Heading into Lake Placid, people began asking me if I was ready and if I was getting nervous. I can honestly say that for the first time in my self-coaching career, I was 100% certain that I had done what was necessary to prepare myself for the race. I believe that the only reason to be nervous stems from the idea that you may have some doubt about the task you are trying to accomplish. If there was one thing I didn’t have heading into the event, it was doubt in my abilities, fitness, and mental state.
I spent the winter months training my legs to be rock steady on the run, my swimming background left me totally confident in the swim, and I had been cycling far better than I ever had before. My training plan was regimented and methodical. I had complete control over my weight and saw a drastic change in my body composition. Gone were the swimmer shoulders and big thighs. I had transformed myself into a lean, endurance machine. My biggest fear was handling my nutrition on the course for 10+ hours. The longest I had ever raced or trained was six hours; I’d nearly double my time out there and I wanted to make sure I could fuel myself properly to race the entire event. I started eating before and after every workout, which also helped keep weight on. It got to the point where I could eat a steak dinner, loaded with sides then go for a 14 mile run any day of the week. Everything was going to plan and despite a week being down with a sore achilles, I had remained injury free throughout my buildup. To answer the questions people were asking; no, I was not nervous and yes I was more ready than I ever have been in my life.
Race weekend came around quicker than I was prepared for and soon I found myself, stuck in traffic with Rusty and Billy, desperately trying to make it to athlete check-in by 4pm Friday. We made it and things started to mellow down. We drove a loop of the bike course and went for a ride on the run course. I knew the courses like the back of my hand and we even managed to fit a swim in there. It was time to put the finishing touches on Cecilia and pack her away with the gear until Sunday morning.
Race morning was a blast. All the work was done and it was time to hang out with my boys and get ready for a LONG day. Each of us had our routine and we got to the start line with plenty of time to spare. I made a game time decision to wear the wetsuit since it was what I had planned on and practiced in. Rusty read us a funny pre-race speech which helped lighten the mood for everybody. We wished each other good luck and got into Mirror Lake.
The Swim: I can say without doubt that this is the only time in my life I have been concerned for my safety in the water. Rusty and I moved up into the front left so we could get on the cable and not have to sight. We were about three rows back treading water with ten minutes to go until the race started. As the minutes ticked down, people became antsy and began pushing up from behind us. It got the the point where we were sandwiched between people trying to maintain the start line and people trying to move up every inch possible. There came a point where I couldn’t tread water anymore because I couldn’t move my legs. I relaxed and kept bobbing, trying to keep my head above water. The gun went off and the chaos began. I saw no sign of a path to get out of this mess when people started climbing over the top of me. As I was being submerged, I saw that Rusty found a gap and went for it. I threw some elbows and got on his tail. We made it out and spent a lonely morning swimming between the lead pack and everybody else. The first loop was great, just over 27 minutes. Things were perfect. I was running out of the lake to start lap two when I felt something sharp on my toe. I could feel it stinging the entire second lap but couldn’t decide if it was numbness or a cut. After stopping to clear my goggles a whole bunch, I made it out of the water between 55 and 56 minutes and saw my BTC family lining the run to T1.
T1: The first thing I noticed was my toe cut wide open. There was nothing I could do about it now so I threw my cleats on and got out on the bike as fast as I could. I started my ride exactly one hour into the race which was exactly where I wanted to be. The last person I heard was Coach Grant as I got started on loop 1.
The Bike: I have no idea what happened in the first 30 miles as I seem to just have appeared there. I imagine I got settle, worked the climbs out of Placid a little and started eating and drinking a little. One thing I do know is that I started rocking my hydration plan right away and kept it strong the whole way. I took a bottle of water every aid station and alternated plain water and nuun in my aero bottle. This plan worked like a charm and I plan on doing the same next year. I tried popping salt tabs every hour but I know I missed a few so I took extra. Bananas and gels were about all I ate on the bike. I had either one or two cliff bars and that was in the first 40 miles. Coming up papa bear and heading out onto loop 2 was about the most fun I have ever had on a bike. People were screaming from every direction and I felt like a superstar. I was averaging just under 20 mph and I was happy with lap 1. Lap 2 continued strong but I could feel myself starting to fade a little bit. I kept eating and drinking, controlling what I could. Things started to get bad around 90 miles. I was exhausted and seriously beginning to doubt running anywhere near a four hour marathon. I popped a mint into my mouth which brought me back mentally but my legs were still fried. I shook it out and tried to zone out for the rest of the ride.
T2: I made it off the bike and was happy to sit down for a second on anything other than a hard bike seat. My decision to ride 112 miles in tri shorts was starting to weigh on me now but I would certainly do it again. I moved through T2 quick so my legs didn’t tighten up and because I knew I would be seeing tons of people for the next couple of miles.
The Run: I got out on the course and immediately was greeted by one of my cheering crews, Clint, Elyssa, Erin, and Garrett. I couldn’t be happier. The legs were feeling much better although I predicted a slow five hour marathon. Things went smooth down to River Rd. and I was elated to see the BTC crew heading out of town. Their placement and the end of the climbs back into town would end up being the one thought that kept me going all run. Right away I started switching my nutrition as I was sick of my current situation. I walked through every aid station and grabbed water and oranges. My stomach and my legs started getting into a rhythm. I ran up through town and calculated my half marathon time to be 1:57. This was far better than I thought it would be and the best part was that I felt like I could negative split or at least repeat on my second half. The rest of the run was pretty uneventful besides getting passed by all the fast guys from the club. I was in my own place and perfectly happy with where I was at. Heading back on River Rd., things started to get real for me. I don’t know if it was being out there all day, the months of training, or malnutrition but the next moment was my defining moment of the entire race. I realized, barring any unforeseen circumstance, that I was going to break 11 hours then saw Rusty all within the span of about 5 minutes. I was so happy that I started to cry a little bit and I think this was when my legs decided I was done. I was about 4 miles out and the rest of the run was very painful. This was the feeling I trained for so I was ready for it but it was still uncomfortable. I made it through and couldn’t be happier with my day; 10:51:01. Even more exciting was the fact that I was 4th in the AG. One guy was a minute ahead of me and two of the guys ahead of me are going to age up for next year.
Overview: I cannot sit here and saw that I have a single problem with my race. Everything went perfectly and my plans worked perfectly. I felt great all day except for about 12 miles on the bike. I had run 4:01 and broken 11 hours in my first Ironman. My nutrition was spot on and my buddies all finished and exceeded their expectations. The weather was perfect and things couldn’t have gone better. One thing I do know is that come this time next year, I will be in Lake Placid looking to go faster, looking to race the course a little bit harder, looking to take some chances and make myself uncomfortable. I know I have some long hours ahead of me with Cecilia and I can spare a few minutes on the marathon course. I will be out in Placid training on the course and trying to prepare even better than I did this year. I will be back and I will be looking to leave it all on the course.
I had always heard people talk about how Ironman isn’t nearly as much about the race as it is about the journey. I can now say that I completely agree. I have made incredible new friends in the tri club, I have learned that my friends and family are understanding and supportive of my dreams, and I have learned that I can transform myself into any sort of beast I wish. I have learned an entirely new level of commitment and dedication that will carry over to all other aspects of my life. I have learned more about my body and feel more in tune with it than I ever have been in my life. When the big day came, I was there to enjoy myself and share an experience with all the athletes racing with me and all the people who were there to support us. My race may have taken it felt 11 hours but it felt like 3. I can only imagine that spectating for 11 feels like 33. I cannot express how much I appreciate the cheers and support. Thank you to all of my friends and family for making this the most memorable day in my life.
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