Ironman Lake Placid '07

IRONMAN LAKE PLACID 2007

This was my first Ironman, so the whole family came to Lake Placid. We arrived on Wed. and I tried to stay away from town and all the people. I registered on Thursday and then drove one lap of the bike course. Wow, this is a very hilly bike course! It looked like some great sections to get in a good rhythm but also some very long climbs near the end of each lap. Friday I got up early and swam one lap of the course and then rode the run course to check it out. More hills! Saturday I dropped off my bike and special needs bags and walked around the expo for about 10 minutes. It had been a solid down pour for the past tree days so it was nice to get outside.

The swim - Wow, I knew the swim would be a little crazy with 2200+ people starting at once but, It was a battle. I started in the front row about 20 yards off the dock and had a great start. I was in the front group and had a good draft. I knew I could have stayed with the front group but it was a little faster than I wanted to go. I dropped back to the second group and found a good draft and tried not to get punched in the face. It was a 2 loop swim and I came out of the water with a group of about 30, the second lap was more of the same. I was only hit in the face once, but people were constantly bumping you trying to get a better draft. I cam out of the water in 58:45 and was very happy with my swim.


The Bike - I wanted to take the first lap of the bike very easy and save something for the second lap and the run. The first lap was great and I felt fresh starting the second. I think it was close to mile 100 when I was ready to get off the bike and I was actually looking forward to the run. I finished the bike in 5:43 and was very pleased with the time.





The Run - I came out of transition feeling great and happy to be off the bike. I concentrated on keeping a good pace and staying smooth. The first part of the 2 lap course is a steep downhill. It was hard not to go to fast and blow it all. I felt great on the first lap and a half. About mile 20 I really started to suffer. The nice part about LP is that right about mile 20 you come back into town where all the fans are. This is also the time when you turn and run straight up hill for a 2 mile section! I knew I couldn't stop and walk or it was over, so I suffered and managed to run a 3:45 marathon. Not bad but I really was shooting for a 3:30. Next time.





I finished in 10:35 and was very pleased for my first Ironman.