Rev 3 Cedar Point

[watchman]

I am just wondering who is doing this race ?

either the half distance? or the Full?

let us know

mike

[kenb321]

half

[Janet E]

There will be a huge group out there from the people I have spoke with. I'm there for the full.

[lessthanmike]

I'm in for the half.

[watchman]

I was planning on doing the Full but I am having serious doubts after Mussleman.

I have done a Marathon and a couple Half IM"s .

At Mussleman the swim was fine not superfast but super easy I felt the best at the end. The run seemed to get better the further I ran also I felt best at mile 13. The bike is where I seriously lack. I can get by on shorter races and fairly fast but cannot maintain it for 6 hours

I am wondering if I should do another half and do full next year. Just wondering.

mike

[joshz]

Hi Mike,

While you're the only one who can decide whether you're ready for a 140.6, I thought I might send a little encouragement your way.

Musselman is a tough race and this year the conditions were absolutely brutal. That bike course is a bit tougher than advertised and big parts of the run are ridiculous. The Rev3 course isn't anything like that. It's flat and fast. You may have to deal with some wind, but I bet it will be 15 degrees cooler outside that time of year. Don't underestimate how difficult temps in the mid 90s made MM this year.

Rev3 was my first full last year. Two months out, I had a mess of a race at MM. It was hot and I botched my hydration and nutrition and ended up walking a good portion of the run. There were some serious doubts flowing through my head in those last 8 weeks before Rev3. I felt like I would never get everything dialed in before race day. My base was there, but MM rattled my confidence. I finished quite a bit off my goal time and never got comfortable. MM beat me up again this year too.

If MM shook your confidence a bit, just try to learn everything you can from your experience and put it into your IM plan. I scrapped the hydration and nutrition plans I had made and spent the next month doing long rides and runs paying close attention to everything I ate and drank and the points when things started to fall apart. It all fell into place before Rev3 rolled around.

Rev3 is a completely different race. The difference between the two races last year was night and day for me. There definitely weren't many smiles at Musselman. If you stay within your comfort zone, you'll finish it without any problems. Trust your training. You've put the work in, and in September the only thing left to do will be to enjoy the race.

PS, I saw your bike split at MM this year. If bike fitness was an issue, you wouldn't have done as well as you did.

[marie]

Hey Mike!

I just wanted to add a little to what Josh said. Like Josh, I did Musselman last year as preparation for my first full (although mine was in Louisville). Unlike Josh, though, I found it to be the most fun I had ever had racing! I loved pretty much every minute I was on the course, and I was super nervous about it. Finishing, I felt like I had done a great job getting through the race, executed it well, and had a great experience to show for it. I was pumped, and it gave me the confidence I needed.

But, then, I went to Louisville, where it was 90 degrees at 6am in the morning as we waited for the swim start, and it just got hotter. I had problems with nutrition, which led to serious problems with my body. I literally ran-walked on what felt like collapsed calf muscles for the better part of 3 hours. I mean, my calves didn't stop cramping even when I walked and not even when I finished. Actually, I fell over at the finish as my calves would no longer hold me upright. (those catchers come in really handy)

Unlike Josh, my confidence booster at MM made me think I had Louisville in the bag and didn't pay enough attention to that last month of serious heat training and what my body required in terms of nutrition. While I think I did some parts of nutrition very well at Louisville, the lack of forethought regarding salt was a problem. I mean, they had pretzels, but try to chew when your mouth is dry and see how much success you have. All of my electrolyte tabs broke because I had them in a bag and not a hard container, just stupid and bad luck.

I also had a bad weather-related experience at Musselman this year. I had higher expectations, but was absolutely kicked in the face by that humidity. I have told the other two people I know doing Wisconsin with me that I question my ability to get through the race. I guess the question is whether you (and me) are willing to put your head down and work through the problems you had at Musselman, or try again next year. There is still a solid month of training time to get ready for that race.

IM, whether Rev3 or Mdot or something else, is about adaptation and putting your head down and getting it done. You worked through leg cramps at Musselman, evaluated what was going wrong, corrected it and moved on, seems about the right mentality for a full to me.

[timritt]

in for the full.
guess i should start training. Anyone want to bike this weekend?

[kenb321]

Mike, my experience with MM was the same as Marie's. I love that race. I think because I had probably my best race ever last year on the course. I used it for prep to Rev3 last year and I felt great. I used all my plans for HR racing and nutrition at MM as I would for Rev3. Everything went great. Not so much this year. I have not trained in the heat that much this year because it hasn't been that hot! Trying to figure your nutrition on the fly is always a problem. Be honest with yourself. Have you trained enough long distance training to be comfortable with the IM? The unknown is always scary. But trust in your training and gut it out.

[marsitam]

In for the half.

[watchman]

Well here I am less than 24 hours away. I have had days I felt great and wanted to do this

right then. I have had days where I felt awful and wondered why I signed up for this. I have

had moments where I get a sick feeling just thinking about the race.

I made it without injury. Only a little soreness in shoulders after long swim a few weeks ago. Fine now. Calves and ankles fine. Not sick. MIght have made a small mistake in taking 8 teenage girls to cedar point yesterday. ( feet got a little sore walking around). The girls were all in my finishline photo which will be cool.

Time to head up to race for expo then staying with a friend who lives on the run course 5 miles away.

Hope to see some of you while it is still light

we will see

I think I will break the record of most kids running with me at finishline



mike