Revolution3 Triathlon - Quassy 70.3 : Official Thread (Page 2)

I haven't done Quassy yet but I know the area and live in CT. 

I've done Timberman though and don't consider it hilly at all.  It's got 2 little hills but is fast besides that.  It's got long stretches of just hammer along.  Quassy won't be like that.  It has one big climb in the middle that will dwarf what you encountered at Timberman.  Besides that, it will be rolling with hills and it will be more difficult to get into a rythm.  It will require a different ride strategy and will be a much slower course.  Overall, on paper it's got close to 2500ft of climbing vs probably 2000ft for Timberman (just a guess)...

Simon - from what I've heard (friends who've done both this and Timberman, plus LP as well) the bike is real tough, much harder than Timberman.  As Jay said, once you get past that one hill about 8 miles in the Timberman course is damn near flat, but Quassy is just a bunch of rollers with one monster climb in the middle.  And the BIG difference: Quassy's run course is supposedly REAL tough, I guess the last couple of miles are all uphill and it gets progressively harder the closer you get to the finish.  Just a tough course all around...can't WAIT!

Jay - Still 30-34, yeah...I still have three more in this AG, actually, gotta take advantage of it while I can, 35-39 doesn't sound like much fun!

Training's been awesome, I've been working with a coach since June and he's fantastic.  Huge bike focus this winter and I'm putting up numbers I only dreamed about a year ago--I'm actually starting in on some road racing this spring so hopefully it translates to a big improvement in my 70.3 bike splits.  The swim has progressed nicely, 7-10,000m a week, not enough pool time to really improve but I'm a solid 0:10/100m faster now than 6 months ago.  The run...well the run is the run .  I'll start adding speedwork in the next month but I'm banking on the extra bike fitness to carry over to the run, I've only been doing 9-12 maintenance miles a week. 

I actually hurt my knee at the end of my week in Austin so the last week and a half has been frustrating...a couple of swims, lots of physical therapy, ice, advil and rest, and not much else.  Oh well, I probably needed a bit of a break after a real tough winter.

How about yourself?  How about anyone else, care to share what the winter's been like?  What the focus has been, where you are right now, etc? 

Ray - you're spot on about the run. Just looked at the gradient/elevation graph. Holy cr*p that looks rough.

I expect this will be my thought process:

Miles 0-1.5 downhill at -2% (My legs are like jelly)

Miles 1.5 to 2.5 uphill 2% gradient (My legs are even more like jelly)

Miles 2.5 -3.5 downhill - 2% gradient (Eh.....is that a BIG hill I see before me?)

Miles 3.5 - 4.5 uphill 4 to 5 % gradient (Oh for %^&* sake this is silly)

Miles 4.5 - 8 steady rollers 1-2 %? gradient (I might not have to walk this, keep going)

Miles 8 - 11 downhill -3% gradient (Maybe I can steal a skateboard from a kid to get down?)

Mile 11 - 13.2 uphill hitting 3% gradient (I hope the rides in the amusement park come with free beer!)

Thanks Bobby, it's great to get feedback from someone who's done the course. Sure seems like a tough one. I will be making some dates with the rollers in Palisades Park in the next 10 weeks.

Does anyone have recommendations for a drinks carrier/holder for racing? I use an X-Lab with cages for training but I'm thinking a device that I don't have to reach for bottles might be easier with these rollers.

Dream Chaser's course description is pretty spot on.  Bike course is hilly but I knew that going into last year, trained accordingly, and felt I was well prepared.  Run was a little more difficult than expected and I remember becoming resigned to the fact that another hill or roller was likely around the corner.   Will definitely train more hills for the run this yr.  

As to drink question, I had an xlab and aqua cell last year and the system worked well.  I am sticking with the xlab, ditching the aqua cell and going with a torpedo mount this yr.    

as kelly indicated, its an amusement park for little kids, we went there on camp trips when we were 10. 

May try and set up an initial pre ride mid April if anyone is interested.

Dream Chaser - 2011-03-17 5:36 PM

jsklarz - 2011-03-17 6:53 AM

kaburns1214 - 2011-03-08 9:21 PM

neweyes - 2011-03-08 9:17 PM

I'm in!

Super excited as this will be my first 70.3, on the way to my first 140.6 at the end of July. Hoping the hills here in West Virginia will get me ready for the course, and hoping the drivers here in West Virginia don't knock me off course.

How many of you will visit the amusement park on Saturday? I know, time on one's feet and all that, but maybe just for a little while??? I mean, free tickets, right?

Its not really an amusement park -- more like a kiddie park, pretty low key (although I love the arcade and the corny prizes). 

as kelly indicated, its an amusement park for little kids, we went there on camp trips when we were 10. 

May try and set up an initial pre ride mid April if anyone is interested.

If anyone from the eastern Long Island is signed up for Rev3 and interested in doing a training ride on the course in Mid April or early May, we can meet at the Port Jeff Ferry first-thing in the morning and throw the bikes in my mini-van and split the ferry fee.  I actually can comfortably fit three bikes in my Sienna, and we could split the ferry fee in three.  PM me if interested.  I cannot emphasize enough that this is a tough, challenging, beast of a course and it would serve well to ride it before Race Day. TRUST ME!

My plan is at least 2 or 3 rides of the course. 

Good afternoon!  Looks like Quassy is just around the corner!  We are having the course preview day once again.  May 15th this year and it will be hosted by the fine folks from Target Training.  You can find more information on our website.

Charlie

www.rev3tri.com

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Dream Chaser - 2011-04-11 9:15 AM I hope everyone is training on Hills!!  Hill repeats, and more Hill Repeats!!   I can still vividly see some of the climbs on the Bike and Run. 

Just a little over a month and a half to go

Definitely plan on doing hill repeats at twice a week before work & hope I can stick to that plan. I recently rode with a friend who did this race last year and asked her about it. The expression on her face when she described the run suggested she vividly remembered it too . I've a feeling this race may prove to be the toughest one yet for me. Still looking forward to it though!

What's up DC, I remember you from last years IMLP blog, wow did that thread have a lot of entries!

Has anyone found a course profile for the bike or run course?