I was in Lake Placid over the past weekend in the offcial capacity as the wetsuit sponsor and supporter for Rich Pady’s Healthy Results (HR) Lake Placid Training Camp. www.healthyresults.ca
I had not been in LP since the first and second years of the IMUSA race when I was working for Sugoi. Not much as changed. It’s still an awesome place to get away for a weekend and train. The 2K swim loop is fully marked and buoyed. The bike course is more or less marked or easy to figure out as is the run course.
Rich had a great group of people at his camp. Roch Frey and Paul Huddle also had their Multisports Camp going on this past weekend as well and their where staying at the same hotel. There were also many other independant folks out training as well. It was fun doing the whole bike course on Saturday with MissP and a few others( save the out and back on the second loop) Great ride - 100 miles in 5 hours flat. In my previous trips to the area I had not actually been out on the LP bike course and I had heard that it was really hard. I would still call it challenging, but it is not as hard as I thought it was. Pacing is absolutely key. The first loop MUST be easy. The downhill into Keene is a blast. I don’t have a computer on my bike but I think we were over 70Km/h going down there. Watch the rough pavement on the shoulder on the big downhill - frost heaves and bumps are worse there. It’s better out in the lane. I suspect that the long stairstep climb back to LP on the second lap will bite hard, if you had been a bit ambitious on the first lap.
The hardest part of this whole race is undoubtably the hill/climb on the run coming back up into town. I am doing no running these days, but that thing is hard on a bike with freash legs!! On the second lap of the run with 3- 4 miles to go that thing must seem like a vertical wall!
The weather was outstanding all weekend - mid 20’sC with some cloud and sun and very little wind.
Dined at the Boathouse two of the nights. The food is great. They have a good wine list and some great beer on tap and you can’t beat the views or the sunsets back over Mirror lake.
The open Q & A sessions in the evenings at these camps with the coaches and support folks are the best. The questions range from the very basic to the very complicated. I always feel that it’s information overload for people, but I do hope that some of it sticks. I have been to a three different camps so far this year and there does seem to be a bit of a back-to-basics mind-set with more than a few people. That the training and racing information out there may be getting a bit *too *complicated. Keep it simple and keep it fun is what I like to say.
I have the pleasure of being back in Lake Placid in three weeks for Nigel Grey’s Camp ( www.nrgpt.com ) , but before that I will be in Ottawa for the Weekly Meech Lake swim on Friday, June 15.