2009 Ironman Lake Placid (I did it! 2 IM's in 1 month!)

Click here to view album: Ironman Lake Placid Overall: 12hr 21min -- 706 overall (about 2258 total), 110th in AG (about 210 total) Swim: 1hr 15min Bike: 6hr 33min (splits: 3hr10min, 3hr 21min) Run: 4hr 21min (splits: 2hr08min, 2hr13min) First of all -- THANK YOU so much to my wife, Sandy, she made this year one of the most exciting of my life. Also, many thanks to my family who came to watch/support me at Lake Placid. It was a big boost seeing you throughout the day. Wow - this race was tough. I knew going for 2 IM's w/in 3 weeks was nuts, but having to finish w/ Lake Placid made things even more challenging. This race scraps away at you. Imagine getting scratched in one place over and over again...basically, the 2nd half of the run is like pouring salt on that sore that's been scrapped away! Conditions were great, we were really lucky to get dry weather and sunshine. The forecast was for pouring rain and it ended up raining a bit on the swim, but stopped thereafter. In fact, it became a bit too hot for some people. I heard 400 participants got IV's -- about 20% of the field. Sun was blazing and tempurature was anywhere from 27-30c (~85-90 degrees F) w/ some humidity. I really wanted to enjoy the experience. An old coach of mine asked if I had "goals" for the day and I said "finish." After having a great experience and overall time at IM Germany 3 weeks prior, I just wanted my family to enjoy the great city of Lake Placid and see an Ironman race. I didn't know what to expect, coming into the race I had caught a cold the week before, traveled from London to NYC, and drove from NYC to Lake Placid. Thus, it wasn't the perfect taper, but I knew I already had the fitness to enjoy the race. More detail on my time splits found when you CLICK HERE to the website Swim (2.4 miles / 3.8km): 1hr 15min Comments: Popped a gel about 30 min before start. Best water I've ever swam in. Clear, cool and perfect for 2000+ swimmers! I stayed clear of everyone and found clear water. Probably could've sighted better on the 2nd loop, but all things considered, I came out feeling pretty good. T1 - 8min 50sec: Long transition run. I'm guessing this is about 400m. Also, I took my time getting my bag, going to the bathroom, and getting on to my bike. Loved the help taking my wetsuit off. Bike (112 miles / 180km): 6hr 33 min (splits: ~3hr 10min, 3hr 21min) Comments: Very challenging bike course. EVERYONE told me to be patient on the first lap and that the bike course doesn't really start until mile 80-90. I took this to heart and "thought" I was being conservative on the first lap, but looking at my splits, I probably still went out a little harder than I should've. The hills just keep coming and coming -- just impossible to get any rhythm. I remember thinking I was never going to finish during my first lap, but felt much better on the 2nd lap. Click HERE for comparison bike courses in North America Ironman Races (YES - Lake Placid is a bit hilly). Overall, I kept these things in mind on the bike: 1. Don't destroy yourself on the hills -- LET EVERYONE GO AND BE PATIENT -- When I got to the hills (and there are a LOT of hills), I kept my pace as low as possible and was able to have a conversation or eat while climbing. I didn't want to blow it and knew there was a lot of hills to come. Also, I was starting to feel the fatigue from the last Ironman! 2. Get some speed and keep your pace on downhills/flats -- Guessing my confidence has gone up this year on the bike and all my pilates/yoga classes have helped kept my form throughout the ride. I really went for it on the downhills and my core kept me very stable going 50+ mph! I just wanted to gain as much time as possible and keep my legs turning over instead of taking long breaks then pushing uphills. 3. Keep the fluids going - it's hot! -- The weather was pretty warm and the humidity wasn't helping. I went through about 5 bottles of water/nuun and 1.5 bottles of carbo pro/gatorade. Not sure I managed this great, I had to go to the bathroom 3 times during the bike ride. I wanted to be sure my energy was good going into the run, so I kept hydrating and pouring as much water on my head as possible. Definitely helped! Nutrition -- hour 1: 1 bar, 1/4 bottle carbo pro, pack shot bloks, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~80g cho hour 2: 1 bar, pack shot bloks, 1/4 bottle carbo pro, bottle of nuun (sodium) = 80g cho hour 3: 1 bar, 3 shot bloks, 1/2 bottle of powerbar drink, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~70g cho hour 4: 1 bar, 1/4 bottle of Gatorade drink, gel, bottle nuun (sodium), 3 shot bloks = ~70g cho hour 5: 1/2 bottle of Gatorade drink, bottle nuun (sodium), 2 gels = ~60g cho hour 6 (only about a half hour): 1/4 Gatorade drink, water, gel = ~30g cho T2 - 2min 48sec - Felt good during transition, went to the bathroom and started at an easy pace. Run (26.2 miles / 42.2km): 4hr 21min (splits: 2hr08min, 2hr13min) Comments: 2 laps (~13.1 miles each) of quite hilly surface. There were a lot of up and downs including 2 pretty steep and long hills each lap. This is NOT an easy run course. I had a strategy to walk through each aid station (about a mile a part) and drink a cup of something (gatorade/water). Overall, tough run and my body was really starting to feel the beating from doing races so close together. Here is a description of each lap: Lap 1 (mile ~1-13.1): I had the crazy idea of thinking I could do a sub-4 hr marathon, but didn't end up getting close. On the first 2-3 miles I was clipping the miles off at a decent pace (sub 9 min), but those were mostly downhill miles. Almost immediately afterwards you start the rolling hills and my pace quickly went down. I felt OK and started feeling a bit worse through miles 7-13. My energy was going down a bit and I knew my pace was slowing. At that point, I made a decision that an evenly spaced marathon is better than exploding on the 2nd half...thus, I slowed down. I started taking my salt pills (~2/hour) each hour which helped my energy levels and absorb some of the nutrition. Half Marathon split = ~2hr 08min Lap 2 (mile ~13.1-26.2): After seeing my family and giving my wife a kiss, I felt much better. Mentally/physically, it's so much of a lift to pass the halfway point. I quickly told Sandy that it was going to be a long marathon and I definitely won't break 4 hours. My spirits and energy were decent, but I had a long way to go. I quickly noticed how HUNGRY I was and how much I had to go to the bathroom, again! I think I'm a salty sweater b/c even after ~10 salt pills, fluids were going right through my system. Thus, for about the last 8 aid stations, I took in a cup of chicken broth and pretzels -- not much more water or gatorade or gels. I felt much better on the 2nd half after taking the nutrition. I thought I was going to negative/even split the marathon, especially b/c I was passing a lot of people who were starting to walk. I am happy that, albeit slow, I was able to run the entire race (other than the aid stations) and feel pretty good -- even the 2 crazy long hills! Half Marathon split = ~2hr 13min 2 Ironmans in one month = mission accomplished!!