Rev3 Florida - Half Rev - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

No Swim! After seeing how angry the Gulf was, I did not have a problem with the decision. I suspect that if the Gulf had been even a little calmer and they decided to have the swim, I would have done it in my wetsuit to aid with floatation (the water was 78 degrees, and it's not like I was in any way going to challenge for a podium spot).

They allowed us to run into T1 "as if" we were entering following the swim. I had no issues running in and finding my spot. I did struggle a bit with my aero helmet (somehow it seemed to tighten itself -- or it could be that one of my kids had played with it and screwed it down so it would fit their head). After trying to squeeze that thing on my melon, I got my shoes on and ran out to the mount line. I contemplated trying a flying mount - but it would have been the first time doing it in a race, and I just wasn't comfortable with that yet.

Not much. Seemed to work well.

My plan heading in to the race was to do the ride in just about 3 hours...most of my solo training rides have been in the 18-19 mph range. I knew going in that the first 25 would be fast with a tail wind, but that the way back up would be brutal. And guess what? Mother Nature didn't let us down. I went out pretty strong. My average speed over the first split was almost 22 mph - quite fast for me. That said, I could have gone faster. I purposefully didn't push a huge gear and just spun easily. I didn't want to burn my matches. I think I was about the only dude who took that approach. Guys (and gals) were out like they had rocket packs on. More than one dude passed me like I was in reverse.

Once I made the turn at 25, it was almost as if I ran into a solid wall of wind. The winds were sustained 25mph with gusts up to 40mph. I honestly think this was the most harsh wind I've ever ridden in....and since I live in Florida, I ride in wind a lot! I was blown all over the road a couple of times, and I don't ride with deep dish rims (my aero wheels are about 50mm)

I did see quite a bit of drafting going on - especially as we fought through the wind. It was so difficult not to get caught up in it. That said, I didn't see an official until almost mile 50 - and once I did see him, I probably saw him 10 times. I didn't see anyone get carded though.

All in all, I was pretty pleased with my bike. I took 19 minutes off my bike split at Rev3 SC, and still felt OK as I came into T2. I did a flying dismount and ran into transition thankful that the ride was over.

Practice in a wind tunnel somewhere.

I've really practiced my transition this year, and have been quite pleased with my results in general. Whereas I used to put on my shoes, visor, race belt, etc. while in transition - now the only thing I do before I start moving is put on my shoes. I take care of the rest while I'm running. Same approach this time, but the key difference is I was running sockless and needed to spray my feet with TriSlide - and guess what - I forgot to set it out at my spot. So I had to run over to my transition bag, dig it out, spray my feet and then get into my shoes. Wasted precious time doing that.

Make sure that I lay out the TriSlide

I actually started the fun fairly poorly. My legs were just spent from the bike. I literally had to walk 3x within the first mile just to get my heart-rate down and some feeling in my legs. After that, I went along with my plan of running and then walking the aid stations. The first couple of miles were among the most difficult, but I really started to get my legs by about mile 3. I hooked up with a guy and gal and ran about three miles with them. It was great to have someone to chat with, plus their pace was right on where I wanted to be.

I took a lot of fluids at every aid station. Water. Gatorade. I poured water on my head at every station as well so I could keep cool. At mile 5 and again at 8 I took salt tablets - which were really helpful.

All-in-all, I was not too displeased with my run. I wanted to run about 2:15 - clearly I was off that a bit. That being said, my PR for a run segment in a race of this distance is 2:24 - so I was pleased to be right at that mark again.

Probably more brick runs

After I crossed the finish line and gave up my chip, I grabbed my shirt, a water, and a Gatorade and wandered around a bit. I made my way over to the NormaTec tent and signed up for a session there. While I waited, I watched the pro awards ceremony. That was cool to see (except for the fact that almost all of them looked like they had gone back to their hotel and showed up & then came back). I then experienced 25 minutes of pure bliss wearing NormaTec boots. After that, I cruised through the post-race food area, decided I couldn't eat it, saw some friends and teammates, and then left so I could make the 4 hour drive home. :-)


OK - I'm partial to Rev3 races in general (given the fact that I'm on the AG team), and this race certainly lived up to the Rev3 promise! The venue was beautiful, the volunteers were absolutely amazing, and perhaps surprising, the locals were totally in to the race as well! I saw lots of folks out in their yards watching us go by on the bike. People cheered us on from their car. Sharky's at the Pier was a great restaurant with an outstanding vibe.

Rev3 certainly couldn't control the weather - but they did their absolute best to make the best out of the conditions.

This race will absolutely be on my race calendar again next year.