I also realized full well that my preparation for this event was exactly what I needed to do to give myself the opportunity to catch some luck along the way. I was entering the race in the best shape of my life. This was my opportunity to execute a plan which would deliver a solid result. Nothing was going to stand in my way, although there were a few close calls along the way, but more to that later.
I’m also extremely lucky to have Igda backing me with all the support I needed. She’s a real trooper.
Race Preparation:
I started my training in earnest in January 2008. I have an incredible group of training partners which really helps to get my butt out the door. We’ve inflicted a lot of pain on each other during our march to Lake Placid. I also figure there’s no better way to get faster than training with some guys that can really put the hurt on you! Having a great group of training partners is really what makes it all worthwhile. The real joy in this sport comes from the time you spend with your mates and the funny stories that always seem to accompany some crazy training workout.
I was also fortunate enough to get my friend, Michael Flanagan, to start helping me with my cycling training. Two years ago he told me to go buy a powermeter if I wanted to become a stronger cyclist, not a new bike. I finally listened, but I did both. I had purchased a PowerTap and I fully intended to jump head first into using it religiously. After some general conversations about training with power with Michael, I quickly realized that I could cut my learning curve down considerably if I could talk him into supplementing my training plan with specific bike workouts. One thing led to another and the next thing you know during a dinner meeting Michael agreed to help me out and I hired him to coach me.
At first I really thought he was just going to assist me with my cycling, but after he laid out my first week of workouts in February, I immediately realized that he was going to push me extremely hard with an all encompassing training plan. I know how Michael trains and I knew that he was going to hold me accountable to getting the work done to make myself better. I was now using Trainingpeaks (which I think is a wonderful tool) so I knew I wasn’t going to be able to fudge on my workouts.
I was really nervous after my first bike workout when I had to dig REALLY deep to finish it. I remember thinking to myself, “what the hell did I get myself into?” I really thought he was just testing me to see if I’d give up. I finished up the workout and nearly fell off the bike. After sending him the data file, he responded with a little surprise that I finished and followed it up with a comment, “that’s about the hardest trainer workout you can do. Good job.” Holy cow, nice to know it gets easier from here! Well, not exactly.
I do owe Michael a lot of credit for helping me this year. I’ve posted some amazing personal best performances. He’s been instrumental in keeping me motivated and providing some great guidance going into my races. He’s also kept me away from doing some really stupid things. We all need a voice of reason from time to time.
I also knew early on in the year that I needed to really work on my running. It has always been my Achilles heel. And in an Ironman race, if you want to race fast, you must be able to throw down a strong run. Big time gains can be won or lost on the run, unlike the swim and bike portions.
Early in the year, I signed up for a number of running events and started knocking out pretty consistent weeks of 30+ miles/week, often running 6 days a week. I fell in love with the Backyard Burn series. Those are tough, but very fun. I even signed up for a 5k only to have Sean pummel me. All good, it’s what I needed. I became a weekly buddy runner with Ted on Wednesday mornings at WL High School. We ran A LOT of hills! I think I did one track workout leading up to the race.
I wasn’t running all that long, but Michael had me running nearly every day. The longest run I completed prior to the Ironman was 15 miles. Yep, you read that correct.
Oh…how could I forget our weekly Monday morning weigh in? Ted, Sean, Kyle and I all set race day weight goals and we figured there’s nothing better than a little peer pressure to help keep you motivated. I made it to 175. Five pounds shy of goal, but I felt really good and strong.
Funny- me at race day weigh in. oh, the irony of it all when you look at the size of the gal checking me in...I know that was mean!
Sweet volunteer at registration (2nd pic):
Time to head up to Lake Placid…eerr, I need a rewind button.
I’m not really sure how to explain this other than admit that I’m a complete idiot. I had recently purchased a roof mounted bike rack for my car. Early Wednesday morning, Igda and I had the car loaded up and ready to roll. Our coffee maker was broken so we decided to hit Starbucks before getting on the highway. In typical male fashion, I pulled out of our complex and decided I should take the 30 second shortcut through our lower level parking garage. BIG mistake!
The next thing I hear is this heinous crashing noise coming from the top of the car. I roll to a stop, put the car in park and just stare at the steering wheel. I knew I had just destroyed my bike, but I wanted to believe it was all a dream. I turned to Igda and calmly said, “I think I’m going to cry.” We were both in shock. I won’t repeat the subsequent curse words that spewed from my mouth. I really wanted to kick my own ass for such stupidity. My biggest race is 4 days away and I just ruined a $3,000 bike frame and I didn’t even make it a block from the house! What the hell am I going to do?!
The only silver lining in it all is that Igda had won our argument 5 minutes earlier and we decided not to bring her bike. I was all upset she wasn’t bringing it and finally gave up trying to talk her into it. Now that’s one argument I’m really glad I lost.
Conte’s to the rescue...
Once the shock finally wore off, panic mode started setting in. It’s now 8 a.m. My first thought was to email Conte’s and pray Scott or Jody would have a 58” P3C in stock. I fired off the email “HELP! I’m an idiot!” I then realized that maybe Michael would loan me his P3C (Plan B) so I left him a voicemail describing my predicament. Having to repeat the story over and over again was really making me feel more and more like a total knob at this juncture.
Within 15 minutes, Scott emailed me back and said they may be getting one in that day. Michael called me shortly thereafter and said if I needed his bike I could use it. Sweet. Plan B is set, but I’m still keeping fingers crossed Conte’s will pull through with something. At about 9 a.m., Scott emailed me with the news that the bike wasn’t coming in that day, but he did have a 58” P2C in stock he would loan me until a new frame came in. He’d have the mechanics start building it immediately when they arrived at 10 a.m. Sweet Jesus! I’ll take it! I knew I could get the fit close to what I’m at on the P3C. Jody also called and asked for my bike fit measurements. I emailed them over.
My heart palpitations had subsided. Conte’s was totally going above and beyond to help me out. I’m so thankful for their generosity and support. I showed up shortly after noon to test the fit out on the trainer at the shop. I was amazed at how well they had it dialed in to my specs. Damn near perfect. I didn’t change a thing. Holy smokes. We were set to hit the road around 3 p.m. My emotions had just run the gauntlet between extreme sorrow and anger to joy all in the matter of hours. Amazing!!!
The days leading up to the race…
I pretty much chilled out with the crew (Ted, Sean, Ashley, Kyle, Laura, Haig, Sam, and Libby) Thursday through Saturday. Just the typical pre-race check-in, naps, light workouts, etc. Lake Placid is a pretty, quaint little town. Ted had hooked us up with a beautiful Chalet to stay at which was about a mile away from town. Thanks again, Ted!
I was following a carbo loading strategy since Monday and once Thursday hit, I was eating just about everything I could get my hands on until Saturday afternoon. If it had carbs in it, I was eating it. Hmmm, I think it worked.
Olympic Ski Jumps...Crazy!:
Finally – RACE DAY!
I kept the plan simple with the over-riding theme of “patience”. In a nutshell:
1. Swim steady – I should be really fresh afterward. Goal: 1:05
2. Bike – Be Patient.VERY easy the first lap with a slight uptick on lap 2. Save the legs for the run. Goal: 5:30
3. Run – Be Patient. Start easy, Get to a steady pace and then try to push the last 6-8 miles. Goal: 3:40
Swim:
DISTANCE
2.4 mi. (1:05:51)
Pace - 1:43/100m
Overall Rank - 487
Division Rank - 80
Swim photos (click to enlarge):
I hopped in the water around 6:45 a.m. and got a little warm-up in. Played footsy with some guys and gals for about 5 minutes before the gun went off as we treaded water. There I was - spending some quality time with 2,345 of my closest friends. And then the slugfest began. What can you say? It’s an ironman swim. I had my goggles knocked sideways at the first turn, but other than that, no blood was shed. I exited the first loop in 31:??.
On my second loop, I swum 10 meters from the underwater cable to keep a straight line. Well, so did everyone else. The second loop was still rough with the occasional smack, kick or torpedo in the side - sometimes receiving, others giving. About halfway back on the second loop I caught a guy who had this enormous kick going. I decided to just get on his toes and coast it in. I exited the water barely out of breath. Piece of cake. I felt great. I was passing a number of people running to transition. It was fun to see Sam running along, too. She rocked it for her first ironman.
Transition Area at the Oval:
Bike:
Overall Rank - 134
Division Rank - 27
FIRST LOOP 56 mi. (2:43:52) 20.50 mph
SECOND LOOP 56 mi. (2:45:15) 20.33 mph
TOTAL BIKE 112 mi. (5:29:07) 20.42 mph
In case you didn’t know, it rained over 3 inches on Sunday during the race. The temperature was hovering around the mid-high 60’s. Going back to being lucky, boy, was I a happy camper! Cool, rainy weather suits me perfectly for racing. Now training - that’s another story.
I knew immediately to not even grab the sunglasses out of the bag. You’re far better off riding without foggy glasses. We had ridden in some nasty weather at Savagecamp, so I was perfectly prepared to handle the big descent to Keane. Compared to some cold winter rides, this was a walk in the park.
Start of the bike:
Michael and I had discussed some pacing strategy during the weeks leading up to the race. The Sunday before the race, I did a race simulation ride of about 55 miles and really felt like we had a good strategy dialed in. By design, this ride was going to be far easier than anything I’ve done in the past 4 months. We agreed that it would be a good idea to base the power #’s on a conservative estimate of my FTP. I hadn’t performed a true test in awhile, but I felt very comfortable with an estimated FTP of 315 for developing the race strategy.
Here were the marching orders laid out by Michael:
Never take a hard jump out of the saddle. If you ever need to get out of the saddle to stretch, then make sure those are easy pedal strokes.
Stay at or under 215 watts overall avg for the first hour. This will give you miles in the bank with basically zero hard effort. Let the knuckleheads fly by.
For the rest of the ride:
225-235 on the flats.
240-245 for long climbs (240 on first lap, ok to add 5 watts to that on 2nd lap). Start an interval at the bottom of the long climbs to have a good feel for average going up the hills.
Don't ever go higher than mid to high 200s. See if you can go without ever seeing 300 watts as your max on your powermeter.
Most people will blow up on the hills. You can gain significant time back by keeping your effort at 240-245 as you crest the hill in order to get your speed back up. Once you reach the high 20s or low 30s, you need to tuck and coast. There is no value to pedaling at 240 watts downhill at 33 mph...the incremental benefit is so small.
Nutrition Blurb for those interested:
Breakfast 4 a.m.: 1- bowl of Swiss Muesli, Banana, 1 slice of bread w/PB&J, 1 cup of coffee and 1 bottle – 2 scoops CarboPro/Powerbar Endurance
At 6 a.m.: 1 bottle w/1 serving of Metabolol Endurance. Sipped a little of water until 6:30 and then nothing.
My bike nutrition was perfect: 1 Bomb bottle (2 scoops Metabolol Endurance/ 8 scoops Carbo Pro/ 2 scoops Powerbar endurance (1,300 calories). I have to give Eric Sorensen props for turning me on to Metabolol and CarboPro. That stuff is magical for me. I also started with 1 bottle of Powerbar Endurance (210 calories) which I drank in the first hour before switching to only water and bomb bottle. I used Endurolytes sparingly since it wasn't hot. I maybe took in 5 to 6 the entire day. I was drinking quite a bit. I was urinating frequently, at the very least every 45 minutes – hour. My stomach felt good so I decided not to push it to try and squeeze in more calories. I would only take more calories in on the second loop if I was feeling hungry. I think I took in one additional Powerbar gel on the second loop.
The first loop started without much fanfare. The loaner P2C felt really good and I was piddling along heading out of town. I set my ego aside and just watched a lot of the first loop heroes go by. I caught up to a guy wearing an EnduranceNation jersey and noticed he was running a Powertap, too. We started chatting about how easy we were going to take this lap and having some fun guessing when the guys climbing out of the saddle, racing up the hills were going to blow. It was pretty interesting to note that not one person passing us on the climbs was using a powermeter. That kept me feeling better about my pacing strategy. Things that make you go hmmm.
During the first out and back section, I cruised by a guy standing next to his bike with someone working on the wheel. Holy Crap! That’s Ted. I yelled at him, but I knew there really wasn’t much I could do for him since he was running tubies. What a bummer! At least he wasn’t there on my way back. I also noticed Chip, Kyle and Sean were roughly 5-10 minutes in front of me. It was great to see everyone riding well.
The gradual 10 miles back to town presented zero problems. I flew through special needs without stopping since I use it for emergency purposes only (replacement tubes, Co2, etc.). The rain was still coming down in buckets. My legs felt amazing. The first loop felt like a recovery ride and I was ready to pick it up a bit for the second loop.
I screamed down the Keane descent again. Once I hit the flat section to Jay, I just sat on the power # and started passing herds of folks. It’s always a nice boost to the confidence to be the passer vs. the passee. I took a time split on Chip, Kyle and Sean at the out and back section and figured I was about 10 minutes down to Chip and about 7 minutes to Kyle and Sean.
As I was rolling back to town on the gradual climb, I noticed Sean up ahead. I was gaining on him at a quick rate. What the heck? I spent a week with Sean at Savagecamp and not once did I ever catch him on a climb. As I approached, I hollered for him to get his butt in gear. But as I came up next to him, I didn’t get a hello or a customary whazz up? He immediately asked if I had any gels. Uh-oh…not good. Sean is a Type 1 diabetic and I knew that meant his sugars were out of whack. It’s absolutely amazing he’s out there in the first place and even more amazing that he manages the disease and is one fast dude. I knew I had one in my bento box, so I handed it over. As I started to pull away I remembered I had put one more in my tri jersey. I slowed up for Sean to pull alongside and handed him the second gel. Honestly, he didn’t look too good. I’ve seen that look before at Savagecamp. I pulled away with a few words of encouragement. We were close, so I was hoping he’d recover a bit by the run. I rolled into transition and headed for my transition bag. Legs were REALLY fresh!
Here’s the Power geek info:
Ironman Lake Placid
1st Loop: 2:43:52
TSS- 131
IF- 0.699
VI- 1.1
NP- 220
1943 KJ
Avg HR- 136
Avg Speed- 20.8 mph
2nd Loop: 2:45:15
TSS- 141.8
IF- 0.716
VI- 1.08
NP- 225
2085 KJ
Avg HR- 143
Avg Speed- 20.6 mph
Here's my power chart (click to enlarge). Yellow = watts, Blue = Speed, Red = Heart Rate
I’m very pleased to see approximately 36 minutes were essentially free (not pedaling). My pacing was spot on as I nearly even split both loops. It's also nice to see that my Peak power from 10-60 minutes came in the last hour and a half of the race. I definitely felt like I was getting stronger throughout the race. I could have easily done a third loop. Using a powermeter during an IM is such a big advantage to pacing it correctly.
Run:
Overall Rank - 108
Division Rank - 21
FIRST RUN SEGMENT - 13.1 mi. (1:41:25) - 7:44/mile
FINAL RUN SEGMENT - 13.1 mi. (1:56:02) - 8:51/mile
TOTAL RUN - 26.2 mi. (3:37:27) - 8:17/mile
I had a pretty good chuckle when my cousin Brian had emailed me a message early in the week telling me that I screwed up on my perfect race by running a little too fast! I needed to slow down.
Starting the run!!
In all honesty, I felt amazing heading out on the run - almost unbelievable. I was knocking out sub 8 minute miles with very little trouble. I knew I needed to dial it back to around 8 minute/mile pace, but it felt so easy. I just rolled with it and tried to deliberately slow down. Looking back, I think I should have slowed a bit more in the beginning in order to avoid my fall off after 16 miles.
It was still raining pretty hard at times during the run. I really couldn’t believe that all of the spectators and volunteers were sticking it out. They were absolutely amazing!!! I had already decided to run without socks which proved to be a good move. I had placed a dry pair of shoes in my special needs bag just in case I came to a point where a dry pair of shoes would be needed. Unfortunately, they never saw the light of day as the rain continued.
1st loop on the out and back section. All is good!
My plan was to grab a cup of Gatorade and water at each aide station. I didn’t pass one aide station without grabbing one or both of those cups. I occasionally sprinkled in a cup of coke. The good news was that I wasn’t stopping to walk.
I hollered at Chip and Kyle during the first out and back section as we passed. Everyone looked good. I was a bit worried about Sean, but once I saw him, I was glad to see him running. It was a good sign. It’s funny - I only saw Ted once but I knew he was probably gaining on me. I remember Ashley and Sam giving me a shout out. They looked good.
I must admit, since I wore my race number with my first name on it, I started to become a little oblivious when someone hollered my name. That and everything else in general started to get a little fuzzy, especially the last 8 miles. Igda captured some video of me on the run at the climb back into town. She was screaming my name as I went by. I didn’t even acknowledge her existence. Sorry, babe!
As I rolled back into town on the 1st loop, I was still feeling astonishingly well. I passed a few dudes on the climb and was shocked to catch up to Kyle as we neared the end of the first loop. I was in a pretty good groove. I asked Kyle if he needed anything, Endurolytes? He passed. He said he wasn’t doing so well, but he was running which was good. He gave me some good words of encouragement as I kept up my pace.
2nd loop on the out and back...still running but it's getting tough!
Everything was status quo until about mile 16. I started dragging a bit. My legs didn’t feel all that bad, but I was definitely losing some energy. I grabbed a vanilla powergel and nearly threw up after taking it. The taste was awful. It also didn’t help that I had just passed a guy hurling on the side of the road. I also believe that this is where my lack of run confidence came into play. I had never run so well! I kept thinking that I was sure I would implode at any moment. But after each mile ticked off and no implosion, I started to realize that all I needed to do was to avoid stopping and I would have a great run.
As I approached the big hill coming into town again, I caught the 5th place women’s Pro. She had started to walk and then out of nowhere her coach came screaming down the hill. “Start running!!! Don’t even think about walking!!!” - Along with a few choice curse words. In a weird way, it motivated me, too. I picked up my pace and passed her as she started to run again. It’s at that point I decided to bring it in strong. I was close!
I was able to give Chip a thumbs up as we crossed paths. He was just about to enter the Oval as I was heading to the final out and back. I was a little speechless at this point and missed a low five from Kyle as I was nearing the Oval and he was headed to the turnaround. He sucked it up big time because I didn’t put that much time into him from the point when I passed him at the end of the first loop. I also spotted Ted who was a just a short distance behind me. I really felt for him since his flat tire cost him so much time. Dang, he might catch me before the finish! I started my finishing sprint (ok, maybe not a sprint) roughly 200 yards before I reached the Oval. I knew there were some folks close behind me and I wasn’t about to be caught inside the Oval. I was afraid to look back. Everything is pretty much a blur as I rounded the final turn and saw the finish line. It was pouring rain again. I was so incredibly happy and satisfied with my day. I grabbed onto my volunteer’s shoulder after crossing the line and just stood there enjoying the moment. Wow! What a day! I was numb. I just wanted to soak it all in. It’s very satisfying to set a goal 6 months out and achieve it.
Almost to the line!
Euphoria!!!!
Finishing Time:
SWIM | BIKE | RUN | OVERALL | RANK | DIV.POS.
1:05:51 | 5:29:07 | 3:37:27 | 10:21:07 | 108 of 2340 | 21 of 386
I need a beer!!!
As I walked over to grab some water with my volunteer in tow, I heard Igda yelling my name. I saw her standing at the fence and went over to give her a hug. And then the craziest thing happened. As I hugged her, I proceeded to just completely break down in tears on her shoulder. I was so freakin’ emotional. By doing so well and knowing her support was critical to my success, I guess it just got to me. She’s always been incredibly supportive and patient. I think it caught Igda off guard, especially since she always accuses me of showing zero emotions. I composed myself after about a minute. It was a special moment I’ll never forget.
Marathon Run Splits
Mile Time
1- 7:40
2- 7:23
3- 7:32
4- 7:43
5- 7:55
6- 7:19
7- 8:00
8- 8:01
9- 7:49
10- 8:08
11- 8:04
12- 8:16
13- 8:02
14- 7:51
15- 7:40
16- 8:52
17- 8:58
18- 8:35
19- 8:41
20- 8:32
21- 9:08
22- 9:11
23- 9:27
24- 8:55
25- 9:50
26.2- 9:30
3:37:02
That’s a wrap…
I learned so much about myself this year. I pushed harder than ever. I gained a tremendous amount of confidence which I know I can build off of. Originally, I really thought a Kona slot was pretty far fetched. But after falling 12 minutes shy, I know it’s achievable. I also realized that if your goal is a Kona slot, you have to REALLY WANT IT come race day. I passed on signing up for the race next year so Igda and I can do some traveling next summer, but I think I’ll be back to Ironman in 2010.
Congrats to the crew: Ted, Sean, Chip, Kyle, Laura, Ashley, Haig & Sam for great races, too. Without you all pushing me throughout the year, I would never have reached my goal. Thanks!
Almost forgot a great story. When Haig and I were picking up our Finisher certificates, there was a young boy helping his mother out. He was on sponge duty at one of the aide stations on the run during the race. He was so upset that he only handed out 5 sponges the whole day! I had remembered during the run thinking, "who in the world would be grabbbing a sponge today!" While hearing this little boy recount his day, it made me realize how important it is to show your thankfulness for their support. Even if it means grabbing a cup of water from a young volunteer when you don't need it and discarding it when you're out of sight. It's such a huge boost for them to know they are helping us out during a tough day.
Here's a link to a short video of the race:IMLP
Chip, Me, Sean, Haig Ashley & Ted at the rolldown:
The morning after Breakfast! Yummy!
Sean, Kyle Laura & Ashley the day after:
