REV 3 ANDERSON

REV3 Anderson

I was really looking forward to REV 3 Anderson, I felt very fit and ready for a break out performance.  I knew I could swim with the first group, ride with the main group, and if my run came around to where my training indicates, I would have a great race.  However, on Friday morning I woke up to find my lower back/right hip killing me.  I could barley walk, much less do 70.3 distance race.  I spent nearly all of Friday working from the floor.  I drove down to South Carolina on Saturday morning, my back/hip was a bit better, but not 100%.  I could swim and ride, but running really hurt.  I planned to go out Sunday morning and see what would happen.   

Swim: 24:39 (5th out of the water)

I led the swim for the first 300-400 meters. I planned to let Brian Fleischmann pull the rest of the way, but I thought Richie Cunningham took a better line to the second buoy so I hopped on his feet instead.   This wasn't the best choice, we lost a bit of ground to the guys ahead of us, but stayed within 20-30 seconds of Brian.  I came out in 5th and was ready for the bike.     

Checkout the video below, that's me in lead! (I am wearing the silver cap in the left of the screen, however, the announcer thinks I'm Victor.)

I am in the front of the group
photo by Eric Wynn

Bike: 2:18:57

The bike started off fast.  Andrew Starykowicz showed off his superb cycling skills and power and took off right away. In all, about nine or ten athletes came out of the water within a minute or so of each other and two chase groups formed.  I was riding strong and taking a fair amount of pulls.  For the first 40 miles or so, all was going well.   About mile 41, a referee gave me a penalty. I can admit when I make a mistake (I've made a few earlier this season and have always admitted to them) but this was just a bad call by a referee.  As my group approached a hill, all of our speeds slowed and the ref said I was drafting.  During the stand down period, I asked what I had done, and she said I was 8 meters behind the guy in front of me and not the required 10 meters.  I responded by asking her how far back she was and if the distance between me and the other rider stayed constant. She replied that she was 20-30 feet behind us and no, that I was moving back to open the gap further but not enough. I asked how she could distinguish between 8, 9 and 10 meters from a distance of 20 feet and with riders moving 20-25 mph and changing position. I didn't convince her, and the stand down dropped me back to 14th. I hammered the last 16 miles trying to catch up (not a smart move) and lost another minute or so and did a number on my legs.

Check out the video below.  At about 30 miles there were two chase groups, I was in the second group, riding well.  You can see me at :34-36 seconds into the clip.  The two groups would come together about 15 miles later.

Run: 1:25:16

Not too much to report on the run, other than it was a tough day.  My back/hip acted up right away and I struggled through the run finishing with a 1:25 half marathon.  Only part of the run that I can be proud of is that I did not quit, even though I was quite tempted at each mile marker.   However, I really want to finish the race and not end up with a "DNF".   

Total: 4:10 (16th Professional)

I think I have one more race in me, but before that happens, I need to get my lower back/hip taken care of. 

Thanks for reading!