The Long Road to Lake Placid 2009

July 2009

Lake Placid Ironman 2009

Iron week finally arrived. Joani and I drove up to Lake Placid on the Tuesday before the big race, giving us plenty of time to get settled. I got in several swims in beautiful Mirror Lake, where the actual swim course is marked by an underwater wire that makes "sighting" very easy during the race. I also did a few last easy runs and bike rides including the 6 mile downhill into the town of Keene.

I went over my training and was confident I was well prepared. I checked my logs to be sure I had trained and raced enough. I had, in fact trained a bit more than in 2007. Since I signed up for this race a year ago, I had done 14 races, including 3 marathons and 2 half iron tri's, racing for a total of 315 miles in some 42 hours. Since I began training hard for this race in January (2009), I had covered nearly 1,500 miles during about 200 hours of training. I was ready.

On Saturday, I racked my bike, and hung my transition bags in the transition area. These were the last steps before a final night's sleep and then a day of fun in the sun.

Or so I thought. For the past few days, Joani had been complaining of chest pains. Thinking it would go away (as most aches and pains do), we (she) tried to ignore it. By Saturday, however, the problem was too severe to ignore, so we decided to have the local Emergency room fix the problem so Joani could more comfortably watch the race.

Ha!

Little did we suspect that she had had a pulmonary embolism (i.e. a blood clot in the lung), that required immediate hospitalization and treatment. So, by 7pm on Saturday evening, we found ourselves set up in the Adirondack Medical Center for what would turn out to be days of drugs, IV's, and hospital food. No Ironman for me in 2009, but at least Joani was on the mend.

I retrieved up my bike and my gear during the Race on Sunday. It was very exciting to see the race from the spectator's perspective. The transition area looked very lonely with all the participants out on the course, and only my lonely red Kestrel left in transition :-(

June 2009

Eagleman Half Iron

I was pumped and ready for Eagleman. This has been one of my favorite races, although I had not done it since 2005. I had my best EM swim ever at 42 minutes. I kissed a jelly fish along the way, and had numb lips for the start of the bike. My ride was my worst ever, and my run was middling for me at EM. We got wind in the face on the back half of the bike, and a hot/humid day by the time I get to the run. My final time was right between my best and worst at that race, totalling 6:44. I'll take it as a good Ironman training race.

May 2009

Jim McDonald swims

I had a fair one mile swim at 36 mins. My two miler was 1:15 which was 3 mins faster than last year. For each of the past two years, I metaled in both 1 and 2 mile races. This year the field was deeper and faster, so I didn't medal. Good swims however.

Columbia Tri

The race started well, with 70 degree water in a cool drizzly morning. I had a fair swim time, with lots of jostling at the start. Halfway through the bike I flatted. Fixed it in about 11 mins, but flatted again within a minute. Fixed it again, and made it 10 mins before m final flat. No more spares, so I waited for the Sag Wagon. It took over an hour to arrive, so I took a ride back to transition, where I had a very good run. Such are the problems out on the trail.

Potomac River Run Marathon

Ran my second Marathon in 2 weeks. Except for Boston, this was my best time since 2003 MCM. Nice cool day with intermittent rain. I had a good first half, tough 3rd quarter, but got my mojo back for the final leg. Like Boston, I ran this without planned walk breaks other than very short ones at water stations. Also, I only carried GU, but used race provided drinks...this worked just fine. My goal pace was 11:30...I did 10:36 for first half, and 12:06 for second half. Final time was 4:57:50 or 11:22 per mile. I should work on longer interval training to try to get my late run pace up.

This was a very small race, with few fans, and few participants. It was lonely out there...no one to talk to, and no cheering. I suspect this will be the last time they hold this race.

April 2009

The Boston Marathon

This was my first Boston. It was different and exciting. About 23,000 runners. Unlike most races the course is point-to-point...we were bussed 26.2 miles out of town, and ran back to the center of Boston. The logistics of the race are no fun. Race day was cool (45-50) and windy (in your face, mostly). I ran with Rob and his speedy wife, Beth. We lined up for the outbound buses at 7am. We endured the wind for 45 minutes, and then boarded big yellow school buses (Marathon day is a holiday in Boston, so school buses are readily available). We took the Mass Turnpike out to Hopkinton where the race starts. I must say, it seemed like a very long ride. Then we endured the wind for another hour or so, waiting for a 10:30 start.

The race itself was truly awesome. They say there were 500,000 fans lining the course. I can believe it. The Wellesley girls (and a few guys) were screaming so loudly, I had to back away from their side of the road...this despite the inviting signs the girls held, like, "Kiss me, I'm from Wellesley", and other raunchier ones. My race went great for the first 2o miles or so. I clocked in at below 10 minutes/mile for the first half, and held a good 11 minute/mile pace for much of the second half. However, by mile 20 or so (just beyond Heartbreak Hill, which I found way overrated), my quads started talking to me. They continued talking louder and louder as I approached the finish. By the time I could see the Prudential Center (with about three miles to go), my quads were hurting my ears.

But, I toughed it out, and finished with my best Marathon time in 16 years! Came in at 4:43:57. Hooorah!

October 2008

Marine Corps Marathon

I did my first MCM since 2003, and had a great day. I finished ahead of plan, and felt great for the whole race. My 5:06:45 finish was pretty well normal for me. The day was sunny and cool, and the 20,000 participants had great support along the entire course. As usual, I met a number of interesting participants. One woman was wearing a "Marathon in all 50 States" tee shirt. She had run a marathon in each State (obviously). In fact, she said she had done so twice...the first time it took her 10 years, the second only 4. In total, she said she had run 241 marathons! Pretty amazing.

The MCM has changed the course of the race since I last ran it, and the new course goes along Canal Road and MacArthur Boulevard. Much to my surprise, when I told fellow runners that I grew up near there, they didn't seem to care :-( .

September 2008

The Nation's Tri September 14

This was a new race for me (only the third running). The swim is in the Potomac, starting just east of the Memorial Bridge. You swim upstream and go under the bridge, then turn back to the start. The water was warm (78) and the current was minimal...not a bad swim. I did 34 mins, which was a bit slow from me, and probably due to some current.

The bike ride was great. All traffic was blocked, so the roads were clear and fast. Most of the ride was on Canal Road and the Clara Barton Parkway. I've ridden these roads countless times, but never without traffic. Rock on!

The run was through scenic downtown DC. We ran past countless monuments and memorials, as well as the Capitol and numerous museums. However, it was hot, and my run was slow. Overall I did 3:28 and placed 13 out of 16 in my age group.

I don't know if I will do this Urban Tri again. There were 2700 or so participants. The logistics were difficult. We had to register the day prior, and rack bikes that day. However the registration and transition area were 3 miles apart. They had buses, but getting around DC was a challenge. Note to self...park at the registration hotel and take the shuttle. On race morning, I arrived at 4 am so that I could park near the trans area. That was ok, but my wave didn't go until about 8:30 am, so I had a long wait, with nowhere to sit :-(. Note to self...stay at the Race Hotel, and take the shuttles. All in all, it was a fun race, but a logistical mess.

August 2008

Steamboat Springs Tri (Long Sprint) August 24

This is one of the prettiest locations for any of the many Tri's I have done. It's in Steamboat Springs, need I say more?

I had 2/3's of great race here this year. My swim seemed impossibly fast. I did the 3/4 mile swim in just under 24 minutes, versus last year when it took me 29 minutes. At 24 minutes, my pace was 1 minute 48 seconds per hundred yards. While this blazing speed won't win me any Olympic Gold, it was at least 15 seconds per 100 faster than any other race I have done. I was really pumped when I got out of the water and saw my time. All the more excited when I saw Joani who had arrived just in time to see me finish the swim. The air did not come out of that balloon until the awards ceremony when the race director mentioned that he had mis-measured the swim course, and it was shorter than normal (c'est la vie!).

My run was just a bit faster than last year, but I'm just a bit older, so I'll take it. My great disappointment, however was the bike. I did the first half very fast (for me), but bombed on the second half. I had a headwind coming back, which put me 9 minutes behind last year. Adding it all up, I was 5 minutes slower than last year, and finished 5th in my age group. It was fun, however!

5430 Sports Long Course Tri (Half Ironman) August 10

I did the 5430Sports Long Course (i.e. 70.3 mile, half ironman distance) race in Boulder on August 10. My time was 7:03, and each event went pretty much as planned. I had to train during a record string of 24 consecutive 90 plus degree days. The temperature broke just before the race, and race day was overcast and a pleasant 80 or so...whew!

Of note during the race: at about mile 15 of the bike, while cruising down a long hill at about 25mph, I got hit on the helmet, and then, a split second later felt a similar hit on the knee. The knee hit became a sharp pain, which was caused by a bee! I think it ran into my helmet, and then bounced to my knee. How it managed to latch on at that incredible speed, I do not know. He gave his life for a taste my blood, but I survived, although the swelling reached about 3 inches in diameter by the time I finished to bike.

As usual, I had to make the tough decision as to whether this was a life threatening event. I decided I could endure the pain, and finish the race.

July 2008

The road to LP09 began in July of '08. The Lake Placid Ironman is one of the most popular. Getting a slot is difficult. In the olden days, you could go online the day after the race, and sign up for the following year. With the increased popularity of the race however, they changed the procedure, and gave first preference to current year competitors, who could sign up the day before the current year's race. Next priority went to people who came to Lake Placid in person, who could sign up the day after the race. And the, if the race was not yet full, you could sign up online on the Monday after the race. This year, however, no such slots were available. They were all taken by '08 competitors, and spectators.

Fortunately, of the 2,200 or so total slots, about 400 are reserved for those willing to make a donation to a Charity set up to help Lake Placid residents. And even more fortunate, the Ironman offices are located in Boulder! So, once I saw that no online slots were available, at Joani's suggestion, I headed down to the Ironman office and got slots for Rob and myself. It was not cheap, but it had to be done.