Ironman USA Lake Placid - TriathlonFull Ironman

My plan was to start in the middle/middle and stay there, but since I can't swim straight to save my life I ended up next to the buoys in no time. I decided to stay there as I didn't want to waste time moving to a new area. I thought the swim was crowded but not as rough and violent as I was expecting. I just kept moving forward and breathing on every other stroke and I was fine. Rounding the buoys on the first loop kinda sucked because it got so crowded, and I got decked a few times, but again, I just kept moving forward and held my ground when someone tried to swim over me or push me out of the way. I got a nice draft on the first loop and it was quicker than I expected. Loop 2 was more of the same but slightly less crowded so not as good a draft. I also started to feel a little tired, but after I rounded the buoy the 2nd time I just kept looking at the jumbo-tron screen at the swim exit and the closer I got to it the more excited I became. I figured I would finish the swim somewhere between 1:25 and 1:30 so I was right on the money.

I guess be a better swimmer, but I have improved a lot since last year so no real complaints.

I got out of the water and started looking for a wetsuit stripper. I found a team of 2 who whipped it off me in no time and off I ran. Obviously it was raining by this point and I was less than thrilled about the idea of remaining wet for the rest of the day.
Once inside the tent I took my time getting dressed and making sure I had everything. Then I visited the porto, Cappy handed me my bike, and off I went into the monsoon.

Move a little faster.

At first I was not thrilled about riding in the rain. I kept thinking about a hot bath and a warm bed, but pretty soon I got into a groove and just rode. The course was crowded to begin with, and it was hard to find some space for myself, especially on the Keene descent. I wanted to bomb down it and everyone near me wanted to ride their brakes. I screamed "left!" at the top of my lungs and just flew past people. That descent is free speed and I wanted some of that! The only problem was I really couldn't see. My glasses were covered with rain drops and they were tinted but I needed to wear them because the rain was hitting my face felt like needles.
By the Hasleton out and back I had decided that I was feeling really good. I'd been eating and drinking the whole time and had a lot of energy and my pace was good. I was wet but otherwise comfortable.
I stopped at Special Needs and exchanged bottles and grabbed more Mily Way minis (mmm) and some pb crackers and was on my way. I saw my family and friends and that gave me a boost for loop 2.
Loop 2 was a little slower but I expected that. I still felt good. It was still raining. I made 2 portolet stops and one stop to rub feeling back into my feet because they were cold! Other than that I just kept moving. After Hasleton on loop 2 my legs started to ache and I had a headache so I popped a Tylenol and that helped. Eat drink eat drink. The whole ride really went by a lot quicker than I expected.
I had anticipated a 7:30 bike split but ended up just over 7:00 so I am very pleased, especially since I didn't feel dead when I got off the bike!

Nothing!

A volunteer took my bike and I headed for the racks. Someone gave me my bag and I ran into the tent and a volunteer unpacked my bag for me. Dry socks and shorts never felt so good! I dried myself off and lubed up my feet with Body Glide, stretched my stomach/core area, drank a Red Bull, and I was off!

Move faster, again.

I will start out by saying that this part of the race surprised me the most. I NEVER have a good run after a long ride, whether it's in a race or training. Plus I went harder on the bike than I had planned so my expectations weren't high.
I jogged out of the changing tent and chucked the rest of my Red Bull and I kept waiting for my usual side stitch to kick in. As I ran down main street people were looking at my bib and cheering me by name and that is just a really nice feeling. The fans on this course were just unreal.
So I'm running and running and still feeling really good, and I haven't gotten any side stitches (I guess stretching in the changing tent helped!), and I start to think "wow, this is going a lot better than I thought." At the first aid station I had some water and cola and a cookie and my stomach accepted everything. Sometime after that I had my first cup of chicken broth and I was in love :). I went a little nuts on the chicken broth. It tasted so good and it was warm and comforting and I drank too much (along with too much water and cola). I was able to run the entire first loop (except walking through aid stations to get my precious chicken broth) and I felt awesome. My heart rate was still mid zone 2, my legs were good, my stomach was happy. I saw my family and friends out by the lake and that was a good boost. All was well. I started to think about going sub-14. And then all the liquids I'd been drinking started catching up with me :(. I was hitting the portolet every mile on the 2nd loop for probably the first 5 miles. It ate away at my time. I switched to just cola and finally stopped peeing. But now I was getting tired. Pam caught up to me and we chatted for a minute before she left me in the dust. I think I ran until mile 20 and then I needed to take walk breaks. I knew once I started walking it would be tough to run again, so I picked out landmarks (street signs, street lamps, guard rails, trees, whatever) and told myself I could only walk until that point and then I had to run more. And it worked pretty well.
After I climbed the last hill into town I saw my dad at the turn for Mirror Lake rd and gave him my sunglasses and my Fuel boxes and he called the rest of the crew to let them know it was time to head to the oval. I ran/walked along the lake and I thought I would never see the turnaround. I saw Pam coming in the opposite direction and we high-fived. The turnaround finally came and I tried to pick up the pace on the way in. When I got into the oval I saw my dad and when I got closer to the finish C and my mom and Rob and Mark and I high-fived them as I went by. I don't remember much else. I crossed the line and I don't remember Mike Reilly saying my name, I don't remember what song was playing. I know I was concerned about my finisher's picture but I'm not sure if it came out or not. I was just so happy to be done, and I was happy with my time.

Go easy on the fluids

I got my medal, shirt, hat and mylar blanket and my volunteer put her arm around me and it felt so nice to have a warm arm on my cold back. She asked how I was doing and I told her I was ok. I found the crew and we celebrated for a minute before I got in line for my "medal picture". I grabbed some munchies then met up with everyone again and chatted with them, then Pam and Dave appeared and we took yet another P and P picture ;). I said goodbye to Mark and Rob and Pam and Dave and headed back to the hotel to take a quick bath and change so we could go out for chinese!! Yum!


The rain sucked but I don't think it affected my performance negatively. I made the decision early on to make the best of the day and do the best I could. I got used to the rain after a while and I honestly don't think I would have done nearly this well if it had been warm and sunny. The rain kept me cool and kept my HR down so when it came time to run the marathon I was still in good shape.
I think I showed up for this race well-prepared and well-rested. Maybe I could have gone sub-14 if I hadn't had so much to drink on the first loop of the run, but I don't know that, and I'm not dewlling on it. I am proud of my time, my execution, and my attitide. I earned this. I have no regrets.


The volunteers and spectators were just AWESOME!! These people voluntarily stood out in the rain all day and were just so kind and motivating. When it comes to atmosphere and amenities on the course, I don't think you can beat an IM event. It's just a wonderful experience and well worth the money.