I don't want to say that I failed because didn't fail I just had a bad swim. I now know life as a salmon swimming upstream is tough! So the first 100-200 meters you pretty much are running/wading/dolphin jumping until it finally gets deep enough to swim. I was a little worried when I saw the pros get pushed so far from the first turn buoy but they all seemed to round it just fine. So I was feeling ok. My sighting was good and I was feeling pretty good at that point until the first turn buoy. In the little time as you get near the buoy the current sweeps you down stream so I had to turn right into and swim towards the buoy. I as doing ok but every time I sighted the buoy just didn't seem to get any closer. Finally I got close but got caught in the middle of the chaos which became a washing machine. I was ok for a bit until I got pushed under by someone. As I came up I needed to get out of the washing machine and had to call for help. This was the most disappointing part of the day. At that point I felt like a complete loser that I had to call for help...but I was still determined to finish! I was on the paddle board getting my head straight and my breath back with another guy in my wave. The unfortunate part here is I lost any forward momentum I had gained even though the guy was trying to keep it that way. So the guy with me on the paddle board looked at me and said "Let's do this" and gave me a high five and off we went. I passed the buoy. So thank you whoever you were! I knew at this point I was not going to hit my overall numbers and just remembered to have fun on this day. I made it to the start line injury free and I am doing a HIM. How awesome is that. I used that mindset the rest of the swim. It was still tough until the last turn buoy. I just slowed down and made sure my stroke form and body position was good and I started to move nicely. The last turn in was great and I actually slowed my breathing and heart rate down a bit on this portion and felt good coming out of the water. Good thing about coming out later in the swim is lots of people to chomp down on the bike and run.

I just need more OWS or hope REV3 changes the course a little bit haha! I am proud of making it through that swim and learned a lot about my perseverance today.

My wife is amazing. She told me later she was trying to work on positives for me when I came out of the water. First she was trying with my age group but the one that happened was the last pro was only out 15 mins before me. That help boost my spirits and know my strong suits would help me pick off people. I put my shoes on in transition this time since I had the issues with the straps the last couple of races. I am really glad I did this. I was up to speed in no time.

Nothing. I felt good about this transition.

It was overall a good bike ride. I stayed in my heart rate ranges and thought I was a bit faster than the numbers show but overall I am happy. The course was a little tougher than I thought it would be. A couple of hills were brutal and I even saw a couple of folks walking them. Bottle hand offs went well and my nutrition was good. First time I had to refill my front aero bottle I went off the road. Luckily I caught myself and just stopped and filled it up. That was really the only mishap all day on the bike. I know I was zapped from being in the water so long but I was still impressed with how I did. The best part of the bike was when I finally saw a couple of guys in my age group and was able to pass them. Talk about a spirit lifter. All the bike work my coach put me through in the off season really paid off. My nutrition was spot on and I felt strong the whole bike ride.

Not much here. I need to practice filling my bottles more even though I got a grasp on it after the first bottle.

Not bad here. I should have put more sunscreen on my shoulders and I have a nice tan line around my temp tattoo numbers. I was moving a little slower here it seemed than I usually do but I was happy to be getting on the run and finishing this thing

Nothing.

Not my best time by any means but considering the day and how hot it got I am not complaining. GPS for some stupid reason didn't work when I switched to run from bike on my watch so I was having to do pace in my head based on the mile markers. I was feeling great on the lap and was around 8:30-8:40. Mile 2-3 was a long up hill that was brutal on the second time around. I walked all the aid stations. First loop I walked a little faster than the second. The first mile I felt like I had to pee bad so stopped and the first place I could and I felt much better after that. I got cold water/ice on the head/body at each one and Gatorade down the tube. I had a clif block every other mile starting at mile 2 and felt my nutrition was good. I had no cramping our GI issues which I was very happy about considering how hot it started to get. I really felt good until the last couple of miles. I knew I was slowing down but never thought it was that much near the end. However, It was awesome to cross the finish line with the wife after her awesome support all day especially being pregnant.

Umm don't know. It was my first time around on this distance. I need to think if I pushed to hard on the bike at anytime. Did being the water eventually affect the run? I know this isn't my best half marathon time but I will take it after everything before it.

I enjoyed the cold towel they give you. I walked around and wanted to keep the muscles moving. I couldn't eat the pasta because two weeks ago I tried to have pizza after the race and the sauce almost made me throw up. Luckily I had a clif bar laying around and had that with some water.


The swim taking so long I would say. It took a lot out of me to finish that. Mentally I felt strong but I knew it was going to effect the rest of the race in some way. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I thought it could have turned out to be. You know what though...I finished my first HIM! That is all that matters!


I think REV3 has some things to work on. Finding the bags afterwards was crazy. It was more organized by the time I got there. It wasn't just a massive pile like many had to deal with. The swim was tough, I don't know if they will change it but swimming up river sucks! Overall it was still a good atmosphere and unlike some people I realize in an inaugural event there is going to be some bumps and bruises in the process. I would love to see how it changes for next year.