Some Stark improvements to the Cobb Mobb!

THURSDAY THURSDAY THURSDAY!

You'll pay for the entire Chamois, but you'll only use THE EDGE!


You too can rock the Mobb kit... with a bit less 80's retro feel!



































I've had the opportunity to use my kit a couple of times now and I have to say there isn't a better suit on the market for keeping you cool. This thing was designed (and excels) at being the coolest (both fashionably and temperature wise) kit on the market... and at $99... heck most jersey's cost that.  The side pockets in the shorts are an excellent addition for those going longer (or who don't want to mess with the back pocket) and the rear jersey pocket has a zipper closure to keep your keys (or other important article) safe.

Men's Kit found HERE
Women's Kit found HERE

The other big news of course is the newest member to the Cobb family...



All that keeps running through my head is Super Troopers.

That's right, Dark Mark... he is real...right? In case you have been living under a rock, here's a link to his website. Despite the satirical nature of his blog, there is almost always some good information to be taken away from his posts... he does a great job of keeping people honest. (Like some unmentioned mask company...)

So thanks for checking out the blog again! Two days in a row! Check out the Cobb Mobb's FB page, my Facebook or Twitter (add me and I promise I'll only stalk you when I'm bored at work.)

This is post #99... milestone next week! Now I just have to figure out something to talk about!

- Christopher Morelock

Review! The new Goofy looking lid...the Specialized Evade!

I knew I shouldn't go to the local Specialized store. I was pretty positive they would have the Evade in stock, and I was pretty sure that if I tried it on and liked it... I would inevitably buy it. If you follow the blog (even loosely) then you know I'm in love with new and exciting gear, and what's more exciting than the lid Cavendish sports. Plus... what self-respecting aero nerd doesn't own an aero road helmet... I can't very well just ride around in my Bambino on a road ride now can I...

Good enough for the Missile

Long story short, they not only had the Evade, they had the murdered out (all black for those of you without street cred) version in my size... and it was discounted $249.99 instead of the $250.00 that all the other colors were... DEAL! So without further ado, on to the review!

Overview:

We're not uncovering any new revelations today... basically the helmet has been around long enough that if you're interested in it, you've read the technical data. Nonetheless, I've got to fill out this post with something, (and other people's data is a great way to look smart) so to quickly summarize.

- 46 seconds / 40k faster than the Prevail
- Around 5w difference between it and the McLaren (if you are to believe Rapp)
- Road Bike Actions "shootout" puts the Evade as a bit faster than the LG Course or the Air Attack
- Jim (Erosports) puts it as the fastest aero road helmet
- Better than the other Specialized TT option in the US (The TT02) which, admittedly is pretty dated

At $250, it's the most expensive of the "big 3" aero road helmets at the moment. It's also arguably the most "dorky" of the three, although the hockey player-esque Attack isn't a handsome helmet by any stretch. The Course is certainly the most "normal" looking helmet of the bunch, and it's definitely got some serious venting, so I can see it's draw to some.  However, this is about what I think of the Evade... so let's move on.

Putting it on for the first time:

The  cat watches with contempt as I mess with helmets instead of feeding him.

Probably my favorite thing about the Evade is the simplest thing... and that is that at it's core, it's a road helmet. No ear flaps, no convoluted system to get it on and secure, just slip it on, adjust the ratchet and clip the straps. No hassle.  The thing also feels a lot better than I had expected. I'm not really sure WHAT I expected, but I certainly didn't anticipate a comfort level rivaling that of my beloved Rudy Sterling. Of course the big S has extra padding you can add yourself, but I was comfortable out of the box.


Heating / Ride Comfort:

I broke the Evade out for a little climbing last Saturday, wondering how it would do in the heat. At 85° and Sunny at the "hard" part of the ride, I think it was a pretty ok testing ground. Here's the ride profile.

There is a climb somewhere...

The verdict - it was hot.

I mean that just in general... the helmet itself seemed to cool sufficiently. (or at least, didn't overheat noticeably) When the sun is beating on your face and you're climbing an INFINITE number of switchbacks... well anything is going to be friggin' hot. I felt like there was plenty of ventilation to keep me from having a stroke.

Almost 4 hours in the saddle and I didn't notice any discomfort with the helmet either... no weird indentions in my head or anything else alien. I give it a thumbs up as a livable helmet.


Value: (That is, the good and the bad)

There's a lot to like about the Evade. It's fast, it's flashy and like I just said, it's a helmet you can live with both in training and in racing. As a matter of fact, if the world stopped turning and I could only own ONE helmet for all my riding going forward (it'd be a cold day in hell... but what ifs for the sake of what ifs) then the Evade would certainly be my choice. Nobody is going to be upset with some free speed, and if you are a fan of the way the helmet looks (I am... I admit it's a big part of why I bought it) then not much is cooler than matte black. And let's be honest, it's sweet. Isn't that reason enough in itself?

On to the "meh" part... the price. Yes, $250 is a good chunk of money... but it's actually a lot less than I had expected it to be. $250 is priced right up there with basically everyone's (Specialized included) top of the line road helmet, and it's priced well under almost any top of the line Aero helmet. If you believed everything you read, and that everything said ~5w of the McLaren (good luck buying one of those for under $400, if you can find one.) then it'd be hard not to call the Evade a good value. Of course, disclaimers should abound (helmets are personal, don't believe everything you read, blah blah blah, Santa isn't real.) The looks also should probably fall in here... it's not for all. I got reactions that swung from awesome to hideous in the looks department.

So that leaves the bad.

Let's get this straight... if you wear this helmet, and you get beat at the County Line sprint on the shop ride... you deserve all the ridicule you get. Just accept it and move on. (Not that that happened to me...)

Seriously though, I would say the bad is the fact that we aren't limited to one helmet for every occasion. I'm positive Specialized will sell a fair number of Evades to people who either want a "do it all" helmet or people who can't get over the "goofy" aero lid look. (This just in... You are wearing SPANDEX and soaking wet. You look like a dork in ANY helmet.) However for a lot of casual racers I suspect there just isn't room in the closet. Most guys and gals are going to have a dedicated road helmet, a dedicated tri/tt helmet and that's it. Adding $250 to that starts looking a little more questionable if you aren't a gear nerd or planning on doing some breaking away in local road races/crits.

So, I'll wrap it up by saying... if you need a swiss army knife helmet, if you need a new kickass helmet, or if you're a road/crit racer that occasionally does an Omnium or TT, then this might be the helmet for you.

If you've already got a tt lid and road helmet and aren't actively looking for a breakaway lid... then you don't NEED the Evade. So pass if you don't have a use for it.

Alright, that's it for this time. Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it.

Check back tomorrow (Thursday 6/26) because there will be a special post coming. Make sure to check it out, especially if you're in the market for some new threads.


-Christopher Morelock

Let's go Fort Stormin! (Race Report)

Last year this race didn't go so well (what with pulling out and waiting for the police/medical after the guy in front of me was clipped by a truck/trailer.) as this is actually the "Smoke on the Water" course from last year and NOT the Olympic "Storm the Fort."  My primary goal was to just safely finish, with a hope to score as many points as possible in the Sprint Series. (This race counted double.)

That said, like all my sprints this year leading up to the big races, I would be "training through" it. Thursday was a tempo run and tough swim, with Friday being mercifully short and sweet 1' repeats on the bike, so I wasn't going in totally rested and ready, but excited and anxious none the less.

It's a good drive to Kingston from my house, so the lovely Jenny and myself headed out about 5a.m. I check in and bike racks are semi-marked (your row was marked, but first come first serve inside that) so I grab the end. Prime position. Josh and his dad were also getting set up, along with Terry and Lloyd, so I spent some time chatting and then finally decided I should probably warm up.

I got a long bit of riding in on the bike so I'd have a chance to scope out a little of the course, particularly the train tracks a few miles in. They are the very wide variety and at a very odd angle, so hitting them just right is of paramount importance... and even then I thought it best to slow down just a tad. Complicating things was the washed out gravel on the return trip side... I mentally make a note and carry on. They were enough of a concern I ran my Jet9 (22mm tire) instead of my HED3. (19mm)

Anyways, I get back, battle for my spot at the rack (yes...that's my stuff... no you didn't show up 20' before start and get the best spot on the rack...sorry.) and get into my swimskin. The family arrives, I get a few kisses (lucky!) and go hop in the water to warm up with the call for 8 minutes to start.

- REPORT-

Swim - 11:36 (600y - probably long by a bit) 10th OA out of the water.

Land Ho!

Well... I thought I had 8 minutes. No sooner do I hit water than I hear the announcement for 1 minute to start... yikes! I get my face wet and get toward the front toward the middle of the river.  The gun sounds and we're off.

Moderately physical for the first minute or so, but then the waters cleared out. I'm pretty much on my own up until the second turn buoy at which point I find some feet. I hold on for a minute or two, but realize my trailblazer is going wildly off course. I correct and sail in on my own. I most certainly shouldn't have taken for granted he was sighting well. Oh well. Live and Learn. I'm out fairly early (by my estimation) but I know a few guys have gotten a fair lead on me.

T1 - 1:21 (long run from swim to transition)

Lonely Transition

I make the long run from the swim exit and quickly get my glasses and helmet on and head out on the bike. As I hit the mount line my Powertap Joule decided to fall off! A volunteer somehow catches me and I fumble trying to put it on before finally saying "F" it and throwing it to my mom who is standing at the side of transition. I hop on the bike and curse a few times. Guess I'm riding without power today.

Bike - 33:46 (13mi) 3rd OA

After getting in my shoes and up the first little incline, I drop in aero and start doing work. I pass a few places in the first few miles and think I'm probably somewhere in the top 3. I hit the train tracks just a bit harder than I had thought to and launch the aero straw cover thing off of my Torhans (2nd one in 2 races... be warned if you live in rough areas... my next one is getting a pin through it.) but otherwise come through unscathed. The rest of the ride is pretty uneventful, I push as hard as I think I can handle and still be able to run. Wish I'd had power but such is life sometimes. At the final turn back to the road leading to transition I finally see someone in front of me. (eventual 3rd place, Nicholas) I make the catch with about 1/2 a mile to go and think I'm in first. Little did I know I was actually just WAAAY behind in second place.

T2 - 00:35

I jump off the bike and am quickly running out of t2, with the guy I passed on the bike right behind me. He looks like a runner... which isn't good for me. Nonetheless, I'm not going to slow down.

Run - 26:41 (4 miles) 16th OA

Lumbering towards the finish line

And by not slow down, I mean I immediately slow down and start pacing with him. I know (from many...many experiences) that I'm bad about going out too fast off the bike, so I figure a little pacing might go a long way. He is open to working together and tells me we are way behind Bill (1st place... I hadn't even seen him in transition that morning) and that he's not feeling up to catching him. I know I'm not catching him so we have our gentleman's truce until at least mile 3 and work together.

The run course is pretty miserable (they all are if you're me) with a charge up to the fort at a little past the first mile marker (who builds a fort on a hill anyways... jeez... the nerve.) and it quickly starts to eat into how I'm feeling. Soon I'm all alone, with my pacer long since leaving me in the dust, but unfortunately I can hear somebody (David) else closing the distance between us. At mile 3 he passes me and I'm repulsed to see a "34" on the back of his leg. Sigh. Guess there will be no cruising to the finish line. I'm hurting but I've heard him breathing hard for over a mile so I muster up something and catch his heels. I sit on his back for a good ways until we come up on transition... at this point there is a long (100m'ish) path down the river, then it widens up into a boat loading parking lot where the finish line is. I come beside him and we run down the path shoulder to shoulder.

I'm not a good sprinter. My kick is more of a hop. I'm pretty sure if we get close enough for a "real" sprint then I'm going to get trounced. So as we step to the parking lot I make my move. I give it everything I've got left and fortunately my opposition is already on the rivet and lets me cross with a couple of seconds buffer. Been a while since I worked that hard at the line.

I collapse in exhaustion and lay they for a minute to collect myself.

Finish: 1:13:56 (1st AG / 4th OA)

Jenny trying to get a picture of me ;)

Sadly, since the men 40+ started after us, I am eventually kicked from the podium to 4th, within a few seconds... now I really wish I hadn't stopped for my Joule ;)

Still, I was happy. Double points for 1st in my AG gives me a safe buffer for the series in my age group, and puts me very close to the top for the overall.

We hang out and watch some other finishers, then wait for awards and finally it's time to head home. Nobody got hurt, so the race was a huge success in my book!

Now it's back to training... hard training. It's kind of "cram" time for August which is fastly approaching. Time to get in the best shape I can possibly be in!

A less dorky than normal picture of the Cobb Mobb kit.

As always, thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate it!

-Christopher Morelock

Loose Ends

This week is going to be even more scatter brained than usual... you have been warned.

First, in case you hadn't had enough comical pictures of me in my Cobb Mobb kit... here's another.

Candyland Dreams

Check out the Cobb Mobb Facebook Page, like it and like (or comment... I graciously accept all snide remarks... so long as they are funny.) my goofy picture and all the other guys and gals pictures/posts that actually put up results in races!


I mentioned the Dirty Kanza 200 last week and my buddy Jimmy's tough day... well here is his blog report on the day, which is worth a read, especially if you are a sadist. He's a bit like me (long winded) but his recounting is a close enough look into the event to solidify my stance on never doing something like that!

All the gravel. Every bit of it.

Ok, It's not a review but I just have to say how freaking awesome the book "Feed Zone Portables" is. I enjoy cooking and have always wanted something other than the usual hum-drum of nutrition on my long bike rides and man this book delivers. Besides the rice cakes I've really enjoyed the mini-pies and the egg recipes. On my recent long rides I've actually looked forward to my snacks as opposed to choking them down. To each their own, but if you want to get some fresh ideas for your next long day I highly recommend this book.


Saturday is the Storm the Fort Sprint, the next race in the Fleet Feet Sprint series. Actually it's really just a re-named "Smokin' the Water" race from the last few years. If you're a real follower of the blog you might remember that race as the one where I DNF'd due to the rider in front of me being hit by a car/trailer.  I certainly hope that we do not repeat that kind of race this year.  My goal is just to get as many points in the Sprint series as I can at this race, as it counts double. Well... my main goal is to be safe, but my secondary goal is to get the points :)

Training has been going pretty well. I've started incorporating some more speed work into my run and (knock on wood) so far the legs are holding up pretty well. My bike is also starting to look solid again... despite this past weekends 60 miles with Jimmy, who crushed me at every available opportunity... He was in pretty darn good fighting shape considering a week before he was suffering through that gravel mess. Or maybe I'm just weak :) Or maybe both! My swim is on the steady improvement, long sets are getting faster (closer to short set avg. times) and I'm trying to push my stroke to "good" as I possibly can.

So next week I suppose (hopefully) we'll have a race report. Then it'll be time to hunker down and get some real work done between then and Nationals.  Race season is here and summer is "officially" only a few days away! Time to do work!

Thanks for reading!

- Christopher Morelock

Backup Plan "S"

"Everybody has a plan until they get hit." - Mike Tyson

I know right... this game was awesome!

This is one of those quotes that has always stuck with me... and not just because I used to enjoy seeing Tyson pummel people.

A good number of my friends competed in the Dirty Kanza 200 over the weekend. It's a gravel grinder (read: not for me) that's about as grueling as a bike ride can be. 3 out of 4 of my buddies made it the whole way, and Jimmy made it 183/200 before being hauled back by a friendly farmer (after he collapsed. Again... he's a tough B@stard in my book.)  due to an unfortunate and untimely loss of a bottle of nutrition and an aggravated stomach.

So, to Team Cycology I say congratulations and huzzah! Well done guys.

Sometimes, we do need to pull out of a race, because we do (whatever endurance event it is) this for FUN, not to hurt ourselves or others. Death before DNF and all the other witty one liners make good bumper stickers and sig lines, but they don't make sense for those of us who have to clock in come Monday morning. I know it stinks, but sometimes prudence is a virtue.

That's pulling the plug on backup plans... but that's not what I'm here to talk about today. Today I wanted to blog a bit on the fall back of all fall backs. The plan you go to when plan b, c, d, e, and all the other plans have gone to hell in a hand basket... Plan "S."

Welcome!

Plan Survival (get it...S) is what you have mapped out for when your big race (or training day... I've pulled out Plan S when I got too hot on a long run before.) goes totally south.

Like Tyson says, everybody has a plan for when things are going good. "I'm going to swim x and bike y and run z and rainbows and ponies and flowers are going to accompany me down the sunshine road!" But it's really for "when we get hit" that we need the plan. How are you going to make it to the finish line of that Ironman you paid hundreds of dollars to do when you've had a meltdown with 40 more miles of activity to go? It's important to know how to handle those situations so that you can salvage a day and don't have to pull the plug.

The biggest problem most of us have is actually accepting we're in "S" mode. We blow up, maybe sit down, barf, work out the cramps or chug some coke and all of a sudden we feel better. So we take off again at the same effort level we were at before the breakdown and then a few miles later they're scooping us off the side of the road totally thrashed... we're out of our "A" race because we didn't have a plan to "complete" when things got rocky.

I can't tell you how to create your own plan S, but I can give a little insight into how I go about it. Let's say we have a bad day on race day at whatever hypothetical 140.6 we're at.

Step 1.) Identify the problem in relation to the situation.
  - I just started puking up everything I've taken in for the last few hours... 14 miles to go in the marathon,         10 hours into the race. Things are bad enough that completing > competing is the primary concern. That         means   there are 7 hours left to cover 14 miles. That's 30 minute miles before missing the cutoff... or             crawling (actually...don't crawl, you could get DQ'd.) pace.

Step 2.) New way of thinking
  - Now it's an arms race. I want to take very easy until the stomach settles, then I want to start getting some   calories back in my body, only then will I consider any "stressful" moving.

Step 3.) Don't freak out
  - Worst thing to do is lose your head. Keep thinking about the positives and keep your mind busy getting       your body back in the game. You can analyze and feel bad for yourself back on the couch... now you've       got a race to finish.

Step 4.) Execute
  - Make forward progress. That's the key to a bad day in endurance sports... keep making forward               progress, even if it's at a snails pace. One more mile, one more aid station, one more step. It doesn't have     to be fast and it doesn't have to be pretty, but if you're going to gut it out it does have to happen.

In our little made up scenario you had a crappy run, mainly a walk/jog the last half of it... but you finished with plenty of daylight to spare. Not the A race you wanted, but not a DNF either. You also didn't try to bury yourself after it was obvious you weren't going to be able to meet your "good day" goals. And hey, everyone loves a fellow out there suffering.

So have your own almost worst case scenario plan thought out beforehand. Just like any insurance, hopefully you'll never have to use it, but if you need it you'll be glad you've got it.

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Cobb Mobb kits are in!

Mine just came in earlier this week and I have to say this is one comfortable kit. There is no denying it's a little radical in it's design (I at first thought I had too small a top) - almost a mankini... that's the way they are supposed to be. Supposedly cooler, and most certainly more eye catching. It's also done a great job of letting me know I've still got a few pounds to go before I'm in top race shape! I started fooling around taking silly pictures in it and thought I'd share one of my favorites... the retro style!

These tan lines are going to be EPIC.

If that isn't retro I don't know what is. You can see some of the other pictures on Facebook (you have stalked me on Facebook right? Go ahead... link is over on the side. My non-blog/tri life is even weirder than this sometimes.)

Thank you all very much for reading. I really appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock

Foothills Sprint report... training through a race.

So Monday was the Foothills Sprint Triathlon. There has been a fair bit of disappointment (and therefore much whining) this past week since Rev3 Knoxville, so I needed a race to help me get back in the swing and stop obsessing over a bad race. I wasn't going in with "too" high hopes, just a solid finish without any major issues. I was also training through the race, so I knew I wouldn't be in peak shape. The 3 hour ride on Sunday meant when I woke up early Monday morning, I was greeted with some fairly dead feeling legs.

My warmup was longer than what I usually manage... I got a couple of good accelerations on the bike, a long(ish) run and then a short swim in before lining up on the pool deck.

The only real scare of the day was when I pulled my bib out of the bag... 13! I get some odd looks when I request that they write the 3 backwards on my arm, and the announcer had a hard time at the finish line reading my upside down bib, but otherwise I think I steered clear of any ill effects.

Also, a rogue Mallard (duck) joined us in the pool at the beginning, but was disqualified for cheating when he took flight at the start of the race.

Anyways, on to the report.
Swim - 5:59

Getting passed at the end :/ So sad.

And so we're off. I line up about 10 people back and think I positioned myself about perfectly. I was passed at the end by a girl who had grossly underestimated her swim time, but otherwise it was a smooth time. I had planned on being right at 6 minutes, so I don't think it could have been much better. Before I know it I'm climbing the stairs and heading to the bike.

My swimming has been going pretty well considering I've been getting under 8k a week for the past few months. Someday I'm going to really learn to swim though!

T1 - 1:23

Buckets, buckets everywhere!

I hot foot it down the long trail to transition and find my way to my bike. I fumble with the seemingly tougher than most chin strap on my Bambino but eventually take a "woo-sah" moment and I'm out the gate.

Not a good T1. About 15 seconds slower than I was last year, which is no good. I really need to start practicing my transitions with a little more interest. There's no reason not to have the fastest T1 in a race other than laziness.

Bike - 28:04



Coming through the last turn to transition. Note the backwards 3 in 13 :)

And here we are on the bike again. After really paying for not racing my own race at Rev3 last weekend, I was a bit nervous to try and chase down the pace truck. I get low fast and start picking the few people in front of me off. I notice a few miles in that I've picked up a shadow... a relay biker who is BLATANTLY drafting me.

I know it's a try a tri, and I know that on a rolling course like this you get stuck in area's where "drafting" is sometimes tough to avoid, but this guy was full on bike race drafting me with no intention of passing. I give him the "elbow flick" a few times and eventually get so frustrated I turn and give him a few choice words... you sir should be ashamed of yourself if you are for some twist of fate reading this.

Eventually he's had enough of my pace and falls off and it's myself, the eventual winner and another guy all in sight of each other. We start hitting the end stretch which is very hilly and I content myself with just keeping the two of them in my sights. No need to gain a few seconds on the bike only to blow my run. (again)

Overall I was happy with my bike split for my fitness level. 2nd fastest of the day and faster than my split last year by a handful of seconds on 10 watts less power. (avg.) I'm back on the bike for real training now so hopefully that power gap is on it's way out. (or even better, on it's way the opposite direction.)

T2 - :35

T2 is tricky here, since the parking lot you come through is busted up pavement and massive speed bumps. I wait until the last second to flip my leg over and ride it through, but I'm on my feet running with no incidents. As I'm heading to my rack and removing my Kask, the visor launches and I have to turn around for it... problem of magnetic visors I guess. It costs me a second or two but I'm quickly off and running (with my upside down # belt)

Run - 17:10

On the long stretch home

Still no miracles happening here. Alan (the eventual winner) is a MONSTER of a runner (2nd place in the Knoxville 1/2 Marathon) and I knew going in that unless something crazy happened there was no way I was going to beat him, so as he exits t2 I can only wave goodbye. I battle off two other guys as long as I can, but my weakness shows in the last half mile and I have to settle on finishing 4th behind guys who can actually run.

I had hoped that my work on the half marathon training would translate over better to my short course speed, but it has seemingly not.  When it boils right down to it, I just need to start doing more fast running and at least be able to respond to surges from other guys. As it stands my strong bike is offset too much by my weak run, and other guys who know me know they can easily catch me on the run. I need to be a faster runner to make them bike above their fitness and level the playing field.

Alas, time will tell if I'll ever be a "good" runner or not.

Finish Time - 53:09

Fall down here

All things considered (like having a 3 hour ride Sunday) things went pretty good on Monday. I was a couple of seconds slower this year than I was last year, but given I was training through the race I feel like that's acceptable even if it's not thrilling.  Afterwards we sat around and goofed off waiting on awards and I picked up some more series points for the Fleet Feet Grand Prix.

Jenny must be pretty funny since we're all laughing!

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day, thanks so much to all who have served so that I'm able to write snarky blogs and boring race reports.

Until next time, thank you all for reading

-Christopher Morelock

When a hard day at the office is a tough race (Rev3 Knoxville Olympic)

Some days are tough. If you race long enough, you'll end up with a  tough day on race day. Sometimes it's because of technical, sometimes it's training, and sometimes it's just "a bad day to have a bad day."

Rev3 Knoxville was Sunday, and it was a tough race. I'd say of all the races I've ever done, it was the hardest day I've ever had on course. (yes, counting a 140.6) I knew going in I wasn't in 100% race shape, but I was thoroughly punished on course for not accepting my limits beforehand. But enough of that, let's get straight on to the report.

-Pre Race-

I spent Saturday morning driving the course and putting the finishing tune up on the Cervelo. The online map of the course was a little off and I'm terrible at directions anyways, but all in all I thought I had a "pretty good" idea of where the Olympic course went.  Then I returned to Knoxville with the bike and got checked in. Heck, I even got the best transition space I've ever had at a big event (right on the corner on a side!) Afterwards I had dinner with my friends Jimmy and Sharon and headed home to get some sleep.

Maiden Voyage of the Cervelo

Sunday morning all goes fairly well, Jenny arrives and we head out to transition (arriving by 6:30) which was good, as my front brake had somehow gotten quite mushy overnight. After a quick freak out I get it set right and get my transition set. Then it's a long walk to the pier and a little work getting my wetsuit on. After a round of kisses I smirk and drop a cocky "See you guys in a little over 2 hours." (tsk tsk... cue bad mojo)

Jenny and my mom helping me get suited up

I jump in and do a little swimming around to stay warm and then get in position for the gun.

-Swim- 25:56 (8/33 49/268)

No problem seeing me right? I'm somewhere in the front middle.

With the wave being m40 and under, there's a fair number of us. Nonetheless I seed fairly far up and had pretty clear water the entire way. I still don't like swimming in a wetsuit at all (It rubs my collarbone plate) but it was a necessity in the cool water. I noticed at about 2/3 of the way through the course my foot and calf were trying to cramp up as I kicked, so I lay off a little bit. After what seemed like forever I was flopping up on the dock and on the run to T1. Honestly, Knoxville is a pretty "boring" swim (up, around, down) but it is a tough swim. I never felt like the current was helping no matter which direction I was going. I was lukewarm to happy with my swim time/placement, especially on the yardage I've been getting in lately.

-T1- 2:14

Swimming is fun, swimming is fun...

It's a pretty long run from the dock to the bike... which was a good thing in this case as I had a hard time fiddling with my zipper. Eventually I get it off and get glasses/helmet/bike ready without much incident. I'm quickly on the bike and into my shoes. Time to do work.

-Bike- 1:08:20 (2/33 12/268)

I really need to practice my flying squirrel.

Or not. The bike started off with a short climb onto the exit ramp out of town. Immediately I was in my small chain ring and not feeling good. I mentally reminded myself to take it easy, drink some water (the Torhans 20 worked out quite well for this race) and not freak out the first few miles. Eventually I start to come around and feel "better," if not good. I am passed at about mile 12 by Andrew (who beat me at Storm the Fort last year.) and despite KNOWING that I'm not in shape to bike with him I decide to try and pace him, once or twice I even manage to pass him when I'm feeling strong. All good things come to an end though, and as we hit the "climb" of the course at mile 15 I am reminded (quite brutally) that I am not in the best shape on the bike. Goodbye guys, have a good ride. I do get a boost from Jimmy, who anyone there will know as the Pink Horse on the bike course... he went all out to lift my spirits. Going down the descent is where I get a little confused from the course "turn by turn" I followed the day before. It said turn right at the bottom of the hill, but the signs (all pink... would it have hurt to put green tape down too rev3?) pointed straight. With nobody around I forge one, but not at full speed...trying to find out if I'm off course. Eventually some volunteers tell me I'm going the right way, so I speed off back toward town. Like a fool it's almost the end of the bike ride before I remember my gel shoved in my pocket. I should have taped it to the top tube to remind me. I down it way too late in the ride.

As I cruise back down the exit ramp I bend down to unstrap my shoe and am hit with a terrible side cramp. I suck it up and get my other shoe off but end up riding sitting up for the last bit of course, trying to get a breath.


Looking back, I would say my bike was too aggressive for my fitness. My intensity factor was very near 1.0 which is just too high, especially having a weaker bike than usual from the get go. I think realistically I was in shape to ride a 1:12 - 1:15

-T2- 2:00 (ish) (t2 and the run were together on Rev3's website)

Riding in on one shoe... the one part of this race I actually looked cool.

I manage to swing my leg over and look pro coming into transition, but as I rack my bike and bend over to put on my Zoots, I'm again struck by a cramp. This one is so bad I have to sit down and take a couple of breaths just to be able to stand back up. In hindsight, I missed out on the podium right here, sitting in t2 trying to breathe. Nothing I could do and thankfully it resided fairly quickly. Time to go suffer.

-Run- 46:30 (ish) (4/33 23/268)

Don't mind me, I'm just heading out to suffer some more.

I've quit races before, both literally (when I was sick on vacation last year) and in spirit. (at Augusta 2012) Never have I wanted to truly quit a race so bad as I wanted to quit on Sunday.
I hurt.
That's the only way to say it.
It was like a snowball of soul crushing. The first few miles I was still struggling just to continue running thanks to my side reminding me that it didn't appreciate the torment I had been putting it through. Eventually I "smoothed" out and actually felt like I could continue on/wasn't going to keel over. Of course the real runners started passing me and it seemed like every one of them had a number on their leg between 30 and 35. I had told myself NOT to look at my watch (as I knew there was nothing I could do about it anyways) but nonetheless I took a look at mile 4 and saw that being around 2:05 had already came and gone with 2 miles left. I sulk a little bit as my pace continues to stagnate at mid 7's, but try to pull myself together and finish as strong as I can for the day. As I'm rounding toward the finish I can hear somebody sprinting on me and I try to pull out what's left...but there just isn't anything there. He cruises by me and I cross the line in an unceremonious collapse.

Toasted and unhappy about it

In retrospect, my run was primarily crushed by my overzealous bike split among some other issues on the day. It's possible my cramp came from too hard a bike as well, although it's hard to be sure. I should have ran somewhere in the 6:50-7 range per mile, and the best I managed was a 7:10 on a (thankfully) downhill section. For a flat course my run was embarrassing, but it's what I had to work with at that point.

I finished with a 2:25:05 (comically a PR at Rev3... considering it's been 4 years since I finished it)
4th in my AG and 23rd overall. Not the day I had planned on, expected or wanted, but the day I had. I came away immediately upset with myself, but having had some days to look back, I've had some lessons drilled into my thick skull that will serve me well come Nationals.

First... It's a triathlon, not a bike race. I have a problem integrating this, but it has to become second nature NOT to try to bike like it's the TdF Prologue. If I had biked even 4 or 5 minutes slower and ran to my potential my day would have been quite a bit better I think, and much less painful.

Second... I still have comfort issues in my wetsuit. My bum shoulder is just a problem it seems... not sure if a sleeveless would help or not, but I might try one out and see in the future.

Third... I can't forget my nutrition on the bike. That was rookie and bone headed. I have to get my head in the game before and during the race.

/ Race Report

So that was Rev3. Bad day behind me, no lingering on it, just learning from it and moving on.

And fortunately I can move on pretty quick, as Memorial Day (next Monday if you didn't want to look at your calendar) is the Springbrook Sprint triathlon. I will be going for the win on the Fleet Feet Sprint series again this year so I'll be there looking to pick up some points.  I guess that means you guys will get two race reports in a row. Hopefully the next one will be a little more exciting.

Thanks for reading, I always appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock

Ohhh yeah, bonus. Here's a Picture of Jimmy in his pink horse getup. (and me riding him in aero. Yes we are idiots)

All we need now is a PD Lightning Stryke to make him a unicorn.