6 of us headed down to Knoxville Friday afternoon from Wheelie Fun, rode part of the bike course, got some great food and went our separate ways to sleep. The logistics with 6 people and 2 cars can throw some unforseen details into the mix, so I ended up staying with another family rather than my original homestay. (Thank you Ramona for understanding...) Sean and Stephanie graciously opened their home to 2 pros (Matt Mangen and myself) AND their parents (by the way, Sean's father Bob competed in Kona IM 4x between 1982 and 2006). Great race Sunday Sean! 
I raced Rev3 Knoxville as an age grouper last year and loved it! With all the new details thrown at me so far this year, it was good to have one familiarity. The water temperature was 65 degrees so we were in wetsuits. I got to wear my Aquaman Cell Gold for the first time and LOVED IT!! Fit perfect, especially around the neck- no water leaking in and pooling in my lower back like other wetsuits I've tried. Thank you Aquaman! 4 women broke away from the pack early. I stayed with 2 other women, but they eventually dropped off pace and I was 5th into T1. Swim time was 20:33 (3 1/2 min slower than last year...hmm...buoy shift?)
Onto the bike- the course was changed slightly from last year due to construction. This weaved us a different way through town, added rollers up/down exit ramps, and unfortunately some confusion. Several riders went off course at the start of the bike leg...I took a wrong turn at the end of the course and did a U-turn. Otherwise I loved this course! Hills to climb, sweeping descents, plenty of rollers to raise your HR. Favorite part of the bike: at the turn-around Julie Dibens passes me. Wha? First thought: I took a wrong somewhere because she should not be behind me. Second thought: sweet- I'm riding with Julie Dibens...for a little while. Bike split: 1:05 (10 minutes faster than last year) I left T2 in 5th position.
The run course was relatively unchanged- just a few improvements. The course is flat along a 4-lane road, up a roller, onto a bike path, reverse it, and then uphill for the last 1/2 mile to the finish line (ugh). I felt sooo much better than 2 weeks ago. I'm still gaining confidence on the run- learning how to push hard versus hold steady in long distance racing. I have no doubt it'll come around- I learn quickly. I was a minute faster than last year at 42:11.
I ended up 8th overall at 2:10. Nine minutes faster than last year. Not bad.
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Actually, the majority of our group (and others I knew racing on Sunday) had a good race. And if not, they learned some valuable lessons to take to the next race. (At the very least, we had a great time traveling and entertaining amongst the 6 of us). Big thanks to GU for the Peach Tea Chomps, Cherry Lime and Chocolate Mint energy gels during the race and 110% recovery for the ice and compression before/afterwards. Nutrition and recovery are two KEY ELEMENTS to racing well :)
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| We packed all of our gear and headed back north... |
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| ...of course after large amounts of food and ice cream :) |
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