IMLP 07 was my 3rd Ironman and 2nd attempt at this course.
I was better prepared for this Ironman than my previous efforts, I had not only ridden more, swam more and run more (biked 2748 miles, swam 144,001 yards and run 643.6 miles since January 1st) but I also knew the course pretty well and had the experience of finishing the distance twice previously. I was not really sure how fast I was capable of going but still looking forward to a strong performance.
The day started at about 4:25, 20 mins before my alarm was due to go off as I just couldn’t sleep anymore and I hit the kitchen to get down as much breakfast as possible. 2 packets of instant oatmeal, a banana and a peanut butter & jelly bagel was all I could manage washed down with a fair amount of water to restart the hydration and help digest the food. At 5:30 we got in the car for the short drive to the start and I realized a pair of boardshorts were not quite going to keep me warm before the start but I had no other choice but to shiver! (has my blood really thinned that much since my move to FL?!). After loading up my bike with the nutrition, inflating my tires and checking everything was set up properly one final time I dropped off my transition bags on the rack, donned my wetsuit and headed to the swim start. I met Mike and Sean (friends and housemates for the week) by the water and we got in Mirror Lake and swam over to where we had chosen to start, making sure of course to use our bladders to control the internal wetsuit heating system J.
The Swim
At the start we were all pretty relaxed and jovial – a different story from my previous Ironman races where I had been absolutely petrified! The two gels I consumed 20 minutes earlier weren’t going down so well though and I ended up throwing up as we treadwater – oh well, better now than in the middle of the forthcoming chaos! Before we knew it the gun went of and the pummeling ensued. The swim course is two laps out and back and for the first our the swim was so crowded I felt more like I was crawling on people than actually swimming. I managed to stay relaxed but also frustrated than I wanted to swim faster than I was going but couldn’t easily get passed the folks in front without significantly increasing my intensity. In the chaos on the way back of the first loop my timing chip came loose and I was concerned it might come off so I swam very cautiously until I got out at the end of the first lap to tighten it back up. My first lap was about 90seconds slower than I had done 3 days earlier in training which disappointed me some – with the drafting benefit of swimming with others I was expecting 1 or 2 mins quicker. Anyway, I felt very fresh and dove back in for the final lap. This time the congestion was not really any better but I did at least feel like I was swimming now. The turn around was particularly hectic and I got my goggles knocked off but the final back was much more open and I found some feet to sit on and get a nice draft. My final time for the swim was 1:11:37 so a PR of 4 minutes over last time but I had hoped for a few mins quicker.
T1
The run from the swim exit to transition was wider than I had remembered and I was able to run quite easily past people dawdling. I grab my T1 bag, ran around the change tent to avoid congestion and threw on my bike shoes, helmet, glasses and heart rate monitor. By the time I got to the bike rack a volunteer had miraculously grabbed my bike for me and it was waiting for me to grab as I ran passed. I crossed the timing mat in 4:45 for a relatively quick transition and I was on my way.
The Bike
The bike course starts with a short flattish section to the ski jumps and then the first climbs begin for about 5 or 6 miles. Coming out of T1 my heart rate was sky high so I rode conservatively to try to bring it down and started on my nutrition with the only real solid food I would have all day – a banana. My legs felt good but of course I had a good century ahead of me so focused on riding within myself and not on passing/being passed by others. The long descent down to Keene was a little hairy as there were a lot of us quite bunched up. I hit 52mph at one point and had to swerve some to avoid folks ahead who were moving into the middle of the road as I was trying to pass them (I have to thank the BMX days in my youth for the bike handling skills or I would have been frightened to death!).
As time passed I was feeling good but I still couldn’t seem to get my heart rate to settle. I was expecting to ride at about an average of 135bpm and although my breathing and perceived effort seemed in line with that my heart rate was showing high 140s and 150s. I was certainly I would blow up later in the race but had to accept it wasn’t going to get down. Hitting the out and back my stomach started to play up and I knew I was going to have to make a bathroom stop at the next aid station. I had made the mistake of eating protein too late in the day before which I will make a note to avoid in future! After a 4 minute stop I was back on my way and back passing the people I had already passed once! I really wanted to put the hammer down and make up time but I knew that would lead to a disaster later so I fought hard with myself to keep on the right pace. The rest of the first loop was uneventful. I stopped at special needs and again, miraculously a volunteer was standing there prepared with the bag with my number on it! I quickly switch nutrition bottles, grabbed some gels and salt pills, drank a few sips of chicken broth and was on my way. Making my way through town I got my first glimpse of Charlotte and Lucy and the rest of the family/friends, gave a quick smile and was onto my second lap. I suspected I would fade some in the second lap but adjusted for the pitstop I passed through 56 miles in 2:48 so was extremely pleased with my time on this course.
This time around the descent into keene was not quite as fast. A headwind had picked up and I could only manage 44 mph this time despite a clear road and no braking. This was going to be the tale for the next 10 miles or so as we fought the wind along the flats between keene and jay. Mentally this was challenging enough but I also started to feel extremely sleepy at this point and had to keep squirting water in my fast to keep myself alert. I also started on the caffeinated gels and after the climbs from jay to Wilmington I finally started to feel awake again. At this point in the course I noted I was 11minutes slower than I was on the first lap. I think seeing this kicked me into gear some as the final stretch of the ride I felt very strong and pushed a little. As I came into town to enter T2 I noted how much better I felt than the same point in my previous races and how fresh my legs were feeling. I knew at this point I was going to have a decent run and entered T2 feeling confident. My final bike time was 5:55:39 going a little over 3hrs on the second loop. (a PR by 13 mins on this course)
T2
T2 was fairly quick despite a quick bathroom stop. As I crossed the timing mats to officially start the run I noticed the running time at exactly 7 hrs 15 minutes. This meant a 3:45 marathon would get me under 11 hours and I had plenty of time to make sure I went under my previous best of 11:30. T2 time was 3:02.
The Run
Rather than storm out onto the run course and blow myself up a few miles later my aim was to run very steady for the first 2-3 miles and then see how things shook up. It was tough to see others running by quite quickly but I firgured I’d be catching them again later in the day so let them go. My breathing was extremely easy and pace right on target for the first half marathon passing 13.1 miles in 1:46. I knew at the half I would lose a few mins on the second lap but was fairly certain I would be beating my previous best. My stomach was never quite settled the whole run so I was anxious to not pick up my intensity for fear of serious stomach cramps kicking in and having to walk. After mile 16 I started to slow down and my legs started to feel a little beaten. I tried to keep the pace up but the concern for pending stomach implosion I thought better to not risk upping the intensity. At mile 20 I calculated 9min/miles were going to be required to go under 11 hrs and with the 4 toughest miles of the day to come I sensed it was not going to happen. Once I hit passed through town for the final 2 miles along mirror lake I pulled out all the stops and ran as fast as I could. Although I felt like I was sprinting I was actually only running 8:30 min/mile pace and watched the time click passed the 11th hour. I still kept up the pace right through the finish line and was pleased to beat my previous best by 29 minutes. My Marathon time was 3:46:56 (beating my best by 8mins) and my overall time was 11:01:56.
Despite the challenging nature of the course the town of Lake Placid makes for a very special setting for an Ironman, especially with all it’s Olympic history. The town is filled with families/friends of athletes during ironman week and the locals seem really thrilled to play host .
The day after the race I hobbled into a bobsled for a ½ mile ride down the 1980 Winter Games track which was great fun but I haven’t made it to the top of the ski jumps. I will need to return to do this race at least once more …