IRONMAN Lake Tahoe

I believe there were only two of us representing South Carolina this year. What would you like to know?

Two of us from the Charleston area are signed up for 2014. Looking for advice from your journey last year. Training; did you train up around the NC/SC borders? Gearing selection? How much time to give to acclimation for the altitude? What would you do differently?

Thanks,

Mike

Yes I did train a good bit in Western NC when I wasn't training at home in Greenville. Mainly in the Saluda, Flat Rock, Hendersonville area. I'd highly recommend getting up here to train at least a few times as the climbing is steep and sustained compared to anything you will find in the Charleston area. The steepest climbing is in the Martis Camp area that you cannot preview. It had variable grades so you could get a quick break before the next steep section came up. It also had somewhat techincal descents, but nothing crazy. Brockway Summit is pretty steady at around 10%. The nice thing about it is that it is a pretty straight road and you can fly down the back side. My Garmin flaked out on me, but it wasn't uncommon to hear people getting 7k to 8k feet of climbing for the ride. Dollar Hill should also not be overlooked as you definitely feel it the third time around. I brought my Shiv with a 50-34 crank and and 11-28 rear. While I had no trouble with that set up, I could have used another gear to keep the rpm's up. I was pretty conservative on the ride as it was my first Ironman and I didn't want to blow up the run.

Altitude acclimatization is something that varies from person to person, but I went out there a week early and I was fine. Six thousand feet really isn't that high unless you really have trouble adjusting. During first quarter of the swim I took it really easy since the water was cold and I read that swimming at altitude would be tougher than the other two sports. Once I got into a rhythm I was fine.

Things I would do differently: bring a pair of socks for the beach. It was frozen out there at the start and my feet hurt until I got into the water. I would also put on more layers for the bike. I underdressed and was colder than I needed to be for the first two or three hours. Last, I would go faster on the bike! I had energy left in the tank at the end of the run :-)

Be prepared for any kind of weather. Although there was little wind and no precipitation on race day, it was colder than expected. The day before there was high winds, rain and snowfall. It is a beautiful race course though. Enjoy it!

Chris

Great Advice!

Down here our only "hill" is a bridge, so we have to drive inland at least an hour to find rolling hills.

One last question (for now) what clubs or group rides did you hook up with?

Thanks!

Mike

Yes I'm familiar with the Ravenel Bridge and the IOP Connector :-) Most of my training was done solo, but I did do group rides with the Greenville Spinners (http://www.greenvillespinners.org). I trained through the winter with the Spartanburg Freewheelers (http://www.freewheelers.info) as well to get ready for the Assault on Mt. Mitchell which really helped with base bike fitness. From those groups I was able to make friends and get some unofficial rides as well.

Chris

Thanks for the information it will help a lot! Also very impressed that you picked this for your first IM!

Mike

I was there! Great race in one of my favorite places in this beautiful country. I spent a lot of time there after Raleigh this year getting ready for the race. Great communities, scenic riding and hiking, great eateries and bars... I just wish I could go back next year but with Chattanooga the following week Ill be there getting ready for that inaugural event. Don't be scared by reports. It was a tough race but hey, everyone has to do the same thing!