So after Rev 3 Full Ironman Last year and learning Ironman is a whole different ball game I ramped up my training and really focused on the long runs and long bikes to get ready for the 9-10 hours it takes to do a race. Training up to the race went amazing really was injury free for the most part and I was feeling good.
When we got to Lake Placid it was hot. We stayed at a high end (....ok It was called the Sherwood Motor in Lodge) haha it was a log cabin about 8 miles away with no A/C. If you can handle the heat and don't mind using appliances from the 1932 Olympics then this is your place. But in all honesty it was good to be outside the downtown area, which can always get a bit hectic.
As we sat in the pro meeting Greg Welch announced a no wetsuit race because the water was above 76.1 degrees. Thank god I brought my WTC Legal Race Skin from Xterra or it would have been a long day out there.
As we waited in the water for the gun to go off I was with a group of guys that I usually come out of the water with in most 70.3 races so was ready get my draft on. Gun went off and the lead back took off pretty quick and I settled into a group of 8 swimmers. I will never say this again but they were actually going a bit slow so I pulled out in front and gave a little 400m push. Came through the first lap in 31 minutes. I a bit slower then my wetsuit 29 min swim and after the 2nd lap and transition I was 1:04 swim. Not my best swim of the day but was super excited to get on my bike.
Cervelo P3 was dialed in and Wheels of Oakville had supped it up ready to go fast. I was running a zipp disc with a tubular HED3C front. FAST I was had my rudy project shades and helmet..making me look like I knew what I was doing! First lap was great I avg 250 watts and stuck with my buddy matt hit the 1st lap at 2:33 right on pace then it happened! A guy in front of me dropped a bottle out of his special needs bag and as I was grabbing mine I tried to avoid it and wiped hard. My bag went flying, I went flying but bike was ok!!
After I made sure my body was ok, I quickly grabbed all my bottles and food got back on the bike and got back to work all bloody and covered in road rash...can't say I was too impressed at that point but hey, shit happens. At that point I lost a bit of time (about 10min )to Matt and lost my little pace group. Boo.. haha
2nd lap was ok. I slowed down the pace a bit not to let the adrenalin take over and focused on nutrition. I worked a lot with Cera Sport and a carb paced powder to take in close to 250-300 calories per hour. The weather was around 35-38 degrees so my goal was to intake close to 1 litre per hour of water and also have a few snacks along the way.
Onto the run. I'll be the first to admit I was nervous. I blew up a year ago with bad nutrition and pushing the pace so the goal was simple...don't walk!! and run. I got off the bike and legs were feeling awesome. I started out and the first 10 miles flew by. I kept saying to myself I feel good, again 15 miles I kept saying I feel good, by 20 miles I was getting nervous but of course felt ok. So when I got to the last 6 miles I decided to stay save walk aid stations and hammer in between the runs like a 6 x 1mile hammer fest. When I got to the finish line I knew I could have gone harder but I learned a lot from this race and didn't blow up. Gotta thank Saucony for a great pair of racing shoes. The fast twitch are insane!!
After a tough day at the office I finished 11 out of 30 pros and had a time of 10:08.
However I learned a ton out there and am ready to do what I am capable of doing! I held back a bit but now am confident that I can race an Ironman. That is why in 4 weeks I am heading to Ohio to race the Rev 3 Full and Give'r!!
Thanks for all the support and will be going hard in Ohio. Thanks to my support crew Shannon, Hayden love you both. Bob, Karen, Randy and Jen for keeping me going through training and racing!
