Ironman Lake Placid : Official Thread (Page 5)

Good morning!

"it always begins the same way - with a single athlete - surrounded by 2500 of their closest totally INSANE FRIENDS - getting ready to do something remarkable by standing on the shoulders of giants..." by Jordan Rapp winner of IMNYC

?Hey All,

I was a lurker on last years boards...is it up to 200 pages yet!!!!You guys/gals are great and thank you, i borrowed so much information and inspiration from following your thread!!

I finished my first IM at LP last year and cannot wait to do it again in 2013!!!

To all who have chosen this as your first IM I can only add that it is simply life changing. Nothing can describe the magnitude of support, organization and beauty that defines this venue!!!!A slogan is "its all about the journey" and we're all in for a great one!!!

My 2013 goals:

Compete lighter (i was 220 for this one, looking to be 210 next time)

Add HILL WORK!!! I trained on the flat side of long island. I figured the wind resistance should do the trick....BIG Mistake

Side note, My biggest obstical leading up to the iron distance was suffering with "mortons neuromas" in both feet. If anyone else suffers I'm a great sounding board for treatment and pain management. I just had the (MIND) surgery to release my ligament in my left foot last week and I have the same surgery set for Aug. 30th. I have high expectations and if all goes as expected should greatly improve my performance.

Talk to you all,

Mike

Hi Everyone,

Lake Placid 2013 will be my first Ironman!! I have only done a sprint and an olympic so far!! I have a half distance triathlon this October wich I am looking forward to. I am pretty nervous about registering for an Ironman event with so little experience but I am determined to get in shape for it.

Do you have any suggestions for which bike to get for the event for around 2000 dollars. I am currently riding a touring bike which is pretty heavy and not too fast. Any other information or tips will be appreciated, good luck one and all, Cameron.

I will most likely be in for HITS as well, they did a great job with the inaugural event and one loop of the course is harder than one loop of LP, so it should give you an idea of where your fitness is at.

I am in the same boat - I'm riding a 20 yr old Cannondale road bike and am looking to upgrade.  Very curious to hear any recommendations.

Thanks.

even tho sounds like a cliche: u need to buy a bike that fits u!

with that being said: Felt/Cannondale/Cervelo P2 seems to fit a lot of dif people

Also, try to get a professional fit... Yes it does make a BIG difference IMHO

I agree on that 100% and have the data to prove it, in my case.  I rode my new P2 with the bike shop fitting for a year.  I do 15K time trials with my local club each week in the spring and summer, and after getting my professional fit, I took 1:33 off my previous fastest TT time, with similar conditions.  This was from one week to the next, so it wasn't a matter of training.

On top of fit, gearing choice is the next big choice, imho, particularly for a hilly race like IMLP.  There are lots of posts in previous years on gearing; I ride a compact crank (50-34) with a 12-27 in the back.  That may be overkill, but it does make the really rough hills manageable.  As for the frame, I ride a Trek SC and like it a lot.  

It has been said a thousand times, but it is about the engine more than the bike.  When I got mine, I wanted a bike I could keep for a few years, had solid components, and I could incrementally add improvements to (like wheels, powermeter, electronic shifting, etc).  

Thanks for all the great feedback on the bikes.  I am not a strong bike rider and I realize that regardless of the bike I'm on I have a LOT of work to do over the next year to get ready for Lake Placid.

better have it and don't need it than need it and don't have it

I also run compact and change the cassette based on the occasion.

I bought an '04 felt f80 for 300 bucks to do the IMLP 2012 from LBS. I cracked the headtube and my LBS cut out the bottom bracket and felt mailed brand new 2011 Frame kit, still a roady but with carbon forks and stays. I swapped my 105 components on and love it...So I'm partial to felts only because the company seems to stand behind the product.

That aside, I loved my bike till I got to LP, talk about bike envy. I wanted to sneak my bike into transition. It got the job done though

Re: where to stay,

Last year I booked a campsite in wilmington. Around November, I switched and got a room at High Peaks. I was really glad I did.

They have a wait list and I was told they almost always accomodate everyone on it as people cancel.

This year I have a room booked at the Golden Arrow. Just changing it up. High Peaks is in town but towards the end of the strip. Still great. Golden Arrow is more towards the center.

If possible, stay in town if its your first time. I mustve walked to the IM village 50 times for the excitment. Driving may have been a hastle. The town is small but it never feels ridiculously crowded. You can get reservations for food etc pretty easy. I even watched the new Batman at the local theater for like 5bucks or something cheap like that.

OK, dumb question time.  I am going to get a new bike and am wrestling with the road vs. tri bike dilemma.

Do most people do IMLP on a tri bike?  Are tri bikes suitable for a course like Lake Placid?

Thanks.

I was advised to take the 1st loop easy and I did but there were def parts where if I took it easy I wouldve fallen over. The climbs are everything you'll read but again as a true novice I'll say this. You are gonna hear a ton about the 3 bears and dont get me wrong, they're worth hearing about....but to me, not just physically but mentally...there is a rt turn back onto 86 you make just after this real comfy out and back on rt9 that nearly broke me down twice. I think its because you're a long way into the loop, prob about 30 miles and then its just this long slow grind for what feels like forever. There was a family outside on their lawn with a goat and the obsurtity of it and their friendliness really helped me.

I was prob over cautious but I was glad I was when I started the run. My bike time was 7:24 so I gues I was more towards the back.

i'll share this: There are a bunch of breakdowns online i looked at including this one:

http://beyondtransition.com/how-to-race-ironman-lake-placid/

As

I asked my fitter the same question and he asked me "what do you spend most of you're riding time doing?" I think thats the question you need to ask yourself.

Thanks for that link ... I'm drinking that sort of thing in right now. I rode the course (1 loop) this year before volunteering and I agree with you ... that climb out of upper jay is one to be prepared for.

gatjr33: What's going on, neighbor! Indeed, I'm actually quite stoked to get back on the trainer. I normally ride early morning, and it's already too dark to do so during the week before work. I hate switching tires back and forth, though, so my riding is currently taking a hit ... which is fine, as I'm run focused right now for the Philly marathon.

If you like the link, this one was from a more advanced riders view of the bike. They describe the splits it took to have a 5:36 and change bike time. To me another accurate physical course desciption:

http://www.runtri.com/2010/07/ironman-lake-placid-bike-course-what-to.html

Enjoy

I posted this in the IM forum, maybe it will be more suitable for this thread?? Didnt realize this was here until now...

I am signed up for IMLP in July and there are MANY training camps for that race leading up to the event. Has anyone ever done a training camp for that event or another IM? Is it worth it or should you just make your own weekend of going up with friends to train on the course? What are your thoughts? Also if you do suggest a training camp, which would you recommend?

I'm definitely getting there before the race to do some training. If nothing else, that lake can't be beat for OWS. I was hoping to do it around Memorial Day. Should be OK with a wetsuit.

It would be fun to meet up with people from BT again, I had a good time volunteering there this year.