Rev 3 knoxville

Rev3 Knoxville was a successful race in so many ways. Not only did the event go over very well, everyone was welcoming and supportive. My support started off with a dear friend of mine, Don Bosch. Him and his wife took me in as one of their own. I flew in a couple days early to spend some quality time. Don made sure everything was just perfect for my stay; from my arrival to departure there wasn't one minor detail that was overlooked. What more could a girl ask for, great friends, beautiful home, and all the support one could ever need. Thanks to the Bosch's my race and weekend in Knoxville was a blast.

Race morning was a bit chilly but the forecast called for sunny and warm. They were right, for once. I remember getting set up on transition thinking today is going to be a great day. Still a bit nervous about the climbs that are to come but very excited about racing. There is something to be said about new adventures; this was one for me. This was the first race I have had that included good climbs; at least any of real length...

It's now getting close to start time for the Elite Amateur's. The Pro's are in the water, anxiously awaiting the sound of the fog horn; and they are off. At that point my heart began to really pound. It is time for our race to begin, just 5 more min. Those 5 min felt like they took FOREVER! It was just enough time to allow my mind to run wild about the race; going through how each step of the race would ideally unfold.

And were off! the first few minutes was a battle. I thought woman were rough in the water; the men were relentless. All I could think about was find some of those guys feet and hang on; sure enough I did, at least until we got to the turn-around bouy. I then found myself falling off the pace slightly; but was able to keep them in sight. We climbed out of the water onto a dock, ran up a ramp, crossed the road and into transition. I was thinking, ok this is the beginning of a tough but fun course. T1 went smoothly, now on the bike...

I found myself riding alone throughout most of the race. This made it tough to really push myself. However, I had a plan and stuck to it. I need to conserve a little during the climbs and attack the downhills. This was going to allow for fresher legs off the bike. My last two races at MIT and St. A's I road hard and struggled the last 3 miles on the run. I was determined to not let that happen this time. Hope to have a PR on the run. Well, it wasn't until that last bit of the bike where I did not keep to my plan. There was another female that passed me with just a few miles to go. At the time I wasn't aware that it was a pro, so I pushed to stay right with her and keep her in my sight. The two of us came out of T2 one right after the other.

I thought to myself, I now have a rabbit. The plan was to hold back just slightly in the beginning, get my legs underneath me and then go. At about mile 3 I found myself alone, again. I mentally had to kick myself in gear and hope to find someone to chase down. Sure enough, another rabbit appeared about mile 4. This time it wasn't until about mile 5 when I passed her.

The overall plan worked, I had a PR on the run and felt strong throughout the entire race. The Temps were great for racing and my nutrition couldn't have gone any better. I used a mixture of EFS drink and pre-race in my water bottle during the bike. I also took a few sips of a mashed up banana and EFS drink mixture on the run. The perfect electrolyte and calorie combination thus far.

Upon crossing the finish line, I couldn't help but think how well this race unfolded. Transitions, nutrition, equipment, and the race venue was perfect. What a great race! My race wouldn't have gone so smoothly if it weren't for the great products of kestrel, profile design, right stuff (sodium), cyclops, tyr, and first endurance (nutrition).