Rev3 Anderson - Half Rev - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I was pleased with this swim. I probably seeded myself too far back in the crowd at the start corral, but it didn't really seem too bad in terms of finding a place to settle into swimming. It wasn't that big a start wave, I think - I was expecting it to be closer to 100, but see in the results that there were only 59 women and then we had aquabike and relays with us as well. I feel like I kept a pretty good line, sighting every 8th stroke or so (I have to or I will not keep a good line). There was a stretch where I felt like everyone was way to the left of me, but I think they were trying to stay close to the yellow sighting buoy while I was focused on the next orange turn buoy. I'm going to assume that I was totally right on that one, rather than wildly off course. Good swim.

Nothing. I think the swim is right where I want it to be given the time/effort I'm willing to put into it.

So, I know I suck at getting my wetsuit off. In the Desoto video they get it off in about 15 seconds, I think it takes me a minute or more. Then, I sat down to put on my socks and shoes, which I don't usually do if I'm skipping socks. Shoved wetsuit, cap, goggles into the bag to be returned to T2. I'm still not quite sure what took 4 minutes, though.

Practice taking the wetsuit on and off. Ugh.

I had ridden the first part of the course a couple of times, and had driven the last 16 miles on Saturday. Uphill the first 5 miles or so, so I knew not to knock myself out. Dealt with the ups and downs as best I could. I was passed in the early miles by pretty much every guy I passed on the swim, as well as a good number of women. I passed a couple of straggler guys in the first couple of miles and that was the extent of my passing except for one guy near the end - I've learned that my world is one where there's almost nobody who's faster than me on the swim who's also slower than me on the bike, which means I don't do a lot of passing in races with longer swims. I also (TMI alert!) peed for the first time on the bike. It was totally worth it. Drank 2.5 packets worth of GenUCAN, 1/3 each at :50 into the bike, 2:00 in, and 3:10. I also had half a honey stinger waffle because my stomach was growling, though my energy was fine. I didn't finish my bottle of electrolytes - probably not a good idea.

My family was going to be in Pendleton so I was counting down the miles until I got there. It was also the flattest part of the course, I think. It went by so fast, but they were all out there with a handful of other random spectators, and I got to yell "More Cowbell!!" at them. Fun!

Then the home stretch, which I had never ridden. For some reason I envisioned it flatter than it was, but it was still pretty rolling. It was nice to go downhill on the stretch going back past the T1 park. The section near the end on the busier highway was a little freaky being in the left lane, but the traffic control folks had it covered. They did a great job all over the course. And then, finally, I was rolling into T2.

I need to be better about my hydration, start early and often. Overall I think my bike fitness wasn't quite where it could have been. But this was pretty close to where I thought I would be, timewise.

I was going to try to jog my bike in but my legs weren't having it, so I walked it. Love those super-simple racks. Sat down to change shoes and socks. I did take a little time to get my number belt and visor on, as well as my Garmin (which for shorter races I typically only use on the bike not run), before starting the run.

I think at that point I needed to sit to get my shoes on. The strap (not original) on my Garmin is just a little fussy - I could switch it for something better. I could have been a bit quicker with the other stuff and saved maybe 30 seconds.

Went out for the run. Looking back, I had no idea what was coming and I probably did go out too fast. My splits get progressively slower. It was relentlessly hilly, the only saving grace is that it was completely overcast and even a misty drizzle for a few minutes. I was also concerned about my stomach - I was feeling a little acid stomach and I didn't want to test it, but I knew I wanted to get some calories in starting at about an hour into the run. I ended up taking some Pepsi at around an hour, and some gatorade a little later on. I was still feeling full and felt the twinges of the start of a side stitch, and I didn't really want to throw off the balance by overfilling my stomach. I really started to fade in the second half of the run, my guess is more due to lack of bike fitness than to going out too fast on the run or even nutrition. I was really feeling it in my knees, too - this was my longest run in this particular pair of shoes, not sure if that made a difference.

The whole first half of the run I was couldn't believe I was going to have to do this whole thing again. It was actually better the second time, especially after the turnaround, since I was able to mentally wave goodbye to each section of the run course. I stuck to my run/walk and didn't add any unscheduled walks until the final mile or two, there were just a couple of hills where I was completely done and walked up them. I am pleased at how I was able to push through and get it done.

As I approached the finish line, my family was waiting and my husband and kids ran me in. Unbeknownst to me, as the kids were running ahead and I was trying to stay with them, my husband hit the dirt behind me. That will make for a unique finishers photo!

I think I went out too fast, but it wasn't too fast according to plan, just too fast for me on this course on this day. I think I could have taken more nutrition on the run now that I realize the probable source of my acidy stomach (which wasn't the GI illness of the previous couple of days after all). But I'm not sure those would have made a huge difference. I was just beat up near the end.

I sat down for a minute and just sort of processed things mentally, then I went for a short walk with my 6 year old just to cool down a bit. Tried a little Muscle Milk but it wasn't hitting the spot, so I stuck with water for a little bit. After the in-laws left with the kids, I tried some of the BBQ - it killed me to turn down most of the options, but I couldn't imagine eating anything sweet (baked beans, brownie) or creamy (broccoli salad, potato salad) so I ended up with a chicken sandwich with a little sauce. And I didn't eat the bread. The chicken was good, though! And a Coke Zero, which was surprisingly good. (Normally I'd treat myself with a real Coke but the sugar just turned me off.) Then I was ready to clear my stuff out of T2 and go.


I think bike fitness is my target for next season, as well as dropping 5-10 pounds. I had a great first season and while my time for this race wasn't quite where I'd hoped, nothing went terribly off the rails either. I certainly have the confidence now that I can complete a challenging 70.3 course, and I can take that into next season.


Rev3 Anderson is a really nicely done race. It was my first 70.3, and I was really impressed at the big-time feel, even with a fairly small field. The volunteers were numerous and friendly, the bike course was well-marked with officers directing traffic where needed, and the run was diabolical. I would do this race again (once the pain from the first time wears off), and/or volunteer for it in the future.