85.3 water temp meant wetsuits were not allowed. This was my first time racing without it and I was a little nervous, though I did wear my swimskin. I stuck to my plan and stayed calm...just kept a good rhythm and had no problem breathing. I had plenty of room in the wide river and experienced very little contact. The water got very shallow (knee deep) about 600 yards in and I walked a view yards, which helped me reorient and get a nice view of the swim ahead. For my first non-wetsuit race, this went about as well as I could have hoped. I was expecting a 50 minute swim and I actually could have gone harder. The worst part was walking through ankle deep mud trying to get out of the water into T1.

More non-wetsuit swim practice.

Uneventful T1. I was surprised to see some of my teammates' bikes still in T1. I thought for sure they'd smoke me on the swim.

Nothing.

This was about as flat a ride as I've ever had. I've read some folks talking about rolling hills, but this was FLAT. At least it was to this Connecticut boy. I made sure to change gears and cadence even when I didn't have to, just because my legs are so used to that. I felt really good on the bike, and this was the fastest ride I've ever had (20.5 mph). The results say I moved up over 100 spots on the bike, and sure did feel like I was passing a lot of people. I stayed right on top of my nutrition and downed an extra bottle of water because of the heat. I was also pouring water on me to keep cool. My goal was to keep my watts in the 160-170 range, and I averaged 165 for the ride. Nailed it.

I need to ride more. My riding is getting better but there is so much room for improvement here. There is a lot of time to be gained.

Nice and smooth, mostly.

Remember to grab my gels. I lost a few seconds because I had to go back for them after a few steps. Better than forgetting them entirely though.

No matter how tired or hot it gets, I always look forward to the run because my body just seems to know what to do here. And it did get hot. 89 degrees with a 68 dew point. I have never taken so much water and ice from aid stations. I took two cups of water every time, drinking one and pouring one over my body and head. I also put ice under my hat and in my pockets. I downed a gel every third mile. There was some shade on the bike path, but the run was mostly in the clear, hot sun. As hot as it was, I had a good steady run, did not fade, and ran every step. DW did the aquabike and was long finished before me, but met me in the finish chute and we crossed the line together. I had a really good race and PR'd the 70.3 distance by about four minutes.

I can do 10-12 minutes better but I did what I could in the heat and I did have a good run. My OA and AG placement speaks to that.

I found a spot under a tent and covered myself in ice cold towels. The ice towels are a very nice touch by Rev3. I was completely spent. I started to feel nauseous after about 15 minutes so I grabbed some food and immediately felt better. We had about 10 teammates there from Connecticut and we all had a blast cheering for our later finishers and celebrating together. What a great day.


The heat!


This was my second Rev3 race and I can't say enough good things about them. This race in particular is very well organized and is a fast course. I would absolutely love to do this one again but I don't know if I can handle the drive down again.