Rev3 Half Rev Race Report - Run

Starting the run I had my PowerGels on my race belt and in my side pockets.  I was down a couple but I could easily pick them up at the aid stations where I would be getting my water.

I tried to be very conservative for the opening miles.  My inner quads started to cramp on the bike and I needed to loosen them up before trying to squeeze out any speed.

Two years ago when I did the HalfRev I had gone too hard on the bike and cramped up bad.  In 2010 I spent some time at the first aid station walking out the cramps and taking salt tablets.

This year I was able to cruise right by the aid station while calming down the quads.  I was going to stop and take a pee but I saw someone duck into the port-o-potty and another was in line.  As I ran past the last volunteer I saw several other guys heading towards to tall grass to relieve themselves.  I was fine for the time being and kept on trucking along.

At the mile markers I pressed the split button of my watch but didn't look at my time.  I just wanted some data to look at after the race.  I was going to race by perceived exertion.  Just like I've ran all year I would find an effort I felt I could hold the entire distance.  Only problem was that this would be my longest race distance of the year and there were mile markers telling me how much I had left to run.

Between miles 2 and 3 Mark finally passed me with a smack on my butt.  He was moving at a great pace and was by me in seconds.  There was no way I could stick with him and not pay for it dearly in the later miles.  I had to let him go and stick with my own strategy.

Nutritionally I was taking a PowerGel every other mile and water at all aid stations.  The PowerGels keep me mentally aware of the race and what I am doing.  Without proper nutrition on the run I turn in to a zombie just going through the motions. 

I did my fair share of passing people but was also passed by some people much faster.  But I held my own, raced my race and thanked the volunteers when I could.

For the first three miles I was averaging a 7:40 pace.   In hindsight that was probably too fast but that is what felt comfortable at the time.  For these longer races, half and full, I may need to pay attention to my watch a little closer and control my efforts.

At some point during the first half of the run I couldn't stand the loaded bladder and didn't want to bother with a pot-o-potty.  For the second time this year I peed during the run while running.  At the next aid station I grabbed some water and dumped it on my legs.  It felt good to have an empty bladder again.

Right before mile 6 I approached Daly's Pub and saw the CTC crew setting up their corner of the patio to cheer the runners.  They saw me and started cheering.  I saw them and headed towards them to get some high fives.  One person I was glad to see was an old teammate Adam.  I haven't seen him in a long time and it was great to get a high five and some encouraging words from him.

I continued on my way and got back on pace.  At this point I was going to start picking up the pace but my legs had different ideas for me.  My right calf decided it was a good time to start cramping. 

I was maintaining a good 8 minute pace but certainly some dehydration over the course of the day had seeped in.  I shortened my stride to prevent a full blown cramp from developing and had some good self talk with the calf in question.

I just told my muscles to relax and we would get through this with very little problems.  I was still cognizant about my surroundings and encouraged those athletes around me that I knew.  I passed my Hood to Coast teammate Steve.  He said he was hurting but I told him to control the pain and push through it.  He eventually placed in his Clydesdale division.

My calf tried to cramp on me no less than five times during the last half of the run.  But I fought through it.  There were several times I thought I would be forced to walk but I didn't.  I saw Mandie, 1 Puma, on her run and yelled that she was looking good.

I also saw Ginny near the 3 mile aid station.  She was three miles into her run and I was three miles from finishing mine.  I still managed to cross over and give her a high five, despite almost crashing into a volunteer.

I loved seeing my teammates and friends on the course.  We managed to give each other a mutual exchange of energy to boost our spirits and lighten our stride.

With about 1.5 miles to go we cross over a bridge which is the largest elevation gain/loss of the entire run.  It's only about 20 feet but near the end of the run it feels much steeper and taller than that.  I was gaining on the person ahead of me and I would make the pass near the top of the bridge.  Despite his compression socks I could tell he was in me age group.  I made what felt like a solid pass and pushed myself to widen the gap between us.

The calf was screaming at me some more but I kept a steady breathing pattern that allowed me to control the pain.  Only one more mile to go.

Mike took this picture of me at my finest.  I was grunting my way to the finish line.  I passed a couple more people before entering the final gated chute. 

There was an opening in the fence for relay teammates to join their runner to the finish line and I saw some familiar faces as they cheered for me.  Right before the passing under the inflatable arch I saw Aimee standing along the fence were I set up the team tent.  I slapped her hand as I passed and turned left towards the finish line.

I crossed the line with a final run time of 1:45:27 and finish time of 4:58:16.  I managed to achieve my sub 5 hour goal by two minutes. 

I stood for a moment with shaky legs as a volunteer helped take my timing chip off my ankle.  My finishers medal was draped around my neck and I started walking towards the back of the finish chute. 

They were handing out large Gatorade towels that had been dipped in cold water.  It felt good on my heated up body.  I grabbed my finisher shirt and sat in an open chair.  I pulled the towel over my head and allowed myself a moment to release the emotions that were ready to come out after a hard fought battle.  The battle with my body, mind and course often takes an mental toll on me and the post race release is just how I deal with it. 

I collected myself and started to make my way to the Snakebite tent.  Aimee, Laura, Jane and some others were sitting around waiting for more finishers, especially Mandie.  Aimee and Jane didn't have to wait too long to cross the finish line with their teammate.

Mandie was hurting just as bad as I was if not worse.  Her foot was bothering her very bad but she gutted it out for the team.

Overall I was 6th in my age group and 37th overall male.  I was happy with the effort I put forth even if it was not the smartest race I have ever had.  In retrospect I needed more fluids on the bike.  I recall a couple of times where the wind was drying the sweat from my body.  This leads to a false sense of your how much you are sweating.  I also discussed it with Aimee and she mad me realize that I didn't take any salt tablets prior to the race.  And the Saturday before the race was not the best nutritionally.

Oh well.  If you can't learn something from each race then why bother.

After watching some more people cross the finish line and change into regular clothes I made my way to Daly's Pub in downtown Sandusky.  I joined Jen, Mark, Marie,  and a couple others cheering for the runners. 

Then we drove back to the finish line and partied until midnight.  I was tired from racing but still had something for the party. 

Another great end to a fun and exciting season.

Rev3 Half Rev Race Report - Pre-race and swim

This race report should be about the Rev3 Revolution which consisted of a sprint tri on Saturday and the HalfRev on Sunday.  But due to circumstances beyond anyone's possible control the sprint race was cancelled.

Aimee and I got up at our "normal" 4:45AM time Saturday morning and headed to Cedar Point for the 7AM start time.  There were only five of us registered for the Revolution and then all the other sprint racers including two SBR teammates, Martha and Beth.

The rain was coming down in buckets but I readied myself for a cold wet race none the less.  Driving on Cedar Point Road, part of the course, the water was almost covering the road at points.  Some sections only had 2 feet of pavement showing.

In the parking lot people were saying that the race was cancelled.  A 5k run would take place instead.  I walked to the expo while Aimee waited in the car.  I found Martha and Beth in the registration tent and managed to get a team picture.

I checked in the club tent area and dismantled my tent and the CTC tent before the expected winds ripped them to shreds.  Aimee and I drove back home and we climbed back into bed until 9:30AM.

We met out friends later on Saturday to pick up the race packets and check the bikes into transition.  Aimee was the swimmer for her HalfRev relay team, 1 Puma, 2 Cougars, with our friends Mandie and Jane.  We didn't spend too much time at Cedar Point and wanted to get home.  I think we were both feeling a little off because of already being at the park earlier that day.  We tried to get to bed as early as possible.

Cougar 1 (Aimee - swim), Cougar 2 (Jane - bike), Puma (Mandie - run)

We woke up on Sunday morning at 4:45AM...again....and made our way to Cedar Point.  The transition area would be open for us until 7:30 but I wanted to get there before the FullRev started.  Adam O'Meara was racing and I wanted to wish him good luck.  Adam had been our homestay in 2010 when he raced the Full.

We got there with plenty of time to see Adam, set up my transition area, pump up bike tires (mine, Jane's and Laura's), get the team tent put together, and mingle with friends and competitors. 

Aimee and I were in the same start wave going off at 8:45.  The FullRev started at 7AM but they wanted the full racers to at least complete their first lap before we entered the water.

During the time before the start I was able to talk and share some moments with everyone.  I was also able to get into the water and loosen up the arms.  All of this keeps the atmosphere loose until we enter the swim corral.

When our swim wave was announced I gave Aimee and quick kiss and made my way into the water.  We stood about thigh deep in the water as we waited to be sent off.  I lined up front row middle since my swim had been pretty solid all summer.

With 5 seconds to go I started my watch and got ready to start swimming.  I immediately started swimming since it was deep enough.  With each breath I could see the people walking around me but I felt it was easier to swim than walk through the water.  We were all going the same speed whether walking or swimming.

Eventually everyone was swimming and we set our sights on the course markers.  My left goggle was getting some water in it so I stopped for a moment to take care of it.  The water still wasn't too deep and I was able to stand with no problems while I took care of my goggles.

Back in action I pushed forward through the water.  About half way to the first turn buoy the chop became a little more noticeable.  My sighting seemed to be paying off as I felt I was swimming fairly straight.

Rounding the first turn buoy the chop started coming at us from the left side.  I caught a couple of waves during my breathing but you can't let something like that affect your swimming.  I just exhaled as much water as possible and went for another breath.

On this second section I felt my sighting was not as good.  I'm not sure if I was trying to counter the wave action too much but I always felt like I was drifting left.  I had to keep adjusting right so I wasn't too far away from the buoys.

I began passing some people from the previous waves but also noticed a yellow swim cap from my start wave.  We were swimming the same pace I always had sight of my swim "partner".  Maybe I should have drafted off that person but I'm not very good at it.  So I just kept chugging along. 

About half way through the swim I was able to settle into breathing every third stroke.  I kept myself long and made the most of my catch and pull.  I felt fast and powerful which is a great mental boost.

Rounding the final turn buoy we began heading toward the beach.  The wind was coming from the west, the direction we were headed, and the chop was the worst here.  It was still manageable, but it was also noticeable when trying to sight the buoys. 

My yellow capped swim mate and I were continuing to pass people.  I tried swimming as far as possible, but when I started digging into the sand I was still a ways from the beach.  There is a lot of shallow water leading up the beach so I walked with those around me until I could get my feet above the water line and run.

I spotted my friend Laura ahead of me who was doing the Aquabike.  I ran by her, patted her on the butt and said, "let's get going girl."

I glanced at my watch when I hit the beach and it said 32 minutes.  My chip time was 32:18 and I was 3rd of 59 in the age group.  So I was happy with my swim.  I felt it was solid and put me in good position for the rest of the day.

As I ran up the beach I could hear some people cheering for me on both sides.  I could see the group from Spin/Second Sole Multisport off to the left and pointed at them in recognition.  I charged up the beach through the sand to the parking lot.

As I rounded the corner and headed towards the transition area I saw CTC super cheerleader Krystal bouncing up and down cheering for me.  It put a smile on my face and I hope she saw it.

I ran towards my bike getting my wetsuit down as far as I could.  I was finding the shortest route possible to my bike.  Below are the bike racks Rev3 uses.  I jumped over an empty transition rack to get to my bike.  It was just quicker that way.

I immediately put my sunglasses and helmet on before taking my wetsuit off the rest of the way.  Mandie, the Puma runner of Aimee's relay team ran over to cheer me on but I was very focused on getting onto the bike I didn't say anything to her.  I heard her screaming at me but my concentration once inside transition is so intense I shut things out. 

Having a friend right there at my transition spot gave me some extra energy to move even faster out of transition.  So my socks and shoes were next and I grabbed my bike from the rack.

I ran towards the bike exit and saw that it was jammed with people getting on their bikes.  Just hanging out and the mount line taking their time straddling their bikes.  I found an opening in the crowd and ran through the hole running right past my friend Mark.  I ran about 5 more yards and finally mounted my bike on the fly.

Time for a 56 mile ride.

The Revolution is Here

Revolution3 Triathlon that is. The crew bringing a full distance triathlon to Northern Ohio was in town for an informational meeting. One year from this weekend the Cedar Point FullRev and HalfRev will take place. One full year in advance, Heather Gollnick and her staff came out to look at the park, swim the waters of Lake Erie, and ride the roads.

Last night there was an informational session at the host resort. Since I am the USAT contact for SBR, I had received information about a club challenge that was going to be offered. I drove out to see what the race would be like. Oh yeah, meeting Heather would be a nice bonus.

A small group of people attended the event. The RD of the Greater Cleveland Triathlon, Mickey, was there. Sherman from Bike Authority showed up. There was Brandon, Ken, Tim and George representing the Cleveland Tri Club. Jim and Andy from the Spin/Second Sole team showed up also. Kyle Amsdell was asking some good questions as well. It was a great representation of Cleveland triathlon.

Heather, Eric and LJ represented Rev3 very well. They each provided great insight into the concept or Rev3, the race, how they want the race to be run, etc. After the general questions were answered Heather fielded some triathlon specific questions about nutrition, tapering, spousal support...anything we wanted to ask.

I was taking notes so that people could get a feel for the race. Here are some of my notes.

Currently there is no limit for entry. Being the first race at Cedar Point they anticipate good but not huge numbers. If they were to cap the entries it would be around 1500. Can't remember if that was for both races of not, FullRev and HalfRev.

The course is 90-95% done. Small changes are still in the works. The bike and run course are pretty much set. The swim course may move from one side of CP to the other. Last night the wind was from the north and Heather personally saw what type of waves the lake can produce. The white caps made her nervous. But she did say the "bay" side of the park was great to swim in.

Swim will be 1 or 2 loops, hoping to keep it one.
Bike and run will be 2 loops.

FullRev starts first with possibly a mass start followed by wave starts for the HalfRev. The HalfRev wouldn't start for about an hour after the FullRev. This should help with any congestion issues.

Due to the large pro purse being awarded there will be a large number of USAT officials on the course. Drafting will be the biggest concern but I'm sure the officials will be watching all aspects of the race.

Aid stations will be typical for a full distance event. 10-15 miles on bike and every mile on the run.

Similar to what Mickey does with training days at GCT, Rev3 will sponsor preview rides, swims, runs with pro triathletes leading the way.

Rev3 uses a front wheel bike rack system. No hanging the bikes by their seats. This would make everything nice and tidy. The racks will even have a name tag that you get to keep.

Club discounts will be available. Those that have already signed up don't worry. When the discount is available you will just need to contact Rev3 to get the discount applied....get a refund.

Even the volunteers can get discounts. If someone does volunteer for the race they can get a discount for the next year.

Rev3 is introducing a Club Challenge for the featured race at each of their events. At Cedar Point the featured event is the FullRev. A club can have teams of 3 men and 3 women compete for prizes. The lowest cumulative time of all six club members determines the winning team. Each person must be competing in the FullRev. Interesting concept.

There are still some logistical items to be worked out. Spectator entrance to Cedar Point is being figured out, especially if someone doesn't want to get on the rides. Family and friends just want to watch the finish. It will be worked out over the next year.

There are other things that I may not have written down but it will have the support and feel of an Ironman event, especially for the FullRev.

I came away from the meeting feeling pretty good about the event. They have been working hard with local resources to make the event attractive to local and out of town racers. Heather, Eric and LJ displayed a genuine excitement about the race. Heather and LJ especially had a high level of energy and enthusiasm about the race. The manager of Sawmill Resort was also providing input about training opportunities on his beaches.

The local support is definitely there.

After all the formal hoopla Heather answered some questions, took some pictures with us and signed some pictures. She was a pleasure to talk to and meet.

Here I am with Heather. Is this a blogger meet-up? A pro triathlete sighting?


Here is some more of the guys wanting a picture with Heather. The guy between me and Heather was from the Toledo Tri Club. Do I smell a Club Challenge between Cleveland and Toledo? Could be.

I'm glad I went to the meeting. Now I have to decide my race schedule for next year.

Game On.