Well... what can I say. I knew my swim wasn't going to burn up the record books or anything, but I was fairly excited by the start. One big Mass start was a beating for the first 200m or so, but man it was fun. Somehow, I continued to make the inside of the turn bouy's and get thrown to the far outside... I'm not sure what the heck the problem was... I probably swam another 1/3 of a mile out of the way. Sighting was not so hot either as it was quite overcast and between that and all the moving arms... it was kind of a matter of finding a foot and following it. The run on the beach halfway through was interesting as well.



I need more Open Water swimming, and, more importantly, more speed work in the pool.

T1 was fairly uneventful. Run up the beach, wash off my feet, grab my T1 bag, run into the tent, a volunteer stripped the bottom of my wetsuit off, I threw on my Helmet and put my sunglasses around my neck, grabbed my bike and ran out.

As fate would have it, when I went to do my "Feet on shoes" mount, my left foot slipped off and I had a momentary "oh sh*t" moment. The good news is I recovered easily and was off and away. Good times.





Haha... not have a discussion about why riding on top of your shoes is better a week before the race ;) Seriously though, I could have probably sped it up a bit, but I was still taking it all in.

A great bike ride. I was worried from all the stories about pushing too hard on the bike... so I carried an Avg. Watt output of 142. I certainly never felt like I was "burning" myself out, but... you know, your first rodeo you don't ride the meanest bull. The first 70 or so miles were amazing, I felt great, everything was going well. I drank somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of a Cerasport every aid station, it went down a lot smoother than expected. I always kept an extra bottle of water in my jersey pocket (just in case) but never needed it... for hydrating anyways...

.. yes, I peed on the bike.

The last 30-40 miles the wind really picked up. I was constantly assaulted by headwind and crosswinds... it made the last miles a real challenge. I'll be honest, the last two miles were worse than the first 110! Gah they sucked. I'm very glad I chose my 404 on the front instead of my H3.

Overall I was pretty happy with my bike... I do wish I had put some more into it though. Also, had no problems holding my fairly steep aero position all day long (even drinking in aero!)

I also got passed by Bjorn... as he was going by me at what had to be 30+mph.

Go at it a bit harder. I simply don't think I pushed hard enough... another 30 watts on the AVG. would have still been in Zone2 for me.

OK, soo... Get my feet out of my shoes, ride in to the dismount line. Get off the bike, hand it to a volunteer and start to Ru...wait, that's not running... I "Jelly Leg Hobble" to my T2 bag, run into the changing tent, get a volunteer to throw some Sunscreen on my shoulders/neck... socks/shoes on, and out the door.



get it together a bit faster. I sat in T2 for a few seconds longer than I needed to getting my composure... ya know, to run my FIRST Marathon... actually, to run my first time over 16 miles...

...yeah...

Ok, lets be honest. I've never ran over 17 miles... most of those runs being in the 7:xx - 9:xx range, the long runs in the 10:xx - 11:xx range. I know I'm not going to be flying. That said, I want to finish strong and RUN the distance, sans the aid stations. I figure there is no need trying to run and drink at the same time, and it gives me some short breaks. I check my watch. *7:21:xx* in. I've got roughly 4 hours to hit the Half Max Qualifier (one of my "Great Day" goals) Well... time to try to run down the dream.


I start of pretty strong, kicking out some 9:xx's for the first 4 or so miles. Things are going pretty solid up until...

..I have to pee. I'm a bit at a loss as to what to do. On the one hand, I've already peed on myself on the bike, so it's not like I'm against the idea... but... getting bike shoes wet and getting running shoes/socks wet are two different things. I resign myself to taking a break at the next aid station. I probably messed up trying to keep that mile in step with the ones before it (a 10/min mile) and get a mini-burnout. I get back in a slower rhythm and make it to the 13 mile mark...the turnaround. If you have never done a full distance and you're reading this... THERE IS NOTHING more disheartening than passing by the finisher's chute, knowing full well you have to go BACK out there and do another 1/2 marathon. I have a Mental Bonk at about mile 14.5. I realize it's a mental war now. I think back to all the days of training... I just keep telling myself "Just put one foot in front of the other... Keep Running... don't walk until we get to the aid station..." things like that. It works...sorta. By mile 16 my knee's are very stiff... by mile 17 I'm reduced to a shuffle. My times continue to tick slower... 10:xx...11:xx...12:xx... All to this point I've stuck with liquid calories in the form of Cerasport, and most of the run has been water only. Now, I hit the foods...hard! Like a fat kid at a Buffet, I put my "Iron Gut" to the test. Grapes, Banana's, Pretzels, Candy Bars, all of it. The bad thing is, it's not my stomach, or my motor in general... it's my legs. I just CAN'T make my knees bend far enough to get my stride picked up. I get to mile 22 and check my watch. I can't hit 11:45... I also see that I'm going to need to run a great 5k if I want to break 12 hours. I try my D@mndest, but even with the shouts of "GO BT!" from people going by and at the aid stations (thanks guys ;) I know it just isn't going to happen. I get to the bridge leading to Cedar Point (Less than 2 miles to go) and my left leg just LOCKS up. I walk/run/hobble/stretch my way to the parking lot. A guy standing at the side yells "C'mon dude, less than a Quarter of a Mile to the Glory!" and like that, I get that last bit of Adrenaline. I Run through the gates, give a fist pump or two, run down the Finisher Chute, get my BT plug in (going to be great finish line photo's) and get all the goodies. I missed the medical tent somehow (as I was supposed to get weighed again after the race) but considering I had to pee again, and it was clear... I figured I was in no danger of dehydration.

Got to work on my running. I believe some Marathon training plans are in order.

After the finish line... I just shut down mentally. Mom walks me to Transition and I get my bike... and the wrong Bike - to - Run bag. I almost cried when the lady at the exit wouldn't let me leave (as I had the wrong bag) Fortunately, a volunteer standing by me saw that I was about to break down at the thought of going BACK to the Transition Racks, and went and got mine.

We went to Steak and Shake... I had a Large PB Milk Shake, a Western Double Cheeseburger and Two orders of Fries. And some Onion Rings.

Finally got back to the hotel... hobbled into the room and collapsed on the bed. That was the end of it.


Experience, especially in open water. Pacing on the Bike. Run training.

Just...ya know...everything ;)

2012 I'll be back for another 140.6 (before the world ends and all that)


Man... Rev3 and the Community of Sandusky were just AWESOME. I can't imagine it being any better, and this was the first year!!! Big leap from Knoxville in my opinion.

It was crazy, everybody in the entire city treats you like a rock star as soon as they see that red band around your arm... so amazing and supportive.

Some of the really cool things I saw / heard about.

- An athlete broke some spokes early on the bike... as he was sitting on the side of the road, race over, One of the Multisport Ministries guys rode by... he GAVE UP his Wheel (and his race) so the other guy could finish... now that's some sacrifice there.

- Another guy had a bent rim (as in, wouldn't spin through the frame) and was given another wheel by a fellow competitor so he could race.

- Bjorn... man, that dude was literally chasing down the cop on the motorcycle in front of him.

- All the Ladies... you were all beautiful! Even throwing up on the side of the road... (not to call anyone out, but I saw it happening)