Rev3 Cedar Point - Half Rev Aquabike - Aquabike


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Sandusky, Ohio
United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
73F / 23C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 03m 44s
Overall Rank = 12/141
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 1/7
Pre-race routine:

Racing Age Group Nationals was my primary goal this year. When I was signing up for the Oly/Sprint I noticed Aquabike Nationals was going to be in Cedar Point a month later...

  • ..My first Full Distance (140.6) was 4 years ago at Rev3 Cedar Point. I've never done an Aquabike before, but it seemed like a fun event... I mean, NO RUN! Time Trial to my hearts content and not worry about saving something! Deal!

  • So I signed up. AG Nats came and went (somewhat uneventfully for me) and then all there was to focus on was AQ Nats. Alright... lets do this.

    Me, my mom, the beautiful Jenny and my grandparents departed Knoxville Friday morning and made the 9'ish hour drive up. We stayed at the Breakers hotel, which I 100% suggest to anyone ever planning to do this race. Walking outside your back door and into swim start is a huge incentive to stay there. I unload and pick up my packet Friday afternoon. Saturday I swam twice (trying out my sleeveless wetsuit, which I decided to use as it has a lot less restriction on my bad shoulder.) in the rather choppy "Lake" and then got in a good ride. I also drove the course and tried to note any trouble spots. Then it was bike check in and sitting around the hotel being lazy. I got around 9 hours sleep and race morning had around 1k calories for breakfast/going to transition, along with a red bull and water. We watched some of the Full Rev competitors battle with the waves and eventually it was start time! I kissed the family goodbye and headed towards the corral.
    Event warmup:

    Swam around for a few minutes, stood around longer.
    Swim
    • 39m 13s
    • 2112 yards
    • 01m 52s / 100 yards
    Comments:

    So I've been working on changing my stroke since AG Nationals... I haven't swam a straight 200m except the Thursday before the race... so I was hoping my endurance would hold out. I was also worried about how I'd do, as my stroke is definitely not yet changed, especially when I get tired. As it turned out, the "swim" had a lot less to do with being a good swimmer and more with being a good body surfer. Lots of contact from the start, but it was the waves, 2-4ft FROM START TO FINISH that really made it feel like you were in a washing machine. There were a couple times I'd come up to sight, get a face full of water, turn to breathe, get a wave in the mouth, finally get a breath, then drop a couple of feet back into the water. I have heard that a LOT (like 50+) of people were pulled out of the swim Sunday :(

    I thought it was fun :)

    Turned out it was great for me. I just rolled along like a jolly drunk sailor while the real swimmers had to worry about it messing them up. Turns out those years of binge drinking finally paid off in a triathlon!
    What would you do differently?:

    Jokes aside, I'm working on going from triathlete swimmer to real swimmer. Another couple of months of changing my stroke and I'm excited for what's to come next season.
    Transition 1
    • 01m 42s
    Comments:

    Had a good T1 I think. No hiccups.
    What would you do differently?:

    Standing up and not dolphin diving out of the water was probably silly (although that's more a swim thing...) but I did the right thing skipping the wetsuit strippers.
    Bike
    • 2h 22m 48s
    • 56 miles
    • 23.53 mile/hr
    Comments:

    I came out of the gates hot. I made it out the first 5-6 mile stretch safely (a good # of people wrecked/bottle launched on that stretch of terrain) and got down to work.

    At the 23.8miles checkpoint Rev3 has me clocking 25.52 mph, and I was well in the range of my race pace watts. Nutrition was going well, I was feeling good... only one problem. I ran out of water.

    At mile 30something I was completely dry. On the half course the next bottle station after you leave the little town (25ish miles in) is on your way back to transition... at the tail end of the race. At mile 45 my watts drop by about 10. I get tunnel vision, my neck hurts (thanks aero position) I'm thirsty and I don't want any more of my "food." I'm also terribly irritable.

    I know the signs of bonking. I know I'm bonking. I don't give two F's. All I want is water. I sit up for a minute to try to knock myself out of it. This close to the finish I know all I have to do is keep turning that crank... circle, square... however I can get it around. After what seems like eternity I hit that last aid station... I grab some water but the damage is already done. In the last 8 or so miles I get passed by at least 6 people (quit counting after that...) but there isn't anything I can do but keep grinding. I hit the coastal stretch again after seemingly forever and it's infested with Cedar Point traffic. (it's the back way in) I knew from riding it back in the day before that there are some game ending potholes if you hit them in aero... so I resign myself to riding back in to the finish sitting up.

    It wasn't pretty, but I got it done.

    Second bike split - 22.24mph avg. A sharp drop from the first part, but not a disaster. I cruise in to the dismount line and sigh with relief.
    What would you do differently?:

    the 20oz Torhans bottle wasn't big enough. I should have used the 30 or brought an extra bottle. My fault completely. For some reason I was thinking the half course would hit the second aid station again on the way back in. No excuses though, I drove the course, should have paid better attention.
    Post race
    Warm down:

    I got the bike racked, picked up my shoes and walked over to the finisher's chute. Monday happened to be my Nana's birthday (and Sunday was grandparents day) so, being that REV3 is cool with family crossing with you... I had her come through the chute with me. She got a shout out over the loud speaker and all! She's supported me for as long as I can remember, so I was thrilled she could share the finish with me!

    -retcon. After speaking with USAT I DID NOT win the National Championship race in the M30-34 race. I'm very sorry and embarrassed to have made the mistake, but in the end the blame is mine.

    What limited your ability to perform faster:

    I'm still making mistakes, but I'm learning. One day it's all going to click and then...watch out.

    My swimming is still not good. I've got stroke lessons right now though, so I'm working towards fixing it!

    please see this thread for a further explanation/apology.
    http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

    Event comments:

    This is an amazing race. I can only hope that with Challenge on board it stays. At some point I'll be back to Cedar Point to race again.




    Last updated: 2014-09-02 12:00 AM
    Swimming
    00:39:13 | 2112 yards | 01m 52s / 100yards
    Age Group: 3/7
    Overall: 45/141
    Performance: Average
    Suit: Xterra Sleeveless
    Course: Sort of a triangle... square... something. Who knows, just go out, turn, turn, in.
    Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
    Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: High
    200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
    Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
    Waves: Good Navigation: Good
    Rounding: Good
    T1
    Time: 01:42
    Performance: Good
    Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
    Suit off:
    Yes
    Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
    Jump on bike: Yes
    Getting up to speed: Good
    Biking
    02:22:48 | 56 miles | 23.53 mile/hr
    Age Group: 1/7
    Overall: 12/141
    Performance: Average
    Wind: Some with gusts
    Course: Out through scenic(?) Sandusky. Actually a fairly nice course minus the road out of (and into) transition. That road, right on the coast and full of sh*t pavement... that is a sucky 5-6 miles.
    Road: Potholes Dry Cadence: 85
    Turns: Good Cornering: Good
    Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
    Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
    Post race
    Weight change: %
    Overall: Average
    Mental exertion [1-5] 2
    Physical exertion [1-5] 4
    Good race? Ok
    Evaluation
    Course challenge
    Organized? Yes
    Events on-time? Yes
    Lots of volunteers? Yes
    Plenty of drinks? No
    Post race activities: Good
    Race evaluation [1-5] 4