Revolution 3 Knoxville: HalfRev - Knoxville, TN

As we approached the end of 2010 I set a goal to complete a 70.3 mile triathlon (better known as the Half Ironman distance) in the spring of 2011. The Revolution 3 Series in Knoxville, TN was calling my name.  I set the goal without ever competing in a triathlon yet, so I was definitely a little nervous at first. Without being in the water much, my biggest focus during my training would be the swim. I was pumped and ready to go.

We (Jenn, mom, dad and brother Stephen) headed off for Knoxville Friday afternoon. After a long and tiring drive, we pulled into Knoxville right after midnight. Saturday morning we sat down for a nice breakfast and met my little cousin for the first time. My aunt, uncle and cousin Riley met us in Knoxville for the race. My uncle was competing in the same race the next day and despite a broken ankle, my aunt was there to help cheer us on as well (although I know she would have rather been racing.)

McFarren Men

That afternoon we checked-in and headed to the transition area to see how everything was set up--where we would be entering and exiting during T1 & T2. We also checked out the river to see how the swim course was set up. My uncle had me convinced there were water moccasins in the river. That helped to ease the jitters... After a killer lunch at a local restaurant, we headed back to the hotel to prep our bikes and walk them down to the transition area so they would be ready for us on the big day.  That night we loaded up with some great pizza and a couple cold beers. It was a restless night and I was full of energy.

4:30am came early (as it always does). I loaded up with my usual peanut butter and banana sandwich, triple checked my gear bag that I double checked the night before, slung my wetsuit over the shoulder (thanks to my uncle who rented one for me from his hometown), and headed out the door to meet Uncle and begin the walk. I couldn't believe the number of people that were already down there and the energy that was dispersed throughout the transition area. I was psyched. I located my bike and began to unpack my transition bag in order to set up my area for both transitions.  When it came to putting on the wetsuit, everything became surreal. I grabbed my goggles and swim cap and headed down to the starting line with Uncle.

Just before the start

It was about a mile walk to the starting line. The pros were just taking off as we arrived. Within a few minutes, we located the entire gang. After a few quick photo ops, it was time for us to head to the water for our wave to take off.  As we walked down the ramp to jump into the water, my uncle proceeded to give me one last "pep-talk" (which helped calm the nerves) and we jumped into the Tennessee River. Thank god I had a wetsuit. The 62º water was a little nippy.

It wasn't long before our entire wave was in the water and the countdown began. The horn sounded and we took off. I searched ahead for my target and began my stroke. It didn't take long before I was catching a few feet in the face. Luckily I never lost my goggles.  The course was a little misleading once you were in the water. There were 2 races that were taking place that day--an Olympic distance (where the swim was 0.9 miles) and the Half Ironman distance (where the swim was 1.2 miles). So the turn around for the Olympic was obviously closer than the Half.  The course went upstream for about 1/3 of the distance where we then made a turnaround and headed downstream for the final 2/3 of the race.

 

It was a great feeling to make that turnaround--I could now see the swim exit from this view. I felt like I was in the water forever, but it was extremely refreshing. It took awhile to get into a comfortable rhythm when people were either kicking you or you were swimming over someone else. Before I knew it, the swim exit was within reach. I slid up the dock like a seal at Sea World, gained my bearings and headed up the ramp to  T1. I spotted my mom and Jenn, gave them the 'thumbs up' and began to shed the wetsuit. Once in T1, my family pointed out that my uncle and I finished the swim around the same time - 00:44:59 - just under 45 minutes which was my target goal.

I began taking off my wetsuit and quickly became dizzy. It took a minute to regain control before I jumped on my bike for the next leg. I was in T1 for 00:03:49 - a little longer than I anticipated, yet taking the wetsuit off was tricky. I loaded up with some fluids, grabbed the bike and took off. My transition area was directly along the fence line which allowed my family to be RIGHT there beside me during my transitions. It was nice to have them cheering me on literally 2 feet away.

I clipped into my bike and headed off for the 56 mile adventure...and boy was it an adventure. I was quickly introduced to the geography of Knoxville, TN. Training on Pensacola Beach was not my best decision - a rookie mistake to say the least. The mountains of Tennessee got the best of me.  The course was full of pot-holes and treacherous climbs. And once you made it to the top of a climb, the other side held a steep downhill dive. Intense. It was, however, a great way to see Knoxville! I was maintaining around 17.5 mph for the first 10 miles.  The next 36 miles I was hitting around 15.3 mph. It was during this stretch that I felt a pull on my back tire. I look down to see it flat as a pancake. Damn. Rear tire was flat. It was around mile 28-30. I pulled off in the middle of nowhere and began pulling off the rear tire to change it out. I watched as I was passed by roughly 30 cyclists - if not more. I fumbled to get the tire off as I had my bike propped up next to a telephone pole. 12-15 minutes went by when I was finally ready to get back on the bike. I was very impressed by the number of cyclists that rode by asking if everything was OK, whether or not I was OK, and whether or not I needed anything (spare tube, etc). I quickly declined all help as it was just a flat, but thanked them for asking. I hopped back on the saddle to finish the last half of the bike leg.

Around mile 45

The last 10.5 miles were exhausting. Just when I thought the majority of the hills were becoming easier, I was wrong. I averaged just under 14 mph for the final stretch. I knew I was approaching the finish line and came to an intersection where I didn't know which way to go. Throughout the entire course, the Rev3 volunteers did an outstanding job of showing us where to turn in order to ensure we stayed on course. I didn't see anyone at this one intersection and made a wrong turn. 4 other cyclists followed me and as I looked around, I realized something wasn't right. After being off course for 10 minutes or so, we backtracked and found the correct route. Other than the flat tire, a quick stop to "relieve myself" next to a tree, and the tiny detour towards the end, the bike leg was uneventful. I didn't reach my target goal of finishing the bike in 3 hours, but I learned a hell of a lot about myself during the 03:39:49 leg.

Mile 4

I came flying up towards the transition area to find my family cheering once again. It was a great feeling. I located my transition spot, and came out of T2 in 00:01:20 - ready to tackle the final 13.1 mile run. One of the biggest mistakes that many triathletes face is taking off too fast after the bike leg. Your legs are used to moving at a higher cadence during the bike ride and your tendency is for your legs to continue that cadence into the run. Your body is telling you that you aren't moving fast enough when you try to slow it down for the run. When this happens, your legs burn out and you are left walking parts of the run. Luckily, I knew better than to take off at a quick pace. I felt as if I were walking, but I paid close attention to my watch and realized I was on target. My goal was to wrap up the 13.1 mile run in under 02:00:00.  I maintained a 9 minute/mile for the first 6-7 miles. The course was an out-and-back course which was again filled with various elevations. I knew my uncle was ahead of me, so I continued to look for him on the "back" side of the race. This also helped to pass the time. It wasn't until mile 6 that I spotted him across the median. We pointed and yelled at each other and it made me pick up the pace...or so I thought. The next 3.2 miles I fell to a 00:10:32 minute/mile pace. I hydrated the entire way and continued to eat pretzels in order to replace the salt that was needed. After slurping down another Engery Gu, I kicked it into overdrive as I left a little in the tank for the final stretch. I finished the final 3.6 miles averaging an 00:08:28 minute/mile pace.

I was on the home stretch and knew I was about 2 miles out. I quickly approached the turn near the transition area and headed through a parking lot. The finish line was not even a mile away.  I made my final turn and tried to find my family as I sprinted by.  I was able to spot my dad at the finish line. I veered off to the side and gave him a 'high five' right before I crossed.  The feeling was indescribable. I ended up finishing the run in 02:01:57 and crossed the line in 06:31:55. It was another one of those bittersweet moments that I'll never forget.

The Finish - (video footage below)

Click here to check out a sweet recap video from the race!

Click here to view more photos from the race.

A huge Thank You to my family for their continued support. I love y'all!

Mullet Man Triathlon - Perdido Key, FL

I sat down to write my race recap from Rev3 Knoxville this morning and realized I left out an important race report prior to Rev3...the Mullet Man Triathlon. This was my first *official* triathlon, as it was in the proper sequence of swim, bike, run.  While this race took place on April 15 (over a month ago), I was planning to write down my biggest takeaways from this race (hopefully...)

The race took place at the FloraBama--a restaurant/bar located on the Alabama/Florida border along the Gulf of Mexico.  I picked up my race packet the night before the race and headed over to Cafe Grazie for a pre-race, carb-loaded dinner. Shrimp fettuccine was the meal of choice coupled with a Stella Artois.

I was extremely anxious at this point, as the weather had been questionable all week. We stayed out in Perdido that night as I tossed and turned through what seemed to be a hurricane taking place outside. It was windy. I wasn't sure what to expect the following morning as this would be my *first* official open-water swim. The indoor pool and the Gulf of Mexico are rather different to say the least. I was up numerous times throughout the night and finally stayed awake around 5am. Took in a light breakfast, packed up the truck and headed out for the starting line. As we pulled up and I unloaded my equipment, I noticed the red flag swaying...not a good sign. The Gulf was "sporty", as my buddy Matt would say. Definitely rough and questionable as to whether or not we would actually swim in it. 

After setting up our transition area, we made our way towards the Gulf (primarily to get in the sun, as it was also rather chilly this time of morning).  After looking into the water and seeing the two buoys set up, the distance looked a lot longer than I anticipated. It was only a 400 yd swim, but the distance they marked off appeared to be a mile long. I figured I may as well get used to the water, as we did NOT have wetsuits for the race, so we jumped in for a "refreshing" experience. We took our place at the starting line and before I knew it, the horn sounded. I felt like David Hasselhoff as I took off for the water. At this point, I really wished I would have practiced swimming more in the Gulf. I was getting rocked. We swam straight out to the first buoy (into the waves that were definitely "surfable"), turned the corner, swam parallel to the beach, hugged the second buoy and swam straight in towards the shore. The water was chilly and it was hard getting my breathing under control. I felt like I wasn't moving and had to focus on what I practiced in the pool. Although before I knew it, I was already making the turn around the second buoy and heading towards shore. I drank approximately 1/2 gallon of salt water during the 12 minutes I was in the water...

As I came out of the water, I hustled up to T1 while giving Jenn, Leah and Max a quick "thumbs-up" as I attempted to thaw out. I wrapped up the swim in 12:06 and was in T1 for 2:47. I jumped on the bike and took off for the 17 mile bike ride. It was a nice, flat out-and-back course with 1 bridge midway. With the exception of the strong headwind going out, it was a comfortable ride. The ride was rather uneventful and I came in at just under 50 minutes. 

I was only in T2 for just a little over a minute before I took off for the 5K run. Legs were feeling like Jello. I was thankful for all of my brick workouts during training so I knew how to tackle the run without burning out too early. With this being my first official triathlon, I really didn't know what to expect. Everyone took on a strong headwind during the first half of the run. As I was moving along the course, I noticed a shadow of a man behind me--staying in stride with me. As we make the turnaround, I look back and noticed that it was a 66 year old man. Wow. That was humbling.  Here I am busting my tail and this 66 year old is right on my heels. He smiled and thanked me for "taking on the headwind" as he drafted me for a mile and a half. I laughed and said "no problem". I chatted with him for a minute or two and mentioned that this was my first tri. I later come to find out that this dude competed in Kona the year before...For those who are unaware of what "competed in Kona" means, this is the Ironman World Championship in which you must qualify for. This guy was legit. I congratulated him and said that I was going to pick up the pace as we headed towards the finish line. He said he would try to keep up with me.  Needless to say, he stayed on my heels the whole way.

I wrapped up the run in 30 minutes, giving me a total finishing time of 1:35:24.  As I crossed the finish line, I look up to see one of my fraternity brothers, NOVA, standing there with an SAE flag--hootin' and hollerin'.  Nova, you are the man--thanks for coming out and cheering me on!

Overall, the race went well. It was a great warm-up/practice race for my half-iron distance triathlon in the weeks to come. My main goal in this race was to practice the transitioning from one leg to the other and see what areas I needed to spend more time on. I knew I needed to pick up the tempo in my training--the half-iron distance in Knoxville was going to be more than quadruple the distance in each of the legs.  

UWF Reverse Triathlon - Pensacola, FL

 A couple weeks ago I competed in my first triathlon...however, there was a catch. It was a "reverse" order triathlon. Typically, the correct order is swim, bike, run. The UWF Reverse Triathlon was a run, bike, swim race. Ending on a swim (after biking and running) is a bit of a challenge...All you want to do is breathe which is nearly impossible when your face is under water. Either way, I knew it was going to be a great time and I was pumped.


I knew this would be a great practice race for me as I gear up for my 70.3 (half Ironman distance) race in mid May. Although the sequence was flip-flopped, I could still practice transitioning from one sport to the other.


The race began with a nice 5K loop through the University of West Florida campus. It was a rather hilly route, as much of UWF is full of hills. Needless to say, I held a solid and quick pace and wrapped up my 5K time in a little over 20 minutes. I had a quick transition to the bike and came out of T1 in 30 seconds.


As I mounted the bike and took off for the bike route, it took a few minutes to adjust and find my groove. It was a short 15K loop (a little over 9 miles) that was FULL of hills and steep climbs. The course wound its way to the back of the campus where the steep climbs were awaiting the screaming quads of determined cyclists. Even though it was a short route, it was a challening one at best. I wrapped up the bike leg in 0:33:19 and came out of T2 in under 1 minute.


As I grabbed my goggles and ran to the pool, I stopped for a quick second before jumping in to take a deep breath. I knew once I jumped in and began swimming, it was going to be difficult to maintain my normal breathing pattern. It didn't make a difference. My first lap felt like an eternity. The course was set up as a "snake" pattern  through the width of the pool--so you swam 1 length (25 yards), crossed over into the other lane and swam back 1 length. We repeated this pattern for 16 lengths of the pool (or 8 laps = 400 yds). By ending on the swim leg, it allowed staggering between the swimmers rather than have everyone start off in the pool at once.


After a lap or 2, I was able to settle in and begin cranking through the water. I finished the swim in 0:08:05.


This put me at a finishing time of 1:03:08.


Congrats to my racing partner, Matt Harrison, who came in a minute or two ahead of me--it was a solid day all around. Big 'Thank You' to our supporting spectators: Leah, Max, Angie, my mom and Jenn. It means a lot to have people there cheering you on and telling you that you're an "ATHLETE."

(Above): The 5K start

(Above): Coming out of T1

(Above): Coming through the first lap of the bike route

Rock’n’Roll Mardi Gras Marathon - New Orleans, LA

Wow. Where do I begin?? All I know is that it’s checked off in the books. After months and months of training, Race Day came and I was as prepared as I could be.  I had trouble sleeping each night leading up to the race— however, to my surprise, I was able to sleep most of the night before…

Early in my training, I set my goal to finish within 4:00:00 flat. I had 2 fairly solid half marathon finishes, so after much review, I thought 4:00:00 sounded like a good goal. With it being my first marathon (and not training above the 20 mile threshold), I had no idea what exactly to expect. I heard about those “last 6.2 miles” from friends and family. One of the popular sayings was, “There just ain’t nothin’ like it until you do it.” Many others said, “There’s two races within a marathon. The first 20 and the last 6.2.”

We had a great crew heading over to New Orleans. My fiancé’s mother, step-father and sister were ready to run the half marathon, along with her sister’s roommate who joined in on the fun.  My parents and fiancé came along as well and were an incredible support team. We drove over to New Orleans on Saturday and had the chance to enjoy the city. Great food, great sites and a gorgeous day. After a nice meal and a killer Abita beer, it was time to rest up for the adventure the next morning…

5:00am came fast, but I was ready. After reviewing my notes for my game plan and eating a hearty peanut butter and banana sandwich (with an extra banana on the side)—my pre-race tradition, I did some light stretching and mental preparation for what was about to take place at 7:00am. It was a crisp morning…OK, it was pretty chilly, however it warmed up as the morning went on. The starting line was PACKED. Everyone was either stretching, jogging, chatting, or standing in line at the Pot-O-Gold’s. I found my corral and waited for my turn to start. After the first 6 corrals took off, I finally approached the starting line. It was a moment that I visualized each day of my training and my heart started to beat even faster. My emotions got the best of me as began to tear up with excitement. It was finally here. I was about to run my first marathon…

The countdown began and the gun went off. I knew better than to just burst out of the starting line—even though your adrenaline is telling you to. I wiped away the tears, took a deep breath, smiled, said another prayer and took off (maybe not all in that order.) People were flying all over the place—it was a mix of marathoners and half-marathoners, each of them having their own pace. Blocking out everyone else, I settled into a 8:50-9:00 minute mile pace for the first 6 miles. Prior to the race, I set Jenn’s phone up for a text-message alert that sent her 5-6 of my split times, so she could track me along the way. It was a way to reassure her that I was OK and to let her know what mile I was at in case they wanted to track me down. I wrapped up my 5K (3.1 miles) mark at 27:19. I began to pick up the pace a little bit and crossed the 10K (6.2 miles) mark at 54:56. At this point I was warmed up and was able to find my groove. I had a guy that was running relatively the same pace as I was, so I stuck with him during this time. I later left him as his pace was slowing down more-so than my plan. We circled through Audubon Park—a gorgeous site and awesome place to run—and came down St. Charles Street. New Orleans is New Orleans. A party city to say the least. People were drinking and partying along St. Charles—yes, even at 8 in the morning. Some were even offering the runners a beer-to-go…I passed.

I crossed the half-marathon line (13.1 miles) at 1:54:47. Who do I see? My parents and Jenn were waiting along the side of the road yelling and cheering. It was a sweet moment, as their support has been amazing through this entire process. I gave them the thumbs up, said “I love you” (whether they heard me or not, I don’t know), and kept running. At this point, looking back, I know I kicked it into a quicker gear TOO soon. I was only half way through and needed to hold back a little more than I actually did. Complete Rookie mistake. Coming through the French Quarter was another great change of scenery. People were swarming the streets and cheering for anyone they could. The smell of New Orleans is….well, if you’ve been there, you know what I’m talking about.

I crossed the 16.8 mile mark at 2:26:22—still feeling great. No cramps, no soreness, just me and the road. A few miles prior, I began to intake some energy Gu to refuel my system. Right around this mile mark, is where the half marathoners split and headed to the finish line. I could hear the fans cheering at the finish line as I veered left and headed off to a LONG stretch of solitude. I still had a ways to go.

As I ran up the long stretch of road, marathoners were running the opposite way—back towards the finish line. It was about a 4.5 mile (one way) out-and-back route.  It was a mental game at this point, as I passed tons of other runners who were running the other way. I had to re-focus and began to look for my 20 mile mark. I crossed it at 2:54:57.  ”Not bad”, I told myself. Volunteers were offering a “clear liquid” in tiny, plastic martini glasses. I avoided them, as I didn’t know 100% what the clear liquid was…I am sure it was just water. I chuckled and kept going.

I hit the 20 mile mark and knew that I had a 10K left. I thought I was sore at this moment, but I had no idea what “sore” was. I knew I had a little over an hour to complete this last 10K—which I knew was doable. However, one minor detail that I didn’t mention earlier is this: I set my goal to finish in 4:00:00. A few weeks prior to my race, I set a stretch goal to finish in under 3:50:00. At this point in the race, for me to finish in 3:50, meant that I needed to finish the last 10K in 55 minutes—the same as my first 6.2 miles of the race. I crossed the 23 mile mark and became a little delirious. Pain was shooting through both thighs and my strides were becoming weak. “Go Hard or Go Home”, I told myself. I had a whopping 3 miles left. I didn’t come all this way for nothing. I put my nose down and picked up the pace. I finished mile 24 in 9:10, mile 25 in 8:57, mile 26 in 8:55…

As I turned to what I thought was the finish line, I saw the sign for Mile 26. “Damn.” I thought to myself. “Still .2 miles to go.”

I looked down at my watch and saw that I was just MINUTES from my stretch goal of 3:50. I cut loose into an all out “sprint” (or so I thought at the time). I wrapped around the final turn and entered into the finish line chute.  Just like I pictured the starting line, I also visualized this exact moment of crossing the finish line. People were hollering left and right. I looked rapidly for my family and spotted the gang off to my left. I smiled at them and made some kind of hand gesture—not really sure what it turned out like, but I attempted the “thumbs-up.” The music was blaring and I was just steps away from wrapping up my biggest accomplishment yet.

I threw my hands in the air and crossed the finish line at 3:49:28. I did it.  I became a little wobbly and gathered some water, fruit and accepted my medal.

It took awhile for it to all set in. I found my family, gave them a hug, snapped a few pictures and just took in the moment.  It was a day I will ever forget…

Thank you again to all of my friends and family for your continuous love and support. It was you that helped me accomplish this goal of mine.

Below are a few pictures and captions from the race.

To see all the photos that Jenn took, click here:

Rockn’Roll Mardi Gras Marathon Pictures

(Above): Crossing the 13.1 mile mark and seeing Jenn and my parents for the first time during the race.

(Above): Right after seeing my family within the finish line—I had just a few feet to go.

(Above): My parents and I right after I finished. I was in another world, but was able to stop and smile for a few pictures…

(Above): My #1 fan. Her support and understanding for my passion doesn’t go unnoticed. I love you, Jenn.

Pensacola Beach Run: Half-Marathon - Pensacola, FL

This past weekend I competed in the Pensacola Beach Run. It was a “choose your own distance” type of race. The course consisted of a 5K, 10K, or Half Marathon loop. Everyone started at the same time and you could choose at what distance you wanted to turn around. It was a neat concept and a wonderful morning to run.

I told my bride-to-be to inform her sister and roommate that we would be by to pick them up at 5:50am sharp to head down to the beach (where the race took place). With the cold weather and early start time, I knew it was important to get there early to loosen up.  Once we arrived at 6:15, I noticed there was a poor turnout so far—hardly anyone was there.  I started my stretching around 6:20 and continued to look around…Long story short, we later found out the race began at 8am. “Better to be an hour early than an hour late,” I said…Embarrassed? Yes. Hilarious? Absolutely. 

It was a crisp morning with a gentle breeze and a bright sunshine. Couldn’t ask for better weather. As the announcer yelled “Go!”, I took off and started my journey. I couldn’t wait to see Jennifer and ask her how her 5K went. Her sister (Melissa) and her roommate (Lauren) ran the 10K distance—also a big accomplishment for them! Going into the race I set a goal to beat my previous half marathon PR of 1:47. This time I was aiming for a 1:45 race time. It was tough having the mixture of racers starting at the same time. I didn’t know who was doing the 5K, 10K or half—each pace is different! I knew that I had to maintain a steady 8 minute mile in order to accomplish my goal, so I did my best not to pay attention to the other runners around me. This race was between me, myself and I. I looked down after the first mile and saw that I was at a 7:14 mile. After telling myself to slow down a bit—at least for the first few miles—I couldn’t help but maintain a comfortable 7:30-7:45 mile throughout most of the race. I was feeling great. The course was flat and there was not too much of a headwind on the way out to the turnaround. At the turnaround (roughly 6.5 miles out) I glanced at my watch again and realized I was kickin’ tail. I fell into my steady groove until I reached between mile 10 and mile 11. I then kicked it into another gear as I approached the final miles. Making my last turn, I knew I would beat my 1:45 goal, but also noticed that I was just seconds away from finishing in under 1:40. I crossed the finish line at 1:39:31 - averaging a 7:41 minute/mile pace.  A new PR!

What then? Well I downed a few bottles of water, ate some fruit, and made a dash for the beer. Hell, the beer’s the best part. We hung around long enough to find out Jennifer placed 3rd in her division—I was extremely proud of her! Melissa and Lauren also placed within their respected divisions—it was a great day all around! 

Finished 6th in my age division at 1:39:31

Jenn is always a great supporter!