Race Report: Ironman Lake Placid 2014

I don't even know where to begin with this race report. I’ve started writing it at least three times, deleted, started over and begun again.  I am not going to thank everyone in this report, that will come in a separate, but totally necessary write up.  I don't know the exact moment I decided that I was going to train for an Ironman, but I do know that when I volunteered in Lake Placid and saw the finish line, that I knew there was no other finish I could ever imagine crossing.

I’m going to focus on the experience here.  I’ll add some nutrition/logistics info at the end for those that are interested.  And I won’t over analyze numbers for several reasons but the first being I didn’t wear a watch most of the day!  My first goal set back in 2013 was to simply get to the start line uninjured, that goal turned into simply FINISH.  While I was tempted to start talking about time goals and estimated finish time, I held back.  I had to continue to remind my usually competitive self that you only get your first Ironman once and while times are important on some days, July 27, 2014 was about the journey and the experience and enjoying it as much as possible.  I knew that getting to the finish was the only goal that mattered.

The Swim:

Photo Credit: Colin Kness

As I stood on the beach of Mirror Lake, wetsuit and swim cap on and goggles in hand, my heart began to race.  I had been relatively calm, although somewhat mentally challenged, in the days leading up to the race.  I was standing in a sea of athletes, almost half of whom were just like me, first timers.  But among the rookies, were also a strong field of experienced and empathetic athletes.  A few folks told others to take a deep breath and enjoy the experience.  That was my goal for the day and it was my ONLY goal.  FINISH and enjoy the journey.  It seemed like ages before I finally entered the water, but I walked in, looked around, took a deep breath and thought, "lets do this".  I was swimming very defensively, there were people EVERYWHERE.  The water was rough, it was like swimming in a washing machine.  I was breathing every two strokes, but felt comfortable and never panicked.  One thing about a two loop Ironman swim, it never really opens up.  I was focusing on being relaxed and keeping my heart rate down.  Around the sixth buoy out I started swimming next to someone I will call the "Rabid Gorilla" or RG.  This person was the most insane swimmer I have ever encountered, flailing and just going nuts but not moving very fast in the forward direction.  They wore an AWA cap but other than that I couldn't tell you much more.  We were swimming side by side, not touching but close enough.  First incident, I somehow get punched in the teeth.  I don't know how to explain this except that RG's hand went in the direction from my chin to nose and caught a few fingers in my top teeth on the way.  Ok, that's not cool but it happens and I've become  very comfortable with contact in the water (Imagine that!).  A few moments later, RG punches me square in the eye, hand in a fist right in my goggle.  Luckily nothing was broken, goggles or my eye socket. I was so mad, I literally stopped swimming and cussed them out.  First of all you don't swim with a closed fist, unless you're doing drills in the pool and second, you can SEE ME swimming right next to you.  So I treaded water and watched RG flail around and I put some space in between us. I didn't need any more of that or there would have been a brawl in Mirror Lake and RG’s fancy white swim cap would have been ripped off and thrown across the lake.  Besides that incident, loop one was uneventful.  As I exited the water, I realized it was raining pretty hard. Oh well, I thought, we're wet anyway.  I walked across the sand, looked all around, smiled big for the camera man and headed back into the water (although I am yet to find those damn photos).  Loop two I was feeling strong and confident and ended up, by accident, right over the cable.  So I decided to stay there and swim along. I got many good drafts along the way.  I had just sighted buoy 5 of 7 on the way back when I realized something was "off".  I looked up and saw a ton of heads looking up instead of down, the Coast Guard pontoon boat was right in the way! My first thought was that someone had to be pulled, but then I heard yelling. "Swim to shore! Swim to shore!" and the kayakers and paddle boarders were waving like crazy. They could NOT be serious?! Didn't they know this was my first Ironman and NOTHING was going to stop me from finishing? I took a few more strokes, thinking maybe I could just keep going, took a breath and saw the lightening overhead.  OK! I'm swimming to shore now, thank you very much! I'm very surprised that despite the lightning and thunder, that was impossible to ignore now, that everyone swam calmly to the shore. We climbed onto a dock and waited.  None of us knew what to do.  Then someone on a boat or kayak said, head to Mirror Lake Drive and straight to transition.  So off we went, marching like a bunch of neoprene penguins down Mirror Lake Drive and back to town.  All along, we're all asking, "what do we do? Are we allowed to continue? Will the swim still count?".  I saw a few Mid Maryland Triathlon Club (MMTC) folks at the tent and pretended to swim by on the road while walking.  Gotta have a little sense of humor, I suppose.  The rain was cold, so I skipped the strippers and wore my wetsuit all the way into transition.

T1:

T1 was complete and utter chaos! The rumor was that over 1000 people were pulled from the water before finishing that day.  So you can imagine all of those people in a tent at once trying to change.  Luckily I found Mary P and an open chair and got to work, all the while listening to the thunder roll outside. I got changed, ate half an uncrustable with Megan P and shared a Gatorade. We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch together before we headed out into the deluge! Right as I was exiting the tent, a HUGE roll of thunder came through. I stopped and asked Mary if we were even allowed to head out.  I don't remember her exact response but I said if they're not stopping me, then I'm going.  Thank the tri gods that that morning I had swapped my rain jacket into my bike gear bag, just in case. Well just in case was a reality, as it was absolutely pouring.  

The Bike:

I headed out of town and up the first climb past the ski jumps.  First, the paved road made that climb so much easier, but I still took it VERY easy and just spun up the hill.  The rain also helped keep my mind off the climb, it was a great distraction.  The lightning and thunder also were a great distraction, but kept scaring the crap out of me.  Looking back, I probably should have stopped (and I believe the National Weather Service told us to seek shelter) but I had one goal, finish.  And if that meant riding in the rain and thunder and lightning, well so be it.  My mother will not be happy with that decision, but it’s her fault I’m so hard headed anyway, so deal with it Mom, you made me this way!  The first descent was challenging, not because of the actual descent or slick roads, but because I was freezing by that point. The rain had come down so hard that even my amazing Cannondale jacket couldn't keep me dry. I was soaked to the bone, it was in the mid 60's by my guess and I was riding down a mountain. I was shivering and shaking and I just wanted to get to Keene so I could ride some flats and hopefully warm up.  Everyone was taking the descent very cautiously, rightfully so, but it was causing bunches of riders. I love to descend and am pretty confident, so I decided to pass some people to simply get away from them. I did it rather slowly and with lots of warning, but I didn't want someone to wipe out in front of me and cause me to crash.  I don't remember exactly when it stopped raining but it eventually did.  Unfortunately the wind had already picked up when I got to the first 12 mile climb home and it was a nasty headwind.  Heading up Papa bear with that crowd was awesome!  I dropped into an easy gear that didn't burn my legs and just spun up to the top, passing people as I went, it was awesome!! Coming back into town, around Mirror Lake and the Oval was INCREDIBLE!! It was an awesome reminder of why I had to keep going.  The second descent was SO MUCH FUN!! It was dry by then and I was slow enough that there were not that many others out there with me.  I barely hit the brakes at all and even took some of the straight sections in aero. I was having a blast and I let out several "whoooooo!!"'s. I did have a watch on during the bike, but it was only for the 15 minute beep that reminded me to drink and eat.  But luckily for me it recorded my speeds, I FINALLY broke 40mph!! 40.9mph was my max, so stoked about that!!! (Sorry Mom!)  I didn't start to get tired until just past mile 80 after another rain cloud had unleashed a cold pouring rain on us again.  That seemed to just zap whatever energy I had left.  However, the State Trooper standing at the intersection of 9N and 86, in his rain gear in the pouring rain, let out the loudest “WHOOOOOOOO” as I rode by.  Thank you sir for your service and the incredible burst of energy that yell gave me.  The right turn onto 86 and the ride into Wilmington was brutal.  I just kept thinking, "get to Mom and Spencer and you'll almost be off this bike".  I made it to the KOA, stopped to say hello, a very nice NYS Trooper snapped a photo of the three of us and then I decided I could no longer postpone the inevitable.  Off to finish the last ten miles, in an even worse head wind.  About 7 miles out I started chatting with a girl in my age group.  This was also her first and we were both miserable and ready to be off the bike.  I remember saying, "If it weren't for the fact that I know how incredible that finish line is, I wouldn't still be on this damn bike".  We chatted all the way to Mamma bear, it made those last miles just a bit less hard.  Then it was back into town and OFF the bike!!!

My plan for the bike was to “take it easy”.  Now looking back on my bike time, I think I took that plan just a little too seriously, but it would all come back to benefit me on the run.  I spent an extra hour and 20 minutes that I had not planned on, on that bike.  I was ready to be off it!  I can blame some of my slow times on the 7 or 8 portapot stops I made, but hey! I was DEFINITELY hydrated and having no issues with my stomach or eating! SCORE!

T2:

Photo Credit: Mahjoub & Perri Productions

T2 was much less hectic than T1.  I guess that's what happens when you spend way too long on the bike.  My husband created a few “photo books” with the help of some friends and put them in my transition bags.  They were to distract me from the race, if I was feeling like crap.  I’m sharing one photo because the others (of Ramsy in all sorts of crazy outfits pretending to ride my bike through the house would be in appropriate).  But they made laugh out loud, so loud, that two volunteers came over to see what was up.  They thought it was hilarious too!!  A nice volunteer helped me get changed and situated and then it was time for the run.  

The Run:

My basic plan for the run was to start out super easy for the first four miles and just walk the aid stations.  Run from aid station to aid station until I just couldn't run anymore.  Maybe taking it "too easy" on the bike worked out well for me because I felt good on the run.  I only walked at the aid stations and half of the hill coming off River Rd and half the hill going back into town.  I was feeling strong, my stomach was cooperating I was still frequenting the portapots and was able to eat when I wanted, but I didn't really need to.  I LOVED seeing all the MMTC support on the course.  I felt like a rock star every time I came into town.  It was also great to see all of my training buddies along the way, hugs all around and even a request for a make out session from a spectator!  Sorry Mark, if it had been around mile 24 it might have happened! I don’t have much to report on the run because it just was.  I’ve only done 2 stand alone full marathons, both of which I ran injured.  This run was by far the best feeling, even after everything else that day.  The downside to being so slow on the bike, but having a decent run, you don’t make many friends on the run because everyone you pass is walking.  But I got to dig into my old cheerleader self and cheer those people on.  It kept my mind off the ticking miles.  At mile 23 my quads were on fire, if my IT bands had a voice they would have been cussing me out.  I could have continued my run, but I decided I wanted to save some for the last mile run through town.  Chad met me on the course and walked me straight to Dawn’s aid station and I bolted for the portapot.  Again, I was VERY hydrated! LOL  I think I knew all along on the run that I was going to finish, but seeing the mile 24 sign was absolute confirmation.  Although I had no idea what time it was (I refused to let anyone tell me), I knew I was going to make it.  I made Angela take a selfie with me and the mile 24 sign.  Let me tell you, getting down to put my face in front of that sign might have been the hardest thing I did all day, but it was totally worth it!  So one more run to the Mirror Lake turn around and I was an Ironman!!!

The Oval:

I feel like this part of the race should have its own report.  I wish I could bottle every scent, emotion, and image from that last quarter mile.  Up until that point, I had only allowed myself to walk to the final turn of the oval, I saved that last straight away for the finish that evening.  I wanted to slow down, to savor it, but the electric energy of the crowd literally carries you and you are powerless to fight it.  I saw the final turn, and remembered Mark Yost’s advice, “STOP! Look around and take it in.”  As I was about to stop, I saw Mo!  Huge high five as I rounded the last corner and then I stopped.  I just stopped.  I stopped running, I stopped breathing, I stopped thinking and literally let loose every emotion I had been feeling for the last twelve months.  It was the most incredible feeling that I will never be able to describe.  I cried like a baby, the tears flowed and I started running towards the finish again.  About 50 feet from the arches, I heard, “ELYSIA!!!” and spotted Ramsy! I have no idea what I said to him, the likelihood he even understood what I said is slim, but he got a huge hug and I started running again.  You don’t sprint to the finish in Ironman, you just sort of move forward without actually doing anything.  The crowd and the finish just push you.  I got down and kissed the finish line.  Completely random and unplanned, I didn’t even realize I was doing it until my hands hit that soggy carpet and I’ve never been happier to smell soggy, sweaty carpet in my life.  Then I stood up and put my hands into the air……………….HOLY SHIT I DID IT!  Straight into my Fairy Tri Mother’s arms! Thank you Mary for being there to catch me!  Although I think I almost ran right over you! I was so excited I could have taken another victory lap!  But Mary corralled me, got me my photos, got Ramsy to get my dry clothes and made me eat.  Keely brought the chocolate milk, YUM! It felt like MMTC took OVER that finish line, it’s literally like finishing a race in Centennial Park with all your friends but WAY more cool! J

So officially, according to WTC my finish time is 14:53:50 but truly including my full swim which actually ended up being the full distance, plus a LONG ASS walk around Mirror Lake I finished at 15:57:24.  So actually about an hour slower than my estimated finish time.  But my ONLY goal was to FINISH and that I did!  Oh and Mike Reilly pronounced my first name correctly!!!!!! So it’s REALLY official!  I AM AN IRONMAN!

Photo Credit: Colin Kness

Nutrition/Logistics FYI

Nutrition Info:

Breakfast: cream of wheat with vanilla protein powder, raisins and milk. 

T1: half an uncrustable and half a small bottle of Gatorade

Bike Loop 1: 3 24oz bottles of Osmo/Carbo Pro mix 335 calories each, 2 uncrustables, 2 apple sauce pouches

Bike Loop 2: 3 24oz bottles of Osmo/Cabro Pro mix 335 calories each, 1 uncrustable, 2 apple sauce pouches

T2: Nothing to eat, 4 salt tabs

Run: I was planning on carrying my handheld with Osmo in it.  I made it to the second aid station before I ditched the whole thing.  It was warm and my stomach was ok, so I decided to go with the Ironman Perform (it was ok for me at Syracuse 70.3, even though I hate the tast of it).  Every aid station until mile 20: 2 sips water, 2 sips Perform, every other aid station a few pretzels.  I ate half a cookie at my special needs bag and it was a bad idea, the ONLY time my stomach felt like crap was after that cookie, so I stuck with the pretzels.  Downed 4 more salt tabs at special needs.  Starting at mile 20, water, coke and pretzels until I got to the last aid station. I opted for no fluids because I wanted to make it to the finish without peeing my pants! J

Logistics:

We left Baltimore early Wednesday morning and managed to make the trip with little traffic.  We made a pit stop in Saratoga Springs at our friends running store for some last minute goodies.  Instead of staying in town, we decided to rent a cabin at the KOA.  When I was booking there we were planning to bring our dog and there weren’t a lot of houses left for rent.  We opted to let Jethro spend the weekend with his furry buddy Knox instead of trekking around Lake Placid.  The cabin was great.  We had 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen, dining area and couch with cable TV.  The WiFi was decent but not great.  It was quiet and I got to make myself some pre-race s’mores the night before the race.  Driving to/from town every day, multiple times a day was a little tedious but it was nice and quiet.  My mom cooked up a BBQ on Friday night for anyone willing to make the trek out of town. She said she’s never seen people eat so much! But we still had leftovers, as my mother always cooks for an army!  Unfortunately, I had a work trip in Chicago that I had to attend and Ramsy drove me to the Albany airport on Tuesday.  I’m really bummed I didn’t get to spend the last 2 days in Placid with everyone enjoying the post race festivities.  Sitting in a conference room with no windows for 8.5 hours was absolutely miserable and I was not happy, but when the boss says you have to be there, you have to go.

Post Race Tattoo:

I don't know where the tradition of getting the Ironman M-dot tattooed started, but the tradition is real.  There's even a facebook page for it! www.facebook.com/ironmantats  So I wanted something that incorporated Lake Placid (three stars) but also was uniquely me.  So I decided instead of filling the M-dot in completely red, I would fill it with a design that from a distance appeared red, but when you get close you can see the design work.  LOVE how it came out and if you're local to Maryland, go see Joe Shupp at Baltimore Tattoo Museum and tell him I sent you.  He'll get you sorted out!