Ironman USA Lake Placid - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Lake Placid, New York
United States
GTC
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 14h 34m 23s
Overall Rank = 1619/2208
Age Group = W30-34
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Arrived on Wednesday with my 3 roomates: Jody (not racing), Jean and Kathleen (both racing). I can't imagine showing up later than Wednesday since it seemed that we were always busy with little or no time for rest and relaxation. Our Woodbridge Group had 7 racers with about 10 other family/support members. It was nice being at the race with such a big group - and then adding the BTers it seemed like there was alot of support out there!
We got up at 4:15 race morning and had Jody drive us as close as she could get us to the transition area. It is so weird walking down the street with our bags and bunches of nervous triathletes. For some reason I wasn't in my normal pre-race mindset. If anything, I just wanted to go back to bed. I wasn't really motivated to race and I had to keep telling myself how important it would be to get my act together. After all the months of training and associated problems (BROKEN COLLARBONE 4.5 weeks out) I was surprised that something little like being in a bad place mentally could be such a huge factor. I put some of my favorite tunes on while we were getting ready and this seemed to help.
Event warmup:

Our event warmup was the 7 of us wading into the water. We quickly proceded to swim across the lake almost to the shore line. All I remember doing is whining about how I wouldn't touch the bottom because it was nasty. Lots of people were giving me evil looks. I found Matt (mforger18) out there and we decided to head to the front of the line since we are above average swimmers. Without a warning, the gun went off and we started the day.
Swim
  • 1h 03m 51s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 31s / 100 yards
Comments:

I felt good the first 500 or so but it was obvious that I was maybe going a bit too fast. I cut over since we were all the way to the right and was in some calmer water. I did get beat-up by some guys a few times. I just wanted to holler "Stay away from me, I am broken!!" That was frustrating. But I did manage to make it out without having a kick to the shoulder or losing my goggles. The second lap I took a bunch more easily. I think the first lap was around 30 minutes, the second around 32-33.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I think this was a good effort and my longest swim since before the collarbone injury. Actually 1:03 with a broken collarbone is pretty awesome!
Transition 1
  • 07m 57s
Comments:

First to the wetsuit strippers than I jogged slowly to the changing tent. Once inside things went uneventfully and I was glad to be done one event and on to the second. After I picked up my bike from the volunteer I suddenly heard GO ELITE GO MICHELLE! It turns out the David and the Elite crew were in transition (and right next to the ironmanlive camera). That was cool.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. My transitions were fast compared to most.
Bike
  • 7h 19m 18s
  • 112 miles
  • 15.30 mile/hr
Comments:

I don't know how to explain how depressing it is to be a fast swimmer and a out of shape biker. Since I have been injured, I have not had much time in the saddle and I have lost some bike fitness. Not all, but alot. On the first few hills out of town I was passed by HUNDREDS and I think I passed one other female. That is pretty depressing. But I was ok with this, because I was just happy to be racing. The big downhill out to Keene was fun, and this was the first time that my legs weren't shaking and I felt really comfortable. I actually felt really good for the first 50 miles or so. Then around special needs things started getting not so good. I was taking in nutrition - but it wasn't really digesting correctly. There was alot of burping and cramping going on.
I made it out to the flat sections in Jay and Upper Jay and I was starting to feel worse. Everything I have read says that if you are not digesting the best thing to do is to stop and take a rest. So at the Jay rest station I rested. I drank a water, took more cals (but not alot) and some endurolytes. It was hot - but not THAT hot. After 10 minutes I decided to start riding again. I didn't feel much better but I HAD to finish. At the Holloween Haselton turn around aid station I got off my bike to use the porta potties and got pretty sick. Another competitor, Patricia, was really helpful but I just needed to get back on my bike and keep moving forward. THe guy that held my bike for me was wearing a costume which was kind of funny looking back since he was watching me puke in a gorilla costume :)
Once back on my bike I only had like 18 miles to go. I can do this. Yes those 18 miles are mostly up hill but I MUST FINISH. It was funny - my shoulder/collarbone felt completely fine, and I felt comfortable on my bike. It was the severe stomach cramping that was a huge issue. I just wanted to be off the bike because I was so uncomfortable. So I keep trudging along and something happened around mile 107. I FELT BETTER!!! So I started moving faster and re-passing those who had just passed me. I headed into T2 feeling good and thinking thank god I ONLY have a marathon left to do. At this point I knew I could walk the whole thing and still finish. I was very confident that finishing was 100% achieveable.
Looking back on this it seems that the stomach issues may have been mental or at least tied to my negative attitudes. How come I started feeling better at the end? Was it because my stomach finally settled down or was it that I was just so glad to be over that I suddenly felt better?
It was nice to see my friends on the course. I saw JohnnyKay's sis Christina, Jean, Carol, and Bruce.
What would you do differently?:

Start out slower (but not much my pacing wasn't that off). I didn't take in any new calories that I hadn't tried in training so I am not sure where the stomach issues came from. Stay more positive.
Transition 2
  • 05m 10s
Comments:

Fast and GLAD to be off my bike and on my feet. On the way out I stopped to see Max, Christine, Jody, Tom, and the rest of my friends since they were standing right in front of the gatorade station and I needed to take my pills.
What would you do differently?:

Once again I am speedy :) In transitions that is :)
Run
  • 5h 58m 8s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 13m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

Started the run off stronger than I expected. All along I kept telling myself "just make it to the run and then you can walk the WHOLE thing". I guess I felt that bad during the bike. Well, the first mile or so is downhill so I slowly jogged until the first aid station. This didn't feel too bad and I was still enjoying being OFF THE BIKE!! :) Then the heat started getting to me. I found that I could run downhill and in the shade, but in the sun I started getting dizzy and sick to my stomach. Not sure if this was mental, or from the apparent lack of calories, or from getting sick but I quickly decided that I would walk when I felt bad because if I did indeed pass out - then I wouldn't be able to finish. I kept up this strategy for most of the first half marathon. At the turnaround I enjoyed seeing my friends again and the guys from Elite who quickly had a megaphone yielding spectator chanting "GO NAVY GO NAVY". Which is funny considering I have been out of the Navy for 3 years now.
As the sun started to set I started to feel alot better. I was walking much more than running but really attempting to MOVE as I walked. At mile 19 I made a new friend, Amy, and we walk/jogged the rest of the way home. It was funny how much faster we both started moving after we joined up together. And as the temps dropped I started feeling SO much better and running was actually less painful than walking. The last out and back section was pretty hard because it seemed like we would never make it to the turnaround. It was finally almost pitch black out. With 1/2 a mile to go Amy told me to run ahead because I had alot of steam left in my legs. So I went ahead and sprinted to the finish.
What would you do differently?:

Eat more. Not sure how under the circumstances, but I needed to eat.
Post race
Warm down:

HA!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

1. Breaking my collarbone
2. Poor mental conditioning
3. GI issues.

BUT WHO CARES!! I AM AN IRONMAN!!! YEAH!

Event comments:

The spectators and volunteers at IMLP are the BEST! I love Lake Placid and I was so glad to have the support of so many out on the course and as spectators.

This was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am so glad that I found a way to finish. And I know that someday I will come back to an IM distance race because I have so much room to improve...

But for now its time for the short tris that I love!




Last updated: 2006-08-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:03:51 | 4224 yards | 01m 31s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/
Overall: 281/2208
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 07:57
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
07:19:18 | 112 miles | 15.30 mile/hr
Age Group: 77/
Overall: 1708/2208
Performance:
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 05:10
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
05:58:08 | 26.2 miles | 13m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 98/
Overall: 1775/2208
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]