Ironman USA Lake Placid - TriathlonFull Ironman

The swim was crazy for the first mile! The first 300 yards were surprisingly easy. I really didn't have too much of a problem bumping and hitting. From .5 miles to 1.5 miles turned ugly. It was so bad at times, it felt as if people were hitting and pulling you on purpose. I didn't panic and kept on swimming. I did take the corners about 20-30 yards out which made for a longer swim.
All in all, I'm just happy that I made it through without and serious issues.

I would swim just a little harder. I kind of let my HR rate dictate my effort level. Seeing this was my first IM, I didn't want to really push any of the disciplines too hard.

The was a long run from the swim to the bike. The IM transition is very different from your average Triathlon. You have to get your own transition bag from the rack and run into a changing tent. I guess everything went as planned. I really didn't practice the IM transition but went over it a few times in my head. It's a strange feeling.... you always feel like you're missing something.
A volunteer did get my bike for me....

I was slow but don't think I would do much different. Maybe practice it a few times as I'm putting things into the Trans bags.

Because it was my first Ironman I played it safe. I only got out of my seat to peddle maybe a total of 2 minutes the entire ride. If in doubt I would keep it in the easiest gear. I did not pre-ride the course so I had to feel it out on my first loop. On the second loop the wind really kicked up on white face mountain. It was a double ball buster.
Although I felt stronger on the second loop I had a slower average due to the wind.


Nutrition was 3 hours worth of accelerade and the rest was powergel from the course. I also ate 2 big figs that tasted great. Based on how great I felt the first 16 miles of the run I think I hit my bike nutrition right on.

When I do my second IM I will not be as conservative. I may try an aero helmet like the rest of the cool kids!

I tried to be efficient but also wanted to take my time. As I started running out I realized I forgot to put Vaseline on my nips and pits. This caused a minute or two delay while I searched the transition area looking for the bottle. I couldn't find it and finally gave up. I did get some a few miles down the road at the aid station.

Not much.... There's no reason to freakout or go too fast unless you are trying to qualify for Kona

IMO the run is what shows you how your day is going. I felt great coming out of the transition tent. I had to force myself to pace slower as it felt like i could hold a 7.5. As I wrote above, I biked conservatively which really helped me on the run.
Ok, the run was great until mile marker 20! I remember running past mile marker 19 thinking how awesome it was that I was still running with 7 miles left. I also remember thinking that the worse that can happen is that I have to walk 5 or 6 miles if the wheels start to fall off.

Well... at mile 20 one wheel fell completely off! I got a cramp in my abductor muscle in my left leg that was so severe that I dropped to the ground in total pain. As I start stretching it out, I ripped open two powergels and sucked them down. It took me 5 minutes to get the cramp worked out to the point where I could stand up. It took another 3 minutes or so before I could start walking on it. I will tell you right now, that cramp was the most humbling event that has ever happened to me. I was freaking out in my mind thinking "I am 10:30 into the race with only 6 miles to go and I might not even be able to walk back!"
An official had been watching me the entire time and finally drove over and asked me if I could continue.... I felt like saying "get the hell away from me" but I politely told him that I was fine and started to walk it off. After a few hundred yards of walking I started thinking "should I continue walking and guarantee that I finish or should I chance it and start running?" The two things that kept popping into my mind were my time and the fact that this is Ironman! I did not train and come all that way to be defeated with 6 miles to go! I started running but very slowly. After mile 21 I started picking my pace up a little and ran at about an 8:50- 9 minute mile for the rest of the race.
Everything was going ok until I got to the entrance of the finish loop inside the tent area. Just as I got through the entrance the cramp flared right back up. With 300 yards left I had to start walking for 30 seconds or so. If I didn't, I risked the pain being so bad that I would fall down in front of everyone and maybe even cry like a little girl. I walked maybe 50 yards and then started running with my left leg as straight as a board. When I got within 100 yards of the finish I sucked it up and ran as normal as I could through the finish. i didn't want my picture taken while running like an old sailor.



I would take those potassium/salt pills. I thought my nutrition was right on (ok, maybe off just a little) but based on my leg cramps I would say I was off. I pretty much had a powergel every 30 minutes throughout the run but I guess it wasn't enough.

Just did what I could to keep my leg abductors and hamstrings from cramping.


Lack of course and IM knowledge and a big fat brutal cramp in my leg.


What can I say, it was awesome! I don't have any other IM's to compare it to but it as a great experience.