Ironman USA Lake Placid - TriathlonFull Ironman

The swim start wasn't as hectic as I had been expecting. I started on the far right side about two thirds of the way to the back. I had a good amount of open space to start easy and keep my heart rate down. I didn�t have the feeling of not being able to catch my breath. I�m not sure if the shortness of breath is due to colder water temps or starting out to hard. I was able to get into a comfortable rhythm right away, so at about 500m in I started to make my way closer buoys and the rest of the pack. My swim was steady and I felt good, but I didn�t draft very well. On the second loop, I rounded the buoys a little wide and was swimming off course for a few minutes (probably about 2 extra minutes). My goal for 1h15m was based on my Mooseman swim of 36m42s which included a less than spectacular start; that swim may have been a little short. I did a loop of the swim course earlier in the week in about 40 minutes, so I figured that I would probably be closer to 1h20m. Overall, I was happy with the swim and came out of the water feeling good.

Work harder to find a draft.

Wetsuit came off easily with the help of a stripper. Steady run to T1. When I put on my sunglasses they immediately fogged up so I just put them in a pocket as I ran through the rain and mud to get my bike! No big issues. I was happy with my T1 time considering the fairly long run from the swim exit to the change tent and then to the bike out.

Next time I will have some warmer throw away clothing if there is achance that it will RAIN ALL DAY!

The rain started just before the swim. No big deal when you are in a wetsuit and about to go for a swim. However, this is not ideal for a 112 mile bike ride with some BIG downhill sections! The start of the bike was a little tricky with so many people on a rain soaked downhill with sharp turns. I was a little chilly at the start and VERY glad that I had my arm warmers.

The climb out of Lake Placid didn�t seem as bad as I remembered it from last year. I was attributing this to better fitness and my new 12-27 cassette. I was pushing myself a bit but felt it was within my race plan.

The rain was relentless. Plenty of my training rides had been in the rain, but not for this long. I wasn�t too concerned, except for the fact that the temperatures were fairly cool.

My wheel magnet (for my speedometer) loosened off and slid to the rim at about 20 minutes into the bike so I had no idea how fast I was going on the downhill into Keen. This was probably not a bad thing since I needed to be concentrating on the descent rather than looking to see how fast I was going! Downhill speed was limited by the stinging rain in my eyes and fear but I still managed to pass a fair number of people.

By the bottom of the big descent into Keene I was starting to shiver. I was actually looking forward to the next uphill so that I could do a little more work and warm up! First loop was a little faster than expected. Maybe I would be able to beat my goal of 6h30 min!

For the second loop the temperature had warmed a little and the RAIN CONTINUED. I was working steady on the uphill and recovering on the downhill sections. My knees were starting to hurt a bit, especially after a downhill where they would cool off and feel stiff when I would start pedaling again. I was a little behind Homey and was working at a steady pace to try and catch him. As I approached the turnaround of the out-and-back I was able to see that I was only a couple of minutes behind him. About 10 minutes later, he had a flat and I passed him.

A concentrated effort was required after the out-and-back but this is what I had expected. Second lap was a bit slower - . Even though I was happy with the execution of my game plan, I may have pushed a little too hard on the first loop.

My nutrition was good � I had 2 bottles of Infinit (900 caloriess each) and got my water on the course. I followed my plan of about 300 calories of infinite / hr and supplemented with some on course solid food (bananas and power bars) as needed. Ultra Man Marty Raymond had some good advice� when you feel good, eat!

I probably drank a little more than I needed to. My first pee was about 1h20 into the bike and then about every 40 minutes after that.

I still felt ok and was now looking forward to getting off of the bike and out on the run. I started my GPS about with about 3.5km to go and it was ready for the run. I placed my feet on top of my shoes for the last couple hundred meters.


Maybe a bit easier on the first loop. Knee warmers if the temp is going to be cool or if it will be RAINING ALL DAY.

probably my BEST transition ever!
Bike dismount was great. I handed my bike to the volunteer and grabbed my Garmin 305 from my bike mount. I put my 305 on my wrist mount as I ran through the mud in my socks to my T2 bag and the change tent. I removed my wet and muddy cycling socks. As the volunteer handed me clean, dry (not for long) socks and shoes from my T2 bag, he mentioned that I must be a minimalist since there was only a hat, fuel-belt and a spare pare of sunglasses left in the bag. I nodded, said thanks as I grabbed the hat and fuel-belt on my way out of the tent. I was VERY HAPP with my T2 time of just over 2 minutes!

Nothing

I was happy to be out on the run after 6h38m of biking in the rain. I was conscious of pacing and made sure to hold back. I was feeling ok; I only had to run a marathon and I would be an Iron Man!

I was feeling good and was sticking with my pace for a 4h30m marathon. Homey caught me by about 5km into the run so he ran with me for a little while (he ran a 4h18m marathon). After the first loop, my pace started to slow and I realized that I would be able to make a 4h30m marathon. At the 30 Km mark I realized that I wouldn�t break 13 hours for the Iron Man. My plan throughout the day was to base my decisions on what was required at the moment to get me to the finish line in the shortest time possible. If that meant run/walk, so be it. I used run/walk from the 30-40km section and then finished the last 2.2Km with a run!

Muscular Endurance
Bike - Add some more Muscular endurance (zone 3 intervals and hills). Ride the Lake Placid course on my new COMPUTRAINER :)

Run - More muscular endurance training and adding some longer zone 3 intervals to my long runs as well as some longer tempo runs.


What an AWESOME experience. I couldn�t have done it without the fantastic support of my wife � not only on Race Day and Race Week, but throughout the entire year. She truly is and IRON SHERPA!!! She was out on the course (or tracking my progress online) all day cheering me on every time I passed through town. During the year, in addition to her job, she took care of our family and household while I worked 50-60 hrs/wk and then trained 8-12 hrs/wk.
I loved every minute out on the course. I was expecting to have feelings of doubt and uncertainty at some point during the day, but when the cannon went off on July 20, 2008 at 7:00am in Lake Placid, I knew that on that day I would become an Iron Man.