After coming down last year I was really looking forward to joining in again this year. I'm Unfortunately fortunate to have just started a new job and cannot take my first friday off. I'm gonna most likely drive up there early Saturday morning and do the training day two days late on Sunday morning. Not sure if anyone will be up there still but if so I am going to try to stay as close to the E.Dot scheduling as possible.

Not that we can put much (ANY) credence in it, but - the forecast for Thurs Eve and Fri is looking pretty decent.

I'm hoping that after 2 straight years of the MLSC Whiteface prologue being curtailed, that maybe we'll actually get up her this year.
I'll be bringing fewer W's and more Kg's to the party, so breaking :60 for the summit will be tougher than usual.
But at least I am exceptionally well-tapered.

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float , hammer , and jog

How is this possible....2 days in a row of decent weather in the Adirondacks? I think just typing that jinxed us. See you on Thu PM for the fun and games. 17th year in row on the first weekend of June. My kilos are half decent, and watts are climbing up gradually post IM Texas. I would like to break 60 but we all know how hard that is.

Dev

Give her time - Nature is a Mother.
I'll believe it when I see it.

But yes, as of now, it looks pretty promising!

My w/kg math isn't the most favorable, but I'll do my best to try to break :60 if at all possible.

See ya tomorrow afternoon!
Looking forward to the annual Stupid Human Tricks w the crew.

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float , hammer , and jog

Last bump for anyone interested:

I'll be arriving LP tomorrow by 3:30 or so.
After a quick stop into Placid Planet, will check into hotel (Hampton Inn, right next to the pub!), and be out by the tennis courts ready to ride by 4:15 or so.

Safe travels tomorrow everybody!
Game on.

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float , hammer , and jog

I am trying to track down a few servings of tapeworms between now and tomorrow to get my kg's down. The top line watts are lost cause at this point barring a Floyd Landis style miracle but those miracles get you banned from sport (even Epicman) so I have to stick to trying to track down the tape worms! One moment I was waffling about returning to LP for the 17th year in a row, now I am excited. I should just throw in the towel now on future waffling and commit to 20 years of this silliness. It would be fun if I could rope my son into an Epicman one of these years but I think he is smarter than we are to never get hooked on this.

What we need:

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float , hammer , and jog

or just that horrible drink they make you have before a colonoscopy...that should be enough to lose 4-5 lbs and there should be enough glycogen on the body anyway to survive a 1 hour climb....but it would likely make Friday not fun doing that much training on empty!

Get to the shop early. We're closing at 4 today! I was planning on going out for a ride this afternoon and the climb sounds fun. What's the schedule looking like?

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marceves.com

PERFECT afternoon for a ride today!!!

We got turned back about 2k shy of the top of Whiteface due to construction. It's freshly paved, and pure goodness on the descent.
Was cruising along at 52+ for several minutes after the toll booth.
5k descent in 4 minutes. :)

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float , hammer , and jog

As I was saying afterwards today's climb was as imperfect as you can make a near perfect day. The weather was fantastic, the pavement even better...just more construction at the second last switch back. It will be perfect for The official Saturday Whiteface bike race!

It was about time they repaved it. Sweet, although I'm not sure I'll ever get back to ride it:(

Why? Did you lose your NY privileges?

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float , hammer , and jog

Certainly wish I could have been up there yesterday/today...

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"The right to party is a battle we have fought, but we'll surrender and go Amish... NOT!" -Wayne Campbell

The paving is beyond awesome. Whiteface is now the "go to hill climb" with the new pavement. Being turned around just short of the second switchback was really disappointing. I am actually considering going back some time in the next month. Drive up after work one evening (arrive at 9 pm), up the next day at 5 am, start riding at 5:30 pm, done by 8:30 pm, in the car by 9 am, back in the office at noon. Since I work largely on Pacific time but work physically on East coast, this works out to essentially zero impact. Any of you guys interested? We just have to block off two mornings and choose one where the weather is looking clear and make the call on "climb week".

As for the Epicman day itself, Let's just say I was the 140 lbs weakling that drafted ML for an entire 6 hours and still kept getting dropped. I can't recall every feeling that pathetic, but I guess I was a bit sick after IM Texas three weeks ago that delayed bouncing back so nothing really to be too worried about. ML could have likely ridden the course in 5:15 yesterday on his taperxtaper (if that is possible) plan. On a plus side, once I got going I was running OK. Next Thursday PM I hope to be climbing Alpe d'Huez if logistics work to plan so hopefully I can be less pathetic than Whiteface which I seemed to be on pace for only doing 64 minutes (I was at 58 min just near the second switchback when we got turned back by construction crews).

The whole course was pretty awesome, and Whiteface was ridiculously nice.
Was bummed to get turned back, I was on pace for a :60 min ascent, give or take a handful of seconds.
Made it to the toll booth in :20 mins, but then cracked after that.
Woulda been ~3.5 w/kg to get up in an hour.

The descent back down was a blast - I hit 56.6 going down from the toll gate to Wilmington, and 54.6 on Keene the 2nd time.
Zoom-zoom!!

I'm definitely up for a quick jaunt up there again later this summer - keep me in the loop.
Unfinished business.

Speaking of loops, I was suprised to be able to get us around in 3hrs / loop, at only like 175 watts. (AP was 155w!)
World's Longest "Recovery Ride".
Haselton Rd is sooo much nicer than going out to Ausable Forks.

Thanks for coming out!
This was my 10th straight E.Dot, even though I've only been "training for an IM" for 2 of those, the last being 4 seasons ago.
It's by far the best way to experience the LP course, w/o sharing it with 3,000 of your closest friends and dealing with 3x hotel rates for 5 night minimums, etc.
I even really enjoyed the swim in Mirror Lake. (shhh! Don't tell anybody!!)

I was definitiely on the tapered list for this year - in fact I WAS the tapered list:
Prior to Thurs, I had done 44 hours of riding YTD, for 572 miles.
Those totals are now 52.5 hours, and 723 miles!
(in < 24 hours, my YTD riding hours went up by 19%, and miles by 26%.)
Volume Is Overrated.

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float , hammer , and jog

Hey, sign me up to tag along for that next whiteface attempt. I will be spending most of my summer in saranac so will be in the neighborhood. I wasn't able to watch the legendary ML's descending skilzz at AZ this year but whiteface is a worthy replacement.

Consider yourself signed up! Would love to have you come out and and join the fun.

I think the 56.6 mph I hit coming down from the toll gate may be my new land speed record*.
(*on a bike. I've gone 60+ on skis.)

(PS - we might even be able to cajole you into breaking 40 there - it's straight and smooth as glass)

edited to add: gonna pay the weight penalty next time and run the aero F wheel.
I was only a handful of seconds off the descending KOM coming down from the toll booth.

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float , hammer , and jog

The last time I hit 50+ below the toll gate, I had the pleasurable experience of trying to null out a death wobble. It turned my purple knuckles white.

I'll be up in Placid for IM race weekend, and possibly for the SkyMarathon weekend at the end of June. I'm waaaay short on bike hours this year, but could certainly use the quad pounding as cross-training.

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"The right to party is a battle we have fought, but we'll surrender and go Amish... NOT!" -Wayne Campbell

Yeah, that's always fun, huh? :0

That's why cycling shorts are black - to hide the stains.

It's like buttah now. Glass.
Bring all the climbing gears ya have for the ascent, and then enjoy the view and the ride down.

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float , hammer , and jog

I'd be up for whiteface climb.

Where the heck were you this weekend?

Dev is away this year for Epicman LP...I was planning on going up to LP this Thursday/Friday so I bumped up this thread to see if anyone else was interested. I think I have convinced Dancon7 to join me. The weather forecast actually improved a bit(no rain), the IMLP FB page has Mirror Lake at 62 as of last week.

I've done IMLP x3 and Epicman was a big help each time, both physically getting ready to cover the distance and the confidence in knowing that I had already covered covered a huge portion of the course in training. I'm glad to keep the tradition going.


[devashish_paul]OK, pulling up an old thread since I don't want to re write for the 17th year in a row....nothing changes for 2015 other than dates. Actually a few minor changes for the Thursday evening options. We have learned through trial and error that summitting Whiteface on tri bikes with negative braking in cold New York thunderstorms is not a great idea. The backup plan is a reverse loop with a toll gate climb, or a 2 hour run...whatever everyone agrees to. If we do the 2 hour run, then we shorten the running on Friday's "main event". Preference is the cycling "prologue" option. Other than that, everything stays the same....see below

Looks like I need a Director of Marketing for this stupidity because clearly I am doing a much better job marketing semiconductors than an outrageous round of training for the 17th year in row.
Dev

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This is what I wrote in 2012.

Hey guys,

I've intentionally avoided posting much about Epicman, hoping that we end up with a smaller group given that Lake Placid is a bit sensitive about skinny guys with shaved legs in large groups inundating their town. But for the 14th year, we are on for Epicman. My life has been crazy busy with a variety of professional and family related items and wasting time in different forms of medical rehab to get over last year's crash injuries is not helping with available time, but here we go....I'm largely copying as pasting from last year.....CHRIS GLEASON WILL BE MISSED!!!

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Whiteface + Epicman June 4/5 Lake Placid

Some of you guys have been asking for details on our annual Epicman training day outing to Lake Placid to �scout out the IMLP race course�. There are enough vets kicking around that you can ask questions, but I promised to post something in the last few weeks of lead up, so here we go. If you post more questions on this thread, myself or others who have gone can get you answers on how things work.

This is your chance to pay homage to ST celebrities like Chris G (this is copied from last year...he'll be missed....we'll try to pay homage anyway) of Kalber, or Murphy's Law who can make you hurt on the bike or in the bar! Coach Patrick McCrann may also make a celebrity appearance.

In today�s triathlon era of 365 day advanced sellouts, 6 day hotel minimums, catered training camps, training by numbers, on line live event coverage and designer nutrition programs, there are some things that actually have not changed.

Stripping things to the bare essence, triathlon is about you, the water, the bike and some running shoes.

When Collins and the boys did the first Ironman in the late 70�s that�s what it was. A bunch of guys getting together and pushing themselves over what seems like an insurmountable distance.

We�re now on year 14 of Epicman in Lake Placid

Epicman is a grass roots training day with a bunch of guys and girls getting together to train on the course fully self supported.
No registration, no timing, no awards, no aid stations, no on course neutral support vehicle. Imagine yourself out there training all day on the Ironman Lake Placid course. Now add a bunch of like minded people that just happen to show up to join in on the fun.

Course

We cover ~3K of swimming in 50 minutes (or beach to beach to beach, whatever gets you out close to 50 minutes ), 180K of riding and 21K of running. Since this year the out and back is closed due to construction, on each loop we'll climb up to the whiteface toll gate (EDIT: this is cut and paste from last year....out and back section to be finalized soon....may be toll gate may be the second out and back we used in 2010, or one of each). This will make the ride tougher than the actual race day at Ironman Lake Placid. Run starts after you are done the ride on the IMLP course. You can do as much or as little as you want. If you finish the full 50 min swim, full 2loop bike with 2 climbs to the toll gate and full 21.1K run, my friend Chris Macknie has a surprise gift for you.

Who do I ride with?

Contrary to previous years, we won�t have any large groups aiming at 5:30, 6:00, 6:30. Just grab a group of 3-5 friends or jump in with some other folks and ride together. Quite frankly the intimacy of a small group of people works out better than being in a train with 30-50 people, and we consume less road space which is a good thing given that local drivers don�t like to take a detour around skinny guys in lycra with shaved legs�.everyone wins with smaller groups on the road.

Other Details

Here are the rest of the details for the training day:
This is a self supported grass roots training day that I concocted in 1999 and we want to keep the same spirit. There are lots of organized camps that you can pay big $$$ for much higher service. I�m just inviting you to train on the same day as a bunch of us.

Things we will do and you should know of:

1. It is self supported...bring your own nutrition
2. Your car is your Tzone....park it by the beach
3. Swim starts at 6 am , June 5, 2015 at Mirror Lake
4. Bike starts at 7 am sharp
5. Please ride on the right side of the road
6. Bring a pump and patch kit. There is no support and no one to bail you out. Imagine that you are going to ride solo.
7. You can stop wherever you want with your friends for breaks. Consult the guys and gals in your group on where they want to stop
8. Do not attack the bike course, pace yourself out and have consideration for the guys you are riding with. Try to ride with people of similar ability. If you are a 10 hour guy, don�t ride with 13 hour guys and hammer them into the ground
9. Put some "aid" on the run course by the horse crossing sign on River Road fofr the run...assume that whatever you put out there might be consumed by others
10. Bring your breakfast, there is nothing open at 5 am in LP on Friday
11. There is no cost and no timing. This is just a group of dudes arriving at the same place at the same time to train.
12. Bring digital cameras and take lots of pictures....you could be the star of the post event write up
13. If you have not done an Ironman before and if you think that you cannot finish Epicman in 9 hours or so, it is highly recommended that you cut the run short. It is better to do that than to do an 11+ hour training day and be shelled for all of June which is your key month for Ironman LP. You pretty well need to be "trained" to race LP next weekend to do this day and recover quickly.
14. Bring extra goodies in your car to share with other athletes: gels, coke, chips, pretzels, banana, gatorade, water, infinit, chocolate bars, old pizza...whatever you think might help yourself and other get through.
15. Pack all your nutrition for the day and have bags for gear for each sport just like you would do for an Ironman...easier to find in your car which WILL become a mess if you share the cars with another athlete.
16. You can do as much or as little of the day as you wish. No one to report to but yourself. Drafting, fins, neoprene socks and gloves, all of which might get you DQ�d on race day are permitted. In fact, get it out of your system NOW!!! If you have a loved one to give you outside assistance, no worries. If you want to draft a transport truck riding up through High Falls Gorge, no one will stop you J

Since this is a training day where you do everything yourself, there has, nor will there ever be a cost or registration.

Whiteface Mountain Hillclimb on Thursday Evening

If you can get to Lake Placid early come join us for a climb of Whiteface mountain on Thursday at 4:30 pm from the tennis courts at Mirror Lake beach. This climb is identical to Alpe D�Huez in difficulty and duration and elevartion�.just less switchbacks and more steady climbing. Times range from 50 minutes to 75 min or so. Perhaps one of the best rides in the North East that many triathletes never do. This is your chance. Many of us do the Whiteface climb and the Epicman swim+bike, and do a shorter run�.you�re choice. But if you go to Lake Placid enough, not doing Whiteface is a missed opportunity. Recommended gearing is 34x27 or a triple, although you can survive grinding it out in a 39x25. You can read about the 2009 climb here:

http://www.xtri.com/...p;CAT=27&xref=xx

Some guys may also do a single loop for the IMLP course


[/quote]

Yeah, sorry guys, I am going to be in Alpe d'Huez next weekend and plan to watch the Criterium du Dauphine Vaujany stage. Today Contador won the prologue!

I may head over to LP for a day around Canada day weekend to do the Whiteface climb. Seems like a year would be incomplete without it. Hope you guys have fun next Thu-Fri

WOOT!!! It's not going to be just me*!!! YAY!!!

(*and my buddy Dr Mike, who is an E.Dot noob. And maybe Rich Burke, if'n he can wangle outta work)

We were going to "bandit" the E.Dot course, since it's not an official EpicMan w/o Dev there. :(

Plan is to arrive LP around 3-ish on Thurs afternoon, meet at the tennis courts/Mirror Lake beach area at about 4-ish, then roll down to Wilmington and up Whiteface (weather permitting) for the MLSC Prologue.

And then beers.
And then the usual Friday silliness.

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float , hammer , and jog