First Rev3 Full Iron – Abridged

Well, I did it!
The swim was great.
The bike was windy and it took a lot out of me.
The run, instead of being my best marathon ever, was my worst marathon ever. Largely due to stomach cramping and a bit of lost focus around Mile 13. Things started to come around at Mile 19, and I finished it up at a slow run.
The finish was great: Lights, a big screen with my picture, the announcer calling out my name and saying that it was my birthday! It was dark and the kids were in bed already, but David was there, plus some tri friends who stuck around after they were done.
My total time was 13 hours and 32 minutes. So, better than my 14 hour goal, and not quite the 12:22 I thought maybe I was capable of.
I learned a lot about myself, particularly on the run. And I saw a lot of courageous people out there. When I was coming in the last couple miles to the finish, feeling like I was using every last ounce of energy in my body and all the effort my mind could muster, there were people just heading out for their second loop, who had 13 more miles to finish.
That’s guts.

(Full Race Report coming soon!)