Revolution3 Full Distance
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Revolution3 Full Distance - TriathlonFull Ironman
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United States
Revolution3
Sunny
Overall Rank = 176/337
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 18/30
Warning - Most of this is section is spent reminiscing on how I got here.
Where to being with this race report? I guess my journey to completing an iron distance race had two starting points. First, I had a wake-up call in the year 2000. My Uncle Lee passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart problem at 41. At the time, I was out of shape and my Uncle would often run circles around me on the basketball court. I decided then that I needed to get into shape. I was 20 and had already started developing a bit of a gut. I started running with my friend Andy and I still remember that first mile at the track where I laid there gasping for air afterward. For the next 3-4 years Andy and I continued to run, but mainly focused on the 5K distance with a 10K thrown in once in awhile.
Then I had a bit of a detour. For some reason when I was 24-25 (04-05) I decided I wanted to be buff. I started lifted weights like crazy and stopped running. I was the guy who went in and did arms and chest and didn't do any legs. I quickly bulked up, going from 175lbs to 200 lbs. Some was muscle mass, some was fat. I started skipping the 5K and 10K races Andy and I had always done.
So there I was in the summer of 2006, killing weights 4-5 times a week when my wife Andrea and her friend Elise decided to train for a sprint triathlon. When Andrea told me about this something sort of sparked within me. I remembered watching what I now know was the Kona World Championship on TV and I was always fascinated by the idea of doing one. And with a healthy dose of, if Andrea can do it so can I, I signed up for the sprint.
I realized I needed a plan and I scoured the Internet, and that's how I came across Beginner Triathlete. I didn't register at first, but I grabbed the Couch to Sprint plan and started to get to work. I still hit the weights, but I started jogging again and I took the mountain bike I had had since I was 12 into the bike shop to get it tuned up. The first time I went to the pool I went without goggles and used my parachute swimming trunks. I swam 50 yards with my head out of the water the entire time and I was completely out of breath. I also think I swallowed the whole pool. The 2nd time my wife convinced me to stick my head under water, which I did, and I opened my eyes to see the black line, which resulted in my eyes burning for a week because I still didn't have goggles! I remember talking to a fellow graduate student named Rob who had done an IM about how crazy that distance was and how I would never dream of attempting it!
Finally I got a pair of goggles and some tri shorts, and soon enough there we were about to do our first sprint. I'll never forget how hard that final 5K was and how I had to stop and walk. I still managed to beat Andrea but by a mere two seconds. Here's a few photos of that race:
That was my second wakeup call. I started running 3-4 times a week and stopped lifting weights. I dropped 25lbs pretty quickly and soon enough was back after the 5Ks and 10Ks with Andy and Andrea. In 2007 I did my first 15K and then in 2008 I added a 10 Miler, a Half Marathon, my first Marathon, and my first Olympic Distance. At that point a half IM seemed doable and I completed my first in 2009. Along the way I added a few things to improve my time like a wetsuit, garmin, and a road bike. I didn't want to spend tons of money on a bike before I knew I was serious about the sport so I bought a used Trek 1000 for $450 and added aero bars.
I finished the Half IM with a lot left in the tank, a smile on my face, and for the first time the feeling that perhaps an IM would be possible for me to do. But by the end of my HIM training I was pretty burned out and I didn't know if I wanted to put in all the training for an IM. As IM-brand events sell out really quickly and you have to register a year ahead of time I knew my plan of seeing how the first few months of training went before really committing would be difficult to do.
But then the great folks at Rev3 came along. An IM distance race in Sandusky, OH, which is basically Andrea's hometown. I would have tons of cheering support from her family, I wouldn't need a hotel, and I could wait to register until I was sure I wanted to do this. So on March 29th of this year I embarked on my IM training plan, with a book by Matt Fitzgerald as my guide. My first goal was sub 13:30, my secret goal was 13:00, and my super secret goal was 12:30. That being said, I still only did Level 2 of Matt's IM plan. For the next 24 weeks I tried to stick to the plan but it is so hard trying to fit 9 workouts in a week. I was working out more than I ever had and still felt like a bum. Our yard always looked like crap because I was too busy training to mess with it. But one crazy Wednesday night after a measly 5 mile run the endorphins hit me hard and I thought I have to do this. I registered for the full before I could change my mind.
Overall, my training went well. I hit most of the long workouts and skipped a lot of short ones. I went to one of the Rev 3 training days put on by the Cleveland Tri Club and it was fun riding the course and getting a taste of the Lake Erie waves. The week before the race I made sure to get a race tune-up, extra tubes and CO2 for my Bike Special needs, and countless other tiny details.
Andrea and I drove up to Sandusky Friday night and we stayed with her Mom and Stepdad and they were great hosts. I focused on getting hydrated. Saturday morning I woke up convinced I was getting sick but it turns out I was just nervous. Andrea went with me to check in and to drop off my bike and it was cool going through the process. We got back home and I laid out all my gear for the big day! Saturday night I managed about 3 hours of sleep and at 4AM I was up and ready to go. I shaved, had some pop tarts and away we went to start my big adventure!
My cheering crew was out in full force in the wee hours of the morning. Andrea, my parents, Andrea's mom and stepdad, Andrea's dad and her dad's girlfriend, Andrea's uncle and her cousin all showed up before 7AM on a Sunday to support me. It felt great to have that many people there supporting me (and a little nerve wracking... what if I messed up?!?!).
I loaded my bike nutrition, made sure my tires were inflated, turned in my special needs bags and transition bags, got body marked, got weighed, got sunscreened and body glided, put on my wetsuit and headed down the beach. It was go time!
I also finally joined the club. I know everyone does it, but I had NEVER peed in my wetsuit. Standing there, waiting as there was a 10 minute delay, already in my wetsuit, with no bathrooms in sight, I finally joined the club.