Rev3 Williamsburg. Too much drama!

Williamsburg, Virginia
United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon


80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 35m 58s
Overall Rank = 90/443
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 14/46



Pre-race routine:

Oh where to begin with this one. I was really looking forward to this race, a brand new venue, a relatively flat course which just seemed to set up perfectly for a PR. Well things seemed to be pointing in that direction, was feeling really strong and bounced back after the Quassy Revolution. Then things started to get tough. First my youngest son start hacking up a lung. Sure enough the first day of summer, I started getting sick. Friday night I had chills was aching, stuffed up and nose running off my face. The next morning I finally packed and was feeling a little better, and I hit the road at 11:30 am. The drive was downright evil. Should have been a 6 hour drive turned into over 8 hours. Finally started freaking out on I-64 as the road stopped completely due to a multi car wreck in the fast lane. Barely made it to the Expo in time to check in by 7:00pm then immediately headed to T1 and Jamestown to drop off my bike. Plus it was starting to pour. Got down there to drop my bike and pull it out of the car and my rear tire is flat. Worry about that in the AM. Headed to Yorktown and my hotel and they had me in a smoking room. WTF? No other rooms available and no other hotels available down to Norfolk so I was stuck. Fortunately Farm Fresh Foods was next store so I got a healthy dinner. Couldn't breathe in my hotel room and hacked up a lung all night so only got about 2 hours of sleep. Got up and out to the hotel at 4:30. Wasn't raining when I got out to the car but poured hard a few minutes later on the highway. Got a bit lost then found the main parking lot already full and went to the Giant shopping center parking lot about a mile away. Walked to transition set up T2 in the drizzle and covered my shoes with my extra t-shirt. Got in line for the shuttles and waited. Finally got down to T1 and then remembered I had to take care of my tire. Brought it up to the mechanical support folks and they were awesome taking care of my tire and pumping me up. Fortunately I was in the Olympic and had 8 waves to start before me, so I set up T1 and covered my stuff with the Transition bag. Hit the porta potties and met up with Matt and Tracie and then strolled down to the beach via the road. Ate a Powerbar apple strawberry performance blast when I got up and after breaking transition and drank a bottle of Perform on the ride.

Event warmup:

The practice swim was down the way near the swim out and the last two waves of the half were already going off, so I just wadded by the start then headed to the corral as the rain picked up again. Watched the first Olympic wave and then funneled into the start corral.

Swim
Time 35m 44s
Distance 1931 yards
Pace 01m 51s / 100 yards

Comments:

I still wasn't feeling good and my head was a balloon with sinus pressure. Water was great though. Started in the middle but it ended up being a long walk out to nearly the first buoy in knee to quad deep water. Found a hole and went down. Later I would find out I had broken my right middle toe, but I didn't know it at the time. Once I finally got swimming I was totally lost. I banged into people, could tell where I was going. Couldn't find a rhythm and could even find the next buoy. The current was dragging me all over the place and the deeper the water the more the waves kicked up. Somehow I found myself on the turn buoy and saw a bunch of folks who just plan missed it and were cutting the corner. Again I was either way out by myself or was in the middle of a clump and banging off everyone. Saw pink caps, blue caps, yellow caps, then nothing. Found the buoy and way, way inside and led my clump back to it. Got tight on the next turn buoy and caught the rope a bit. Started heading back in and guess we were with the current as it started to get easier to find the buoys, but still had people drifting into me due to the waves and current, Suddenly everyone is standing up and the long wade back in started. Man that was draining. Worst swim I've ever had.

What would you do differently?:

No idea. Not be sick and have the sinus issues which make it hard to swim straight, but just wasn't ready to go. wasn't amped up thanks to being sick and coughing up smoke. Whatever it was I never had a feel for the water and couldn't navigate and totally lost confidence.



Transition 1

Time 05m 25s

Comments:

Long run up the beach and across the field uphill to transition and then into transition and all the way down to my rack. Felt about as long as the run to T1 at Maine. Not a bad transitions in terms of getting my wetsuit off, couldn't stuff my wetsuit in the transition bag and then tri sided my feet put on damp swiftwick which took time and then loaded my gel and tied my bag and shuffled off. Muddy at exit so went slow and then up to the road and mounted and went.

What would you do differently?:

A bit of urgency and being able to pack my transition bag that totally kicked my butt. Still hadn't noticed my toe was broken but that didn't slow me down. lost 1 spot in my AG going from 23 to 24th but gained 2 spots overall from 200th to 198th

Bike

Time: 1h 04m 5s
Distance: 24 miles
Pace: 22.48 mile/hr

Comments:

Got on the bike and suddenly everything felt right. My nose was running and the pressure bled out too. got wound up and just held the momentum. This was a ride where no one passed me and stayed ahead of me. In fact only one person passed me at all and I got him back after 2 back and forths. The backside roads were rough and I was still paranoid about getting another flat and my front wheel was bouncing. Got through the pothole section and passed my buddy for the last time and then hammered the way back. Turned towards home and ripped up the long gradual hill and over to the transition. One final hill right up to transition and we were done. Passed Chloe on that last hill. Great ride!

What would you do differently?:

Scary but took it a bit too conservative at the start. It wasn't raining but the pavement was wet but it the course didn't have any technical parts. Had the 6th fastest bike split in my AG. Hammered out a 1:04:05 and 22.48 mph, never went over 22 mph in an Olympic before. Went from 24th to 13th and 198th to 87th (111 spot gain :). Legitimately awesome bike leg.

Transition 2

Time: 01m 5s

Comments:

Long clomp down the lane to my bike in the back on T2. Had some issues getting my tire in the rack again. Quick change of shoes, grabbed my hat, and race belt and was off.

What would you do differently?:

Should practice racking one of these days. Keep having issues on race day. Good transition held my position OA and AG wise.

Run

Time: 49m 39s
Distance: 6.4 miles
Pace: 07m 47s min/mile

Comments:

Started out and worked my legs in. Got out of transition behind Chloe so just stayed pace with her till my legs came to me, Passed her just before the cobblestones and then had two go around me on either side after the 1 mile mark. Good second mile, then ran well on the hill up to the turnaround. After the turn I guess I let up some as two people I had a good led on reeled me in on the downhill, including one in my AG. I snapped out of it and hung with the second person and pass back as we turned to the road, got passed back a bit later then pushed up the hill and got ahead again. Started to open up my stride at the top and started working and felt good. Had my buddy from the bike catch up to me after mile 4 aid station and I tried to hold with him, The trip back to T2 was good and I was gaining on him but I didn't preview the course so when we when right on past the finish line and knew where the out and back was going, I got squashed a bit mentally. Sort of faded on that last segment and lost a few spots to a few fast women. Saw the lead pro Eric Limkemenn in the half, so I was able to keep from being lapped. Plus my wake up call on the run ended behind me.

What would you do differently?:

Mentally a very poor run, especially the letdown at the end and the letdown on the downhill. Run was long so it was a 48:03 10K and I did have a broken toe but still didn't know it yet. Could have run a lot better not a challenging course but slow to get going and big let up at the end. Lost 1 spot in my AG 13th to 14th had the 13th fastest split in my AG, and lost 3 spots overall from 87th to 90th.

Post race

Warm down:

Got my medal which was awesome, my water, got asked my shirt size as my chip was removed then walked off without getting my shirt, so ad to come back to get my shirt. Post race food wasn't serving yet so went to VIP tent and got some fruit and a few drinks. Then headed over to the NormaTec tent. The NormaTec reps weren't there so me an Anthony spent the afternoon hooking everyone up. Was pretty fun actually. Teammates got us some food and more drinks and I got to make a lot of folks feel good in the boots. Got to hook up Tenelle Hoogland, 3rd place pro, and several other pros. She was really cool.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Being sick, broken toe, not being able to breathe and being mentally out of race mode except for an hour on the bike. However, in the end run ended up top 20% overall, 23% for men, 20% in my wave and 30% in my age group. 1:54:58 from T1 exit to finish which is a PR, however the swim killed me. 2:35:58 is still my 4th quickest Olympic of 15, and better than my PR until last August.

Event comments:



A first time event at a brand new venue are expected to have a few glitches. The shuttles to the start took longer due to traffic pattern coming back led to long lines and it took a while to get the bags back from T1 since the labors didn't show up. Rev3 crew and team stepped up big time and sorted bags. NormaTec tent was great, food was really good and finally. I had a great time.

The Quassy Triple or how to make the most out of your weekend at the races!

Middlebury, Connecticut
United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
90F / 32C
Sunny

Day1: Total Time Approximately 21 min
Overall Rank 2/150

Day2: Total Time = 2h 43m 43s
Overall Rank = 138/717
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 13/76

Day3: Total Time = 6h 30m 14s
Overall Rank = 587/997
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 111/172

Day 1 The Glow Run 5K

Pre-race routine:

Drove up on Friday. Had to go into work to get status and do the morning meeting. That meeting lasted over 90 min. Then had to drive home since needed to extend 4 cards which expired today. Got on the road by 10:30 then got a call from Matt's Boy Scout Troop leader and a call from the Residents about NMP. Called the RDO and Darrell about that. Basically had to pull off the road every 30 min it seemed. The last time I was about at the exit for the hotel so I went and checked in. Headed to the expo and got checked in then hung out at the Biotta Juices tent a bit until the team dinner at 6:00.

Met up with a bunch a folks from the team and met a few new faces then headed to check in and rack my bike and put on the race stickers then waited in some AC for the Glow run 5K.

REV3 Glow Run:

Did the Glow Run as the sun started to set. Smaller group than Knoxville but a good crowd nonetheless. Started out a few road back next to the best costume guy. Tried to take it easy but found my self picking it up and weaving my way forward. Had to pass the Mini Rev boys (Tim's kids) which I did during the downhill to mile one then passed 3 more people as we hit the out and back. Saw 2 people coming back and then one more I was reeling in. Hit the out and back turn and was told I was in fourth. Caught the girl in front of me soon after and pushed the last mile up to and over the hill which looks a lot different in the dark. Got to the top and around to the road to the park and Eric tells me I'm in second and a cop directing traffic says the same. Never remember passing the 2nd place guy, but around I came to the park and down the finish line through the smoke machine and called home by Sean. 2nd overall and won a box of powerbar performance gummies. Hung out for a bit then headed back to the hotel to get gas , call home, pull on my tats, fill my bottle and set up my bag. and go to sleep.

Day 2: Olympic Rev:

Pre-race routine:
Got up at 5:00am with two independent alarms after last year, and managed to forget my bottle, had to drive 10 min back to get it, make a wrong turn, had to back track and everything else I could to only give me 15 min to set up and pump my tires before being boot out of transition.

Event warmup:

Pre race pit stop then down to the water and put on my wetsuit. Swam about 200 yards warming up then floated/stood neck deep to stay cool as the other waves went off. Last wave of the day, finally headed to the start and lined up.

Swim
Time: 26m 49s
Distance: 1640 yards
Pace: 01m 38s / 100 yards

Comments:

Started out to the outside and a few rows back. Started very low aggression, letting everyone get in and get going. Virtually no contact even though I drifted across the entire field to the far inside. corrected than and was on the buoy line on the way out. Got in a good rhythm. Turned and couldn't see anything as the sun was bad so tried to go off other swimmers. Worked OK I guess as I hit one buoy dead on not even knowing it was there. After than I drifted right and got herded back by the paddleboarders. Got tot the last turn buoy and finally could see again so I cranked up the effort and worked my way back in. Was catching a lot of folks from the previous waves. Got to the beach finally saw the bottom and stood up and leg one was done.

What would you do differently?:

Need to work on siting and navigation. Being right on the buoy makes for difficult turns.

Transition 1
Time: 02m 55s

Comments:

Run up the hill to transition then all the way around to the Revolution bike racks seemed to take forever. Got out of the wetsuit well got quickly into my shoes, glasses and ring on, loaded a gel and left my race belt since didn't have to wear it.

What would you do differently?:

Bit more urgency but not too bad for me. Lost 12 spots OA but maintained 16th in my AG.

Bike
Time: 1h 19m 40s
Distance: 25.68 miles
Pace: 19.43 mile/hr

Comments:

Got going good and took my time going up the road away from the park. Being in the last wave, I had people to pass the entire way which I always like since it keeps me focused. Didn't have anyone pass me and stay in front of my the whole ride. Tried to keep some in the tank early, but kept a good hard tempo and stayed in the big ring through the early hills. Dropped to the small ring at the bottom of the mile 11 monster a bit too soon and had a few people pass me then out of the saddle grinding up that hill passing them back. After that hill I started trying to pick up the tempo a bit. Got to the Oly/half split and did a much better job with the two evil hills in that section, though had to grind the second one a bit. Hammered down the monster decents on the back (love the checkered flag on the one spot) and hit the brakes way early on the last one to make the corner and S safely. Worked hard the way home but got reminded to stay hydrated by a police officer as we came up to the main road back in. Realized I hadn't drank anything for 20 miles. Gulped 2-3 swigs but not enough. Got over the last hill then down and around to the park entrance.

What would you do differently?:

Definitely need to drink more and take the gel I brought for the ride. Paid for this the rest of the weekend.

Transition 2
Time: 01m 6s

Comments:
Nice methodical transition. Shoes on quick, helmet off. Forgot my race belt which wasn't good, but overall a good transition. Lost 1 spot OA and stayed 11th in my AG.

What would you do differently?:

Had some issues racking again. Should have drank some of my bottle right there.

Run
Time: 53m 12s
Distance: 6.21 miles
Pace: 08m 41s min/mile

Comments:

Right out of transition, I had the lady in front of my take every cup and I went empty. Passed her and went on. First two miles went pretty well. My legs came in and I cruised into the shade and up to the out and back turn feeling about right. Once we took the left turn into that first hill; however, it just hit me like a brick wall, I had nothing, felt rotten and super hot and just slogged up the hill. Had two guys from my age group pass there but I got passed someone else who was suffering worse. As the course flatten out I got some back and I followed one of the two that passed me up the mile 3 hill and caught him at the aid station but he was able to scoot off. Had another person in my AG pass on mile 4 and her got up to my other buddy as well and they disappeared. Fought my way up the last hill which at least is very shaded, and fought my way home. Was tough and I was very dehydrated at the end.

What would you do differently?:

Drink a lot more on the bike. 90 degree day and no chance to acclimate this year was a bad combo. went from 11th to 13th in my AG and 119th to 138th OA.

Post race

Warm down:
Got across the line an immediately felt like crap. Got a clod wet finishers towel and extra ice on my neck. Gave back my chip and got my medal and t shirt. Parked myself in front of the cool fan at the med temt for 15 minutes before shuffling to get some food. Ate a ton of fruit but not much else. Did 30 min at the NormaTec tent next to Andrew Starkowitz. Then waddled back to transition, packed up and hit the road.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Got dehydrated on the bike and could catch back up. However it was a course PR by 1:18 and top 20% AG and OA is pretty good, especially considering the bonk on the run.


Event comments:

Great race! Rev 3 Rocks!

Day 3 The Half Rev

Middlebury, Connecticut
United States
Revolution 3
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 30m 14s
Overall Rank = 587/997
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 111/172

Pre-race routine:
After two races in two days, I went back to the hotel and tried to drink a bunch of juice and had Performance Energy blasts and powerbar protein bars to eat, but lounged and slept. Should have done some more Normatec and Compex but didn't. I did get a good shower, loaded up for day two, made my bottles and went to bed early.

Got up at 5:00am again and avoided all the extras from yesterday but the traffic coming into the park was terrible and we spent a good 35 min from the light to the park and had to park across the street in the baseball field. Once again very little time to set up. Forgot to apply sunscreen and there was a huge line for the porta potties. Fortunately had plenty of time. Ran into Susan as I put on my wetsuit and we talked a bit.

Event warmup:
Again got in a swam for 200 yards then sat/floated neck deep until my wave. A bit early than yesterday but still about 30 min after the first wave.

Swim
Time: 36m 11s
Distance: 2112 yards
Pace: 01m 43s / 100 yards

Comments:

Again started on the outside a few rows back and again took it easy at the start. Bigger wave so a bit more contact but did better at staying outside. The leg up was again very good had several folks going my speed so I latched onto them and sited off them. Got to the turn and into the sun and again couldn't see anything. Zig zagged my way across the lake getting saved by a kayak when I was way outside then herded back when I was way inside. Even going off other swimmers didn't help as our whole group went way inside. Despite the zig zag course I was feeling good on the swim. Once we hit the turn and I could see I worked hard coming back and went buoy to buoy in a straight line. Good swim all told.

What would you do differently?:

Work on navigation, get better tinted goggles.

Transition 1
Time: 04m 3s

Comments:

Had some issues getting out of my wetsuit. Applied plenty of trislide to my feet and sunscreened got my glasses and ring on and helmet and load my gels and off I went.

What would you do differently?:

Wasn't in a hurry. Wasn't racing since I could still feel the after effects from yesterday. So this was a good swim then a catered workout. 63rd to 72nd AG and 379 to 414 OA.

Bike
Time: 3h 11m 24s
Distance: 56 miles
Pace: 17.57 mile/hr

Comments:

As I was not feeling good coming off yesterday I just treated this as a training ride. This is one of my favorite ride period with over 3500 feet of climbing 6 cat 5 and 1 cat 3 climbs. I got going and took it easy following Heather Golnicks advice find a gear that feels one or two level too easy and stay there for at least 30 miles. I downshifted way early and got over the first two hills on the backside on the lake I always geared out on and had to grind. Cruised through the next few segments making some progress but not racing anyone. The big hill was rough and I had to pass people on the inside since there was nowhere to go but I actually stayed seated and granny geared it to the top and passed 5-6 people.

Then decent to BlackRock lake is my favorite and it didn't disappoint. The scenery is awesome and the speed it killer too. But way goes down must come up. Went a lot to the granny gears and stayed seated a lot more than last year as I was having man part pains when I sat. If I stayed seated it was ok but changing position was painful. Plus my back started acting up too. No fun. Did the hills well but got sitting up on the aerobars (hand on aeropads) to ease my back. Last 15 miles were not a lot of fun but I got through it.

What would you do differently?:

Got to figure out the man pain issue prior to IMLP. Still felt the effect from yesterday with a cramp in my left hammy to go with the back and other pains. Still on 72nd to 81 AG and actually 415th to 384th OA so not bad.

Transition 2
Time: 02m 20s

Comments:
Had issues racking and just felt rotten. Took it slow and steady dumped a hot bottle of water on my head, got my race belt this time and headed out.

What would you do differently?:

Not much the die was already cast. 81st to 82nd AG and 384 to 386th OA

Run
Time: 2h 36m 16s
Distance: 13.1 miles
Pace: 11m 57s min/mile

Comments:

Started out shuffling along with a big cramp in my left hamstring and feeling like the tank was on empty. Ended up just shuffling until the hill on mile 2 and conceding I needed to walk the hills from here on out and then jog the rest. So that is what I did. The heat was tough the triple was tougher but all I was doing to today was moving forward and finding my way to the finish line. Saw a lot of folks really struggling in the heat. Was talking to one guy who actually ran a 1:38 for a PR last year but was walking today. I just stayed upbeat and positive and ran as much as I could. At the end I tried to run as much of the final hill as I could then actually got rolling over the end. Good Ironman damage control practice.

What would you do differently?:

Knew coming in it was going to be rough. Should have eaten better between race and not gotten dehydrated Saturday. But such is life. Decided to treat this as a long training day and take whatever the run turned out to be. So it turned out ugly, no big deal.

Post race

Warm down:

Got my towel, medal, and shirt. Thought about doing the ice baths but opted against it. Got some food after crashing in the VIP tent. Felt more human and found my Revolution medal and got to cheer in some of my teammates like Kelly then went back and ate and drank. Met Heather Jackson which was really cool ( she finished 2nd) . Went to T2 and got my stuff packed up the went and watched the awards, then saw Susan and Steve, then packed up and rolled across the street and packed up the car. Got McDonalds including a chocolate shake and sat in my hotel room in my NormaTec boots for 1.5 hours before taking a shower.

What limited your ability to perform fa

ster:

Dehydration Saturday still affected my day Sunday.

Event comments:

Another great job by Rev 3 !

Rev 3 Knoxville 2013 Race Report

Rev3 Knoxville - Olympic Rev
2013-05-05
Knoxville, Tennessee
United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
55F / 13C
Precipitation

Triathlon - Olympic
Total Time = 2h 34m 44s
Overall Rank = 79/355
Age Group = M 40-45
Age Group Rank = 13/45

Pre-race routine:

Drove down Friday morning leaving the house at 9:45am. Things went well until after my first pit stop for gas and lunch. Got a couple Hot Dogs with relish and a bag of Sugar Free Wintergreen Lifesavers (since I couldn't fing regular ones). About a hour later my stomach and bowels were not happy with me and I had to make several restroom stops as my body reject and got rid of my lunch. Although I initially blamed the relish, turns out it was the lifesavers (aspertane suck) as on the ride home I ate the last few and the same reaction occurred (fortunately only one restroom stop was required) This made a long drive longer but I made it to Knoxville just in time to check in, unload my stuff, change and head to World's Fair park for the Glow run 5K. Checked in got my glowsticks and number and jogged to the start just in time. Started mid pack as I intended to just jog, but as the crowd opened up I responded and ran and felt really good. This was the first fast run since coming back from my foot injury so it was a good sign. I think I ended up top 15 or so but it was an untimed and unscored race with the 1K walkers/fun run coming to the finish at the same time so no way to really know. Felt good though. We raised over $25K for an injuried UT swimmer/Boston Marathon victem.



Slept in the next morning and then headed to the expo and checked in before the rain started. Started waiting in line for a bike tune up but the line was long and the rain was picking up so I rode down to transition to check my bike in. On the way out of transition I saw a group of folks around two fallen cyclist who fell on the 60 degree wet railroad tracks. Helped out as much as I could until the police and ambulences arrived then directed traffic around the ambullences. Away that fun experience I was in no mood to swim in the cold and rain or do a bike ride so I headed up to the Expo and started my shift at the Biotta Naturals tent early and spent the rest of the afternoon hawking Beet Juice and Vegitable juice. Made some friends and met several pros and guy from the bigggest loser season 2. Gave out more bottle towards the end of the day then closed up shop and headed to the hotel. Had some popeyes chicken burritos for dinner, called home, and watched the Bull and Nets game then hit the hay. 5:35 wake up call.

Event warmup:

Got up got tri slided and pulled on my uniform and wetsuit as it was still raining. Walked down to the expo and dropped off a bag at the team tent for after and then headed down to transition. Set up transition, chilled and then put the wetsuit the rest of the way on for the walk to the start in the rain. Walked the .75 miles to the start hit the porta potties, then watch the pre race ceremony and watch the pros start, then waited for my wave to be ushered down the stairs to the boat dock. Jumped in the 59 degree watch adjusted my goggles and swam to the starting line to get warm.

Swim
00:25:44 | 1640.42 yards | 01m 34s / 100yards
Age Group: 13/45
Overall: 130/355
Performance: Good
Suit: Hurricane Cat 5 full
Course:

Start against the current swimming upstream past the river paddle boat, under the bridge, and out to the turn buoy, short jaunt to the middle of the river, then downstream with the current back to the start, past the start under two more bridges to the UT boat dock and out.

Start type: Deep Water
Plus: Waves
Water temp: 59F / 15C
Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average
Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average
Navigation: Good
Rounding: Bad
Comments:

Water was realy cold at first but Once I got moving and got my face used to it I was fine. Since everyone was late getting into the water (bunch of lemmings at the end of the dock), I had alot of open space on the outside. Start was ggod and clean and didn't have any contact until the first guide buoy when the inside and outside groups came together. Got wacked in the face with a hand but one guy and kick in the same goggle a few stroke later. After that it was smooth sailing to the turn buoy. This time there was a bigger log jam and I found myself stuck basicly being swept under the bouy unable to move forward. Then the a@#$%#@e in front of my crys like a @#$%##g little @#&$%# (If you can't tell he didn't make my christmas card list) to get off me and punches me in the throat. If that wasn't bad enough the shot pushed me under the buoy where I got tangled with the rope and ended up swallowing half the river. I paniced and got out of there but needed a few tries to settle down considering I could have drowned thanks to this $%&*%#$%^&** piece of $%^&. Once I did get going I had to calm myself down as I was having trouble breathing. Fortunately the guy looked like everyone else (wetsuit goggle green cap) in my wave cause it I found him, he would not have been a happy camper. Got to the next buoy and went wide around to avoid a repeat performance and then started getting after it. Finally recovered, I started really swimming harder and reeled in a passed two large groups in front of me, Swimming a bit angry until I finally started catching a bunch of red caps and got caught by my first pink cap as we found the way to the dock. Rolled myslf out onto the dock and was done.

What would you do differently?:

Not swallow a few gallons of river water by staying out of that mess at the turn buoy. I normally go wide for a reason, that was it. But that said I was 13/45 in my AG and was about 2 minutes faster than last year so all the swimming this off season appear to have paid off.

T1
Time: 06:36
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average
Wetsuit stuck? Yes
Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Comments:

Long run up the boat ramp down the street around the parking garage and into transition. Found my rack OK, got out of my wetsuit ok. Took the extra time to dry off, put my socks, and armwarmers on, which paid off.

What would you do differently?:

Not too much only lost about 2:30 to the leaders so time was mostly reflective of the long run to T1. Extra time to dry off fully paid off with being warm on the bike.

Bike
01:13:12 | 24.85 miles | 20.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 11/45
Overall: 72/355
Performance: Average
Split #1 12.30 miles 40:17 (18.32 mph) Split #2 11.70 miles 32:55 (21.33 mph)
Wind: Some with gusts

Course:

Nice course out and over the river then through Downtown Knoxville and out to the country roads. Lots of rolling hills a two long hills one in each half and 2 Cat 5 climb. Railroad tracks and rough roads in spots but scenic and fun ride.

Road: Rough Wet
Turns: Average
Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good
Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable
Drinks: Just right
Comments:

Long run out of T1, then back into the rain. Got clipped in easy and got up to speed fairly quickly. The first short steep hill on the on ramp I did a good job not stalling out and getting to a low gear early enough. Got into a nice rhythm and rode well. With the conditions I made a concious decision to hold back a few notches. Given the road conditions in town and the wet roads, that was a good choice. By drying off I was able to stay warm untill I built up some body heat. Alot of folks who didn't got really chilly due to the relative wind on the downhills combined with the rain. Rode the hills in the first half well although I mis identified the first Cat 5 climb and was a bit off gear for that long climb but I recoveried. I really don't recall more than one person passing me and staying ahead of me (plus the relay guy would lost a chain then had another issue 10 miles later.) Got to the turnaround and really struggled to make that slow turn then I finally notched up the intensity and went affter it a bit more as my legs felt great. Ripped through the flats and did a good job on the second Cat 5 hill but took it very cautiously on the downhill after, riding the breaks. Pushed on the flats and uphills and other than the steep hill into town where I down shifted way too early and got passed back (got him back on the hill and left him at the top). Good ride back in but nailed a few potholes since I had rain speckled glasses. Got back to Neland Drive and transition and unclipped a bit early and coasted in, happy to be down safely.

What would you do differently?:

Given the conditions not too much. My legs felt great so I know I could have gone harder, but the road conditions, rain, wind, railroad tracks, reduced visability glasses, and cold dictated a different strategy. Picked up 5 spots in my AG and 50 spots overall and had 10th fastest split in my AG.

T2
Time: 01:45
Overall: Average
Jumping off bike: Below average
Running with bike: Good
Racking bike: Below average
Shoe and helmet removal: Good
Comments:

Really poor at dismounting as I come to a complete stop and take too long to dismount. Then good run though transition and got cheered my the Rev3 crew working the race. Overshot my rack, not alot of bike in there :). And a few issues getting my tire in the rack. Quick change of shoes and grabbed my race belt for the run. Put it on upside down and then changed it but was moving the whole time so no big deal.

What would you do differently?:

Didn't grab my gel. Don't overshoot my rack.

Run
00:47:27 | 06.21 miles | 07m 38s min/mile
Age Group: 13/45
Overall: 79/355
Performance: Average
Split #1 20:26 2.70 miles (7:34 per mile) Split #2 27:02 3.51 miles (7:43 per mile)

Course:

Out of transition, down Neland to the greenway along the stream. Greenway to the park #1 then around the corner to park number 2, then arcross the street to the turnaround and back, then past transition under the road up the ramp then back up the hill to World's Fair Park, through the mud to the finish chute.

Keeping cool: Good
Drinking: Just right

Comments:

Started off feeling good but not great. Hadn't done alot of running the last few months due to a tendon issue with the top of my right foot but that had finally cleared up and I could run but had no idea what to expect speed wise. Cruised down Neland and had a lady and a 23 year old pass me) On the greenway the first aid station was under a bridge that was just pissing a fountain of water on the course then we started hitting the big and deep puddles. Had another 23 year old catch me and remarked I was a hard guy to catch up to (he caught me and started talking to me on the second Cat 5 hill before I scooted away). made it through the park and saw Summer, and Joshua coming back, sloshed through a big puddle right before the road crossing hit the turn a around and started back. Tryed to pick up the pace but each time I got rolling felt like I hit another puddle and lost my rhytm. Got passed by 3 people in my wave and 2 in my age group on the way in but the two in my AG ran 38 and 42 min 10K splits so did let that get me down. The tunnel under the road and switchback back up is really the hardest part of the run, but got it back together and work to the finish. Had one last woman pass me as we crossed over the track and then held off a set of footsteps through the park to the road and to the chute, then hustled through the mud to the finsh and posed to the cameras as Sean called me in.

What would you do differently?:

Given no speed work, and alot of uncertainty, and the conditions, I'll take a 47:27 which was 30+ seconds faster than last year coming in in really good running shape and great conditions. Not quite the 46s I was pulling at the end of last year but I wasn't expecting those. Did lose focus and rhythm too often due to the puddles. Can't let that get to me. Lost 2 spots in my AG and 3 overall on the run, but really can't complain.



Great video that captured the day very well.

Post race

Warm down:

Got my finishers medal and shirt, gatorade and water, then hit the VIP tent to grab my bag and head back to the hotel, dry off and take a shower and check out before noon since they couldn't give me a late checkout. SHowered changed and checked out and loaded up the car, then went to the parking lot mid way between transitiona nd the Finishline. Went and got my bike and stuff, saw two folks who were rather hypothermic and got some help for them ,then walked back to my car and loaded up. Quick trip to transition to see my time and met up with Anthony who won his AG. Then back to the car for a 10 hour drive home. Really missed the Normatec folks not being there.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of sppedwork and running due to an injury this winter and lossing focus due to raod conditions.

Event comments:

Weather conditions were brutal. Alot of folks DNS or DNFed due to the weather and a few folks got a trip to the ER for Hypothermia including one of the folks I got help for. Had warmup room in the local hotel and great support on the course and finsih and transitions. Great job by the Rev 3 crew on a nasty day. Weather sucked but the race was great and I was pretty happy.

Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]: 4
Physical exertion [1-5]: 3
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:
Race evaluation [1-5]: 5

I've been everywhere or so it seems!

In 2012, I've been to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Nebraska, Maryland, Virgina, North Carolina, Tennesse, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island,Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Ohio, Illiniois, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas, Delaware and D.C.

I raced in Pennsylvania (3), Tennesse, Connecticut(2), Wisconsin, Maine, Maryland, South Carolina. And all of my triathlons were out of state road trips.

I did one 5K, one 5 miler, one 10K, 5 Olympic distance Triathlons and 2 HIMs. At age 42, I defended an age group title, set PRs for 5 miles, 10K, Olympic Tri and HIM and had my best finishes AG and OA and improved my USAT score.

But that doesn't quite tell the story.


Highlights:

1) The Revolutionary Run at Valley Forge National Park. I set a PR finally breaking 36 min on this hilly challenging and fun course, but the highlight was getting to race with and against my son Adrian for the first time. It was a cold wet and ugly day but getting to see him cross the finish line and hearing the announcer announce his name and see his face was priceless.

2) The Revolution 3 Half Full Tri.
I signed up for this race at the last minute and had very low expectations going in. I just wanted to support Charlie at Rev3 and Brian at the Ulman Cancer Fund for having the guts to invite Lance Armstrong to race and then having to drop USAT certification for the HIM to permit it. It was a tough call for Rev3 but some races are about more than the race itself. Say whatever you want about Lance, but he is a cancer survivor and has done more to support and provide hope for millions of other cancer survivors and their families than anyone else. So I was there to support Ulman, Team Fight, and Rev3 for making the right choice. The day was cold, windy, and raining. The course was hilly and tough. My fingers and toes were numb and I was so cold going down the hills I was considering not doing the second loop. But I couldn't quit given the cancer survivors who had to battle so much more difficult cicumstances, so I pushed on and was rewarded with the best HIM run of my life 1:48:28 and a HIM PR by close to 2 min in my 18th HIM. 25thOA and 7th in my AG and met the USAT Halfmax Qualifying standard (Although it didn't count since the HIM race was not longer USAT scanctioned, but I still will be racing at USAT Halfmax this year at Rev3 South Carolina since you don't have to qualify this year.) Never felt so wiped out or totally satisfied with a race in my life.

3) The Revolution 3 Maine Olympic Triathlon. This was the first year in Maine for Rev3 and it was a spectacular race. Old Orchard Beach threw out the welcome mat, were great hosts, the beach was awesome, and the race was great too. Met Conrad Stolz, Xtra ledgen, had my fastest bike split ever in an Olympic really coming to life in the second half of the race, and then finished it off with a really great run. Ran from 9th in my AG to 5th and took over 4th in the last mile but didn't close the deal. Still 5th place in my AG was a personal best, and the lobster bake post race made everything great. Plus the medals were super cool too.

4) The Revolution 3 South Carolina Olympic Triathlon. The was the season ending triathlon for me. Stayed on campus at Clemson University got to go to dinner with my awesome teammates at Tomatoe Joes and again we followed the Ironman World Championships via twitter and facebook during dinner. Love this race, very nice feel to it. The SEC Collegate Championships were cool and gave me a target as they were in the wave before us. Rode down to the swim race morning next to Jaqui Gordon and another pro and listened to their prerace conversations. Had a really good race with my second best bike and a PR Olympic tri run of 46:04 and finished 30th OA and 6th in my AG. For a short moment, I saw a preliminary results sheet which had me in 3rd place for my AG and 26th OA, which would have been my first triathlon podium ever, but 3 of the missing 4 results were in my age group :( Still was a great finish to my season and since the swim ended up long since the collegates took everyone around the second set of HIM bouys, it would have likely been a PR too.

5) The Revolution 3 Knoxville Olympic Triathlon: First Triathlon of the season. Got things going right with a PR (at the time) by 30 seconds and got to put the demons from my 2010 bike wreck to rest. .

6) The Revolution at Quassy. (Olympic Sat, HIM Sun).

What an adventure that was! Alarm clock failure, mad dash to the race site just getting in before the road closed, torential downpours, mud, stinging raindrops flying downhill at 40 mph for the Olympic, which ended up being my best USAT race score for the year (although Half Full wasn't scored), and a course PR the next day in the HIM. Raced next to Cam Neely, Boston Bruin Hall of Fame Defenseman. Overall PR for the Revolution by over 12 min but missed getting my award as the rains returned as I was putting my bike back on Sunday! Would have been my first trip on stage.

7) Burn off the Bird 5K. Really cold and windy day. Defended my 40-49 age group title from 2 years ago (no race last year). Went 50 sec faster than 2010 and just held off 2nd and 3rd who were less than 10 secs behind me. Only hardware for me this year!

All in all a very sucessful year at the races and a good year professionally as well as I got to do some important inspections at Susquehanna, Ginna, and Fort Calhoun, walked around in the bottom of the tourus at Peach Bottom, rode out a Hurricane at Limerick, and got featured in a TV interview for Susquehanna's Annual Assessment Meeting and 95002 exit meeting.

Product Review- Powerbar High Intensity

PowerBar® High Intensity Sustained Release Beta Alanine dietary supplement:

Provides an even supply of beta-alanine to your muscles. Beta-alanine works by increasing muscle carnosine levels, buffering lactic acid that builds up during high-intensity exercise, which can reduce muscle burn and fatigue. Designed for endurance, team, and strength athletes, these beta-alanine tablets are formulated to help enhance both high-intensity training and performance.*

Results are typically seen in about 4–8 weeks.

PowerBar® High Intensity Sustained Release Beta Alanine dietary supplement — key features:
1,600 mg of beta-alanine per two-tablet serving size
Only 10 calories in two tablets
NSF® Certified for Sport™

Excepts From:
Beta-Alanine: Push High-Intensity Training Limits and Improve Athletic Performance
By: Christopher D. Jensen, PhD, MPH, RD
Nutrition & Epidemiology Researcher

"Figuring Out Fatigue
Fatigue during exercise has many causes, and it varies by sport or event. For endurance athletes such as marathon runners and triathletes, who primarily rely on aerobic metabolism, fatigue can occur an hour or two into a competition or workout, when muscle and liver glycogen stores run dry and blood glucose begins to drop.

High-acid environments and high performance don't make for a good mix. Not only does too much lactic acid produce that all-too-familiar burning sensation in your muscles, it also impairs muscle contraction. The end result is that you're not able to continue to generate the force needed to maintain your speed or lift that weight. And that's when you get passed just a few strides from the finish or can't muster the extra push to get to where you need to be.

Now, imagine that you had a metabolic weapon that could help neutralize the lactic acid buildup. It would enable you to train harder and longer and to reap the performance benefits that come from pushing the limits of your high-intensity training. Your very own muscles do have this weapon at their disposal. And believe it or not, new research says that the strength of that arsenal is something that you can control.

Fighting on Your Side
Your ability to sustain high-intensity exercise and hold fatigue at bay is in part determined by the amount of a natural biochemical, called carnosine, in your muscles.

Carnosine's presence in muscle tissue has been known for over 100 years, but scientists are just now beginning to appreciate its range of functions — and fighting off fatigue is high on the list. Exactly how carnosine helps you resist fatigue is not completely understood, but buffering or neutralizing lactic acid buildup in muscle is believed to be its primary mechanism.

Decreasing oxidative stress is another probable route to performance benefit. High-intensity exercise leads to oxidative stress and to the production of highly reactive biochemicals called free radicals that compromise muscle function. Carnosine acts as a natural antioxidant and neutralizes these exercise-induced free radicals.

By buffering lactic acid buildup and decreasing oxidative stress, carnosine helps to delay the impaired muscle contractions that inevitably occur during high-intensity exercise. With an adequate supply of carnosine in your muscle tissue, you're able to generate the force needed to maintain your top speed a little longer, lift that extra measure of weight, or dig deep for an all-out charge to the finish.

Fighting Fatigue
Carnosine is made up of two amino acid building blocks — histidine and beta-alanine. Histidine is a common amino acid found in many of the proteins that exist throughout your body; you have lots of it around. So when researchers gave their study subjects extra histidine, muscle carnosine levels were not affected. But providing extra beta-alanine proved to be another story altogether. Beta-alanine is a unique amino acid that is not really used to make proteins, so we have much less of it available in our bodies. When researchers gave beta-alanine supplements to their study subjects, muscle carnosine concentrations soared! In fact, levels rose by as much as 80% in a matter of weeks.

Boosting Performance
Boosting muscle carnosine concentration is one thing, but does more carnosine have an impact on exercise performance?

•In a study where men were asked to cycle at 110% of their average power output during the final stretch of intermittent interval training, time to exhaustion was increased by 12% after 4 weeks of supplementing with beta-alanine.
•In men and women engaged in endurance exercise, daily beta-alanine supplementation for a month produced a 13–16% increase in physical working capacity."

So how does High Intensity work for a typical AGer?
I am a 42 year old MOP age grouper. I tried High Endurance starting in June of this year. For the first month you take 2 pills twice a day, then after the first month take 2 pills once a day. Per the bottle results are typically seen in about 4 weeks. My first three races of the year Rev 3 Olympic at Knoxville in May and the Revolution (Olympic and HIM back to back days) at Rev3 Quazzy in June, were two good perfromances. I PRed at Knoxville by about 33 seconds and PRed the Revolution by about 12 min. But in each of these races my run was a struggle. I ran a 48:02 at Knoxville but I faded in the second half (split 1 20:12 2.74 miles (7:22) Split 2 27:50 3.46 miles (8:03)). At Rev 3 Quazzy I ran a similar run 48:27 again fading and losing severage spots in my AG (13th)(First 2 miles in 15:11 (7:36) Flat Next 4.21 miles in 33:26 (7:58)). For the half my run also dropped off considerably again losing alot of positions in my AG (78th). (2:01:17-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).

After using High Intensity starting in the beginning of June. My run performance did appear to improve as I was able to maintain my pace for noticably longer. At Rev3 Wisconsin-The Dells in August, I ran a new Olympic run PR of 46:27, but most encouraging I ran a negative split on a rolling hilly course (First 3.18 miles 24:05 (7:34) Second 3.03 miles 22:23 (7:23)) ran the 4th faster split in my AG and ran up from 8th to 6th in my AG for a personal best. My next race Rev3 Maine-Old Orchard Beach at the end of August, I PRed by over 3 Min for the Olympic ran the 4th fastest SPlit in my AG again at 47:24 and again slightly negative splited (Out 23:43 (7:39) and back 23:40 (7:38)) running my way up from 9th to 5th (and for a few minutes 4th).

But the best was still to come. In October, I did the Half Full Tri HIM. On an absolutely nasty day weather wise on a hilly course, Lance didn't lap me and not only did I PR my HIM but over 2 min, I PRed my HIM run by over 4 min with a 1:48:28 on a hilly course with the 4th fastest split in my AG noticing a trend here. Ran a very steady half marathon running fastest in the middle (First 3.1 miles 25:32 (8:14/mile) Second 6.7 miles 54:30 (8:08/mile) Last 3.3 miles 28:27 (8:37/mile)). FInishing 25th OA (best for any race and 7th in my AG best in a HIM). The following weekend at Rev3 South Carolina-Anderson. I ran a strong race and finished it off with another Oly run PR of 46:04 and fairly even splits (First 3.4 miles 25:14 (7:25 min/mile) Last 2.8 miles 20:50 (7:26 min/mile)). The third fastest split in my AG and finished 6th in my AG and 30th OA.

Is that a scientific test, No. But do I think High Intensity works. Absolutely! Did my legs still tighten up yes but, it occurred later in the run and it became very clear in my results when you compared the first and second halves of my season.

Race Report- Rev3 South Carolina-Anderson

Rev3 Anderson - Olympic Rev
2012-10-14
Anderson, South Carolina
United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
70F / 21C
Sunny

Triathlon - Olympic
Total Time = 2h 34m 10s
Overall Rank = 30/184
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 6/17

Pre-race routine:

My last Triathlon of 2012! Drove down Friday after getting my State Inspection for my car done but the forgot to change the oil. Got on the road about 11am and it was a good 11 hour drive which became 12 when my GPS didn't tell me about a turn so I stayed left and ended up in downtown Greenville. FInally got to Clemson just about midnight and immediately crashed. Next morning I headed over to Andeson and the expo and picked up my packet and chip, then headed over to Darwin Walker Park to drop off my bike and do the practice swim. Missed my teammates for the tri slide pit but swam a nice relaxed loop of the HIM course. Had issues with my goggles fogging up so Foggled up after I got out. Dropped of the bike and headed back to the hotel. Went to dinner with a bunch of my teammates at the same restraunt as last year in old town Anderson and again we had a great time eating and following the Ironman World Championships (and some of our teammates) via Twitter and facebook. Rolled back to the hotel took a shower and put on my race numbers laid everything out and hit the sack, Woke up at 5am drove to the expo by 5:30 and set up T2 then got on the shuttle and drove over to Darwin Walker at T1. Ended up sitting next to Jaqui Gordon and another pro and listened to them talk about the race and what else they had planned for the year. Got into T1 early, pumped up my tires before the lines, loaded up my bottles and set up T1, then found a nice corner and laid down for about 30 min till it was time to get my wetsuit on and head out. Had Stu come by and wish me luck. We got ushered out of transition at 7am and I visited the potta potties and headed down to watch the pros and the HIM get under way.

Event warmup:

There was about 30 min between the HIM and the first Olympic wave while they repositioned the buoys so we got a chance to do a swim warm up. Swam out to the first buoy and back. Was a bit chilly at first but warmed up and felt good.

Swim
00:33:31 | 1640.42 yards | 02m 02s / 100yards
Age Group: 9/17
Overall: 62/184
Performance: Average
Suit: TYR Hurricane Cat 5 Full

Course:

Counter clock wise loop around the point then a loop on the other side. The moved the buoys on the starting side but left the two red one on the other side and I think the college kids started going around them so they had everyone follow suit thus making the swim long. How long I don't know but that makes sense with the time as my swim was quite that slow based on my place w/i my AGE and OA.

Start type:Run
Plus: Waves
Water temp: 67F / 19C
200M Perf: Good
Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average
Drafting: Below average
Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average

Comments:

Started on the beach on the far right a few rows back. Strolled into the water and got going fairly event free. Heard Scott tell be to get going. Swam to the outside of the main group to the first buoy and then blended in going to the second. Got into a good steady rhythm and kept pace with the folks around me as we rounded the inlet, I drifted way outside on that leg and had to arc back in to get the buoy. At the candy corn buoy I thought we were supposed to head for home everyone was going straight towards the two red buoys and they had siad to round all the buoys that were still out on the course so I followed suit. Again I swung wide on this section and I definetely fell out of my rhythm. By the time I got it back we were pararrel with the shore and ready to get out.

What would you do differently?:

Swim more! And swim straighter! 9/17 AG and 62/184 OA

T1
Time:03:42
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average
Wetsuit stuck? Yes
Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below Average

Comments:

SHort run up the beach to the parking lot and T1. Had a small issue pulling my wetsuit off my feet, them took my time getting my glasses and ring, helmet and finally shoes and socks. Socks were tough to get on. Loaed my gel and then stuffed everything into my transition bag and tied it as it was a point to point.

What would you do differently?:

Little smoother gear change and not have such a fight with my swiftwicks and wetsuit. Fell to 10th in AG and 66th OA

Bike
01:09:47 | 24.85 miles | 21.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/17
Overall: 31/184
Performance: Good
Wind: Some

Course:

After riding out of the park and the speedbumps, took a right and hit the rolling hills out of town and around the country. No huge hills but steady rollers and about 750 ft of climbing, then back past the park into Anderson on some main roads with more rollers and back around to the convention center and T2.

Road: Smooth Dry
Turns: Average
Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good
Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard
Drinks: Just right

Comments:

Had some issues getting clipped in and lost a bit of ground then took it easy out to the road before finally dropping into aero and setting sail. Started passing people and found a good hard tempo. Started catching the collegate women and men 5 and 10 min ahead of my wave and it gave me something to shoot for. Passed a few people in my AG one with an aero helmit and IM tattoo on his calf, (love passing them) and hammered the hills and stayed in the big ring the whole time. On the second half I had 1 guy from the 30-35 AG pass me and ease away other than that I don't remember anyone passing me and staying in front of me (other than the 1 pro once the course came together. Had 1 guy in an aero helmit and trispoke wheel do a back a forth with me for 10 miles before I finally passed him for good on the main road in Anderson. Finished strong and felt good.

What would you do differently?:

Pretty well executed ride, maybe could have pushed the envelop a bit. Rode up to 6th in my AG and 31 OA plus passed a ton of collegate wave but need to ride stronger to place in my AG as I was 6th faster bike split as well.

T2
Time: 01:06
Overall: Good
Running with bike: Good
Racking bike: Below average
Shoe and helmet removal:Good

Comments:

Really good quick transition. My tri bag was in the way of my rack and it took a few extra seconds. But quickly out of my bike shoes into my running shoes grabbed my race belt and off. Got cheer from Alexander and Carole and off I went.

What would you do differently?:

Set up my bag better. Maintained my position OA and in my AG and actually made up about 10 seconds on the leader.

Run
00:46:04 | 06.21 miles | 07m 25s min/mile
Age Group: 6/17
Overall: 30/184
Performance: Good
First 3.4 miles 25:14 (7:25 min/mile) Last 2.8 miles 20:50 (7:26 min/mile)

Course:

Out of transition, loop around the duck pond then out along the roads on the Expo center to the Park trails, across the street on some rolling hills and out to some more trails turn around and come back to the finiah line minus the second loop around the duck pond.

Keeping cool: Good
Drinking: Just right

Comments:

Quick transition and got rolling on the little hill out of transition. had one guy pass me there and one college kid pacing behind me. Got into a good free pace and felt good. Were still catching the college wave people but few else. The pros doing the HIM had a two loop course so I got to see Andrew Strokowitz, Torenzo, and Richie Cunningham. Got up to the 3 mile point and the college kid passed me, then stopped to tie his shoe as I passed back and then passed my as a pro I didn't know passed us both. Passed Charlie Patten the head guy at Rev3 and had him tell me i was too old to be racing so much. Hit the turn and tried to lengthen my stride and work for home. Had the same pro pass me again (HIM turn around was a bit further up the road) and saw the leader (Andrew S. was absolutelte crushing the field. Passed Terenzo who was lloking strong and then Richie and Jaqui Gordon who gave me a big smile when I cheered her one. Saw Carole (MB!) again at the mile 5 aid station and pushed hard to the end. Had the finish line pretty much to myself and posed a bit for the finishline photo.

What would you do differently?:

46:04 is my Oly run PR, and it really didn't feel like I was going that hard as it was a smooth fast run. 3rd fastest split in my AG (behind only 1st and 3rd place)so it was a good run. Lost focus for a stretch but got it back so very happy with the run. Ended up 6th in my AG and 30th OA which was a bit depressing that I only passed one person with a PR run but I had a 4 mins to make up on 5th and had a 2 min gap which I stretched to 4 min on 7th.

Post race

Warm down:

Got my medal and towel and some water and walked over to my friends at the NormaTec tent and sat in the boots. Then went over to the transition and found Laura, and Alexander. Laura's brother was injuried in Afganistan over the weekend but had made it back to Walter Reed in DE and is going to be OK, which was great news. Then found my dry clothes and T1 bags and got changed and then loaded up T2 and walked my stuff to my car. Came back and got some food (Southern BBQ!!) then went to chek the results. The computer lost internet so that failed but a preliminary results sheet was up and it showed me 26th OA and 3rd in my AG. Unfortunately once the computers came back I saw that the Prelim sheet missed about a min and a half of finishers and 3 of them were in my AG, so I ended up 6th. That sort of sucked as I have never placed in my AG before and thought I had. Stayed around for the awards ceremony and found the OA winner was in my AG so only missed the podium by 2 spots.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swimming and maybe being too conservative early on the bike and run. The swim was long by all accounts or I might have been close to 2:30 and certainly would have PRed, but I was very satisfied especially with the run PR and considering i was coming off a HIM PR last week. Satisfying race but left a bit of room to hunger for a bit more.

Event comments:

Cool race and concept having pros and the SEC collegate championships alongside the regular ag oly and HIm races. Point to point course was reasonable and not a logisitcal nightmare like IM 70.3 Providence was as the transitions were only about 2 miles apart. Really nice homey athmosphere and feel to the race. Was announced this race will be the USAT Long Course Championships next year so now I defintiely have to qualify.

Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]: 4
Physical exertion [1-5]: 5
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

Half Full Tri Race Report

Half Full REV - Half 70 Mile Distance
2012-10-07
Ellicott City, Maryland
United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
48F / 9C
Precipitation

Triathlon- 1/2 Ironman
Total Time = 5h 24m 12s
Overall Rank = 25/221
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 7/33


Revolution3 and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults Welcomes You to Howard County, Maryland!

Welcome triathletes, volunteers, spectators and families to the Rev3 Half Full Triathlon! We are in our third year with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults and the Half Full Triathlon and this is the first year that the Half Full is part of the Rev3 Series. We are more than excited to be working with the Ulman Cancer Fund and Half Full. You will see that the Half is not quite a 70.3 but is instead a 70.0 this is to represent the 70,000 young adults affected by cancer every year. 70,000 is the estimated number of young adults diagnosed with cancer each year. This is a statistic that needs people’s attention. The Half Full Triathlon will help make the young adult cancer issue a priority and together we can improve the 70,000 statistic. With every mile you race you’re helping support this population of young people battling cancer.

Thank you for choosing Revolution3 Half Full Triathlon.

Our goal at Rev3 is to maximize the enjoyment for everyone at the race, and this includes the spectators! So, whether you’re competing, volunteering, or spectating, we intend to make it a memorable experience. If we can do anything to help you, please let any staff member know and we will do our best to make your experience a better one. Be sure to read the enclosed Schedule of Events that includes course overviews, Expo details, fun kid’s activities, and ALL of the important race day details. On behalf of the Revolution3 Triathlon team enjoy being a part of Rev3 Half Full and thanks again for adding Revolution3 to your race calendar. Make Rev3 Half Full more than just a race. Make it an EXPERIENCE!

Respectfully,
The Revolution3 Team &
The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults

I decided to do this race very late in the game but after all the hub bub about Lance doing the race and it was the right thing to do the race and support Ulman so I got in at the end. Drove down at 2:00Pm on Saturday after doing a cycling class and mowing the lawn and packing. Got to the Expo and checked in around 4:45pm, and racked my bike. Got my front brakes adjusted since the mechanics were still there and there was no line. COnsidering the wet conditions forecast that was a very smart move. Headed to Lausby, found my hotel, got a pre race dinner of Chick-a Fila and watched some college football before calling home and hitting the hay early.

Got up at 4:30am. Had mixed my bottles the night before and only had my race stuff so other then brushing my teeth and getting dressed didn't have much to do. Drove back to Centennial Park, got bad directons from my phone (defaulted to Ellicott city instead of the park which it found yesterday, but still got to the park by 5:30 ish, got a spot to park, and brought my stuff to transition. Had a bottle of Restore in the car and drnk that for breakfast. Set up and then had an hour. Pumped up my tires before the crowds, layed my stuff out. Didn't want to get out of my sweats since it was pretty cold but eventually did so about 20 min before getting tossed out of transition. Had a Kona Punch Powerbar gel and washed it down with some Perform from my bike bottle. Then headed to the potta potties and down to the starting area.

Event warmup:

Since the HIM didn't start until 8:30 with Lance and the Pros, Collegates, and Olympic AGs went first, and it was a TT start there really was no warm up. Listened to Mr Ulman speak, the national anthem and then went to the stage to sit down and watch the start. Started raining right before Mr Ulman took the mic. Basically sat a shivered in my wetsuit then hit the potta potties for a second time, got my uniform caught in my wetsuit but was save by a nice lady who fixed it and zipped me up. Thanks. Finally they called for the HIM survivors wave and since we were the second wave I headed towards the start corral. Head a few words of wisdom from Lance (still didn't actually see him), then they were off and we were shuffled forward in groups of 2. down to the water.

Swim

00:29:37 | 1640.42 yards | 01m 49s / 100yards
Age Group:14/33
Overall:93/221
Performance:Average
Time Trial Start
Suit:Hurricane Cat 5 Full Wetsuit.
Course:
Loop of the lake starting at the far side of the lake out around a little island to the end and back to the boat ramp. Long run to Transition.
Water temp:67F / 19C
Comments:
Got off to a nice start, and the water wasn't too cold. Nice run into the water and got off to a nice quick tempo to get warmed up. With the water about 20 degrees warmer than the air it felt good. Unlike Wisconsim (my only other time trial start, I didn't feel like I was getting freight trained by everyone behind me. Kept a nice smooth stoke and nice position in the water. Navigated well on the way out but drifted inside on the down leg and had to cut the buoy very tight. Finally started seeing people from the other waves towards the end and then I swam at the multi collored buoys at the boat ramp which were there to keep you from going too far so had to make my way back left to the ramp. Not a terrible swim

What would you do differently?:

The end was a mess as I added a ton of extra time and distance with my poor navigation. With no warm up and little swimming this year it wasn't too bad. Got to where I wanted to be and didn't use too much energy.

T1
Time:06:24
Performance:Average
Comments:

Long run up the hill and then up to transition on the grass. Nice carpetted run was good. Got to my spot and took my time. Got my wetsuit off with no major issues. Put on my glasses and ring, arm warmers, then my bike jersey, load my gels and second bottle into my back pockets, got my number on, wool cap and then helmet, shoes and socks, and then grabbed my bike then stopped and pulled on my gloves.

Relatively slow time but actually made up ground. Up to 11th from 14th,

What would you do differently?:

SHould have brought something to cover my stuff. Was going to fold the towel over but didn't seem like it was going to rain before the start and of course it did. Did stack it so it wasn't as wet but suck to put on a wet bike jersey over an wet uniform from the swim. Plus it was muddy.


Bike
02:57:27 | 56 miles | 18.93 mile/hr
Age Group:8/33
Overall:29/221
Performance:Good
Wind:Some
Course:
Two loops through the Howard county country side. Very scenic course and lots of rolling hills. About 1600 feet of climbing in the half. No majorly steep climbs or very technical decents but the wet conditions made them alot more nervewracking.
Road:Rough Wet
Comments:

Started out and was already wet and cold. Took it easy at first pacing behind a Team fight person shifting through the gears and getting some heat in my legs as we climbed out of the park. Once I settled in I found a good gear and started moving forward. Reeling and passed my pacer and got going. Each downhill was really chilling as the wind and the wet just made me feel rotten. Had a Mid Maryland Tri Club guy pass me and we went back and forth throughout the ride. I was the better climber and he was flying on the decents, so we balenced out well. Was very temtative on the decents and turns breaking to a crawl, but accelerated out of them well. Have a few more folks join us in our back and forth including a team fight guy and a Foxy Racing guy. With the time trial start, after about 10 miles I really slowed down passing people except for some of the folks doing the Olympic we were catching. The spray from the bike in front of you kept you from getting or staying in the drafting zone which was good. Finally started to warm up by the end of the first loop and didn't decide to cut things short as I was seriously considering for the first 15 miles or so. The volunteers and aid station crews did a great job out in the cold and wet but they kept cheering us on and hooting and holoring. The second loop I started to work harder on the hills and started to dispatch my crew of back and forth people finally loosing the MMTC guy at around mile 40. Picked off a few people every so often during the second half and noone came up from behind over the last 20 miles. My back started bothering me during the second loop so I was sitting up alot. Nutrition wise I did a really bad job. Grabbed a gel at about 15 miles and a big drink after the first loop, but over the last few climbs my legs felt like I was going to cramp so I drank some more around mile 40-50 but got way behind.

What would you do differently?:

Due to the constant rolling hills and rain and cold, I hardly drank at all. I almost lost control getting my gel and putting the wrap back, and never used my second bottle. Felt like I did a good job pacing and going fairly consistantly and it paid off on the run.

Pre-race routine:
T2
Time:02:15
Overall:Good

Comments:

Long trot from the road up to transition. Unloaded my bottle and gels, and changed my shoes grabbed my hat and went. Stopped at the transition porta potty and took care of that before heading out to the run. Picked up a bunch of spot up to 7th in AG and 25th overall.

What would you do differently?:

Not much

Run
01:48:28 | 13.1 miles | 08m 17s min/mile
Age Group:7/33
Overall:25/221
Performance:Good
First 3.1 miles 25:32 (8:14/mile) Second 6.7 miles 54:30 (8:08/mile) Last 3.3 miles 28:27 (8:37/mile)
Course:
Two loop course thru the park, with two hills, then onto the roads for some rolling hills, through anoth park/ nature area to the other side, then road pack to Centennial Park with 2 hills including a Cat 5 three tiered hard hill. Then through the park past the finish, then on the trail over to the boat dock to meet up with first loop.

Comments:

Started out feeling a bit rough for the first couple miles and felt like I had a rock in my shoe. Had three people go past me in the second mile, then a fourth right before the park. Despite getting passed, my legs started to come in and I was feeling better. Drank the gatorade on course each aid station. Going downhill on the back side I started reeling the forth guy back in. Gained alot of ground back up to him and was right on him as we completed lap one. He picked it up for a bit holding me off until after we passed the inspiration ridge and started up the first hill in the park on lap two. Went past him and didn't look back. Towards the end of the first loop we started catching people from the Olympic (felt bad for them 30+ min head start and 28 extra miles on the bike and I was still satching them). On the second lap I was lapping people on their first lap which felt good but was mentally hard since I wanted to ease up. Worked through it and actually ran a negative split up to the time line. Coming back I was pushing it, but started really tighting up and shortening my stride. Had two relays pass me on the way back on the second loop which was depressing but it was easy to spot who was 67 miles into a race and who was on a relay 4 miles in. Looks totally different. Could hear two people coming up behind me over the last two miles but I held them off over the big hill and past the 12 mile sign but they caught me right outside the park. It was the 5th place woman in a tema fight outfit and a 51 year old guy. He was coaching/encouraging her along and they obviously had been running together a while. She was hurting. I tried to match there pace but fell in behind them so where could make the turns. We caught a more Team Fight person they both seemed to know on the end of his first lap. Kept them both fairly close and let them open up some ground in the chute so I got a good photo. Head my spot from start to end 7th AG and 25th OA, so the people who passed me early were already ahead of me as I started in front of them, and I must have put enough time on the fourth guy over the last loop to offset the last two. Great run.

What would you do differently?:

Not much other that eat/ drink more on the bike to keep legs under me but after a hilly ride and hilly run I sort of expect to tighten up. PRed my HIM run by about 4 min and the mystery rock in my shoe disappeared after I stopped thinking about it.

Post race

Warm down:

Got my medal and water and tshirt. Hobbled over to the NormaTec tent and got in the boots for 20 min. After crashing in the chair for a while started to get cold in all my wet clothes. Changed out of my jersey and uniform and got a dry finisher's shirt on. Got done and passed on more time to get dry and some sweats on. Waddled up to transition and got changed and packed up. Took my stuff and bike to the car and loaded up then headed back for some food (chicken sausage) and looked at the results. Pumped up about the run and shocked at the PR, then bummed out that in addition to the PR I made a time better than the USAT Halfmax qualifying standard but since this isn't a USAT sanctioned race I didn't qualify. :(

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lets see cold morning, raining, wet road, freezing cold on the bike, numb feet, terrible nutrition execution ( barely drank and only 1 gel on bike and only gatorade on run) and a very hilly course. And of course I PRed!!! Started cramping at the end of the bike but somehow pulled out a HIM PR run, don't know what clicked but whatever it was it sure did.

18th HIM and ended up PRing by close to 2 min on one of the hardest courses (Not as hard as Black Bear, but comparable to Quazzy). WOW!

Event comments:

Great event! Weather condtions made it very demading on SUnday but the day before it was 70 and sunny, so bad luck there but nothing within the control of the RD. Having Lance Armstrong there was really cool, but rest of the cancer survivors high fiving you going into the water and at the finish really drove home what this event was all about. Great job by the volunteers, Police, and Army hang out with us in the rain making sure we were safe!


Mental exertion [1-5]
4
Physical exertion [1-5]
5
Good race?
Yes
Course challenge
Had
Organized?
Yes
Events on-time?
Yes
Lots of volunteers?
Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Yes
Post race activities:
Average
Race evaluation [1-5]
5