Ironman USA Lake Placid - TriathlonFull Ironman

Oh my god looking back and seeing all the swimmers behind me at the start I thought I would die. I seeded myself in the middle of the start area about 100-150 feet off the start line. When the cannon fired I got a little caught up in the moment and a shot of adrenaline and started swimming a bit spastically but that was for about 4 strokes then I realized that I had to do my thing if I wanted to get through this race. As I got myself going I got comfortable, there was a lot of body contact and I took a couple punches to the the head. Anybody that knows me knows that I tend to go into my own world a lot, so getting hit and clawed really didn't bother me all that much I had my mind set on my plan and wanted to stick to it as much as I could. About 500-700 yards in I started drifting to the cable line and it was a little hectic so I pulled back and found a decent amount of open water and tried to stay on a guys hip to catch his wake and was fairly successful. At the first turn I tried to make it wide, but I cut it sharp really slowed me down and broke my stride but I managed to get back in it and made the second turn no problem and headed back to shore I drifted a bit farther wide then I planned so I had to fight to get back within 20 yards of the buoys, this happened multiple times so I definitely had a poor spotting day. It was an awesome feeling hitting the shore for the first time and getting out with the athletes and hearing mike riley and the crowd. As I was exiting the water for the first loop I looked at the guy next to me and said "Hey that was so nice lets do it twice" we both chuckled ran across the beach and back into the water. I have never tried to porpoise so I figured well I have never done an Ironman either so i tried, the first attempt was piss poor as I landed on my hands and knees and the second was much better and then I was off for my second loop. The second loop was uneventful, still had trouble with navigation but nothing that I couldn't handle. I hit the mat at 1:18 and change almost a full 2 minutes less then my anticipated time.

Not much, better spotting. I cannot complain though I made it through safe and sound.

Hit a stripper (wet suit that is) on my way out of the water they helped me up threw my suit on my shoulder and off I went down to transition. Its a ways to transition, about a 1/4 mile but you run down this path lined with thousands of people, you feel like a rock star and I felt GREAT. Ran into the oval and grabbed my bike bag. As I entered the transition tent I got sunscreen from a guy thats an awful job and I don't envy him for having to touch thousands of athletes so I can't complain about the weird burns I have from missed spots haahah. One of the volunteers grabbed me and took me to a chair and took my bag, he unvelcroed my shooes and set them on the ground. As I was putting my shoes on he put my helmet on and put my glasses on for me, I took a bite of a PBJ sandwich, he patted me on my back and said "your good to go, go get'em" I smiled thanked him and ran out of the tent.. Ran to get my bike then to the mount line.

Make sure I get all skin covered with sunscreen

What can I say the course is famous for hills. I left transition feeling great and was careful leaving town and started the climb out of town my idea was to take it nice and easy for the whole ride. I made it to the keene decent and rode that with my hands on the hoods because of a lot of patch work and people on the decent, did well no problems. THe rollers out to upper jay and jay were awesome, I got into a good cadence focused on nutrition and settled in which I guess was a little too good because for the first 30 miles I averaged over 19 miles per hour a little faster then initially planned but I felt great. This continued out through jay and the out and back. Was taking in gels and nutrition on a good pace. Climbing at WIlmington and Whiteface was good slowed down took it easy and told people that I was "Like a detroit diesel, I may not be fast but I keep going and have power" haaha. I made it the bears and on papa bear it was like the TDF people lining the road yelling at you to go go go. I made it back into town and hit special needs grabbed some things then went through town, I saw my patents and waved went behind the school and back out. On the second loop the winds and the temp picked up I was noticeably warmer and was drinking more and more but overall still felt goo. Got out to jay and there was a headwind on the out and back and I thought ok I can deal it will be awesome on the way back in, to my surprise the head wind was also on the way back WTF. Climbing through WIlmington and Whiteface was ok but noticeably slower then first lap but very manageable. On the "bear" hills I noticed some fatigue in my Quads and my groin started some spasm but nothing bad, I told myself 2 miles and Im off the bike and I will use my hamstrings for the run. Hit town got to the bike entranced handed "her off" (should be a her if I'm riding it right?" (sorry bad joke). Ran past my parents at this time they were volunteering at the finish food line and my mom had my dad signal to here when I came in and she had the whole tent at the fence cheering me on.

Well try to even split I got away from myself on the first loop I wanted to average about 16mph for the whole ride which I did, but it was a fast first lap and a slower second lap

Well I had an interesting bag for transition. Had more sunscreen put on, a little to late but oh well. In my bad I had gold bond, listerene, and colgate wisps. So I got some strange looks when I brushed my teeth and used mouth wash but it felt good to "freshen" up a bit. I put on my compression socks and got my shoes on put my visor on and stood up, feeling pretty good. I took the gold bond and tried to pour it down my shorts, I got carried away and it went all over me. I had powder on my socks and out side my shorts hahah.

nada

This is where the fun began. I left transition feeling good not too shabby I thought all I have to do is run a 5:30 - 6:00 and I will beat my wife's time from last year. I shuffled for the first mile to get my legs under me and said I can do this its gonna be great and maybe even finish with daylight left. Then about mile three the both hamstrings started cramping, I thought ok I can make it through this lets run 10 minutes and walk a minute that lasted 2 cycles and the cramps became unbearable so I stopped to stretch for a bit and said Ok lets try 5 run 1 walk, I took 10 steps and and cramps again, so I walked for a bit and started to feel ok. I tried to run again and then boom cramps, my body just wasn't going to cooperate with me at this point and time in life. So about mile 5 or 6 or somewhere around there I made one of the hardest decisions I could. I let the "walk demons" get me. THis was my reasoning; from my waist up I felt great my head was in an awesome place and as long as I had that I had alot, I knew that if i kept trying to run I would loose my head and I would take a long day and make it longer so I walked. I actually had a good pace when I started walking, about 4mph because I adopted a style where I didn't have to bend the knees much which kept the hamstrings happy. I made the first loop down and saw my wife she gave me a kiss and I headed back out to no mans land. Later she would make fun of me for my walking style because it looked like I had a stick up my butt because of not bending the knees much, however she had trouble keeping up with me on the side walk so at least I was making decent forward progress and I was passing some people who were shuffling. In my head I knew I had a long road ahead but had no worries on the time. I said to myself "You have made it 127 miles you can make it 13 more." As I got out to the desolate river road I would joke with people the whole way, it was my way of dealing with my situation and it was working. I teamed up with a guy and we chatted for a couple miles and he had to drop back a little. A couple minutes down the road I met up with another woman who was walking so we chatted for the remainder of river road, until she went to the bathroom at an aid station I kept going. I never saw her after that but I think we got each other through that long lonely portion of the the course. As I got into town agin it was getting dark and they gave me a glow stick, SCORE it gave me something to play with so I threw it in the air a bunch of times, tucked it in my visor, put it on my belt, put it in my shirt. All of these things occupied my time for a bit and it took my mind off what I was doing. By this time I was back towards town and people were lining the street and already congratulating me on being an Ironman even with three miles left all I could do was smile. I got to a hill in town and there was a guy with a megaphone yelling to run up the hill so I wanted to the crowd what it wanted and did it, boy did that hurt. I walked by the oval and headed up mirror lake drive and for the next mile the whole day passed before my eyes, I made the turn and headed back hearing the party that was waiting for me at the oval. I got to the last little down hill by the municipal building and started jogging it hurt sooo much, but I thought if you have to get a good cry in get it out now so I could have a good finisher photo, I didnt but I thought about it. I hit the entrance to the oval and was in agony but I wasn't going to walk in the Oval I made that final turn saw the first Ford arch and it was like somebody took all the pain away I was smiling ear to ear and feeling great, I ran past the bleachers and about thousands of people and Mike Riley said those magic words that I have been waiting a year to hear "Jon Gdovin YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" It was over I did it it was great.

Well I worried so much about hydration the days before and not enough about salt and other electrolytes and that bit me in the ass hard I will rate the run as bad because it wasn't a run at all but I rate my attitude as great because I kept my head square focused and had as much fun as I could

Saw my wife, and family and the others from out club who did the race from the club. We took our pictures and stayed to watch the final finishers I ate my pizza and got my shoes off. stayed standing because the leg bending was no good


limited on the, not in race nutrition I believe it was nutrition leading up needed more salt and lytes


"If it was easy everybody would do it" The volunteers were awesome. I don't think I have ever given as many high fives as I did that day.