Compete to Complete: Revolution 3 Knoxville: HalfRev

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.