Icebergs in Mirror Lake?

Race morning for our Lake Placid 70.3 jaunt was a bit on the cold side. Only thirty-eight degrees when we were setting up our gear in transition. Brrr. After months of being worried about heat, especially on the run, we got just the opposite, a beautiful, but chilly, race day.

Mirror Lake had cooled off from 70 two weeks prior to 61 on race morning. Jan and I went out and bought booties, which in our practice sessions worked great. After much planning I went to get dressed for the race and couldn't find my swim cap. Panic quickly overtook me as I ran back to transition. I couldn't find it. It wasn't anywhere in the house we rented. What to do? Jan and I went to the race start early to try and get a replacement but couldn't. I was really worried I would be disqualified right at the start. I ended up being the only swimmer with a blue cap, but they let me in the water.

I had a great swim, actually enjoying myself, passing people, feeling good, getting rid of my pre-race anxiety. It's amazing what training and adrenaline can do. Then we came out of the cold water into 20 degree colder air. It was brutal. Mistake one was taking off my wetsuit before the long run/walk to transition. Now I only had on small tri shorts. Transition took forever, I think it was the same for many people who were trying to dry off and get warm enough for the bike leg. Mistake two was not planning ahead and changing from wet, cold shorts to bike pants. Mistake three was not having another layer on my top. Mistake four was thinking winter bike gloves would be enough, they weren't. I was worried about heating up too much later on the bike. I should have been more worried about freezing going downhills.

Jan Swim

Long story - but I dropped out after only 3 miles on the bike. I was frozen, hands were numb, I couldn't hold the bike going down little hills and didn't want to risk the 7 miles down to Keene.

Congratulations to Mike W, Eileen W and Jan (my wife), who not only put up with me, but completed the IM 70.3! They were awesome. The temperature didn't really go up until the run when it hit about 60+ degrees. 

Jan at Finish

Jan Bike

Mike W Bike

 

Eileen Finish

Special thanks to the Katz's for volunteering at the swim session for several hours. I think they got colder than any of us. Also - these photographs are under copyright. I did purchase a photo from Finisherpix. 

Race Day Approaches!

The IM 70.3 race in Lake Placid is Sunday, September 10. Six of our Sal's members have been consumed with training and planning for this race for months. I was particularly worried about excessive heat and/or humidity. Silly man. The forecast is now for 40 degrees at 7am race day, and climbing to 60ish by mid-day. The water is holding at a refreshing (chilly) 63 degrees. Now I'm hoping the nighttime temperatures don't bring the water in Mirror Lake down even more. The wind chill on our bike ride should be exhilarating.
On a positive note, the run should be nice and cool, perfect temps and little wind.

I think it's time for a little triathlon humor, so I borrowed a few cartoons from the Interweb.

For Lou

This next one is for MW. If I see him do this in transition my race is over. 

We go up, we go down, all around town

The morning after our Mirror Lake swim five of us drove from the motel back to Lake Placid for a tour of the 1/2 Ironman bicycle course. I had biked the course a couple of times years ago with Jan and once by myself, the day before her Ironman race, but that was eight years ago. We have also ridden the course many times in our basement with Coach Troy and his dvd "On the Road: Lake Placid". These experiences didn't help my anxiety over the miles long steep downhill leading into Keene, NY.

I have several problems with going downhill fast on my bike.
1. Traffic. When training it's tough to trust cars and trucks will give you space, especially when the shoulder of the road may not be wide.
2. Road conditions. When you are riding on strange roads at 30+mph and don't know where potholes might be, it's tough to not be worried.
3. My bike. Will the brakes hold up? (I tend to pump them a lot going downhill, I think they were smoking and hot on the Keene descent). Will the front tire not wobble or fall off?
4. My bike handling skills. They are fair, not great, especially when I'm worried about the three items above, traffic being my number one worry.
5. I know that what goes down also eventually goes up. No race director puts in a downhill section on a bike course without making you pay for it with a tough climb. 

We survived the downhill, with crazy Lou who loves letting go and flying down, leading the way. I'm sure Lou and Mike W easily broke the 35mph speed limit. After that it was a fairly gentle ride to the small town of Jay, my favorite section of the course, before heading up to Wilmington and then "the notch" back to Lake Placid. The climb back to Lake Placid is tough, with many long inclines and rolling hills. It's not an easy course. When Lou saw our motel after biking 31 miles he called it a day. The rest of us kept cranking away back to Lake Placid, for a total of 42+ miles. We skipped one of the out and back sections due to a weather concern and figuring we had done enough.

I love the Lake Placid area, even when suffering on the bike, it's just so beautiful and different than the relative flat lands of western New York.

If I take one more stroke, it'll be the deepest lake I have ever swam around

Apologies to Samwise Gamgee for stealing/amending his quote about leaving the Shire with Frodo in "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring".

Six of us ventured to Lake Placid for three days of half-ironman triathlon training June 30-July 2. The weather was always on our minds as rain and thunder were forecast on and off throughout the weekend. We arrived Friday afternoon and before checking into our motel (The Hungry Trout - Wilmington) immediately began swimming in Mirror Lake. Jan was kind enough to kayak while four swam and one went shopping (she is "only" running the 13.1 mile leg as part of a relay team).

It's nice that the town sets up buoys for the IM swim course knowing that hundreds of people come there to train for the full IM or 1/2 IM. It's amazing how far away 800 yards looks across a lake. Many thoughts ran through my head while swimming;

1. I'm glad I have a wetsuit on. (bouyancy)
2. I'm glad Jan is nearby with the kayak.
3. This isn't Canandaigua Lake where I can stand up when swimming the buoys. Mirror Lake is up to 65 feet in depth, though its' average depth is much less. Still, if you get tired, there is no standing.
4. There are fish in this lake. Bass, trout, perch and more. I don't want to see fish, unless it's deep fried and surrounded by cole slaw, fries and buried in tartar sauce with an ubu beer nearby. Hopefully the noise of me swimming is scaring them away.
5. My sighting of buoys is poor. In part this is due to my goggles always fogging over, the buoys being small and me being scared of hitting another swimmer. This causes me to swim further than necessary.
6.  Lake Placid, the movie, wasn't based on fact, right? No crocodiles in this lake. Then why do I keep thinking about this possibility while swimming?
7. I hope Joanne, who is holding my wallet, cash and credit cards, isn't going on a major shopping spree while I'm in the water.
8. I'm swimming great! Fifty yards later.. I'm so slow, and back again. But I did get out of the water feeling pretty good, not overly tired. Something about training, maybe it does work?
9. I'm sorry Jan didn't get to swim (threatening clouds/rain moved in just after we finished). But at least she swam the course before (two loops) for her Ironman race a few years ago.
10. I'm really glad the rest of us had the chance to swim the course. My confidence has increased regarding the swim. I won't be fast, but hopefully will be steady and keep my breathing in check.

A Greek Tragedy or "Camping in Lake Placid" Act 1

This is reprint of a blog article I wrote in the summer of 2008, the year before Jan completed her Lake Placid Ironman, We went to the mountains for training and to get Jan signed up for the 2009 race. This was when it was extremely difficult to get into the next year's race unless you stood in line early in the morning the day after the race had just completed.

Since six of us are going to Lake Placid to swim, bike and run the end of June as training for the LP Half-Ironman in September, I thought this would be a good time to reprint my play. It's in two Acts. This is Act one of two.

Readers, if only it weren't all true, a sad woeful tale of a vacation gone awry. 

Characters; Queen Triathlete Wife and Lowly, the loyal servant.

Act One, Scene 1, before leaving Spencerport:

Queen: Don't you think we should waterproof the tent, after all it hasn't been used in years.

Lowly: Nah, it'll be fine, it has a rain fly and the weather forecast calls for only a 30% chance of rain.

Queen: I better not get wet. That's all I ask from you making me camp again, a dry tent to sleep in!

Lowly: Not a problem, I guarantee we will be okay.

Scene 2: At the campground in Wilmington Notch, 8 miles from Lake Placid

Queen: I can't believe we got lost, we've been coming here for years.

Lowly: I know, I thought the shortcut would help us avoid downtown, I didn't know we would miss our turn to Wilmington and take another hour.

Queen: Well, let's get the tent set up.

Lowly: Okay, but where's the electric at our site, it must be here somewhere.

Queen: Lowly, there is no electric!

Lowly: There has to be. There are rv's here, don't they need electric?

Queen: Evidently not, Lowly.

Lowly: Oh god. All of our meals were planned using electric. I brought an electric coffee pot, electric lamp, a griddle for cooking with electric!

Queen: Let's ask the Park Ranger.

Ranger: Are you stupid or something boy? No DEC campground in the Adirondacks has electric.

Lowly: Stupid is as stupid does.

Ranger: Well, there you go.

Queen: (ever optimistic) We can eat sandwiches for dinner, it'll be okay. Let's see, I'll have the ham, you have the pastrami, now where is the mustard?

Lowly: I forgot the mustard.

Queen: You have got to be kidding. Well, how about butter?

Lowly: Yeah, we have butter. Yum, pastrami on whole wheat with butter. This is good carb loading for our bike ride of the Ironman course tomorrow.

Queen: Break out the wine, now!

(later that night)

Queen: Umm, Lowly, I hear rain.

Lowly: It's got to be the wind, it's not supposed to rain.

Queen: Well, the tent is getting wet. Quick, let's get out there and put the sun canopy over the tent... Lowly, why are the holes in the canopy?

Lowly: Hey, I patched those holes with duct tape, it'll be fine.

Queen: My sleeping bag better not get wet Lowly!

Lowly: Don't worry my Queen, we will be fine.

Scene 3: Saturday morning, pre-bike ride, 70 degrees.

Queen: Keep the tent flap open, string up the bags so the tent dries out Lowly.

Lowly: Okay, okay, so it rained a bit, we are fine.

Queen: What's for breakfast?

Lowly: We were going to have eggs, bacon, homefries. But no electric and no time to start a fire. We need to get riding!

Queen: I'm not riding for hours without eating, I'm hungry.

Lowly: Okay, here, we have juice, Hammer Bars, dry cereal, bananas, this is great!

Queen: My banana is rotten. Where's my coffee?

Scene 4: The duo are on their bikes. Lowly forgot his Garmin and his bike computer doesn't work. He can't tell distance, speed or cadence.

Lowly: (to himself) Oh, isn't that cute, someone put a sign on the road saying, "Cherry Patch". Hey, we are going up a hill. Hey, look at that, a sign "baby bear", a bigger hill. Oh no, "mama bear", a bigger hill. Gdammit. Here it comes, "papa bear". They are killing me here and we are only 7 miles from the campground!

Lowly: Are all of these bikers in the race? How can they be riding miles the day before an Ironman? They can't be in the race.

Queen: I guess they are in shape.

Lowly: I'm in shape dammit!

Queen: I guess not IM shape.

Lowly: But they are miles away from Lake Placid. This doesn't make sense.

Queen: Maybe they are just riding the course for fun, like us.

Lowly: (in his lowest granny gear, climbing up some mountain heading to Keene) This is fun? How can they fly by me like that? Ugh.

Queen: Look, a downhill sign, are you ready?

Queen and Lowly fly downhill for over 7 miles. It is treacherous reaching speeds Lowly never thought possible. His brakes are smoking from overuse.

Lowly: We have to stop, my hands are tired from braking. Did you see that woman go past me? She must have been doing 45mph or more! That is crazy.

Queen and Lowly continue from Keene to Jay. A fairly flat section that was actually fun and beautiful to ride, a smile almost appeared on Lowly's face.

Queen: Okay, Lowly, we have a three mile climb to Wilmington, just turn left.

Two bikers pass Lowly. Two more, then more, and more.

Lowly: I made it! Wilmington, wow, Queenie, look behind us at the climb we just did! Now we are only 7 miles from our campground.

Queen: First we have to take a right turn on Haselton road and go out for 7 miles, then back to here.

Lowly: Hah, hah. Funny Queen.

Queen: Let's go.

Queen and Lowly head out on the 14 mile loop. It begins to rain, then stops, then rains and stops, then rains and stops. Finally they are back in Wilmington.

Lowly: Hey Queen, that wasn't too bad a section, except for the rain and wind.

Queen: I need a bathroom.

Lowly: Well, it's the day before the IM, surely there are port-a-pots all over Wilmington?

Queen: They are locked Lowly, what will I do now?

Lowly: Hey, a tourist information center, let's stop.

Queen: There better be a bathroom. (there was, thankfully)

Later, Queen and Lowly head up route 86 to the campground.

Lowly: (as Queen passes him) Why aren't I going anywhere? I'm pedaling like hell, it doesn't look uphill, but I'm hardly moving!

Queen: I know, it doesn't make sense. Look up there, the campground sign.

Lowly: Uh, Queenie, it's not.

Queen: Oh my god. where is it? This is all uphill! I'm going to cry.

Back at camp.

Lowly: I'm sorry Queen, I can't do another loop. You go, I'll follow in the SUV.

Queen: It's okay, I'm done for today too.

After a fine dinner of hot dogs, potatoes and carrots cooked over a roaring fire that the Queen started, with a bottle of wine of course, the duo climb into the tent for the night.

(Lowly wakes up, checks his watch, it's 6am and raining) At 7:30am the Queen wakes up. It's pouring.

Queen: I'm getting wet.

Lowly: I know, this stinks. I can't take it. Let's eat the bagels we bought yesterday.

Queen: I want coffee.

Lowly: I can't start a fire, the wood is all wet. We can't drive to town, the roads are closed for the race. Hey, let's run to town!

Queen: So, I have to run 4 miles downhill to get coffee and then back uphill 4 miles? In the rain?

Lowly: It'll be really good coffee.

Lowly and the Queen do the run and come back to watch and cheer for the bikers. These athletes are riding 112 miles in a torrential downpour. The rain continues throughout the day, over 3 inches fell in Lake Placid on Sunday.

The campground is a mudpit.

End of Act 1.

Year of the Triathlon

Thankfully 2016 is in the books and we can move on to what is sure to be an interesting 2017. A new president, a new age group for me (60+), my phased-in-retirement begins in late April (4 day work weeks) and a few of us crazily agreed to make the Lake Placid half-ironman our season goal. Jan, myself, Mike and Eileen W are doing the full distance 70.3m race and Joanne and Lou K are doing a relay.

The mindset of becoming a long-distance triathlete instead of just a runner has already begun for Jan and myself. We began swimming in earnest during December and added some biking on our indoor trainers. I have missed the dead leg feeling you get after biking and then trying to run (not). The race isn't until September 10th, but we feel there is much to work on.

To this end I have ten goals to achieve (by around 2-3pm) on September 10;

1. Make swimming 2,000 yards during my pool workouts the norm.
2. Once Canandiagua Lake warms up swims there have to be at least 2 miles. No more .5-1 mile and then have a couple of beers. I don't want to come out of Mirror Lake on 9/10 feeling exhausted.
3. Possibly do the Keuka Lake triathlon in June.
4. Do the Musselman sprint triathlon on July 15.
5. Continue doing a few running races, particularly the Rochester Runner of the Year races  now that I'm in a new age group.
6. By March I want my long bike ride to be at least 50 miles once per week.
7. Run a half-marathon before June.
8. At least once in July & August bike around Canandaigua Lake (about 45 miles) after swimming 2 miles in the lake.
9. Complete the 70.3 mile race at Lake Placid. I'm not really concerned with time, though I would love to finish faster than the one other time I completed this distance (at Tupper Lake, NY).
10. I want to enjoy the process of training.