Knoxville Recap

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting my Rev3 Knoxville recap. I went into the race with the idea of taking it easy and seeing where I am in regards to training. If I honestly look at it, I was under trained for the event, but with the ultimate goal of getting to Louisville healthy and ready, I feel like I am on track. Here is the short version of the race.

Swim

The swim was slower than I wanted, but considering I ran head on to someone in the wave behind me after the turn-around, it was ok. She was swimming outside the buoys heading towards the turn-around, and I was heading towards the finish. It appeared there were several in her group that were doing the same thing, so I wonder if there were others that ran into someone else going the opposite directions? The collision knocked my goggles off and stunned me a bit, but I regrouped. Finished in 30:19, but felt like it took me a couple of minutes to re-goggle and get back into the groove after the collision.

T1

5:38....seems like a long transition time, but considering there was about a 300-500 yard jog from the swim exit to the bike and then another 100 yards to the bike mount line, this isn't as bad as it appears. Probably a little slow, but not as egregious as it appears at first glance.

Bike

Was very conservative here. Finished in 1:18:03 (18.6mph). There were some tough hills and considering, we have zero here to train on., I was happy with the results. Legs were not tired at all, and probably, could have pushed a bit more.

T2

2:01...in-and out. Nothing here to see.

Run. The run started off great. For the first 3 miles, I was trucking along at an 8:30 pace, which is good for me. Then the heat started to get to me and my run pace took a nose dive to over 10:00 pace...and that was with zero walking:) I melted like a popsicle in Nairobi. Finished the run in 58:37 for a total time of 2:54:38. I was hoping to get under 2:50, but I know where I dropped time. Overall, I am ok with the results. By the way, my time at this same race last year....2:54:43....so at least I am consistent:)

I have another Olympic this weekend. Memphis in May is here and it couldn't be any different than Knoxville. It is flat and fast. Last year after doing Knoxville, I recorded my fastest bike time in a race at 21mph...and that was in a torrential downpour, so I am hoping for similar results this year.


A quick update on some of the sponsor used items during Knoxville.

Swiftwick Socks

I went with the Aspire zero's and I can honestly say that I have never worn a more comfortable sock. I like them so much, that I have already purchased an additional 4 pairs. They are thin and airy, but not so thin that you feel uncomfortable in them. They have no seams in the toe that could provide a blister point. The best thing that I can say about them, is that I never noticed them once during the race, and I even spent most of the run dumping water on myself in an attempt to cool off. Even with all the sloshing around in my shoes, I never felt any issues with my feet/socks.

PowerBar

I went with one bottle of PowerBar Perform Lemon-lime drink. 2 scoops of powder. The taste was good from the beginning until the end of the ride. I felt adequately hydrated and ready for the start of the run. I also had some Strawberry Banana Energy Blasts. I feel like in training these give me a little bit of boost when I start to fatigue, and can report that this carried over to the race as well. I will add though, that these things a like crack cocaine. SOOOO GOOD! you think you are eating candy. The taste is amazing. I just ordered another box of these things to last me through the summer.

Pearl Izumi

We received our kits the day before the race. At first, I wasn't sure about racing in something that I had yet to wear, but considering that this was not an A or B race for me, I went with it. The shorts were comfortable as was the top. I did not notice any issues with the kit at any point of the race. The top was long enough in the torso and the pad in the shorts added enough comfort without being noticeable during the run. I look forward to wearing a couple of the bike jerseys that I have ordered during the summer training.

Can't wait to try some of the other offerings from these guys as well as our other great sponsors!


Looking forward to seeing some of you guys at the races this summer!