A month has gone by since racing Ironman Lake Placid, so I better get started on this race report!!!  I think this delay is a reflection of my recovery from this race.....both physically and mentally.

We left PA for Lake Placid on Thursday before the race and made good time traveling.  We got into town and staked out a nice spot near the lake for our race day pop up tent.  It was next to the tennis courts near where we had been in the past.  After setting that up, we changed in the bath house and swam one loop of the swim course.  They were setting out the turn buoys which was helpful.  There were quite a few swimmers in the water, lots of folks on the beach and the water felt great!  From there we headed to our friend's camp in Upper Saranac, but had to take a very long detour.  There was a horrible accident between Lake Placid and Saranac-our prayers go out to those people involved.  We got to pass by Santa's Workshop and some other beautiful areas we had not seen before and were happy to safely arrive at our destination.

On Friday we met up with our friends Cindy and Mike to ride a bit and check out our bikes.  We rode the run course along River Road and back.  What a beautiful stretch!!!!  Melissa took some pictures of bags that were left at each home along the race course.  We aren't quite sure how this tradition started, but chocolate chip cookies called ""Friend Chips" are delivered to each and every single home along the entire race course as a way to say thank you.  Yummy!

From there it was Athlete Check In and getting my swag plus a few souvenirs and some lunch.  I had been warned to check the backpack I would get to make sure the zippers were working.  Turns out they had quite a few defective ones piling up along with one Ironman Texas bag.  I can't help but feel that WTC is much more concerned with their profits from these races than providing good quality items to their athletes.  More on this later....

After check in we headed back to our home base and dinner at Charlie's Inn in Lake Clear.  The cool nights made for great sleeping in the Adirondacks.   Saturday morning was another beautiful day! I got my swim done in the Upper Saranac Lake with my jet ski escort and then my run along the shores of the lake.

Next up was heading into Lake Placid to drop off my bike and gear bags.  We got a great parking spot behind the high school which made for an easy walk to the Olympic Oval.  We stopped in the Merchandise Tent one more time as well.  I saw a white long sleeve shirt I really liked, but when I looked at the Mdot logo on the back I realized it was defective.  They used the names of the athletes to make up the logo, but there was one line that had too large of a space between it and the next one which made it look like an empty line.  I asked one of the workers about it and he agreed that it was defective, but they were all that way and they wouldn't do anything about it.  Just one more way that WTC seems to be cutting corners.   Chalk up another disappointment....  After that it was back to camp for an early dinner and early bedtime.

Race morning started with a 3:00am wake up and a Naked brand liquid protein drink.  After getting dressed and making sure I had all of my gear, I made my oatmeal breakfast.  What a wonderful surprise to hear the beautiful call of Loons on the lake!!!  Then it was off to Lake Placid and the shuttle bus to the start.  We were able to park very close to where the bus made its pick up and had no trouble getting into town.  First up was body marking on Main Street and then into transition to pump up my tires, fill my nutrition on the bike and add a few more items into my bike and run bags.  Then to special needs to drop off those bags and meet Melissa at our tent near the tennis courts.  Everything was going smoothly!  It was great to meet up with Mike and Cindy there!

I was able to get in the water for a short warm up and then lined up in the 1:21-1:30 group to wait for the start.  It took quite a while to get in the water with the new rolling start but it seemed to go smoothly.  I stayed left to miss some of the congestion and felt good through the first loop.  I was almost back to the final turn buoy when I thought I saw lightning off to the right of the swim start area.  As I was swimming I was trying to look to see if swimmers were going back out for a second loop or not.  I couldn't quite tell what the announcer was saying until I got out of the water.  There was no mention of any electrical storms even though it was raining and everyone was continuing to head out for their second loop.  I noticed some camera flashes and thought maybe that was what I had seen.  There really wasn't any time to stop and ask questions and so I followed and headed back out.  I was still feeling good and was able to follow the cable this time around.  The cable is under the water and makes it very easy to swim in a straight line.  I was just about at the first turn buoy and noticed everyone in front of me had stopped swimming.  It was raining pretty hard at this point and there was a policeman in a boat yelling out to "cut across and swim back".  What???  We were all unsure what was going on.  I use ear plugs and had to yell to ask him what he was saying.  No air horn or siren, just shouting instructions from the boat.  Then we started swimming across and could see the storm all around us.  I remember thinking that I didn't know if I could swim all out the entire distance back and the heard someone yell "swim to the shore" which was actually my first instinct.  As I got close to the shore I could see large rocks along the wooded shoreline.  There was a home with a boat house and dock and that is where everyone was heading.  I swam up to the side of the dock where two swimmers were helping to pull swimmers up and out.  I reached up and the next thing I knew I was on all fours on the dock with a cramp in my left calf.  I took a minute and was able to rub it out and stand up.  There was a steady stream of swimmers heading along side the house and out onto Mirror Lake Drive heading towards Main Street......in the road and on the sidewalk in our bare feet..... about 3/4 mile worth of road and sidewalk!  My feet were killing me after just a few minutes.  I never do anything in my bare feet and the wet surface plus all of the cinders and grit were tough to walk on.  At one point I was able to slip my swim cap on my right foot until I got near the carpet area where we would normally exit the swim.  The wet suit strippers had moved out to the street and helped get out suits off.  At one point the carpet under neath my feet shrank into a strip about 3 feet wide.  Once again I have to ask WTC what happened to the wider carpet they always had in the past for the run to the transition area.  All of this while the thousands of spectators were in harms way standing on the shores of the lake during the rain and electrical storms.  It was pouring and thundering and lightning as I made my way towards transition.  Luckily I saw Melissa near Main Street where we had planned to look for each other.

The boathouse on the far left is where we got our of the water.

(You can see the change in the carpet in this picture!)

From there I walked into the transition area and grabbed my Bike Gear Bag.  Then into the changing tent which was packed full of athletes and volunteers.  I stood near the entrance and started to get my gear out.  I saw Doreen getting ready to head out.  I asked if she was going out since it was still storming.  She replied yes and another woman turned towards me and said that she has two rules when racing.  One is to keep moving and two is to stay safe.  With that said she turned and headed out into the storm.  I couldn't help but wonder about the staying safe part.

So what do I do......head out into the storm or wait it out in the tent and know that the clock is ticking.  I followed suit and geared up for the ride.  Everyone rode very cautiously  heading out of town.  It was almost a solemn feeling as we passed the ski jumps.  I could hear thunder and see lightning come and go and the rain would ease up and then come down again.  Next up-the descent into Keene.  Most people continued to ride carefully through this section.  About two thirds of the way down I saw a female cyclist down on the ground.  I could see her pink aero helmet while the rest of her was covered with a blanket.  There was a woman kneeling near her and we could see an ambulance coming up the hill.  I hope she was ok.  The rest of the first loop was uneventful and I was happy to get back into Lake Placid to head out for the second loop.  The descent was dry by now and I was able to ride it more aggressively.  I was having a tough day on the saddle and from talking with others after the race, it seems that others had this issue and attributed it to the rain.  I made a few stops to reapply some Vaseline which helped a bit.  As I got near Jay another quick storm hit and pelted us with some sharp feeling raindrops.  After that it was sunny and quite humid as I climbed past Whiteface and back into LP.  Yeah!!!  Done on the bike and time to head out on the run.

It is always exciting to step out onto Main Street here in Lake Placid.  The crowds are incredible and they line both sides of the street for most of the way out of town.  I was feeling good as I started out and tried to get into a comfortable pace.  Nutritionally I was able to take gels along with electrolytes and drink some cola.  I wasn't able to drink any of the PowerBar Perform on the run course.  It just didn't taste good to me.  I wasn't worried about not taking any of the drink in since I was getting plenty of calories and sodium.  My pace slowed as the miles went on but I felt fine.  I stopped to get a long sleeve shirt from my special needs bag and headed out for another 13.  My plan to run easy and add walk breaks turned into a brisk walk with running breaks.  Again, I felt good, I just couldn't get into a pace that I could maintain.   The cool night air felt good and the aid stations had plenty of soda, pretzels, cookies, fruit and chicken broth.  The volunteers all along the course were awesome, especially those on the late shift for the run course.  Thank you for being out there for us!!!  One last climb into town and then the long out and back on Mirror Lake Drive and into the oval to the finish.  All day long I would look forward to seeing friends along the course, it is such a moral boost.  Melissa and Bonnie headed into the finish area after I passed them heading out on Mirror Lake Drive.  Heading back in on that road is a great time to reflect on the day as you listen to Mike Rilley announce the Ironman finishers.  Just a little bit more and I would be crossing that finish line.  I had a nice surprise as I was getting close to the oval.  My good friend and TNT teammate Derek was along the sidewalk cheering me on.  It was so nice to see his smiling face and he jogged along as I made my way to Main Street.  He snapped this photo at that point...  Thank you Derek!

Then you cross Main Street and enter the Olympic Oval.  The crowd is out of this world as you make your way around the track.  Thoughts from earlier that day disappear, aches and pains are gone....now is the time to celebrate and listen as you hear your name announced and to know that you are an Ironman.  When I crossed the line in 2012 there were a few others along side me, so my name was never announced.  Melissa spoke with Mike Reilly after the athlete meeting on Friday and he assured her that he would call out my name and he did!   What a great feeling!!

As you cross the finish line a volunteer guides you to get some water, your t shirt, hat and your medal.  Then to the photographer and to the food area.  I was getting cold and asked to get a "space blanket' which I could see some people wearing.  My escort went off to get me one, but sadly came back saying there were no more left.  I couldn't believe that IM could run out of blankets, but they did.  I ended up pulling one out of a trash bin.  This still makes me shake my head in disbelief.  Come on WTC......how could you run out of such an important item??  

It was easy to meet up with Melissa and Bonnie on the steps of the school.  Once again they took care of getting my bike and all of my gear bags and special needs bag.  They had taken all of that to the van so we just had to catch a shuttle bus to the parking lot and we could head home.  What a day it had been.   After the drive home and a shower, it was 1:00 am and time for bed.  A mere 22 hours since we woke up.  Kind of crazy, but we survived another IMLP!!!!

I do have to say that I am still very angry at WTC for leaving us in the water as long as they did.  I can't imagine what their thought process was in making that decision (or NOT making the decision), all I know is that the best interest of the athletes, volunteers and spectators was not their priority.  I have talked to many professionals such as coaches and USAT officials.  They all agree that we should have been pulled at the first sign of lightning.  Any public pool you go to will abide by that guideline.  I find it impossible to believe that there was no plan in place for these conditions.  Why was it not put into place?  WTC got lucky this time.  That same weekend a swimmer was killed in CA when a lightning strike hit while he was swimming in the ocean.   We as athletes have a responsibility to train properly and show up prepared for the race.  WTC has a responsibility to do what is necessary to keep us as safe as possible out there.   No one can control Mother Nature and we all train in the rain knowing that race day can be wet, but a lightning storm is much different.

Between broken zippers and "chintzy" backpacks, defective shirts for sale, a shrinking carpet for the swim transition run and no blankets left at the finish line, the disappointments added up.  These are minor things compared to the swim situation, but disappointments just the same.  WTC runs so many races these days that I can only hope they get their act together before there is a tragedy on their hands.  I am going to write to them to express these thoughts and then I will let it go.  I don't mean to sound so negative, but I feel this was a very serious situation that was handled very poorly.

It's time now to move on and also to celebrate my efforts on that day.  It was a race unlike any other and definitely one for the record books!  Great job to all of my friends that raced and a huge thank you to Melissa, Bonnie and Cindy for all of your cheering and cowbell ringing throughout the day and night.  I have the best support crew out there!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

A Happy Camper's Report from Triathlon Camp!

A week ago we packed up our tri gear and headed North to the beautiful Adirondack Mountains.   Heading out before the traffic was heavy, we had some rain but all was smooth sailing.  The highlight of our drive was a NY rest area that had a Pringles vending machine!!!  I can't say that I have seen one of these before!

We were on our way to the TWiley Sports Lake Placid Training Camp at the Olympic Training Center.  What a thrill to pull in and know that we will be sleeping, eating and training where our Olympic Athletes do! 

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.  

River Road is a beautiful stretch that follows the Chubb River.  You can always find a fisherman or Merganser along the way.  

Not long after we started out, the rain started to come down.  The mountains were especially beautiful in the rain!!!  We took it easy on the roads especially on the downhill to Wilmington and by the time we got back to Lake Placid it had started to clear up.  Some road construction heading out of town on Rt 73 forced us to take a short detour, but we made it back to the OTC without any problems.

After a nice lunch, we met at Mirror Lake for a discussion on open water swimming.  The sun was out, but there was a chilly breeze.  The water temp was a balmy 60 degrees and there were several swimmers in the water.  Our group opted to do a short run around the lake before heading back for a strength session with Fernando Paredes of Fusion Fitness Studio in Doylestown.  I have also been working with Fernando for a few years and am totally on board with his program.

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.

Back to the OTC and showers before having another great meal and heading home.  Thanks everyone for a great time!!  The next time I will be in town will be for the IM on July 27th!!!!  Safe training and happy racing to all of my friends racing IMLP with me!!  Can't wait!