REV3 Quassy Half Iron Race Report - The Revolution Day 2

We woke up bright and early to a BEAUTIFUL (albeit a bit chilly) morning for the Half on Sunday.  I woke up, had my pre-race oatmeal, grabbed my already packed bags and hit the road.  Got to the race site just in time to snag a prime parking spot across the street at the baseball fields.  Headed to transition which was now becoming old hat.  I got set up, put some TriSlide on and slipped on the TYR wetsuit.  Air temps were in the high 50's, water temp was high 60's.  There was quite a crowd of professionals assembled so it was cool to see them as I was "warming up" in the water.  I stood next to them on the shore to watch the start which was pretty cool. After they fetched an errant buoy the pro's were off.  I was in the 4th or 5th wave so I waited around and made a last minute stop at the bathroom which I THOUGHT would stave off any urges to go later in the race, trying to not have to stop like I did last year.  More on that later!

So the sun was shining brightly which meant that one leg of the swim would be directly into the now rising sun.  The swim course was slightly different this year in that it was long and narrow with the short leg headed into the sun which was nice.  Last year it was more of a triangle.  I started toward the top 1/3 of my wave and felt pretty decent.  I was soon catching people from the wave before me which is very rare!  My sighting was great again, until I made that right turn.  I had to trust those around me because I couldn't see a buoy until it was right one me.  It worked, and as we headed home I was feeling relieved. The swim(s) had me concerned due to my lack of time in the water over the past 9 months.  I climbed out of the water and got to work taking my wetsuit off.

SWIM: 36:31, 52/168 in my AG.  I'll take it!

Exiting the water, the lake in the background is one of the best I've swam in, very clean.

Decent transition, decided to forgo the arm warmers and suck it up.  I was off and out on the bike course.  The sun was coming up and a beautiful day was forming.  There were many people from the earlier waves in front of me, so it kept things interesting on the road.  The plan here was to take it easy for the first 30 miles or so, then push it and see what the legs had left after the OLY the day before.  And take it easy I did, although I really had to pee, BAD.  I kept hoping it would go away, but it wouldn't.  About 10 miles in we hit a short, steep incline and I pulled a bonehead move and dropped my chain.  So I had to hop off and get it back on, then start on the side of the hill!  Back on the road I was holding my own, getting past, passing, etc.  I was really hungry so I munched on my cut up Powerbar Harvest Bar that I had cut up and brought with me.  I was saving my gels for later.

As we were climbing the big hill about 25 miles in I realized that I needed a potty break.  So I stopped and no sooner did I stop, I heard the motorcycle with the official on it.  SHIT!  Hopped back on the bike and kept riding.  Not sure if it's illegal or not, but no use taking a chance.  So I stopped a mile or two up the road and then I had company...two other riders had the same call from Mother Nature!  Wow, I felt MUCH better.  Slowed down and grabbed a bottle at the next aid station and it was go time.  The course is beautiful and always changing so you never get bored.  We made the left hand turn at the top of the big gradual climb and it was onto my favorite parts of the course.  I wasn't feeling too bad and the legs were cooperating so I went with it.  Held a good average and picked off A LOT of people in the last 25 miles or so. 

As I said, some great scenery on a BEAUTIFUL day!

So, into transition I came, mission accomplished...fast second half of ride and somewhat fresh legs.  I nailed the dismount and got switched over into run mode.

BIKE: 2:49:52, 20.63mph, now up to 38/168 in my AG.

All smiles headed out onto the run.

My game plan for the half marathon portion of a 70.3 is always to manage my pace early, meaning, run within yourself and don't go out too fast so you die half way through the race.  The last two years we had some warm weather for this race, but it wasn't too bad on this day.  I planned to take two, maybe three, Powergels to fuel my run.

As I got into a groove, the splits just kept consistently coming in around the 6:30 mark depending on what "obstacles" (READ:HILLS) were in my way.  I ran completely by effort which really paid dividends.  I ate a gel at about 5 miles in, then another after 8 miles.  I was consistently catching and passing people the whole time which really helps you to feel even better.  I also really like the 82GO water bags that they used at the aid stations.  Easy to open and carry and great to drink / cool you off.  Shameless plug here, but Rev 3 does things right, down to the last detail.  Up that last dreadful hill and crossed the line. 

RUN: 1:26:27, 6:19 and up to 15th in my AG!

Aaahhh, that finish line!  Thanks to REV3 for the free finish line photos.

All in all it was a great race for me, especially considering that I raced pretty hard just 24 hours prior.  It was a PR on this course at 4:56:01 and a PR in my limited half ironman "career".  The run was the fastest that I've run off a bike at the half distance by more than 90 seconds which makes me feel even better given the challenge of the terrain.

So over the course of the two days I raced over 102 miles in about 7:15 or so.  I climbed about 7,700' of elevation gain over the 100 or so miles of riding and running.  Again, REV3 did an awesome job for the whole weekend of events, not a stone left unturned.  I'm so thankful to be a part of their team and thank you for our generous sponsors, Pearl Iszumi, Power Bar, TriSlide, etc.

Now to figure out what's next!