Half Full REV - Half 70 Mile Distance - Triathlon

I thought I had a great swim. I have been working on my swimming lately and it seems to pay off. I was hoping to come in under 32:00 and I did and set a PR!! very happy with this performance.

I can always get faster and that is the goal.

Long run into T1 and up a big hill. I knew it was going to be a long day so I didn't rush and walked up the hill. Sat down and dried my feet, put on my bike stuff and was off for a hilly and hot 56 mile ride.

Take less time in Transition to improve OA time but it didn't really matter to me that much.

I started the bike feeling really good. I was excited and could feel myself go out too strong. I knew that I needed to dial it back a little bit but on the first loop I got a little too excited and pushed the tempo a little too hard and I paid for it on the second lap. There were a lot of hills both steep and long but fortunately for me, most of this course is the same as the Columbia Triathlon which I did in May so I knew what to expect. Around the 40 mile mark I started to get a pain in my right foot and when I got back into T2 I noticed it was a blister on the outside of my foot. I spoke with some people who had the half at close to 3,000ft of elevation but I wouldn't know for sure since my GPS watch didn't want to work when I got out of the water so I raced this entire race blind which was fun and a pain at the same time. Due to the hills, I didn't spend as much time in aero as I wanted too but having a carbon bike really helped get up those nasty hills. I am pleased with my time and glad I could sustain that pace over 50+ miles. I got off the bike feeling pretty good and was excited because I knew I was going to finish my first HIM.

Not go out as fast as I did on the first loop of the bike. I have made a ton of improvement in my cycling and have already tripled the amount of miles biked compared to last year but I still need more time in the saddle. I am really going to focus on building leg strength and endurance in the off season and hope to continue to improve my bike.

Took my time since I knew coming into T2 that I had to run a half marathon. Went to put on my body glide but since it was 85degrees outside, it had all melted away but I used it anyway and pretended it was vasoline and it still worked great. After putting on my compression socks, I headed out to start the run.

Go faster

When I got into T2 and put on my shoes I saw that I had been racing for 4:20:00 so after doing some math in my head, I knew that it was definitely possible to run a 2:35 Half or less and go sub 7hrs which was my stretch goal. I started out running feeling very confident that I was going to demolish my stretch goal because I know I can easily run better then a 2:30 half marathon. Well things did not work out like I had hoped they would. After about a half mile of running I started to get a cramp in my left calf and I was really thirsty. I walked the rest of the way to the first aid station which is at the top of the infamous "Gatorade Hill" which is a 12% grade. I got some water, ice and Gatorade and managed to run to the bottom of the hill before having to climb another hill to get out of the park and start the neighborhood section. I was starting to get really hot and was taking in a lot of fluids but I still felt a little dehydrated. Made it through the first loop in 1:15 or so and ran past the finish line to start the second loop. I was still on pace to go sub 7 but then the sun and heat really took its toll on me. There was a 2.5 mile gap between the last aid station on the first loop to the first aid station on the second loop. During that section I became even more dehydrated but I managed to run/walk to the first aid station of the second loop. While there, I took in 3 cups of ice water, 1 cup of Gatorade and a GU. Within a minute my stomach started hurting and I felt like I was going to puke. I knew I had too much but I couldn't help it, I felt like I needed it all. I wound up walking the first mile. Once I made it to the neighborhood area I caught up with a guy named Tim and we started talking. We decided that we would run/walk the rest of the course together and finish strong. I was glad I had someone to talk to and run with on that second loop because there were not a lot of people out there at this time since it was a smaller race. Being able to run/walk and talk with Tim really made the time pass and before you know it, we were coming into the park to finish. I looked at my watch and saw that I could finish in under 7:15 so I pushed it the last half mile or so to cross the finish line. Coming into the finish line chute, I saw my wife (who did the Oly) and she ran across the finish line with me which I loved. Overall a great race but the heat took its toll bad on me. I ran my worst HM ever but I will take it as a learning experience

Learn how to run in the heat and deal with nutrition. Not much I could do about the weather but maybe be more prepared next time. I have lived in Baltimore my whole life and never remember it being over 80+ degrees in October. Oh well, I still finished my HIM so I am happy :)

Crossed the finish line and I was so happy! Sat down, got my medal and some Ice cold water then ate a cheeseburger and chips. Stretched, packed up the car and went home.


I could have trained more but I was planning a wedding during training and sometimes life gets in the way. The heat was also a contributing factor to me and a lot of others as well.


I picked a great race for my first HIM. Thank you to the Ulman Cancer fund and Rev3 for putting on such a great race. This event was extremely well organized, had amazing volunteers as well as tons of inspiration from UCF and Team Fight. This was definitely a challenging course but I am glad I accepted the challenge and very proud to say that I am HALF FULL!