Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains : Official Thread (Page 5)

I ride Harriman usually once every 7-8 weeks, I have raced LP and the roads for Poconos aren't terrible. The first 10-15 miles are pretty choppy but after that it's pretty good. My only concern with the route is when I rode the course a few weeks ago they had chucks of road missing. I know they are working to repair the roads but there were probably 15 areas that road was actually missing. Also around mile 40 there is a steep hill that is gravel.

As long as they complete the road work before the race, we will be fine.

The thing I am more concern about is whether they will have a swim or not. With all of the flooding I wonder if the water will be safe for use to swim in due to contamination or even currents.

Hmm, by gravel, do you mean chip and seal road or an actual gravel/dirt road?

I could so bunny hop that....  

I do that all the time, and yes, on the tri-bike.  I think something for a lot to keep in mind is that things don't have to be great right now, they just need to be for race day.  Yes it'd be nice to know it's already taken care or, but that doesn't always happen.  I doubt the roads will be worse than what I ride on regularly.  Spotting obstacles is 2nd nature, so instinctive I don't really think about it anymore.  It's hard to read into what's being said a lot of the time as so much turns out to be overblown.  Expectations are so high for a road course, unrealistic at times.  Granted what's in that picture is pretty darn bad and should be fixed.  We shouldn't have to bunny hop anything.

I might put the Pro Race 3 tires back on instead of the new Specialized tires I picked up.  I know what those can handle better after a couple years of using that type.  That's about all I'm looking at.  Still very excited to run this course!

I'm running Pro 3's as well.  They are so damn grippy   And they finally made black on black color. 

No it was loose gravel with dirt and mud. A few of us were brave enough to just stay on the bike and attempt to ride up but most had to walk up.

I am sure it will be paved by race day so I am not worried.

Just remember that a predator is likely to try to pick off the singular people. Meaning that if you are off the front or off the back you are more at risk. Thank god I am a MOP guy!

Safety in numbers!

hahaha that's pretty funny! That's what you get for posting that pic.

Last year while training for IMLP, I was up there swimming the course and the whole time I was thinking about that stupid movie Lake Placid and the crocodiles in the water. It really played with my mind the whole time I was in the water. So I know what you mean.

I think Ironman will have a safe route for us one way or another.  They may have to go to alternates, but we will be fine on race day.  The many up & downs with turns to watch out for actually sounds fun to me.  Most people are expecting cool weather too.  Apparently we will have to watch out for crazed animals lurking around every corner.  We'll be on bikes, but there is the chance they have learned we're slower on the uphills.

You have another (third) HIM sometime close too, don't you?  It's entirely possible you'll be ok if you don't go all in on them, but I don't know your training well enough. 

Race Sim done on Rev3 Wisconsin course.  I'm feeling good.  ~3,250 ft ascending on a 56 mile course.  Roads were pretty good in general, but did have some areas that will need patching.  There was even a gravel section.  Take the above picture and imagine pure gravel there instead.  I did not get to test out my skills against any flesh-eating deer, so will have to see on race-day.

Did we ever figure out (or agree) about what the elevation for this course is going to be?

I drove yesterday through the Hidden Lake Drive and the road was still not fixed. The only sign of the road repair I saw was the sign on the corner of Hidden Lake Drive and route 2028.

Water temp/swimming question:

This is my first HIM, and first non-middle-of-summer tri.  In the spring I picked up a sleeveless wetsuit, thinking the water would be warmer.  Looks like we'll be in the low 60's for Pocono, at least that's what the Delaware is now near Trenton.

I know this is a lot based on individual tolerances to cold, but am I going to freeze?  Generally don't mind the cold, but I'm thinking about either speed sleeves, or if I get nervous enough, renting a full sleeve suit.  Would rather not do that since I already bought the sleeveless.

Thanks

I don't necessarily consider myself incredibly tolerant to cold water; but I am a very experienced swimmer.  I would say the low 60s is about the boundary of my abilities without any wetsuit.  I could do it, but I would never get to the point of being comfortable in the water temperature-wise.  (Best comparison I have is an ocean swim in 63-64 F water last year I did wearing only a pair of Jammers.  I swam 1/2 mile out and 1/2 mile back, and as long as I kept moving I was fine).

Bearing that in mind then, I would imagine any amount of wetsuit, especially covering my core, would have made that more than bearable.

I would recommend going with the sleeveless and not worrying about it.  You won't freeze.  Think of it like running in cooler weather with shorts on and a long sleeve shirt.  Since your arms are moving the most during the swim, they'll have more blood pumping through them and naturally stay warmer.

I've been in mid-60's for sure, maybe low, but can't remember for sure.  It was entirely do-able with the sleeveless.  Core temperature was fine.  I don't have much natural insulation either.  Arms felt a cool little towards the end, but not too bad.  Wish I could remember for sure as some other guys did it in jammers or tri shorts only.

Anyone else notice that the Athlete Guide is up and swim waves are posted in it?  Got a fairly early one, so happy here.