We filled out all of the required paperwork and were given photo ID cards that would give us access throughout the facility. The lobby area also housed a nice little area of Olympic memorabilia.
The rooms were modest but had all of the amenities a hotel would-WiFi, TV, fridge and push button phone! We quickly filled it up with our gear.
After a short meeting that afternoon, our group headed out to the IM run course and headed into town. It was warm and sunny and Mirror Lake looked beautiful. We ran the loop around the lake and back for a nice little 6 miler to loosen up after our drive. We met as a group for our first meal in the OTC cafeteria-wow, talk about yummy!!! Each meal was a great selection of entrees, soup, salad, a variety of drinks both hot and cold, a smoothie station and a self serve ice cream station. Should I mention now that my weight was up a smidge after I got back home??? In addition to all of this delicious food, they also had flat panel screens with nutritional information that helped keep you focused.
That evening we all met and went through introductions and the weekend schedule. Todd Wiley is an amazing athlete and coach and knows triathlon in and out. I have been a client of his since 2012 and this was my second LP camp with him, but first one at the OTC. Not everyone there will be racing IMLP this year and that made for a nice mix of athletes. We were given maps of the bike course and discussed our ride for the next morning.
Day 2 of camp started with another great meal and overcast skies. As they say in the mountains, if you don't like the weather, wait 20 minutes. We gathered and made sure our bikes were in good condition and headed out from the OTC to the run course on River Road. From there we would follow the IM bike course backwards to Wilmington and turnaround to follow it back to LP.
We also found out that our OTC ID gave us admission into several other Olympic venues. One of the staff members suggested visiting the Bobsled run at the Lake Placid Sliding Center where you can get a shuttle ride to the top and walk the entire length of the track down to the base area. Melissa and I headed over to check it out. It is actually a multi-use track that the bobsleds, luge and skeleton race on. Our driver pointed out the sights along the way to the top including the original bobsled track which is alongside the new one. The view at the start area is incredible!! It was quite a walk down and the height of the walls in the turns is just mind boggling. Television clearly does not do these sports justice.....
That night we met for a discussion of Rules and Regulations led by USA Triathlon Official Ken Modica. Ken did a great job of educating us on the do's and dont's and how to stay safe on the race course. Lots of good food for thought!
Day 3 began with a hearty breakfast and making sure we had our nutrition and bikes ready for a long day of cycling. I set out some PowerBar Perform drink mix and PowerBar gels to share with the group. PowerBar Perform is the Official Ironman drink for both the run and bike courses. Once again the skies were overcast, but the temperatures were on the moderate side. Everyone would be riding either one or two loops of the IM course, minus the out and back sections. That would be about 42 miles per loop. I was excited that Melissa would be joining me on the course so that she could experience it first hand.....the climbs, the beautiful scenery and the screaming descent into Keene!!! We left the OTC and began to climb after passing the Olympic Ski Jumps. From there you continue to climb past Mt. Van Hovenburg and the Sliding Center until you reach the Cascades. This is where the 7 mile descent begins. The road from LP to Keene is a bit on the rough side, so you basically have to hang on for dear life! From Keene to Jay you follow the Ausable River where you can find fisherman and plenty of water fowl on this pretty stretch. It is also a section where you can push a bit without leaving too much out on the course. From Jay we turned left onto Rt 86 for the climbs into Wilmington. So far, so good and the weather was holding out. After a stop at a small market to refuel, we followed Rt 86 with a left turn and headed back towards Lake Placid. This is a series of climbs with breathtaking views that will really test you. Before long we found the skies opening up and a downpour had begun. We passed several cyclists that had pulled over and made the decision to head for shelter. We joined some other riders under a deck of an empty building and waited until the rain lightened up. All of the sand and grit from the roads were beginning to cover us and our bikes. We made the turn onto the run course on River Road where we saw Coach Todd and refueled. By the time we got back to Rt 73, the sun was out and we saw a rainbow! From here I headed back out for loop number 2. I felt good on the climbs and the descent into Keene. Still felt good into Jay and then started the climb to Wilmington. The sun was out and the temperatures were up and I was starting to feel a bit tired. Getting to Wilmington and meeting up with Melissa to refuel got me back on the road and feeling good. No downpour this time, but the rain did start to fall again when I hit River Road. From there I cut over the run course again and back to the OTC for a nice 83+ mile ride! It was great to be back on the IM course and to make mental notes for race day.
That night after dinner we took a ride (by car) to our favorite ice cream stand outside of Saranac Lake-Donnelly's Ice Cream. It is the best!!
From there we did a little shopping in Lake Placid and then back to the OTC. Time to get some rest for Sunday's run!
Day 4 started early and with a lite breakfast. From the OTC we headed out to River Road for our long run. It was a picture perfect morning with clear skies and bright sun. The group split up into different paces and I was alone at the back end of the groups. That was fine because it was such a pretty stretch of road I was content with taking it all in. I kept my nice steady run pace along with my walk breaks and met Coach Todd at the turnaround point where he had drinks and gels. After the turnaround I would see him again near the Ski Jumps for another fluid stop. Melissa and Fernando were with him there and a great photo opportunity.
