the bottom on the second tier of that hill. About half way through I passed a guy with a 57 on his leg saying you know I used to love playing in the rain as a kid but my mom never let me, this is a blast!. Loved that attitide and I stopped worrying about the things that had gone wrong this morning and focused on the fun and adventure of playing in the rain like a kid. So soaked to the bone I showed up in T2 with a big grin on my face and picked up 20 spots in my AG and 109 spots overall. Not a bad ride!
What would you do differently?:
Not have my bottle holder issue at the start which cost me a minute before I even mounted, but given the conditions I was a good ride.
T2:
Comments:
Good quick transition unlike Knoxville maintained my spot in AG and only lost 2 spots over all. Left the hat behind as it was soaked, but the Iso transistion were awesome, self draining.
What would you do differently?:
Not much.
Run:
Comments:
Started out smooth right out of transition and wearing my new PI IsoTransistions right out of the box, but they felt great. Being in a late wave you got the opportunity to pass alot of people so it was hard to tell how I was doing. Got up to 19th and 121 by mile 2 turnaround, and was feeling good. The hills through the next two miles were tough and slowed me down but I still felt good. Was still raining but I hardly noticed it at that point. Had a below the knee amputee pass me slapping loud thru the puddles at about mile 3, great job by him as he was in my wave. Got the pace back together on mile 5 and pushed the tempo to the big long hill after mile 5. Got to the topp of that hill and really seemed to relax as I had about 4-5 people pass me on that last flat to the corner and around to the finish. Good run but I ended up losing 1 spot in my AG and gaining 1 spot overall from beginning to end but gave back all the spots I gained by mile 2.
What would you do differently?:
Lost focus and could have gone harder from miles 2-4.5. Still best run on this course by over 90 secs for me.
Post race:
Warm down:
Got my towel, space blanket, and medal. Held onto my chips for tomorrow and got my finisher's shirt. Grabed a water and Muscule Mike and then visited the Norma Tek tent for 20 min in the boots.
What limited your ability to perform faster:
Rain, slop, wet roads, and bad alarm clocks.
Event comments:
COuldn't do anything about the rain which turned the finish line and expo into a muddy mess, but great volunteers toughing it out in the rain and the rain tapered off once we finished.
Swimming
00:28:38 | 1640.42 yards | 01m 45s / 100yards
Age Group: 37/84
Overall: 235/656
Performance: Average
Suit: TYR Hurrican Cat 5 Full
Course: Basically a inverted triangle in Lake Quazzy with the nose chopped off as we finished about 50 yards up the beach from where we started. The cross leg was straight into the sun.
Start type: Wade
Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C
Current/chop: Medium
200M Perf: Below average
Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average
Drafting: Average
Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:24
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average
Helmet on/Suit off: No
Wetsuit stuck? No
Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Poor
Biking
01:22:46 | 25.68 miles | 18.62 mile/hr
Age Group: 20/84
Overall: 126/656
Performance: Good
Wind: Cross-winds with gusts
Course: Sort of a ballon shaped course with an out and back to and from a loop. Lots of rolling hills and 2 or 3 steep climbs, but mostly constant hills although on the back of the loop there was one monster decent where I hit 45 mph. 1059 ft of climbing and officially 2 Cat 5s
Road: Rough Wet
Turns: Average
Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average
Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard
T2
Time: 01:36
Overall: Good
Running with bike: Average
Racking bike: Average
Shoe and helmet removal: Good
Running
00:48:37 | 06.21 miles | 07m 50s min/mile
Age Group: 21/84
Overall: 127/656
Performance: Average
First 2 miles in 15:11 (7:36) Flat Next 4.21 miles in 33:26 (7:58) Two big long hills at miles 3.5 and 5.
Course: Out of the park and across into the neighborhood streets. Started off mostly downhill and shaded for the first 1.25 miles or so thne a flat mile to the turn around. Then the course turned to the left and went up for a over a mile, then another long hill most of the next mile. Mile 5 was a nice reprevive downhill but the final mile contained another .6 mile hile back up to the park then flat to the line. Very tough course
Keeping cool: Not a problem today!
Post race
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]: 4
Physical exertion [1-5]: 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge: Just right. Hilly bike and run throw in the rain and it was tough!
Organized?: Yes
Events on-time?: Slight delay due to weather causing a few equipment problems but that was perfectly Ok with me today. Got to catch my breath.
Lots of volunteers?:Yes
Plenty of drinks?: Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5]: 5
DAY Two Half Rev the real tough course!
Rev3 Quassy - Half Rev
2012-06-03
Middlebury, Connecticut
United States
Revolution 3
74F / 23C
Sunny
Triathlon - 1/2 Ironman
Total Time = 5h 50m 10s
Overall Rank = 401/1066
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 78/181
Pre-race routine:
The Revolution part 2:
After the Olympic I headed back to the hotel took a long hot shower and took a quick nap, befire getting up an heading back to the Expo for my 3-6 pm shift at the Powerbar tent. Elane and Chirs came by to keep me company but the crowds faded pretty weel after the pros got done with their open house. Got to talk with Jaqui Gordon and a few other pros and did my best to sell our products. Got cut loose early by Randy as the expo was drying up (figuratively and literally as the sun actually came out. So headed to the restraunt for the team dinner. Got to sit with Kelly and Kelly, Tim and his entourage (3 boys and 1 girl) and Jen. After dinner went back packed up and went to bed early after triple checking my alarms and Iphone.
Event warmup:
Got up at 4:55. Grabbed a power bar smores bar for breakfast and some IM Perform and then grabed another for the road. Got plenty of time to set up but stilll had to park in the alternate lot across the road from the park. Got transition set up, took my bike to the mechanics to pump up my tires and lube my chain (which had been sitting in the rain for a day and a half now. Then got to meet Cam Neely Boston Bruin Hall of Fame Deffenseman and his wife a few spot down from me. lubed and sunscreend up then headed to the porta pottie line and then the beach. Was in wave #9 so had plenty of time to sit down and relax.
Swim:
Comments:
Starting in the 9th wave again was forced to start in the middle 4-5 rows back. Really got beat up the first 200 yards, smacked, kicked, grabbed and for the most part it was the 40-45 women who were dishing it out. Finally, I found some open water and got into a rhythm and got going. But by then my goggles really started fogging up so I could see anything and had to stop periodically to wipe them out and find the buoys. I ended up zig zagging quite a bit and went well inside on the 2nd legs and had a 270 degree turn around the red buoy to head for home. Then it was into the sun. Stayed in good alignment with the buoys but zig zagged from one side to the other adding alot of time. Finally made it to shore and was done after 1 failed attempt to stand a few feet from shore to find the water was still way deep. Swam 3 more strokes and it was waist deep.
What would you do differently?:
Have really been negilgent with my swimming this year. Need to swim more!
T1:
Comments:
Slow jog up from the beach but quick time getting out of my wetsuit and in my gear. Loaded up the gels and my 2nd bottle and sprayed the sunscreen. Lost 2 spot in my AG to 98th but gained 7 spots OA to 540th.
What would you do differently?:
Have the second bottle holder on my bike.
Bike:
Comments:
Got going and took my time getting into the ride. First mile is downhill then the hilss started. Did a good job just being smooth and steady and shifting early for the early hills. Lost my 2nd bottle in my uniform at about mile 4, so that really threw a wrench in my plans. Drank every 10 miles and had a Gel at 24 and 36 miles just before the bigest hills. Had just enough to get through but the last water station was at 36 and they did come across the road to the other side of the O&B as I had thought so never picked anything up. Got into a good rhythm and got going at a good pace once the Olympic and Half course merged up at mile 6 and I felt good and started moving forward. Went to the small ring on the steep hill to Rt 48 but had only of my teammates at the top to cheer me on plus we had a nice conversation about walking up this damm hill and falling over in our clump of folks working the slow grind up. After that section I got down and hammered along but my back started hurting, not a good sign 14 miles or so into the ride. So I started getting out of the staddle more often and stretched when I got the chance. The decent down to Black Rock Park and the town at the bottom was totally awesome as normal. Great scenerery and free spped flying down that stretch. Went thru town and grabbed my powergel before starting the 4 tiered 8 miles climb in the middle with a Cat3 thrown in for fun. Thanks to my back I climbed most of the way standing but stayed in the big ring the whole time. Climbing tends to be a matter of momentum, If you can maintain your momentum you climb fast and effectively and on this day I was having a great ride. Did a back and forth with a guy in the Mooseman Triathlon Jersey and just motored past people the whole time. Got to the top of that section got a qick break and rode the rollers to the out and back. Grabbed a Gel after the turn and before the downhill so I could fly downhill and the hit the flat to the turn. Then it was back up the hill. Again I caught up to the Mooseman Tri guy and we worked our way up together leapfrogging. Mile 40 is mid hill which is a boost. THen it was back through town and back to the Olympic course. Hit the 45 mph downhill and the Hard hill road hill and the hard left and then the sweeping right which I coulding hold my lane on (did yesterday in the rain but not today). The final 6 miles around the lake is tough when you hear the park then see the runners. The spot where the run and bike course come together is one hill that crushes me every year. YOu lose your momem=ntum on the intersection and the hill is steep so I almost stall out. Happened every year and again this year, but that is the last hard hill. THe final miles is uphill but not steep and I got out of the staddle to strtech and ride that stretch. Very fun ride and did pretty well about 5 min faster than my best on this course.
Rode from 98th to 73rd in my AG and from 540th to 378th OA.
What would you do differently?:
Fix the drink holder and not have to ration perform. Think I might have to adjust my bike setup a bit since my back doesn't seem to like me lately in the aero vs the road bike setup I go longer with no issues.
T2:
Comments:
Slow trot to the rack in the back of transition, Pulled out my used Gel packs and stuff my gel Blasts into my uniform. sprayed myself down with sunscreen grabbed my hat and went. Maintained my position in my AG and lost 3 spots OA.
What would you do differently?:
Went well.
Run:
Comments:
Hit the porta potties out of transition and then cruise the first mile downhill. Got my legs under me as we rounded the corner and got into a good smooth tempo and finally started passing people. Got a high 5 from Jordan on mile 3 and felt good. Then turned to the K swiss mile +. Grinded up the hill at a nice steady tempo and made alot of progress. The signs on the hill were pretty funny encouraging you and laughing at you. Got to the top and the the back side out and back loop. SOmewhere in this section I really slowed, Granted there are a few long hills but the pace dropped. After working my way to the top of the mile 7 hill my right hamstring started to tighten so I eased up the pace to manage it. Rest of the run was a dance of picking it up until my hammy twinged then slowing down and repeating. Never went to a cramp but it slowed me down alot. THe out and back seemed to go alot furhter than in previous years but I noticed I had made up alot of ground on two of my teammates, The last stretch I just plodded along to reach the finally mile 12 hill and then caught my two teamamtes there. Worked my way up the hill and around and joked about the guy saying we looked great. Note: at 69.8 miles and at the top of a .6 mile hill no one looks good. Tried to stretch it out over the last stretch and picked up the tempo a bit and held on to my position to the end. Heard them announce me home but the big screen was on the wrong side for us to see. Lost 5 spots in my AG and 20 spots OA but i'll take it!
What would you do differently?:
Not have my hammy tighten up but that had been bothering me off and on the last two week so it wasn't a shock.
Post race
Warm down:
Walked to the Norma Tec Tent, met the big boss and did the boot for 20 min, then got some food. Saw the rain coming in so decided to pack my stuff up and load the car and was heading out of the park to my car went it started downpouring and lightining, so I skipped out on the awards and headed home
What limited your ability to perform faster:
Back, hamstring, loss of drink/bottle/holder, and doing an Olympic then standing at the Powerbar tent for 3 hours. BUt was a 8 min+ course PR and about 12 min for the Revolution from last year!
Event comments:
Great race! Hard weather conditions this weekend but great volunteers, tech support, event staff, and spectators. Had a great time!
Swimming
00:40:17 | 2112 yards |1:53/ 100yards
Age Group: 96/181
Overall: 547/1066
Performance: Below average
Suit: TYR Hurricane Cat 5 Full
Course:
Inverted triangle course a bit further out and the cross leg was longer as a result and dead into the sun which was brutal. Then back to shore. Race was wetsuit legal.
Start type: Wade
Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C
Current/chop: Low
200M Perf: Below average
Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average
Drafting: Average
Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:29
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good
Wetsuit stuck?: No
Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:02:50 | 56 miles | 18.38 mile/hr
Age Group: 73/181
Overall: 378/1066
Performance: Good
First 38.9 miles in 2:07:28 (18.31 mph ave) Last 17.1 miles in 55:22 (18.53 mph ave)
Wind: Some
Course:
Started of the other direction out of the park and right into the rolling hills plus a two extra big hills before meeting up with the Olympic cours for 15 miles and the steep hills, then a cool decent down to Black Rock park and town and then the long 6 mile multi tier climb back out. Then more rolling hills to the out and back/ down and back up section. Then back to the olympic course until the split and 6 miles back around to the park as we came out.
Road: Rough Dry
Turns: Average
Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average
Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard
Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:18
Overall: Good
Running with bike: Below average
Racking bike: Average
Shoe and helmet removal: Average
Running
02:01:17 | 13.1 miles | 09m 16s min/mile
Age Group: 78/181
Overall: 401/1066
Performance: Average
First 5.6 miles 47:27 (8:28) included the Kswis hill Next 5.2 miles 52:16 (10:03) included hill out and Olympic bike hill Last 2.3 miles 21:34 (9:22) included final hill.
Course:
Downhill first mile, shallow uphill to mile 2.5 or so and back down to 3.5. Then only the dirt road and a mile+ long uphill with lots of steep segments. To an out and back in the neighborhood down to the lake and then back out to the halfway point. Then another climb to mile 7 and then onto the Olympic bike and the last long hill and around to mile 8 and then to the front of the park. Then down to the start of the olympic course and a nice flat/downhill segment to mile 10. Then the gradual uphill to the turn around but straight back to mile 12 and then the same last miles with the long hill under the road, then around to the park and in the back entrance to the finish.
Keeping cool: Average
Drinking: Just right
Post race
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5]:3
Physical exertion [1-5]:4
Good race?: Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge: Just right. Very hilly ride 2500 ft climbing 6 Cat 5 and 1 Cat 3, then a very hilly run to follow it up. Great test!
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes Should have taken advantage more on the bike. 8to0 is cool stuff liked it alot today.
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5]:5
