Ironman USA Lake Placid : Official Thread (Page 70)

Dream Chaser - 2011-06-13 1:16 PM So glad the LP BT Group woke up!!  So cool to see such a mix of athletes too.  But the truth is, we're all pretty much newbies.  Some newer than others, but aside from TankBoy  none of us has extensive, multi-decade experience in triathlon. 

Just some basic tips I remember from last year.  The next few weeks will likely be our BIGGEST.  

A.) Hydrate.  Throughout the day, before training - during training - after training; and especially on Rest Days.

B.)  Fuel.  Carbs before you train.  Nail down what 'Race Day' nutrition while Biking and Running NOW!! (if you haven't already).  Protein and carbs post-workouts.  The night before a Long Run, EAT!!  If you have a 16-mile Run planned for Saturday, prepare for it on Friday!! 

C.) Recover.   Yoga, foam roller, ice baths, stretching, EZ active recovery efforts (easy swim, easy spin, elliptical, etc...), get plenty of SLEEP, mid-day naps if possible    Remember, we need to do what we can to absorb this training.

D.) Have Fun!  Remember this is FUN!!  Training for an Ironman and competing in one is a privlege.  Don't let it stress you out.  Focus on the adventure, how this event is changing you for the better.  Know that 2,000 other people are going through the same training grind right now. 


Please feel free to add any basic, fundamental things we can do to make the next few weeks successful and enjoyable.

Awesome advice!  I've tried to follow the same during this journey...  Keep 'em coming!

the next 6 weeks are surely the most important...DC gave some great tips, and ill add some thoughts:

1-getting to the point as race day comes close where you will start to question your prep and you will start to look more closely to what others are doing.  DONT!.  Just keep doing what you avhe been doing and remember--consistent training rules every other type of training.  Train as much and as hard as you can without jeopordizing tomorrow.

2-Start practicing your nutrition for race day.  Keep it simple here.  Use the on course stuff if you can.  perform, power bars and gels.  Coke is money on the run--of course, use it in training to see how it effects you.  I fed off of Coke only for the whole run last year and worked well.  I would have taken 2-3 gels in the first half and plan on doing that again thisyear as I think I was short on cals.

3-you'll see some freak outs over the next 3-4 weeks regarding the swim (wet suit legal), taper and how it makes you feel...things like that.  this goes back to #1---stick to your own plan and stay consistent!

4-try and get in a few big swims to gauge a true easy pace--if this is your first IM, dont blow up on the swim before the day even starts!.....it may make sense to swim 4500-5000 yards, get a good meal in, then go bike for 4-6 hours and see how you feel.  this will really help you dial in a true IM swim pace and what it should feel like.

most important is what DC said---HAVE FUN!......

the next 6 weeks are going to fly by, so enjoy them--soon we'll all be treading water in Mirror Lake wondering how the heck we made it this far!.....The hardest part of the IM is getting to the start line....when in doubt, do what feels fun!

Dream Chaser - 2011-06-13 1:16 PM So glad the LP BT Group woke up!!  So cool to see such a mix of athletes too.  But the truth is, we're all pretty much newbies.  Some newer than others, but aside from TankBoy  none of us has extensive, multi-decade experience in triathlon. 

Just some basic tips I remember from last year.  The next few weeks will likely be our BIGGEST.  

A.) Hydrate.  Throughout the day, before training - during training - after training; and especially on Rest Days.

B.)  Fuel.  Carbs before you train.  Nail down what 'Race Day' nutrition while Biking and Running NOW!! (if you haven't already).  Protein and carbs post-workouts.  The night before a Long Run, EAT!!  If you have a 16-mile Run planned for Saturday, prepare for it on Friday!! 

C.) Recover.   Yoga, foam roller, ice baths, stretching, EZ active recovery efforts (easy swim, easy spin, elliptical, etc...), get plenty of SLEEP, mid-day naps if possible    Remember, we need to do what we can to absorb this training.

D.) Have Fun!  Remember this is FUN!!  Training for an Ironman and competing in one is a privlege.  Don't let it stress you out.  Focus on the adventure, how this event is changing you for the better.  Know that 2,000 other people are going through the same training grind right now. 


Please feel free to add any basic, fundamental things we can do to make the next few weeks successful and enjoyable.

HEY DC DID YOU JUST CALL ME OLD??????

In addition to ice baths and naps, I do LOVE my magic pants!

I have come to trust my recovery days, but I sure don't like them - Normally today would be my long run day, but because I raced yesterday I have a recovery day (1 hour Z1 on the bike and stretching).

And now I am am antsy.

Speaking of all your unfolded laundry - I have been meaning to put something together in the basement to organize all of my training and racing clothes. The wife and I have way too much crap to keep in our regular clothes storage, so it mainly lives in a whole bunch of bags, roughly sorted. Of course what really happens is everything gets all turned upside down whenever I am looking for something specific. For my race this weekend I wanted to try out the get-up that i am planning wear for IMLP, but of course could not find it in amongst all the mess, and of course looking for it just made the mess worse. Because I was stomping around the house fuming my beautiful bride asked what I was in such a huff about. When I told her, without missing a beat she shot back, "Uh-Uh - don't you think about running off and doing no derring-do!" I was in stitches.

http://youtu.be/x2qRDMHbXaM

Awesome - from now on I will think of my LP race uniform as my "Super Suit." And my wife is indeed the greatest-good I am ever going to get - thank goodness she thinks all this Ironman mess is a amusing. So I am off to put together some better storage for all our gear - not sure it will be as cool as Frozone's, but maybe I will incorporate a remote control...

Hey Everyone - Great advice re prepping over next six weeks - I did my first IM last year and enjoyed the training as much as the day. The 2/3 weeks of taper are brutal as you feel like a caged tiger by the time race day comes around.

Did the IMLP swim bike course on the weekend and ran the lp half marathon. Bike was no where near as bad as I thought it would be. The advice given earlier re up up up down down down down flat then up up up is so true.

For those beginners dont get too up tight. Just take one loop at a time and follow YOUR plan. The people I was with on the weekend were doing their longest ride of training this weekend - I dont do mine for two more weeks - but I am sticking to my plan not theirs.

I have a laminated 3x5 card ot top of my bento box reading "Don't eat the paste!"

Me tooo!!! I'm going to have to wriggle them on later I think...I have no bath for ice bath right now...and my legs are angry...

The only thing that is forcing me to go to the pool this afternoon to get a swim in is the thought of the hottub after the swim...I really don't feel like it...but I will go because the hottub is there for after...haha. I guess I could just jump in the hottub though....

Awesome - from now on I will think of my LP race uniform as my "Super Suit."

I`m in need of a "super suit".  Which tri shops have good tri tops?   I have tried Paragon, SBR, Jackrabbits and it is all whatever.  Zoot seems the best but it does not have space for a spare tube and the many GUIs i need, in the back.  Orca has decent size pockets but are rather bland.  I`m starting to suspect all the cool ones are individually designed by tri clubs.  I wanna looks good, cause i`m not going to feel good, till the end!

Great advice...  Thank you.

Tripadigin - you asked one of the most important questions on the thread thus far. My favorite I the Local Lake Placid Brewery. It has best selection of micro brew beers I have ever tasted and it is located on the short out at back part of the run, by Mirror Lake, right near transition. The ubo (?) is the most popular and bizarrely, the only one I do not like. The 46 and Moose Head are awesome. They do savage burgers / ribs and I fully intend on going there straight after an IV drip post race. In fact, i`ll be up there is a couple weeks for another training/wedding combo trip and will collect some of the beer to bring back to open on the 1st July - after I complete my first ever dry month since I was 16 (I'm Scottish - we start early).

Been absent since last weekend. Had a really bad week of training. My sunburn was worst than I thought orginially and kept me out of the pool at the start of the week. Then Wednesday night I managed to hurt my foot biking, nothing major but enough to making it very painful to run. Between the foot injury and work issues didn't get any training done at all on Thursday and Friday, and only a short recovery ride on Saturday as a warmup for a sprint tri on Sunday(Hudson Crossing Triathlon, in Schuylerville NY).

The race on Sunday however made my week. Ended up getting 3/12 in my AG! My first ever Triathlon Podium!

I almost got second in the age group but was passed on the run with half a mile to go(Ended up losing by 26 seconds). I tried to keep up with the guy but my legs couldn't keep up. My energy levels were pretty low for the whole race due to the lack of training and the fact that the night before I really didn't get any restful sleep. Needless to say once I saw the results posted after the race I was ecstatic. 

Feeling really good again, ready for a great week of training.

Bobby, looks like you have a couple of first hand replies on the rev3 and LP comparison.  FWIW,  a couple of guys I train with that have done both races both say that rev3 is far more challenging and both of them ended up averaging close to the same speed in LP than they did in Quassy.  The kicker is that it's twice as long but in general there's nothing overly difficult about it they said and you are typically doing one thing for a solid chunk of time and not having to smash over rollers up and down up and down like at quassy so it's easier to find your rhythm.  I feel like riding the quassy course is a little bit of an art form to be honest with the constant shifting and power fluctuations to maintain momentum in certain places.. They are from CT so quassy style is really common riding for our training rides when we head north into the hills.  Pretty sure that LP tops out around 8% which if you have proper gearing isn't really too bad and it can be ridden smart without smashing over it and demolishing your legs assuming you have a decent power to weight ratio.

I might bail on the LP trip unfortunately.  It's a long way to go for a training ride and I don't think would benefit me all that much to be honest.  My effort is going to be what it's going to be and going up there won't change that.  I've been known to change my mind though

Oh back to my favorite topic of food... We tried to have dinner at the LP Brewery over Memorial Day but there was a wait for a table... so we went down to Lisa G's restaurant which was very good as well!

Bobby - Thanks for the wake up call. I enjoyed reading everyone's training progress. 

I'm feeling good coming off of another well executed training week. The long bike/run brick on Saturday is definitely the hardest part of training for me mentally. My long rides are usually one long loop out and back so I am having trouble mentally preparing to repeat the exact same loop on race day.

I really enjoy Sunday's long runs so I see these as a reward for making it through the long bike! Maybe the marathon will go the same way!

We've come a long way since signing up for this almost a year ago and this is the time where we are all becoming an Ironman, not at the finish line... So I really like the advice I've seen here about making sure to enjoy the training as much as possible and appreciate the fact that we are able to do this.

Happy training!

Ryan

I just spent a glorious 3 day weekend in LP with the Endurance Nation training camp.  I rode the complete bike course back to back days (Friday was warm and sunny, Saturday was cool and rainy, so i got a good sampling of Adirondack weather!),  ran one loop of the run course and one loop of the swim.  Here are some thoughts/impressions that may help those of you who have not been there:

Swim course.  

• I have been hearing about this "underwater cable" for a year now.  For some reason, I imagined it being a gleaming, silver, transatlantic sized, industrial grade, beacon of hope lying on the bottom of a crystal clear lake, and that this cable would guide me to a gloriously straight record swim split.   The reality is it is more like a little yellow chord you would hang your laundry on sitting a few feet below the murky surface!   I can't imagine fighting 3000 people to get on top of that thing to sight off of it!  I'm thinking it may be more trouble than it's worth now to stick to the cable.  I still need to figure out a swim strategy.

Bike course.

• The roads are in really rough shape, particularly on the Keene descent.  It will be better when we can use more road and less shoulder on race day, but even in the middle of the road there are lots of craters and cracks.  It's bone rattling at times.  I can't tell you how many water bottles I saw ejected.  Make sure you've got yours strapped down with a little extra sumthin to hold them.  I added a rubber band to my cage after my first ejection and that worked well.  Also, be sure to TIGHTEN your seat-post, handlebars, etc, as much as you can without cracking anything!  I hit a pothole at 40mph which caused my bars to slip down a few inches.   Scared the crap out of me.   Plus it cost me time having to re-adjust my bars and change my diaper.  That being said, it is still really fun.  Just be aware.
• The out and back to Ausable Forks is not difficult, but it's annoying!  Something about going out-and-back twice is just mentally taxing.
• The climb out of town feels like cake on loop one.  But on loop 2 it turns into one mean-@ss beyatch.  Be ready for it.  The thing is, it's not really just a climb out of town, rather it's more like one continuous climb all the way from Wilmington, or even Jay, for that matter.  So, don't smoke yourself coming up the Bears and into town just because you hear the roar of the crowd and have the adrenaline pumping, because once you leave town and things quiet down the work continues.
• I tip my hat to those of you who can spin around that course sub-6 hours.  I thought I was one of you, but i am not.  I am readjusting my goals now from "sub-6" to "ride safe and smart".  If I kept my goal at sub-6 it would not only disappoint me mentally if i missed it, but it would most likely destroy my run.  I like my new goal better!

Run course:

• We were on the course the same day as the Lake Placid marathon, which was really cool.  It gave me a taste of cowbell!  River road is beautiful and rolling and is the bulk of the run.  It's been repaved and it is great shape.  The hills coming back into town are severe, and difficult, but i found going down them much harder!  I may walk down that thing on loop 2 because i think it could potentially blow me up!

As for the beer, I really enjoyed the 46er Pale Ale at the Lake Placid Brewery.  They sell large jugs of the stuff, so my plan for monday is to grab one of those, and a straw, and find a shady tree overlooking the lake to sit under and ponder this fabulous journey.  I am really happy I chose LP as the venue to do this, it's an incredible place for an Ironman.

Morning. Woke up this morning feeling less than stellar...upper resp infection--congestion/sore throat/cough/headache...went for a ride this morning and was feeling worse at the end of the ride than the beginning. I'm bundled up like it is winter time because I'm cold and shivery. Bah! Apparently my recent "sluggish/tiredness|" is really my sickness prodrome. 

Debating what to do training wise....I'm figuring the right thing to do is rest and take it easy over the next few days since I've got some key sessions later this week to get done...but it's so hard to justify taking it easy when I don't feel ridiculously horrible...

mndymond-

REST REST REST.

you dont want to get worse!

Funny that this issue has come up... gives me a chance to complain a little... - Mid April I was sick with a cold for about 2 weeks during my Olympic tri - Mid May right after my Half, I got the cold from hell that lasted about 2.5 weeks - started in the head and moved to the chest - (this made the LP training weekend seem harder than it should have been I'm sure). But felt GREAT all last week! Today I have a tickle in my throat and a cough and the sniffles AGAIN. I attribute it to sleeping with my windows open last night so hopefully that's what it is. It cannot be a third cold in less than 3 months! Anyway... have been taking vitamins, drinking OJ, getting lots of sleep, etc. I'll be fine as long as I'm not sick for the race!

Anyway, Melissa - I did train through all of it but I took it a little easier and did not push my body if I was feeling super horrible. This might be why it took me so long to get better (and maybe why it kept coming back or whatever). So I'd say give yourself a little break before it gets worse. If you're feeling super bad at the end of the workout and curled up in blankets that can't be good! I hope you feel back to 100% soon!

Awesome course recon. I completely agree on all your points (except the beer I did not try). I thought the same thing about the cable! And the roads are definitely not in the nicest shape but should be somewhat better when we can use the whole lane. Thanks for posting this!

Sigh* Ya I've got some systemic symptoms going on...aches and chills/fever...=no dice as you put it Bobby. Haha. I've currently got on 2 jackets in the lab because I was too cold with just one. I'll just head home soon and chill out with my blankets, soup and tylenol for the night. I've been feeling worse over the past few hours.

Oh well...at least it happened now and not a month from now! That would reeeeaaaallly suck. 

Dream Chaser - 2011-06-14 3:10 PM

mndymond - 2011-06-14 4:17 PM

Dream Chaser - 2011-06-14 12:52 PM

mndymond - 2011-06-14 1:49 PM

Morning. Woke up this morning feeling less than stellar...upper resp infection--congestion/sore throat/cough/headache...went for a ride this morning and was feeling worse at the end of the ride than the beginning. I'm bundled up like it is winter time because I'm cold and shivery. Bah! Apparently my recent "sluggish/tiredness|" is really my sickness prodrome. 

Debating what to do training wise....I'm figuring the right thing to do is rest and take it easy over the next few days since I've got some key sessions later this week to get done...but it's so hard to justify taking it easy when I don't feel ridiculously horrible...

Rule of thumb: Sick from the neck UP - you can train.  From the neck DOWN - no dice.  Rest.

Sigh* Ya I've got some systemic symptoms going on...aches and chills/fever...=no dice as you put it Bobby. Haha. I've currently got on 2 jackets in the lab because I was too cold with just one. I'll just head home soon and chill out with my blankets, soup and tylenol for the night. I've been feeling worse over the past few hours.

Oh well...at least it happened now and not a month from now! That would reeeeaaaallly suck. 

I'm not a doctor.  Nor do I play one on tv   But you're studying to be one... and two of my neighbors are doctors.  Based off all that...  I'd get a Z-Pack, stat!  Knock those cooties to the moon.

Lol...that makes it seem like I already knew the answer...haha. Sometimes med school me is at odds with triathlete me. 

I will try to know the cooties to the moon!