Ironman Lake Placid : Official Thread (Page 10)

Tankboy gave a good description of the marathon.  Really there is only that one tough, sort-of-long but not-too-long climb back into town.  Otherwise the rest of the course alongside the lake is flat, and the out and back on River Rd is flat with a half-dozen very mild/gentle rolling hills.   

So I completed the Philadelphia marathon yesterday.  Now it's 14-days of rest and active recovery.  Then IRONMAN LAKE PLACID FOCUS!!  I'm taking a real "specificity" approach this year.  Meaning:  I'm going to try and train mostly terrain similar to the Lake Placid course.  I did this somewhat last year (ran lots of rollers; did lots of lake swimming; rode some hilly courses)  BUT... this year I am going to throw in a few more Long Lake Swims.  I found a mile-long sustained climb four miles from my house I am going to do hill repeats on, to mimic the climb into town -- and on my Long Runs I am going to try and hit that climb at the same point I would in the race.  When I can cycle outside, I am going to try and ride more hills.  SPECIFICITY I say!!

Great job on the marathon, DC, even though you did not hit your 'A' goal - just imagine the dreams you are gonna crush when you go sub 3:30 at IMLP next year!

Agree 100% on the specificity. last year from May through July I did my long rides once a week in the Gaps of the North Georgia Mountains and included a little 15 minute run-off down grade after each one. This made the ride up to the Bears feel like a piece of cake - it really just stair-steps up and I did not find it very challenging at all, but again that is compared to what I had trained on. The run-off got me ready to pound down the steep incline out of T2 at IMLP.

For swim prep I did 1:10 OWS just about once per week during the same time period.

Oh, yeah - also once per week I put on my wetsuit, climbed into the washing machine and had my wife beat me over the head with a boat paddle for the duration of soak/wash/rinse/spin cycle. To help pass the time during this part of my training regimen I also stretched a long, narrow stainless steel cable all the way across the laundry room. I found staring at it throughout the entire ordeal somehow brought me a sort of Zen-like inner peace...

The only thing I will do differently to prepare this year is set the washing machine on "heavy-duty." Everything else will stay the same.

Funny stuff.  This year you can save yourself (AND YOUR WIFE!) the hassle by seeding yourself AWAY FROM THE CABLE for the first loop.  I did this and amazingly I incurred zero contact until the turn-around buoy on the second loop.  Although your wife may enjoy beating you with a boat paddle. 

I'm all for specificity and plan to only ride and run hilly routes. 

Would you recommend Gap rides every weekend?  I'll be following Don Fink's Be Iron Fit but will be beefing up the weekend bike training.  I had planned on Gap rides about every other week of the build and peak phases of training, totalling three 3 Gap rides and two 6 Gap rides.  The alternating weekends I had planned on riding various other hilly routes that had me well prepared for the Louisville bike course.

TankBoy - 2011-11-23 11:33 AM

Dream Chaser - 2011-11-22 1:58 PMFunny stuff.  This year you can save yourself (AND YOUR WIFE!) the hassle by seeding yourself AWAY FROM THE CABLE for the first loop.  I did this and amazingly I incurred zero contact until the turn-around buoy on the second loop.  Although your wife may enjoy beating you with a boat paddle. 

Great Advice, DC! Tried to follow it last year though but was herded onto the cable inside of 400 meters. I was sans wetsuit however and I imagine this had quite a bit to do with the pummeling I took. I did find that once I gave in ro the wisdom and overwhelming desire of the crowd and just swam the cable it was much, much better! I WILL have a better strategy next year, and it WILL be wetsuit legal, right? RIGHT?????

The 2012 Ironman Lake Placid Swim will be wetsuit legal this year.  I guarantee it.    Just like I guaranteed it last year  

I believe they missed it by a single degree last year.  And I believe (not certain) that was the first time it was non-wetstuit legal.  AND just to clarify, one thing I can seriously guarantee is:  despite the lake temps, anyone can where a wetsuit.  If you wear one though, you won't be allowed to qualify for Kona or AG awards.  However your time will count 100% and you will be an Ironman.  In the results they just divide the results: wetsuit vs. non-wetsuit.  Not a big deal for the vast majority, 80% of us. 

Yep, we had an usually warm and early Spring.  The lake was wetsuit swimmable in MAY, which NEVER happens. I've never seen the lake that warm before.  (I don't even own a sleeveless wetsuit it's usually so cold even in the summer.) I'd literally bet money on it being COMPLETELY wetsuit legal next year.

Hey Tank,

I was curious if you have and I could get access to your Garmin Connect File for the bike course?  Want to see the elevation changes and I am curious about where the Bears start.  Any other information you can pass on would be awesome like total elevation gain and any grade information would be awesome.

Jeremy

Here is the link to my file for the bike ride. IMLP Bike.

My first lap was 3:06 my second lap was 3:44 see my race report for my dehydration/cramping issues. 

Also Runtri's page on Ironman Lake Placid is amazing. He has a great write up of the bike course. It is for the old course so you have to ignore the part about the Haselton Road out and back. The new out and back to Ausable Forks is a pretty basic 5 mile out at a slightly downhill grade and 5 miles back going slightly uphill before the turn towards Wilmington in Jay. Here is the link

So for 2012 they are doing the new course not going back to the old one?  Is that a permanent change?  Do people that have done both think it's easier or hard than the old out & back?

Hey Jeremy - it looks like John has you covered, but just so you have a little something else to study, here is a link to mile file on Strava:

http://app.strava.com/rides/1469898

It is hard to say exactly what the total elevation gain really is - from this same file Strava shows 6,390', Garmin Connect shows 6,453 (uncorrected) and 6,728 (corrected), and Training Peaks shows 5,480. That is a pretty wide range!

Word on the ground at the race last year was that they were going to keep the new course. I have never ridden the original course, so I cannot comment on which is more difficult. The out and back to Ausable Forks is a piece of cake though.

Who cares, it's gonna be "fun"...

For the Record, just wanna say I thought of all the climbs the Bears are the easiest.  The climb to the Keene descent and the climb to Wilmington were MUCH tougher.  The first two bears are kind of like bumps to be honest.  And Papa Bear is not hard, it's really short and people are screaming which motivates you; and the fact that you know that is the last climb before the end of the loop it's very motivating.

I think the Bears grab so much attention cause of their names.  But really they are the shortest and tamest of all the climbs.  I've hit the Bears fresh (after just 10 miles of riding) and I rode up them in my big ring - and I am nothing more than an average cyclist, at best. 

There are three climbs on this course.  The climb to the Keene descent.  The climb to Wilmington.  And staircase 'notch' 11-mile climb at the end which ends with "the bears".  Yes, after 100 miles on the second loop, the final climb up Papa Bear is moderately difficult, but in my easiest 12-27 gear it wasn't that difficult. 

I would suggest riding the course in June.  If you can't, I suggest if you get to town with three days-or-so to spare, ride the Run course.  Ride down River Rd.  Take River Rd.  down to the end.  Make a left and VOILA - there are "Da Bears".  You can ride them fresh and see they are not the daunting climbs some make them out to be.  The Thursday before the race I rode from Mirror Lake, up to the start of the Keene descent, down River Rd; made a left and climbed the Bears, made a right and went back to the lake.  Total distance was only 15.35 miles.    

Hey guys,

new here in BT.  Ill be doing the lake placid next year as well!  Excited and nervous!  This is my first Ironman race.  Im hoping to learn from all of you veterans here   Anyone from Toronto?
Im currently training with Don Finks book Be Ironfit competitive version.  So far the 10 weeks have been treating me well.  Anyone used it here?  Was really helpful?  Im also doing the training camp this july with EnduranceNation.  Looking forward to learn from all of you

Hi,

welcome on BT.

I'm also from Toronto, and it will be also my 1st IM

See you around !

Thanks TankBoy
Im looking forward to May long rides as the trainer isnt very friendly with my saddle area lol.

I went this July to Lake placid to register but didnt have the chance to see the race course except mirror lake.  My friend said it was beuatiful. 

Awesome to hear!
I currently train with Toronto Triathlon Club at the moment.  Who do you train with in regards to swimming? 

Ayesha Rollinson got a master swim class running twice a week and is less crowded than TTC

Otherwise, I'm training with Nigel Gray.

Well, I'm training... This is officially my 1st day of training (after a bad crash...) with him... and my 1st official Training day for Lake Placid

Excited !!!