The adventures and musings of a married middle aged father of 2 boys who discovered the wonderful world of triathlons and has been living the dream ever since.
Go Team Trakkers!!
Note: I'm in the background from 1:50-2:05 on the beach!
Rev3 Maine - Olympic Rev
2012-08-26
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
75F / 24C
Sunny
Triathlon - Olympic
Total Time = 2h 33m 10s
Overall Rank = 58/300
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 5/27
Pre-race routine:
Friday morning I got to get up early to bring Adrian to XC picture and then come back to watch their "scrimage." Was going to leave after that. Well the scrimmage turned out to be about 12 teams and over 200 in the boys race, then the team got to clean everything up after. Basically it was an Invitational without any medals. So I didn't get packed and loaded up until after 12:30, and then I forgot my computer and my dop kit.
The ride up was fine until I hit Mass and I290 which just stopped at mile marker 22. Crawled forward for next few miles as the sun went down. The highway was down to one lane for a chemical spill plus in the one lane was a broken down car. What a mess! 2.5 hours for 2.5 miles. Finally got past it and got to Portland aroung 10:30, got some McDonald's and then to the hotel and bed.
Got up headed to Old Orchard Beach and caught the tail end of the swim and gave out some TriSlide and Foggle. At least I had my wetsuit and the water was perfect with it. Swam out to the HIM buoy and back. Slight chop and waves at beach. Good swim. Then to the expo, checked in and then put the stickers on my bike and dropped it off in transition. Met up with a bunch of my Rev3 teammates and then heaed back to the hotel before a tem dinner at the Great Lost Bear Tavern. THen back to the hotel watched Bristol and used the NormaTec Boots for an hour and hit the sack.
Got up at 4:25, got dressed and headed to OOB. Set up transition and had to get out by 6:10. Walked out to the beach and talked to some folks about Rev3. Then sat on the beach and watched the half waves head out and then the Pros before being summonded to the start area.
Event warmup:
No warm up other than the long walk to the beach. As some as I got to the beach they were pulling everyone out of the water. Could have gone well down the beach to swim but would have missed the start of the Half and my teammates.
Big wave of 101 people all M&W 35-44. Started in back and right side. Waded at the start past the first breakers. Got some space right off the bat and was a fairly clean and courtous start. No contact and drifted outside to get more space. Felt good and quick and it seemed like I was at least holding my own but I was adding some distance zig zagging my way to the turn buoy and across the bay. Diamonded the crossing leg which got me well away from everyone but at least I stopped zig zagging. Had a few folks from the wave behind be try and swim over me. The last leg back I finally started to see more folks as i stayed in the main traffic lane siting on the Ferris wheel. Felt like a good swim but again was fairly slow. Was faster than Wisconson though.
What would you do differently?:
Need to swim more and work on swim during off season. 15/27 in AG and 133/300 OA.
T1
Time: 05:40
Comments:
Long run up the beach to the road and up a block then down to and around the transtion and the in and all the way down to my rack. About 1500 feet or 500 yards or jogging barefoot. Transition itself wasn't bad. SUit stuck a bit on left heel but came out fairly easy standing. Noticed I didn't set out my gels,Oh well wasn't going to dig for it. Grabbed my helmit and bike and clomped off to the mount line on the beach side of Transition.
What would you do differently?:
Set up transition better. Left my gels in my bag as well as my Hat which was in a pocket and forgot it. Could have gone quicker but overall was OK
Bike
01:08:49 | 24.85 miles | 21.67 mile/hr
Age Group:9/27
Overall: 73/300
Splits: 35:55 for first segment and 32:55 for second seemed like each segment was about 12.42 miles since was on the top loop. I believe the negative split as it was more downhill on way in and I was pushing harder on way in.
Comments:
Started out a bit slow clipping in and getting up to speed with the hill out of OOB. Got myself right and started to get into a good tempo and started moving forward. Was doing well on the hills and got into a good pace on the flats. Did a set of three back and forths with one of my Rev 3 teammates (Beth) and passed Kristen. Saw Josha and Mike coming out of the turn loop. Passed Beth the last time coming out of the turn loop and put my head down and went to work on the way back. Rode past a number of folks and caught a 27 year old on a road bike and we leapfrogged each other all the way to the Transition pushing each other to catch a bunch of riders ahead of us. Good ride.
What would you do differently?:
Took a while to get into a steady hard tempo and felt I wasn't in race mode the first half. Beth helped snap me into race mode passing me back several times but was a PR for the Olympic Bike and the 5th fastest split in my AG and went from 15th to 9th in my AG and 138th to 73rd OA on bike.
T2
Time:01:27
Comments:
Had some isses dismounting especially compared to my riding buddy with a flying dismount. Little trouble to rack due to the bike next to me turned to my side blocking me. Quick shoe change and off I went. Good transition thanks to the PI Isotransitions.
What would you do differently?:
Not much I could control after the dismount which wasn't very coordinated.
Run
00:47:24 | 06.21 miles | 07m 38s min/mile
Age Group: 5/27
Overall: 58/300
Spilts: Out 23:43 (7:39) and back 23:40 (7:38)
Comments:
Took off at a good pace and #405 passed me. Let my legs come in which took about a mile and then start pushing the tempo as we climbed the first long hill. Started to keep pace with #405 about 30 yards ahead of me but I was passing folks inclng 2 in my agegroup. Then down hill and to the trail and then down to the turn around. Tried to up the pace. Caught another guy in my AG at mile 4 and the saw another on the hill up to mile 5. Caught him right at the top of the hill and went past him to 4th but he made it to the downhill and lactch on to me. Tried to drop him but he hung on loudly. Coming home a 27 yr old guy passed us both on the road to downtown and he went with him. At this point my hamstrings started to tighten and I didn't have an answer or a sprint. So I stayed steady to the end. Good finish. Beat the 4th guy by over 3 min on run split but helped him to a big last mile and a huge negative split all due to the last mile. He thanked me for coming along at the right time.
What would you do differently?:
Very disapponted I wasn't stronger and pushed up and pat him earlier on the hill and broke him, wasn't able to shake him and finsihed a bit weak. Should have drank more Perform on the bike to better hold off that cramp. Still great run 4th fastest split in AG (1,2, and 20th places better and from 70 to 58 OA. Good run
Note: I'm up on the big screen as well in my finisher's photo. :) Post race
Warm down:
Walked around to porta potties, then got some Muscle milk and visited the NormaTec tent for some boot time. Then got my bike and stuff loaded up and loaded my car and got changed. Then came back for the lobster bake! Awesome! Stuck around for the PRO and Olympic awards and saw Tim and Jordan finish the half both in 4:38s.
What limited your ability to perform faster:
Should have drank more on the bike and really need to work on my swimming this winter.
Guess 5th place in my AG is better just missing a podium spot and a USAT Nationals berth finsihing 4th but i had 4th in the bag and didn't close the deal which also hurt. Some pick your poison. Overall the lobster eased any pain and so did the 3:12 PR so felt good about my perfromance. Really felt good about it before looking at the results.
Event comments:
Great first year event. Old Orchard Beach is such a cool place and the town loved having us as much as we enjoyed being there. Great event with She Jams Women's race with a race and the Pros were great especially Xterra legend Conrad Stolz making a road tri appearance. Very cool people hanging out with the AGers. ANd the Lobster bake was awesome 2 lobster, potatoe salad, corn on the cobb, and a egg. Best post race meal ever!!!
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
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Triathletes are gear junkies. I think we all have a closet full of "stuff" (a highly technical term for useless items we bought with the promiss them would improve performance). But one thing I never ever thought would make a difference were socks. Well after a year of struggling through a case of plantar facitisis, I know firsthand haw hard it is to train and compete when your feet hurt. But I always thought shoes or heel cups or insert were the answer. Well fortunately for me Team Rev3 and Swiftwick got together this year and I was sent a pair of Aspire One socks to try.
I gave them their first test drive on the morning of the Valley Forge Revolutionary Run. I woke up that morning with the familiar ache in my left arch and heel. I tried on the the socks and they fit my foot like a glove, and my son and I headed off to the race. Well on a cold, windy, and wet day I had a great race getting a PR, and I never even noticed a twinge of pain in my foot. When your feet feel good, you can just concentrate on running, and wow did these socks work.
Unfortunately I only had one pair, but that too helped prove to what a difference they made. I alway ran in regular old cotton socks. But right away I noticed how the Aspired craddled my feet and put pressure on my arch. Everytime I wore them my feet felt great. Without them, they ached. I gave them one that trial at Rev3 Knoxville and again they came through. They were a bit slow to get on in T1 since the fit so tight, but my feet felt great and I ran one of my fastest splits in four years.
So I would recommend this product to anyone and I I'd put my money where my mouth is as I just ordered another 7 pairs today. Buy a pair you won't regret it!
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Rev3 Knoxville - Olympic Rev
2012-05-06
Knoxville, Tennessee United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
75F / 24C Sunny
Triathlon - Olympic
Total Time = 2h 36m 22s
Overall Rank = 106/412
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 13/39
Pre-race routine:
Drove down on Friday. Got a late start as I had to change the oil and do some laundry before hitting the road. 10 hour drive got my into Knoxville at around 8 pm. Still had enough sunlight to go for a shakedown jog on the course, getting back in the dark. Spent Saturday regestring, geting my bike a pre race tune up, and then heading down to meet my teammmates for both Team Fight (Ulman Cancer Fund) and Team Rev 3. Got thre sets of uniforms, but they actually fit this year. Then we did the Tri Slide Lube pit for the practice swim. I greased up a lot of folks and got to talk to a lot of nice folks from newbies to Matty Reed and Cam Dye and a bunch of other pros (Most of them had an Austrailian accent, which was a tip off). Then I got my swim in and then headed back to the room for a nap. Got up and hit Tomato Heads for a Team get together with some of my Rev 3 teammates and then called home and turned in. Sunday got up relatively late since bike was already checked in, got dressed and headed down to Transition, set up my area, lubed up with the last of my Trislide from yesterday, got the wetsuit on (after starting to put it on backwards but I caught it after one leg.) Then got ustered out of transition. Had a power gel (strawberry bannana when I got up, before I left the room, and just before heading to the swim start to top off, and water to wash it down.
Event warmup:
Swim was point to point so we had to walk about a mile to the start. Then I stood in line for the porta potties. Had one of my teammate behind me in line so I had someone to chat with. Fortunately the Olympic waves were last so I had plenty of time. After that I got my wetsuit fully on, donned my google and cap and waited till they let our wave down to the dock. We have 10 min between the first Olympic wave an ours (only 5 for the wave after us), so I jumped in and swam a few back and forths to get some heat going and then treaded water till the start.
Swim
Comments:
Having not done alot of swimming this winter, I vowed not to overcook it and started dockside about 3 rows back. 156 people in my wave made it quite crowded. Got a choppy start for the first 50 yeards or so then dropped into a rhythm. Other than the folks who couldn't swim straight, including one you kicked me in the jaw straying into my space. Other than that incident it wasn't a bad swim. Nice steady and unhurried rhythm, navigation was right on the buoys and other than the two folks from the previous wave doing side stroke I had to make sudden manuverss to miss running into them. OK swim especially considering the pre race swim was my second swim of the year.
What would you do differently?:
Swim more in the winter!
T1
Comments:
Long run up the dock thru the boat house, across the street down to the UT parking garage and then to the back corner to enter, made the time seem work than it was; however, I still was taking my sweet time and put my helmit on backwards and was headed to the bike mount before the announced called me out. Thanks Stu!
What would you do differently?:
Do my transitions with some purpose. That won't cut it in an Olympic. Lost 15 spots in T1
Bike
Comments:
Once I got my helmet on stright and clipped in I was ready for a good ride. There was alot of road construction in town and on Neyland Dr, so I was very careful and conservative. The hill going up the offramp was very steep and I had way too much gear but I wasn't dropping my chain shifting right there so I slogged through it. After than I got into a good cadence and rhythm and start moving. Couple sets of railroad tracks and one set on a down hill immediately followed by sharp left turn, so I took those sections very cautiously. Getting out into the country side the rollers started kicking in as well as the categorized climb. I did a much better job getting to the gears I wanted early and spinning up the hills and alternating standing on the longer hills to give my quads a short break. About 12 miles in right before the HIM/Oly split and the aid station. I recognized I was coming up on the spot where I wrecked in 2010. A nondescript section of old broken road, a grassy ditch and a farmer's field with a couple horses. I acknowleded the demons there with a point and glided past, putting those demons behind my for good. From there on I really felt energized and cranked up the effort. Did a few back and forths with 2 guys (Orler and ChucK) and the lady in the OBX top. We leapfroged the rest of the way, Orler was a fearless decender, I was climbing like a goat, and the others were steady. Dropped Chuch after my 3rd pass, but finished up right with the other two. The is a long curving uphill on the back half which seemed much longer and harder than the officially catorigized hill on the front (plus I think it is catorigized on the HIM map). Road that one well then took the down hill fairly conservatively with the fast sharp turns. Coming back to town I stood up for a few stretches as my back bothered me a bit. The pothot filled hill upto town (they have been working on this road for 3 years now) I messed up the gears again and stalled out and got passed by a bunch of folks but it did give me a front row seat to see one of those guys bunny hop the railroad track on the way in. Good solid ride. Drank a few good gulps on the flats and had a Power Gel right after the turn around on the out and back. Felt good. Rode from 20th to 14th in my AG and 201 to 110 OA. Most on the second half
What would you do differently?:
Should have gone out harder early, Wasn't really cranking until the second half.
T2
Comments:
Was very slow. Long run thru garage and around transition to my rack with the bike, changed shoes and grabbed some water and my hat before taking off. But lost 24 spots and 2 in my AG.
What would you do differently?:
Need fast transitions in an Olympic.
Run
Comments:
Legs felt great right off the bat and I got into a good pace. Had two people pass me in the first half mile (1 guy in my AG and one of my female teamamates) but that was it for the rest of the race. Tried to keep the guy in my AG in my sites and he pulled me thru the first half but then he slowly pulled away. Was greating pretty hot and my pace started to bog down a bit. Hit the turnaround and got to see a bunch of my teammates running strong. Got back in my groove for a while on the geenway and onto Neyland and saw I was catching my buddy Orlar from the bike. But I lost my rhytm and or he picked it up as I could get any closer. Passed a group of folks by the boathouse and then followed a guy up the hill in a livestrong shirt from the other wave (so I was 10 min ahead of him overall) but he too held me off and lead me up the hill and into the park where he was joined by his kids. Some I gave him some room and cruised in.
What would you do differently?:
Lost focus a number of times. Legs still felt good at the end so should have borne down more. But it was pretty hot and I was 2 min faster than 2010 on the run. Made up 3 spots in my AG and 28 spots overall on the run so it wasn't bad.
Post race
Warm down:
Got my shirt and medal and a Gatorade and Muscle milk and then sat in line for the NormaTec Booth. Did 30 min in the boots and my legs felt great. Then went to the timing tent to get an initial idea of my time (no watch today) and saw I was in PR territory. Walked down to the transition and packed up my stuff. Finally ran into Carole, right at the end of the weekend, and then walked back with Anthony and Jeff. Anthony won his AG in a 2:10:48
What limited your ability to perform faster:
Not swimming all winter, slow transitions, and being overly cautious at times with pacing and on the bike. PRed by about 23 seconds but over 8 min in transitions for an Olympic is just giving away time. And giving away spots. My buddy Orler beat me by 52 seconds overall despite the fact I was faster than him on all three legs. Transitions count too!
Event comments:
Great race weekend. The Urban Challenge and Little Rev Adventure races were a hit on Saturday and the Expo was very good. Great to get up close with the pros before and after the race, very cool people especially Matty Reed. The timeing system had a few kinks to work out and things were a bit funky post race but everything was good by the time I got home Monday.
Great swag. Unique medal, Finished long sleeve tshirt, visor, power bar stuff, and everyone got a pair of Blue Seventy Element goggles. Sweet!
Swimming
00:27:43 | 1640.42 yards | 01m 41s / 100yards
Age Group: 20/39
Overall: 186/412
Performance: Average
Suit: TYR Hurricane cat 5 full
Course: In the river. Start swimming up stream past the river boats to a red buoy and the back downstream, up a bridge, past the start, under two more bridges and to the University of Tenn Rowing dock is and out.
Start type: Deep Water - Waves
Water temp: 66F / 19C
Current: Low
200M Perf: Average
Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average
Drafting: Below average
Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 06:14
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good
Helmet on/Suit off: Average
Wetsuit stuck: No
Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:12:21 | 24.85 miles | 20.61 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/39
Overall: ?
Performance: Good
Split 1 39:28 12.8 miles (19.46 mph) Split 2 32.53 12.0 miles (21.9 mph)
Wind: Some
Course: Nice course out and over the river then through Knoxville and out to the country roads. Lots of rolling hills a two long hills 1 Cat 5 climb. Railroad tracks and rough roads in spots but scenic and fun ride.
Road: Rough Dry
Turns: Average
Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average
Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable
Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:01
Overall: Below average
Dismount: Bad
Running with bike: Average
Racking bike: Average
Shoe and helmet removal:Below average
Running
00:48:02 | 06.21 miles | 07m 44s min/mile
Age Group: 13/39
Overall: ?
Performance: Average
Split 1 20:12 2.74 miles (7:22) Split 2 27:50 3.46 miles (8:03)
Course: Left the parking garage, up Neyland for a mile and a half, onto the 3rd street greenway. Up the greenway though the parks and across the road to the turn around, back the way we cam then over to the boathouse down and under the tunnel, then up the hills via the Greenway to World's Fair Park, past the globe and to the finish.
Keeping cool: Average
Drinking: Just right
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]: 3
Physical exertion [1-5]: 4
Good race?: Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge: Just right
Organized?: Yes
Events on-time?: Yes
Lots of volunteers?: Yes
Plenty of drinks?: Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5]:5
Each of us have our personal demons. Things that chill us to the bone, things that creep into our dreams turning them into nightmares, things that can shake our confidence to the very core. We don't like to admit their presence or the power they hold over us, but we always know they are there.
One of my demons, is a small stretch of pavement next to a grassy drainage ditch in front of a framers field with a couple of hourse grazing. For most that would be a fairly peaceful scene, but for me it is an image that haunts me. Why?
I was healthy and in some of the best shape of my life and was about half way through a spectacular race to start of my 2010 triathlon racing season at Rev3 Knoxville. I had PRed the swim by several minutes, had a solid transition and actual got my wetsuit off in record time, and was mowing people down on the bike leg. 12 miles in and a grand total of 1 person had passed me and felt strong.
Then in an instant my race turning into something completely different. A narrow two lane country road on coming traffic, no shoulder, and a white pickup truck in the lane with the cyclists. I was annoyed by this but as I started closing in on the truck, but just then the driver comes up on a cyclist thinks about swerving out to pass but sees on coming traffic and hits the breaks hard. Suddenly I am on top of this truck with on coming traffic in the other lane and no room to the inside and I jumped out of the aerobars and jammed on the breaks and suddenly was flipping and supermanning onto the pavement. This patch of pavement. A patch of pavement I was fortunate to have been able to get up from an pedal away from. I finished the race, battered and bloody, and full of rage.
I saw my way to the finish and after the adreneline wore off.... The demons started finding there way into my head. "You know a few more degrees of rotation you would have broken your neck and been in a wheelchair the rest of your life." The ER nurse who said that didn't know her comment would stick with me like glue and visit me in my nightmares. You try and get back on the horse, you try to show a brave face to your friends and family, but that fear kept coming back again and again. I got back out there repaired my bike, raced again, even set an Iron Distance PR that season, but something was missing. Everytime I was in traffic, my nerves were shot. I had a flashback at Rev3 Quazzy when a van got into traffic with us and the brake lights flashed. I found myself visibly shaking and it took several minutes to get me composure back. I lost my nerve and even though I could hammer the bike safe inside n the trainer, when I went outside the demons would jump on my back and slow me down to a crawl.
But time heals all wounds or so they say. I returned to Knoxville in 2011 doing the Half Rev and survived, I built up my nerves to fly down the back side of Reicter Pass at over 50 MPH at IM Canada. I finally started to remember the thrill and joy riding and that feeling started to drown out the demons.
So this year, it was finally time to send those demons on their way. I had to go back to the scene of the crime, do the same race, 2012 Rev3 Knoxville Olympic, and return those demons to where they came from. They didn't go without a fight. The sets of railroad tracks spooked me. However, about 12 miles in right before the HIM/Oly split and the aid station. I recognized where I was. I was coming up on that spot. A nondescript section of old broken road, a grassy ditch and a farmer's field with a couple horses. I acknowleded the demons there with a point and glided past, putting those demons behind me for good.
From there on I really felt energized and cranked up the effort, and finally was able to let it go. A weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I was able to ride harder outside than I had in two years and bested my Olympic distance PR from 2008 and my beat my Olympic distance time from the last two years by over 10 min.
Am I free of those demons, too soon to tell, but I am at peace with them. Enjoy the ride!
2012. A new year and I decided it was time to shake things up a bit and tackle a new challenge. Now yes I realize its almost March but hey better late than never. Over the last few years I have focused on going long. Last year I did four HIMs (Rev3 Knoxville, Rev3 Quazzy, Eagleman, and Rev 3 South Carolina), one full Ironman (IM Canada) and only one Olympic (Rev3 Quazzy) as part of the Revolution (Oly and HIM on the same weekend, part of 3 races in 8 days.) While that was a great challenge and alot of fun, having done a Full Iron Distance race each of the last six years, it was time to try something new.
So this off season, I looked at my training and my races over the last few years and decided I have proven to myself I can go long, so I took a page out of Macca's book and dedicated this year to trying to go fast. I still have The Revolution on my schedule (I done every REV3 Quazzy race and I'm not letting that run end quite yet :), but just primarily my focus this year will be to try an go fast. Of course we are talking fast for me.
So far my race schedule looks like this:
1) Rev 3 Knoxville Olympic: Got some serious payback for this course had a major PR on the hook in 2010, this year I want to finish that effort!
2) Rev 3 Quazzy Olympic and HIM (The Revolution). Normally the Olympic is the race I have to reel myself back on, but this year Sunday is just going to be a catered workout and Saturday will be the race. 3) Rev 3 Wisconson-Dells Olympic: Brand new race, plus the whole family should be come with me to the water parks. Should be a blast and some added motivation. 4) Rev 3 Maine Old Orchard Beach Olympic: Another brand new race, but early reports are the bike looks fast. Potential PR race. 5) Shoreman HIM: A very flat and fast course in SE New Jersey at the same site as the Jersey Genesis tri. Good shot at qualifying for USAT Half-max and maybe even my first AG medal. 6) Half Full Tri: New REV3 race for the Ulman Cancer Fund. Closest REV3 race to me and looks like I can get alot of folks to travel for this one. Have to support this race, but think it will be another catered workout. 7) Rev3 South Carolina Olympic: Absolutely loved this race last year. Did the HIM and had a great time and a great race. With the Collegate Championships in the Olympic, might be a great chance to see if I can hang with one of those rabbits and get a PR.
Been having a very productive and pain free off season so far (Unlike last year's foot injury), so thing seem to be lining up. My current Olympic PR is 2:36:40 from 2007 at the Lancaster YMCA Olympic. Would like to break 2:30 this year, and my super stretch goal is sub 2:25 and my first AG medal in my 10 years of doing triathlons.
Ok now that is on paper and out there, all I have to do is back it up. Time to REVITUP !!!!
Last night I was coming back home from an inspection at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station. Life can be funny sometimes, one minute you are having a discussion with the Chief Nuclear Officer of a Billion dollar corporation, the next you are stuck in a traffic jam for over 3.5 hours because someone thought it was a good idea to shut down a section of the Penn Turnpike on a Friday afternoon and evening. 20 miles or so of stop and go traffic gives you plenty of time to think.
Random thoughts: 1) For the people at Jos A Bank and Kohl's if you can have 50-70% off sales or buy 1 get 2 free sales every single week it means your regular prices are way to high. 2) Last year I sold my first wetsuit a Blue Seventy Sleeveless at very steep discount to a brand new triathlete to help her overcome a fear of OWS do her first Tri. Now she's hooked and this year Team Rev 3 is sponsored by Blue Seventy. Good karma always come back to you! 3) Guy on the radio is talking about who was the tough athletic perfromance and Wayne Simmons of the Flyers who took a puck to the grill in pregame got 25 stitches, but played the game and scored two goals. However, I'll take Chrissy Wellington's win at Kona covered in road rash and spending the day before in the hospital yet coming out and winning it by running everyone down and holding off the defending champ. I also think Lance's Armstrong's comeback after cancer and kemo to become the greatest cyclist of all time is tougher than a few stiches to the grill.
4) Speaking of Lance, I still have seen the results for IM 70.3 Panama. How come Spanish soccer scores make it in USA today but not a major Triathlon with one of America's greatest athletes not. 5) Don't understand why people are so pissed at the New Jersey Governor for honoring Whitney Houston by flying flags in NJ Saturday. Whitney's life and works brought alot of joy to people, and she already paid the ultimate price for her bad decisions. If anything it honors her memory and enforces an important message: Noone is immune to drug addition, the best cure it to never start. Noone ever dubbed her a hero 6) Several of my Rev3 Teammates got some very cool Rev3 Sparkle suits. They are willing to model them on FB/Twitter/Blogs if enough people donate to the Ulman Cancer Fund. http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=3051165870937&set=a.1734792762432.95246.1016959054&type=1&theater 7) Team Rev 3 is Running Across America. 21 days 3080 miles March 26- April 16, 2012 to raise money for the Ulman Cancer Fund. Donate or get a group together and do a vitual run with us. http://rev3tri.com/america/virtual-run/ 8) A car dealer is willing to give me $10,000 off and another always seems to be giving $5,000 cash back, or $5000 for my trade. Once again if you can stay in business doing that the MSRP is way to friggin high. 9) Hey AH! Just because I let one person in doesn't mean you have the clearance to dive in behind them. 10) If I got out, put the car in neutral and just pushed it for an hour, I could at least get a workout in, and I still would stay with traffic. 11) I would absolutely love to be disrespected with a 4 yr $60 mil guarenteed contract. How are you every going to feed you family? 12) Happy birthday to Michael Jordan and Jim Brown! Two of the greatest ever in the sports. 13) I still don't know what my New Years Resolutions/goals are this year. 14) SBR's Tri Swim products rock! Wish I would swim more so I could use it for what it is designed for. Save 20% all this month. 15) How many times do events happen where someone knew something wasn't right but didn't step up and say something because the more experienced people around them didn't say anything? 16) In the words of Geddy Lee, "All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers turn and look at the stars. All of us end up in the gutter, dreamers turn to look at the cars."
A PA triathlete training for the Rev3 series (Knoxville, Quassy revolution, Wisconson Dells, Maine, Half Full, and South Carolina)my two boys Adrian and Mathew, 2 chausies, 2 savannas, 2 hamsters, and one tough fish. An of course my lovely wife Tammy.
