Revolution3 Half Ironman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Knoxville, Tennessee
United States
Revolution3 Triathlon Series
59F / 15C
Overcast
Total Time = 6h 15m 31s
Overall Rank = 42/117
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 11/29
Pre-race routine:

Woke up before the alarm at ~4:50. Mixed my drinks, got ready, and managed to sneak out of the hotel room without waking the kids. Bonus! Rode my bike to down transition. That's right! Due to a backlog, the mechanics doing the pre-race tune-ups weren't finished with my bike until way after transition closed on Saturday night, so they said I could bring it in the a.m. - thanks, guys! Set up my gear and ate my delicious breakfast of oat squares with raisins and Trader Joe's latte-in-a-can. Put on my tattoos and then waited in line.
Event warmup:

Walked to the start, stood shivering and watching the pros swim by - amazing! Cried when the Caroline Can! team started, and then again when they swam back past the start - inspiring! Saw Tracy and Chris on the way down to the dock, and then we were in the water!
Swim
  • 37m 7s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

Loved this swim. I felt strong the whole way and managed to avoid any serious collisions despite running into some congestion now and then. I actually preferred the upstream portion, which seemed less choppy than the downstream portion. The current wasn't strong, so chop was more of an issue for me. No problems hauling out onto the dock.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I was happy with my swim.
Transition 1
  • 02m 51s
Comments:

I felt a cramp in my left calf as soon as I started running to transition and thought "Oh sh*t!" Then I heard Fattyfatfat yelling at me so I waved to the camera and hobbled on up the ramp and across the road to T1. Despite what Fatty (and his camera) may tell you, I did not get lost in T1! I just wasn't sure if I needed to run all the way around to the left before going to my bike, which was to the right near the exit. That seemed like it would have been fair to the folks down at the left end. But everyone else was just going straight to their bikes, so I did the same - eventually.
What would you do differently?:

Listen to the athlete briefing. Move faster. Tick tock, right Fatty?
Bike
  • 3h 29m 56s
  • 56 miles
  • 16.00 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew the hills on the bike course were going to be tough for me, since I've done pretty much all of my bike training indoors and we don't have hills outside either. That said, I love riding hills, so I went into this with the attitude of "whatever will be, will be." Most of the climbs weren't too bad, and I was able to spin up them at a reasonably high cadence. I coasted some of the faster downhills to give my legs a break. I spent most of the first 2 hours looking for the perfect bush to duck behind, and felt renewed once I finally found it. I hope that wasn't poison ivy! The last few miles back into town were rough - with rough pavement, gusty winds, and those crazy overpass climbs. I was so happy to see transition!
What would you do differently?:

Train more on the bike. A lot more!
Transition 2
  • 02m 18s
Comments:

Look at all those bikes already back in transition! This could have been faster, but I took the time to put on dry socks - my feet were numb so I wanted to do what I could to warm them back up. I also stopped for a few seconds to double check that I had done everything - it just seemed too simple, I thought I must have forgotten something. Nope. Onward!
What would you do differently?:

Think about what I need to do in T2 before I get there.
Run
  • 2h 03m 18s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

My legs were tight and my feet were numb coming out of T2, but I knew they'd feel better in a mile or so. Sure enough, I started feeling pretty good around the first mile marker, so I picked up the pace but kept my HR below 160 (pace 8:15-8:30). I got water at every aid station, but didn't take in any calories to avoid stomach issues. I was running well and felt fine through the turnaround and then all of a sudden I wasn't and I didn't. The last 5 miles were looooong. I was surprised that my pace was in the 10s those miles - it felt like I was in the 12s. I made it back, though, and my kids were waiting to run the chute with me. That was awesome!
What would you do differently?:

Better training on the bike would have made for a better run.
Post race
Warm down:

I got my finishers medal, and they had special little medals for the kids, which made them happy and made me tear up. Nice touch! I walked around the corner and sat down for a few minutes, then went to hang out with my SWBKRUN buddies.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I would need to do a lot more bike training to get better at this distance.

Event comments:

Well organized, fun race all around. It is family friendly, as advertised, with an adventure race, water park, and playground on-site for the kids. The medals for the kids at the finish were an especially nice touch. Great volunteers, lots of aid stations on the run, could have used a few more aid stations on the bike. Special thanks to the bike mechanics, who put in a long day on Saturday! I will definitely do another REV3 event!




Last updated: 2011-02-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:07 | 2112 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 3/29
Overall: 8/117
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra sleeveless
Course: Upstream a bit, then back down past the start to the finish. Not much current, but some chop.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:51
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:29:56 | 56 miles | 16.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 12/29
Overall: 52/117
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some
Course: Rolling hills through the countryside. Beautiful. Relentless.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:18
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:03:18 | 13.1 miles | 09m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/29
Overall: 38/117
Performance: Below average
Course: Flat for a few miles, first along the road and then along a nice wooded trail where there were a few dips and bumps. Past the Oly turnaround, we left the trail and ran through a lovely but hilly neighborhood. Ouch!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5