Revolution3 Full Distance - TriathlonFull Ironman

Swim start was delayed about 15 min. as it was an overcast morning and it was still pretty dark at that point. After the pros went out, it was our turn. I started toward the outside about 2 rows back from the front, which turned out to be a good choice. At the start there really wasn't much body contact, but the water was pretty cold, so it was tough taking those first few breaths. I settled into a rythm pretty quickly and just cruised at a very easy pace out to the first turn buoy. The first portion parallel to the shor line seemed to go very quickly as well, I was feeling pretty good. Then things got intereting when we turned and headed back to shore. All of the sudden, the water got very choppy, and every time I turned to breathe or looked up to sight, I was getting smacked in the face with a wave. I just tried to ride it out, but it took an eternity to get back into shore. That made me a little nervous about the 2nd loop but I still felt good so I knew it would be ok. The second box was kind of a blur, the first 2 legs again went by pretty quick, and I was bracing for the worst when I hit the turn buoy to head in and finish the swim. This time, the chop was still there but didn't seem as bad, so I just punched it in to shore.

Maybe push a little harder, I felt very strong at the end of the swim so I think I could have gone a little harder than I did.

This was the first race I've done with a "clean" transition area, so it was a little different. I grabbed my bag and headed into the changing tent, which was PACKED! Got the rest of my wetsuit off, socks on, helmet and sunglasses on, sunscreened up, lubed up the undercarriage, grabbed my nutrition for the bike and I was off. Carried bike shoes to my bike, put them on, grabbed my bike, and headed out.

Nothing, I moved reasonably quickly, but not so fast that I got my heartrate up or forgot anything important.

The ride to the actual loop portion of the course was uneventful, it just seemed to take forever. I was just riding along, making sure to follow my hydration and nutrition strategies. Legs actually felt a little tired early in the ride, but that went away pretty quickly. I wish I remembered anything specific about the early parts of the course, but it just wasn't really all that memorable. I had to pee several times in the first half of the bike, so I thought I was hydrating appropriately for the conditions. One thing I do remember is the wind, it seemed like we were always fighting a headwind, with the exception of a 15 mile stretch of road that was pretty easy going. Things got interesting for me around mile 40. I'm riding along near the shoulder of the road, when the right elbow pad of my aerobars just falls off the bike with no warning. I don't know how I didn't go down, but I slowed to a stop and looked things over to assess the situation. The screw and plastic insert that attach the pad to the base bar had both sheared off, so there was no hope of a field repair. At that point I knew the rest of the bike was going to be very difficult. To stay in the aero position, I had to either carry all my weight on my left arm or rest my right arm on the base bar, which was very uncomfortable for my arm and neck after a few miles. I just sucked it up and continued on, nothing I could do about it. Made it to bike special needs, grabbed a few more bottles and reapplied chamois cream and was off. The last bit of the loop portion was on bad road and into the wind, so this section was tough. The wind still wasn't too bad at this point though. By mile 70 my neck and right arm were really hurting, so I was alternating riding on the horns and in my broken aerobars. The final 30 miles were very difficult, the wind had picked up and I wasn't able to stay aero 100% of the time. I think this was the point where I stopped hydrating sufficiently. Even though it wasn't hot, I'm particularly prone to dehydration issues, so this was a problem. By the time we got back to Cedar Point Rd., I was really looking forward to being off the bike. That stretch of road went on for an eternity though. Finally made it back to the park and dismounted the bike, ready get on with the run.

Check bike over more carefully. The screws in my aerobars were torqued correctly, but I didn't remove them to inspect. They are less than a year old, so I wasn't expecting any issues. The manufacturer will definitely be hearing from me. Also, hydrate more the last 30 miles of the bike. But it was a good ride all things considered.

Quick transitions, got in, did what I needed to do, and got out. My neck was chafed pretty bad so the sunscreen really stung.

Nothing.

I actually felt great getting off the bike, my legs came up to speed right away. I saw my mom, sister, and aunt so that was a nice pick me up to start with. First few miles I was just cruising along at 8:45-9 min/mi pace, keeping heartrate in the high 140s/low 150s. Had to stop at portapotty around mile 1.5 for a longish bathroom break. I was still drinking a decent amount (1 cup per aid station in addition to my bottle), but apparently it still wasn't enough. I tried to take in a few hammer gels in the first half from my flask, but it wasn't tasting too good. On the first return to Cedar Point on the causeway I was still feeling strong. I stopped at special needs at the halfway point and grabbed a banana, pretzels, and another bottle, still feeeling good. First half was 1:57 by my watch, so I though I could do maybe a 4:05-4:10 marathon. At mile 15, it was like someone threw a switch. My heartrate climbed 10-15 bpm for the same pace, had a headache, and I felt very dizzy and sick to my stomach. I recognized this as dehydration, but I've never had it happen like this where there was no recognizable warning signs. My arms were very salty so maybe it was electrolyte deficiency. I immediatlely tried to just run walk. I should have stopped at an aid station and drank until I felt better. At mile 17 I was having trouble walking straight, so I stopped running altogether and stopped at the next aid station. I took in 30 oz. of water, filled my bottle, and started walking again. I promised myself I wouldn't risk my life for this, so I walked until I felt better. Had to stop at 5 more aid stations for more water and long bathroom breaks for my upset stomach, but still did not have to pee. I seriously thought at mile 21 I might have to DNF, I was really stumbling around and thought I was going to pass out. They had some salt pills at the aid station, so I took 4 and just waited there for a while. Eventually my stomach settled and the dizziness went down a little and I started walking again. Mile 24 I felt well enough to run/walk again, and did that into the finish. On that causeway, during the walk portions, I was pretty devastated by my failure in this race. It wasn't really a good feeling to finish like this, but I ran the last half mile into the park and tried to smile at the finish.

Hydrated better and figure out something that works for me running nutrition-wise.

Got my medal and finisher shirt, found the family and my buddy, took some pictures, tried to find some food without success, packed up and headed back to the hotel. Probably should have gotten weighed to see how severely I was dehydrated.


Poor hydration and nutrition on the bike and run.


Could not find ANY food anywhere after the race, not that I was really all that hungry but a slice of pizza would have been good, but other than that this was a pretty well run race. The bike and particularly the run courses were a little boring, so I'm not sure I would do this race again. But Rev3 does a great job, so I would definitely consider one of their other races in the future. The sting of my failure in this race is going to sit with me for a long time, but I'll be at Ironman Wisonsin next year to get my revenge!