Team Member: Carl Eichert

Race Name: Rev3 Knoxville

Race Date: 05/06/2012

Race Placement/Time/Qualification: 7th OA/2:06:23

Tell us about your race (limit 500 words)…: Two weeks after Collegiate Nationals, I wasn’t sure what to expect. All I knew was the I wanted redemption on my somewhat poor performance at Nationals. I did my base training, race specific, and everything in between, yet as I mentioned in my last report, two weeks before Nationals, a bike crash corrupted what I thought would be a glorious day. The two weeks in between Tuscaloosa and Knoxville, I was so worried with the state of the way things were, the way I had to train, the way I had to perform. All the while, I am angry at myself because I have been steadily losing focus of the true reason I fell in love with triathlon. I was preoccupied with getting faster and faster. I love triathlon because of the people and my teammates. I love it because it makes me push beyond my wildest beliefs. Most of all, I love sharing my knowledge, appreciation, and gift with others who also want to experience the greatness of the multisport culture.

Let me tell you a little about my experience at Knoxville. I realized my oblivious attitude mentioned in the above paragraph the day prior to the race. I wanted to show everyone what I could do, a little selfish but I can’t lie to you or myself. Just prior, I let go of all of that. I stayed with my Sport Factory teammate Joe Peeden and his fiance Alex, and even though he may not have known it, I have Joe to thank for helping me realize where I was in the triathlon journey. He and Alex had such a cheery attitude the entire weekend, I couldn’t help but swallow it.

Race Day… Best split in the water by 50 seconds. Darted past everyone on my way to T1. Onto the bike and I was having fun. Dan on South Carolina’s team was keeping me company and we were pacing and chatting. Trust me, we were pushing but it was an extraordinary time. Managed 9th/412. Even though I was carefree today, I wanted my run to rock. I heeded my body’s devastation at Nationals and went slower than pace. All felt fine but come mile three again, I was hurting just the same. I’m still recovering but all is well because I know that triathlon isn’t the world and I have so much more to look forward to and to share with all my friends and family.

I’m not reporting splits in this report because that is the last message you need to take from this. In place of my advice paragraph I give in these reports, take away instead the importance of the lessons I shared with you. Enjoy the experiences in multisport and I look forward to writing again.