Thursday, August 23, 2012

Rev3 Wisconsin Dells - Part 2 (Dusting off the cobwebs!)

I am happy, but not satisfied.
Free finisher photo!
The venue and course was amazing. The majority of Wisconsin has gorgeous views and smooth roads mixed with a lot of rolling hills. Both the bike and run course were challenging, but perfect in every possible way. You couldn't of asked for better racing weather either; nice temperatures with overcast skies. My expectations were pretty low going into the race. I hadn't raced a triathlon since September of 2010 and hadn't raced an Olympic distance triathlon since June 2010. I also was going into the race with a big week behind me and a lack of sleep and any relaxation time. It was kind of nice knowing there was no pressure, but I was a little nervous about being quick and/or forgetting something in transition. 

3/64 Overall Female; 22/170 Overall
Photo: Nils Nilsen / N2PHOTO Services
Swim (21:54; 2/64 Female; 6/170 Overall): The swim felt way better than I thought it was going to. It was my first time trial start where they let two people go at a time. Very spectator friendly with huge grand stands to watch everyone go off. I started pretty much last in the wave and of the entire race which was awesome because I love catching people and working my way up. Sighting was pretty easy and I didn't run into anyone super aggressive. My main challenge for the swim is pushing it for the whole way and staying focused. I really need to take advantage of the swim since it is my strength. I was cruising along and passing green caps and even caught some blue collegiate caps from the first wave, but I was still shocked when someone told me I was the first green cap out of the water. I think I actually turned out to be second but still stellar. I was not really impressed with my time though. Always room for improvement!

This was right after I passed my parents and Aunt and Uncle pulled off at an intersection trying to figure out when I would be coming along. I was just too fast for them. :)
T1 (1:24): I was pretty nervous about these and thinking the thickest of the cobwebs would be here. There were. I forgot my nutrition here. Good thing it was short. This was also the first time jumping on my stead with shoes connect to the pedals. It worked for the most part but struggled a little with breaking the rubber band.

Bike (1:14:24; 2/64 Female; 23/170 Overall): The bike was interesting. I am still working on dialing in my fit so I had that nagging pain on the inside of my left shoulder, but also to my surprise my right quad was spazzing. Not really cramping but ceasing up. That lasted for about half the bike, but once that stopped I was cruising along and kept a decent attitude. I passed the girl who came out of the water in front of me, but got passed by speed demon, Maggie. I tried to hang, but couldn't. This was incredibly frustrating. Need more power! I have already put in some epic strength building bike sessions to fix this and will continue until November!
Photo credit to my Mom!
T2 (2:39): I don't understand how this is always slower than T1. I need work on this.

Run (47:08, 3/64 Female; 22/170 Overall): Whoa. I have no idea where my legs came from on this one. I really hadn't put in a solid run of more than 5 miles since my marathon so I wasn't sure what was going to happen here. I came out the gate hot and surprisingly stayed hot with the two large climbs. Slowed down a little in the last mile or so but I am going to blame that on me needing to pee. I was hoping to hold my position and had dreams of moving up. That did not happen. I got passed and couldn't go with the girl, but considering what I expected from my legs I was happy to be moving.

This is my "I have to pee" face. Should of went before the swim. 
Overall the race was great to see what exactly needs work and get a good idea on how I was feeling. A podium doesn't hurt. I was proud to be a part of Rev3 as Maggie and I went 1-3 in the Olympic while Alyssa and Tara went 2-3 in the Half. I have a lot more work to do, but this race made me even more excited for it. Next up is Rev3 Cedar Point and its coming up quick!

Here is a bonus picture of Aaron and John coming up the finishing shoot. Tough day for both of them with a flat and some nagging injuries but finished with a good attitude.
Happy to be done, but still putting on a show.
Huge thank you to the support of my parents and Aunt and Uncle. I was able to see them on the course multiple times because of their extensive knowledge of the area and the course. All of the pictures my Mom took turned out great except the one below. Not sure what she was going for here.
Clearly, I get my humor from her.

1 comment:

  1. Great race (and great race report!), Lauren! Was so much fun meeting you.

    And I agree - the bike and run were so hard but so awesome!

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