Ironman USA Lake Placid

Well, it's not 76 days away (it's 105 days away actually- my desk calendar at work, not that I worked today, has the number of days away marked for each day leading up to the race).

1)  Swimming is great- I've got the endurance, now I am refining my stroke and trying to get even faster, plus I've got a time goal.  The run is going great, I missed out on breaking 2 hours in a half marathon by seconds, bring my time down by 51 minutes in a year   I'm trying to strength train and do yoga when possible.

Then there's the bike.  It's not going well at all.  Overall endurance isn't the issue- while I have only done one 50 miler since last September, my body seems to be able to go for a long time fairly easily with the right pacing and nutrition.  The problems I'm having have to do with the fact that I'm not biking enough- I don't have a trainer and though it's April it's not really getting much above the mid 40s and the wind has absolutely sucked.  Speed has always been an issue Going uphill isn't so bad- a trainer class helped with that. 

It's the downhills that terrify me right now- even the little ones that don't go down more than say 30-40 feet.  20 feels way too fast going downhill right now- though I feel fine going that speed on the flats if there's no big crosswind at least.  Right now, with my fear of the downhill (which is all in my head- I fell in a rainstorm going downhill in Jan), I don't know if I could make it through the bike course- even parts of the Columbia tri course, which is in 6 weeks are a concern.   I'm working on this as much as possible but this January in April stuff here just sucks.

I'm screwed if I don't figure this out.  So the single most important thing for me to do before the race is to get comfortable enough going down the hills, though that downhill to Keane will probably always concern me (40+ mph is what I keep hearing ) 

2)- Yes, this is my first full IM (I've done 2 halfs and plan on a third before raceday)

3)  I'm planning on pacing a marathon, and racing an Olympic, a half Ironman (Eagleman), possibly a sprint tri, an organized century and a 2.4 mile swim.  I will also go up to LP for a long weekend to train.

Thanks for kicking off the Race Talk.

1). How is your training going and how are you feeling

--> Training is going well. I am following the BT Ironman Training Plan (gold edition). I've been right on schedule. My limiters are swim & bike. For the swim, I now have a coach and it's helping a lot. For the bike, I am logging the time but most of it has been on the trainer, but with the weather getting warmer I plan to get out on the road much more often.

2). Is this your first Full Ironman (Or are you a Veteran)

--> This is my first IM.

3). Do you have any tuneup races planned between now and July 22nd

--> Just an Oly tri on June 9th and a few running races.

EVERYONE, BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR TRAINING!!!!

Under 100 days now (95 actually, but who's counting ).

1 - Training is going well.  My current focus is lots of quality work on the bike & run while keeping volume at a moderate level.  Feeling pretty good about where I'm at right now.

2 - First IM

3 - The EnduraSport New York tri at Harriman is my main "tuneup" race.  A very challenging HIM in just about a month.  My IM-specific training starts after that.  Also racing the Philadelphia Tri (oly) in late June, but basically training straight through that one as it's only 4 weeks out from LP.

1. My training is going pretty well. I have been base building (little or no speed work) since the beginning of January and I can really tell a difference in how my body is both accepting higher levels of volume as well as my long runs/rides are getting much easier. I am a little concerned that I am "slower" than I used to be last season, but I understand that LSD is the priority to get through a REALLY long day.
        I am still trying to decide how much I need to swim. I have a swimming background and I really don't like it . If I swam frequently I know I have the background to pull out a speedy swim but the mental anguish I feel every time I go to the pool may not be worth it. Getting all the biking and running in is my current priority.

2. This is my first IM

3. I have the Kinetic 1/2 IM in just a few days. Not looking forward to the mid-50 degree temp water but I like the idea of a nice long training day in a race setting I am also signed up for the Columbia Oly and Eagleman. I may or may not do the Lake Montclair Oly in late June, only because it is in my backyard and a fun race.

Video clip of the IM Lake Placid bike course - descent
 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hz_CTFqqYjQ