Revolution3 Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I positioned myself towards the back of my swim wave. I don't like getting kicked or elbowed. My goal was to find open water and stay away from the masses. I was really nervous about this swim. The practice swim was brutal and I didn't think I would be able to complete this swim had the conditions remained the same. I was somewhat relieved that the lake was much calmer, but still nervous about what appeared to be an ocean swim.

As I made my way out and started to swim, I began to calm down quite a bit. I thought happy thoughts and tried to keep my mind off of how far I would be from shore. I did encounter some contact with other swimmers, but nothing too bad. Just before I got to the first turn marker, I felt like I was going to panic. I came up and did the breast stroke for a few seconds to calm myself down. This lasted for about 2 minutes or so, but as soon as I made the turn I felt better. I was began thinking happy thoughts again :)

Ok, so i'm swimming along with my happy thoughts, settling into a comfortable pace and breathing pattern, and whammo.....some dude from the wave after mine swam right over top of me, whacking me in the head with his elbow. I said, "WTF, dude!" He didn't break stride and kept swimming. How do you swim over top of someone? I don't see how that happens.

After that debacle, I found my groove again and made it to the next and final turn back towards the beach. The life guard in the kayak said, "come on guys, only a half mile to go." I knew that I would make it at that point without freaking out. The way back in was very choppy. I had to be very careful each breath not to take in a mouth full of Erie. Once I got to the beach, I was really happy and hoping to see Amanda and my girls.

As I was running out of the water, I saw them and gave high five's and made my way to T1. It was an awesome feeling.

Nothing. I put in the work during training and knew I could easily do the swim, but I was just nervous about the size of the lake. It was a mental battle way more than it was a physical one.

I was in no hurry here. I knew I would have issues getting my wetsuit off -I always do. Once I got it off, I took a gel real quick and packed my nutrition in my suit before heading out on the bike.

I had 2 gels, 1 clif car, 1 banana, and a pack of shot blocks. For liquids, I had an aero bottle and 2 other bottles of Gatorade.

Even though I was slow, I wouldn't have changed anything.

I was really pumped up to get this going. I was also nervous about getting a flat or having something happen that would end my race, like what happened 3 weeks ago at the Great Buckeye Challenge HIM.

On the way out of Cedar Point, I was amazed at how rough the road was. Every 10 feet was like a ramp in the pavement. I was very hesitant to get in the aero position. 10 miles later, the roads still were not any better. I saw several people on the side of the road with flat tires......YIKES, I didn't want that to be me! I felt really bad for them though.

I made it out to the country and was enjoying the tailwind on flat roads. That didn't last too long, as I found myself on the roads that had recently had the chip and tar treatment - those sucked! At one point, there was some dude who began talking to me while on the bike. At first I was enjoying the conversation, but then I realized that he was drafting off of me. It was funny because right as I thought that I heard a motorcycle very close to us. It stuck around for a few and I knew it was the course marshal and they were probably recording his race number. He then says to me, "Hey, let me know if you feel a pull. I'm trying to stay to the right of your tire so i'm not drafting." I just though "whatever dude." A few moments later, the race marshal was next to us again. Mr. Genius says to me, "Hey, I think they wrote my number down." I then explained to him that he needed to get off of my rear and that he was likely just penalized for drafting. That was the last I saw of him.

I kept pressing on. Boy, the wind was really good when it was at your back, but not so nice when it was in your face. I just tried to take advantage when I could. I went right through each aid station without taking anything from the course.

I noticed that I was riding in the 20's more often than not. I knew I was having a decent bike, but didn't want to look at my average pace until the end of the bike. I didn't want to know because I didn't want to push harder than I already was. By the last 2 miles of the ride, I had drank all 3 bottles of Gatorade, eaten a banana, a gel, a cliff bar, and the package of shot blocks. I felt great the entire ride. I finally looked at my average pace and saw I was at 19.2 mph. I was very pleased with this and pushed hard the last 2 miles to keep that keep that same pace.

Nothing!

I could not find my transition area. I went right past it and had to double back.

As I was heading out of T2, I saw Amanda and the girls. I was soooo happy to see them. I was feeling good and told them I would be ready to ride rides in a couple of hours.

Find my rack right away.

I started out running too fast, which is common for me after the bike. I slowed my pace to an 8:45 pace. I told myself to find my "run all day pace" and stick to it. That ended up fluctuating between this pace and a 10:30. I did stop at the first aid station to take a leak. I had to go since the beginning of the bike.

The miles were going by so fast. I took water at every aid station, and grapes at every other. I was amazed at how good I felt. It was cool to see the pros on the course. When I was at mile 10, I saw Samantha Warriner running towards me. She had a cyclist riding in front of her that had a placard on the front that said "1st place pro." As she was approaching me I attempted to give her some encouragement by clapping my hands and saying, "Come on girl, you got this!" She looked at me like I was the devil. She was looking really rough. I felt bad and thought maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

I continued to feel good, but was ready to be done. Once I hit the final turn and was heading back towards the park, I started to feel it. My last mile was where I really started to feel it. I had gone the entire race feeling great, but this was when I considered walking. My left calve was starting to seize up. I pressed on and made it to the park.

As I was running down towards the finishing chute, I saw and heard the crowd. It was awesome and loud. I was thinking to myself that it would be perfect if my girls were waiting for me and would run accross the finish line with me. Just before I got to the first arch, there they were. I felt emotional and very happy to see them. I grabbed their little hands and we ran through the finisher's chute. It was the BEST feeling to do that with them. My wife got some really good pictures and video of this. I'll post it if I can figure it out.

Nothing

I got my finisher's swag and hung out with the family. We had someone take our picture together, thenw e headed over to Johnny Rockets for a big fat cheesburger and fries. I was craving this since the beginning of the run. I then went out to the car to change clothes. We rode rides until the park closed at 8:00. It was a rush to get on the road so we could get the kids back home and in bed for school the next day.

As we were driving home, everyone had fallen asleep (everyone but me, I was driving). I thought about how lucky and blessed I am. My wife and kids had been to every race this summer and almost every tri I've ever done. Anyone with kids knows there's not much for the little ones to do but hurry up and wait. They were such troopers - all of them. I'm so greatful for their support. I was so happy that this race was different for them and they were able to really have fun while I was doing my thing, and that I could join them and share the fun with them once I was done. It made for a really special day.

I woke up on Monday feeling like I had been hit by a truck! I was shocked that I felt this way with how good I felt through the entire race. Tuesday was a little better, but still really feel it.

This was my last tri of the season. I definitely ended the season on a high note. I feel like I completed all of my goals for the year. This year was good prep for a full ironman next season :)




Nothing really. I went as fast as I planned to go.


Rev3 is the whip! They really know how to put on a race. I look forward to racing with them again. They really made my first HIM a great experience. I will never forget this. The volunteers were fantastic too. Thanks to the Rev3 staff and volunteers for making this an epic event!