Triathlon Trip–The Race

I am going to do a combo post here – my narrative and Rick’s race report. Rick’s stuff will be in blue italics, and my facebook statuses are in red. .

My race day really started the night before.  I was actually able to get to bed at an early time for me, around 9 pm.  This was perfect because I was planning on waking up at 3 am, six hours of sleep is what I was looking for.  The alarm went off at 3 and I was on my way: shower, dress, grab my morning clothes bag, head out the door.  I was in no hurry, I was probably out the door around 3:40.  I grabbed a banana and orange juice in the hotel lobby and made my way to the only restaurant that was open that early in the morning, some coffee shop in the little mall along the main drag through Lake Placid.  This place opened at 3 am on race morning.  Why other places don’t open that early is beyond me.  I had an egg and sausage bagel with another banana and just sat there for a while overlooking Mirror Lake as the sun began to rise.  I finally left and headed to transition which opened at 5 am, I got there about 5 minutes ahead of time.  First thing I did once inside was pump up my tires and prep my bike for the day.  I should add here my first of two blunders.  The day before, when I brought my bike to transition, I hung my swim cap over a railing.  I hadn’t put my bike number on at the time and it had to be on so the guys could take a picture of my bike for security reasons.  At the same time I hung my swim cap over the railing, I turned around and my son (3) was screaming because he wasn’t allowed into the transition area with me, he stayed with my mom.  I put my number on and gave my bike back to the photographer and left my swim cap hanging on the railing.  I didn’t realize this until that night when I was getting my bag ready for the morning.  When I arrived at my bike in the morning someone had placed my swim cap underneath my bike seat.  Thanks to whatever volunteer did that for me.  That was the first blunder, the second is coming at around 8:15 am.  After my bike was ready for the day I headed to the gear bag racks and stared at them for awhile. I prepped my bike bag, prepped my run bag, drank some U-Can (whatever that is), and undressed/dressed for the swim. 

I heard Rick leave around 3.30a the morning of his race. Next thing I heard was the announcer over the lake around 6.45 as the race was about to start. Within 30 minutes, this is what the lake looked like. It was thunderous with the sound of 2,500 swimmers!

I like being places early when it comes to racing.  Start the day early, get to transition early, and get to the swim start early.  I slithered into my wetsuit, this I do slowly as it has to be just right.  Next I put the long lost swim cap on, rested the goggles on top of my head, and waited.  This has been a great start to a perfect day.  Next on the agenda was to pass through the inflatable thing and make my way into the water.  I wanted to get in early so I could get some warm up swimming done.  The only problem is, once you get in, you are in and treading water.  I got in anyway, about 20 minutes prior to the age group cannon.  Leading up to this race I was unsure how I wanted to approach the swim portion.  Ideally I would start right at the line and follow the infamous underwater cable that follows the Ironman Lake Placid route.  Realistically this really wasn’t the best option as I am not the fastest swimmer and I wanted to stay out of the way of everyone else that thought they were fast swimmers.   I opted to stay wide on the first lap and try to find the cable on lap 2.  As I waded into the water and got in my brief warm up, I made my way to the far shore where, at the time, there were not many people and I was actually able to stand instead of tread water.  As the 2500 people kept filing into the water more and more were on this far shore.  I held my position, the pro cannon fired, and I waited.  With about 3 minutes before our start I left the shore and slowly headed closer to the start line.  The cannon finally fired and all 2800 athletes were off, Ironman Lake Placid was underway.  As it turned out, staying wide at the start was the perfect swim strategy.  There were a lot of people, but I didn’t get climbed on top of like I expected.  I still hit a few feet, took a few elbows, felt many hands and arms crawling on my body, but it was not what I expected, I thought it would be much worse.  I swam part of the course a couple days prior to the race.  I remember at one point on the first out part looking at my watch and I knew I was having a good race because at the same time split I was further out into the course.  The day before I told my daughter (5) that between turn 1 and 2 I would wave at her if she was watching from the beach of our hotel.  In between these two turns I attempted to look in that direction but couldn’t notice anything.  I remember her crying when I didn’t wave at her at Ironman 70.3 Florida a couple years ago so I felt like I had to wave.  As I held my head up for a split second and held my hand up in a slow wave I said to myself, “Better knock it off, some kayaker might think I need help,” and kept on my way and hoped my daughter wasn’t looking for me.  Truth is, even if she was, there are so many people at once, my wife said it sounded like Niagara Falls, there would be no way anyone can spot a particular person in the mayhem.  I rounded turn 2 and headed for the end of lap 1, finally made it there in 34 minutes 35 seconds.  This was a huge accomplishment as this is the fastest I have ever swum over an extended time.  Back in to the water for the second lap and as I was entering I felt the current suck me right in.  I was shocked at the current from everyone re-entering the water.   I felt the crowd had thinned out enough that I could take a more direct route and stay near the buoys for this lap.  I was able to keep the lap tight to the buoys, but most people had a similar idea and the route was pretty jammed.  This lap was tougher, not because I was tired but because I was fighting crowds more on this lap.  The result was a 3 minute slower lap.  I still exited the water at 1:12:05, still faster than what I expected to put up.

I tried desperately to get the kids ready fast enough to watch Rick get out of the water but nothing happens fast with my kids. Part of my problem is that I let them start coloring signs while I stalked the online tracking thing. When I realized we could see him – I tried to get the kids dressed fast but we ended up taking our time, and when I realized they hadn’t taken a bath or shower since Thursday, I had to do that real quick. We met up with Rick’s mom and found a spot on the bike race to sit and wait. I was really hoping that the online tracking updates were right and we hadn’t already missed Rick finish the bike portion. Rick had warned me that he’d heard that the online tracking wasn’t always accurate because they updated by cellular and the cell service was brutal in Lake Placid.

One of the great parts of this race are the strippers they have for the athletes as they exit the water.  It sounded a little funny to me the first time someone said that, but that is what they are, you lie down and they strip your wetsuit off of you in one quick tug.  A volunteer said, “Hit the deck.”  I was out of my wetsuit in less than a second.  He handed me my wetsuit and I was on my way to the first transition.  This is about a ¼ mile run from the beach to the bag racks going through a fenced off road that is lined with thousands of fans cheering everyone as they run by.  This was pretty exciting and as I ran into transition I grabbed my bike gear bag and headed to the changing tent.  I sat down and opened my bag and said, “What is this??”  The second blunder of the day, I grabbed the bag next to mine on the rack.  The volunteer that was helping me grabbed the bag and ran and got mine pretty quickly, I was surprised at how quick he was.  I got dressed, put my shoes and helmet on and was off to get my bike.  I grabbed it and headed out of T1, but had to stop at the port o potty first.  I finally mounted my bike and was off for a 112 mile bike ride.  I really wanted to take in the crowd at the start of the bike race but I was so focused on not ending up stuck in a bale of hay at the downhill/sharp turn on Colden Road that I sort of blacked everything else out.  Once that obstacle was clear it was time to enjoy the ride.  This starts with a short descent out of town on the way past the ski jump area.  This was a fun section as speed was good and was a good warm up.  I cut back into the right lane and noticed a line of cars already stuck in traffic trying to get to town.  I thought this would be a huge line of cars by the time I came by on loop two but it wasn’t that bad at all.  The first climb of the day was another good way to get settled in to the bike.  Everyone just kind of lined up and slowly climbed the hill.  I got in line and spun up the mountain.  I made a few passes but didn’t want to push too hard as EVERY report I read says go easy on the bike, don’t kill your legs.  I eventually made it to the moment I was waiting for, the screaming descent.  You know it’s going to be a long fast descent when there are signs warning trucks to use low gear for the next few miles.  I didn’t want to coast down these hills, but I also didn’t want to do anything stupid.  Top speed was 48 mph which was really fast considering there are bikers all over the road, none of which have rear view mirrors.  This was a several mile descent, during part of this, I covered 5 miles in 8:47, by far the fastest bike split my watch has ever seen.  Other than head bobbing in the wind and white knuckling the aero bars, the rest of the descent was uneventful.

Some of the most memorable parts of this course for me were the sign spray painted on a building marking when Irene was there and telling her to not come back.  It also marked how high the water was, well over the road.  I also enjoyed the crystal clear river on the right with the smooth sandy bottom and the Wilmington Flume Falls (is this the correct spot I am thinking of?) at the bridge in Wilmington.  The falls looked like a fun spot to stop and do some hiking and exploring but I decided to keep biking.  Once past this, I finally arrived to the section of the course I was able to ride a few days earlier, from Whiteface Mountain to Lake Placid.  This section includes the steepest of the climbs, a 13 mile ascent back to town.  Riding this a few days prior to the race was definitely beneficial.  It was just a long, slow ride, which really sums up the back half of this loop.  This course is downhill for the first half then uphill for the second half with some rollers in the middle.  After I turned around at the Jay “out and back” section it began an uphill battle that wouldn’t end until Lake Placid, about 25 miles away.

This is what happens when you leave the 3 yr old alone with the glitter glue.

1:12 out of the water, and he’s finished the first 30 miles on the bike!

If we can hear people cheering from our hotel room, do you think we could cheer from our balcony and Rick could hear us?

Rick is halfway through the bike portion (4:12 total time so far). Second bike split section must have been hilly – he was 6mph slower than the first split (but it looks like everyone is slower on that second section so he’s keeping up!). GO RB!!!

We are on the bike course hoping to see Rick go by before the transition.

Just passed by on his bike – almost to transition to the run. He actually smiled at us!!!

There is much talk about the three bears, names for some of the famous climbs going back to Lake Placid.  This was the other memorable spot as the fans lined the streets on the climb up Big Bear and were yelling and cheering all the athletes.  This was probably the most fun as I had thoughts of the Tour de France going through my head, it was so tight, only wide enough for about 3 bikes (where were all these people on lap 2-just wasn’t quite the same).  This was fun and I felt great as I climbed the section.  I passed a couple people on the way but kept within myself.  Then on in to Lake Placid to begin loop 2.  The ride into town was fun as the closer you get, the bigger the crowds.  I was able to see my family on loop two, this was an added benefit.  It’s nice to hear the crowd cheering for you, but when you see your family it gives an extra push.  Overall throughout the bike I kept telling myself to go easy, everyone says don’t kill your legs on the bike.  I went easy and made my expected bike split (6:02).

We found a good spot to hang out and ate lunch while we waited. Carson was so cute clapping and cheering all the bike riders going by – “GET EM!” – we were totally laughing at him. We only had to wait about 30 minutes for Rick to ride by.

I had the video camera and real camera ready to record Rick as he flew by and when we finally saw his bright yellow jersey come around the corner, all I could do was scream and yell and I didn’t get any pictures or video!

7:24 after the swim and bike. He ran a marathon in 2011 in ~3:30 so even with a little extra for running a marathon after swimming and biking, he should finish under his goal of 12 hours!

I had a much better transition going from bike to run.  I made sure to grab the right bag this time and I hurried through everything and got to running.  I was a little confused as to which way to go at first (how about some signs) but the volunteers knew which way to direct me.  As soon as I got to running I felt great.  My legs did not feel like bricks at all and I was moving along at a much faster pace than expected after biking 112 miles.  I ran the first four miles at about an 8:40 pace and decided I needed to slow it down.  Every mile from then on was slower than 9:00.   I had no idea what to expect on the run as I had not previewed any of it at all.  My first thought was crossing the bridge at the ski jumping complex.  I wasn’t looking forward to coming up that hill and I had to do it twice.

After we saw Rick ride by, we found a table in front of the Lake Placid Visitors and Convention Bureau – I was able to get on their free wifi and the kids spent about 90 minutes coloring in their little books. They also enjoyed the pile of snow in front of the ice rink. It didn’t hurt that they had a beer tent set up (for me, not the kids).

Kids are happy, mom is happy. #winwin!

16.5 miles of the run done – he got faster that split! 9:01/mi pace. We are finishing up our third meal since Rick started his triathlon – heading to the finish to see them announce him as an IRONMAN!!!

I have to mention here how funny I thought I was being on Facebook during Rick’s race. My posts – and people’s responses – were my entertainment that day. I thoroughly enjoyed everyone “playing along” and keeping up with me (well, Rick) and wish I had an easy way to post the entire day here!

I had no idea what to expect for a marathon time.  The only marathon I have run in the past was a flat course at 3:33.  My only real goal was to finish the overall race in 12 hours.  I kept this in my mind all day as I ran. I was doing great after lap 1, then I hit mile 14.  It was right around here that both hamstrings started cramping.  I felt them twinge and knew it wasn’t going to be good.  The first one only lasted a couple seconds but I knew there were more to come.  This happened off and on for the next 12 miles.  I have read numerous reports in the past about how there are so many people that walk this course.  People always say how the walkers went out too hard on the bike and then couldn’t handle the run.  I on purpose stayed well within my ability on the bike to avoid this problem of walking.  There was no way I was going to walk during this race.  I may have looked a little funny several times as I was running/trying to move my legs while starting to cramp, but I didn’t walk (alright, I coasted through some aid stations).  I stopped three times for about five seconds each to lean over and stretch my legs, but I didn’t walk.

I should have trained better for how to waste time during a marathon.

When I got to the steep hill with the announcer on the right acknowledging people (the hill where it was jammed with walkers) I said to myself there is no way I am walking up this hill.  From that point on I must have looked pretty odd to the fans as I was mumbling to myself, “No walking” and “Two miles left, keep going.”  I kept going and I thought the turnaround point was never going to come, I swear it got moved back a few yards from the first time I was there.  I finally got to the turn around, checked my watch, tried to do some simple math to see if I was going to make my time (unable to calculate this function) told myself all I can do is keep going and pick it up a notch.  This final leg was outstanding.  Coming through the crowd of people one last time and knowing that in less than a mile I would hear “…you are an ironman,” gave an adrenaline rush that could have pushed me another 5 more miles, but I decided to stop at 26.2.  The next two things that happened were the two best parts of the race.  I approached the point in the lap where you go left for lap 2 or right for the finish line.  I pointed to the right with a big smile and I swear the crowd began to cheer more.  Knowing I was going to the right was another great feeling, almost an ironman.  This was only topped by what happened about ten seconds later.  As I entered the oval I heard some lunatic screaming at the top of their lungs.  Every person on the run course named Rick at this moment must have turned around, that’s how loud it was.  It was directed at me, it was my wife, “GO RICK.  WOOOOO HOOOOOOO.  YEAH RICK!”  I gave a wave and carried on my way.  Rounding the turn I slowed a bit to take it all in and to look back up into the stands to give another wave to the family.  I looked in the spot they were in when I entered the oval and they weren’t there.  I looked forward and continued through the finish line only to find out the next day when I watched her video that I literally ran right in front of them.  They came down to the fence to be in the front row, and I missed them, didn’t see them at all.  What’s the hardest part about triathlon?  This is the hardest part, I could have given them all high fives as I ran past them to the finish line.

Waiting in the oval for Rick to show up.

We were at the top of the stands looking out over the bikes so we could see the athletes enter the oval. When I saw him, I did start screaming (which you read about in Rick’s part above) and then I scrambled down the bleachers to get to the front row so we could see him there too. Rick’s mom was already against the fence with Carson and by the time I got down there, I looked back and saw that Mallory was totally crying because I’d left here on the bleachers by herself. So I ran back up to get her and haul her to the fence in time to see Rick run right past us…and not see us.

RICK IS AN IRONMAN!!!!!!

Our Ironman!!!! #soproud

After Rick finished, it took him about 30 minutes to find us. I got a little nervous when a call came in from a New York phone number I didn’t recognize…I was afraid it was someone calling to tell me Rick was unresponsive, but it was just Rick calling to find out where we were. After he came out and we got some pictures, I went in with him to get his gear. I overheard a female athlete getting help with her stuff and the volunteer asked her if she finished (yes, she won her age group) and then asked her if it was worth it…the athlete responded with a shake of her head and an “ask me tomorrow”.

Looking back, I felt this race went by quick.  One hundred twelve miles is a long way on a bike.  By mentally breaking it up in parts-the start, the descent, the middle, the climb, through town, repeat-it really seemed to go by fast.  Leading up to Wilmington on the second lap, I was ready for it to end and I lost a little bit of focus.  Obviously I kept going, but that was probably the low point of the race if there was one.  This is also why I say the bike part, although my favorite, is probably the hardest part of triathlon simply because it takes so long.

It took about 45 minutes to walk the 8 blocks back to the hotel…but after a shower Rick seems to be feeling human again (he was in tough shape for a bit).

We tried to stop so he could actually eat something but he could barely manage a sip of champagne (this restaurant was handing out free bottles of champagne to the finishers) before I told him he either needed to eat and look better or we had to go or I had to go get the car right then. I didn’t think I could handle him passing out, and the kids and his bags all at once. So he decided to move on and he & both kids (or so I thought) headed out the door. I grabbed all the stuff and headed out a side door and walked a block and saw Mallory & Rick a half a block ahead of me. I yelled and asked if he had Carson (he didn’t), so I dropped EVERYTHING and ran back to the restaurant. There was Carson, doing circles in the middle of the restaurant, calmly saying “Mommy?” Oh.My.God. I told him he was good for not leaving where he saw me last and only then did he seem to get a little scared. And the next morning we were going somewhere and he asked me to “uppie him (pick him up) so he wouldn’t forget me again”. Neat, huh?

One last Ironman related post – I need to acknowledge how stinking good my kids were yesterday. They handled being out in the madness for 8+ hours incredibly well (except when they kept asking me “WHY is it taking daddy sooooo long?”) – thank God for Crayola princess and Cars coloring packs. We had no meltdowns or major incidents between them (a couple of minor penalties but they were dealable). It was awesome to be with them as Rick crossed the line to a song he plays on his iPhone a lot (random, right?) – Mallory turned to me and said with a huge grin “THEY ARE PLAYING DADDY’S FAVORITE SONG!”. And thank you to Rick’s mom who helped me wrangle my children all day.

At the end, I met my goal of finishing in 12 hours and beat it by 6 minutes.  I also met my goal of raising $6000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and beat it by $450.  The next question everyone asks is if I will do another ironman.  Good question and I don’t know the answer.  I would like to, but the training was harder on my wife than it was on me.

It’s not easy to find time to get the long bike rides in and it was even harder on her listening to my alarm go off at 4 am to go for a run.  I thought I executed a near flawless race plan from beginning (January) till the end (July 22).  I minimized as much as possible the amount of time the training impacted family time.  I took vacation days many times to get in the long bike rides on a Friday instead of a family Saturday.  I also ran as much as possible in the morning before anyone was awake to avoid missing family time.   Thanks to everyone that helped me in preparation for this race and especially to my family for putting up with the craziness.

I am incredibly proud of Rick for participating in this race. It was a huge accomplishment for him, and he raised a lot of money for prostate cancer (my dad just started treatment for prostate cancer). But it was very hard on me – while he did do most of his training after the kids were asleep or early in the morning, I know it was on his mind 24 hours a day and that was tough. And when you throw in dealing with a tornado too? It was just too much.

I am ready for “normal” football season to start. While the hours suck, it’s relatively predictable. Rick has promised me there won’t be an ironman in 2013 – but I’m sure come 2014, he’s going to want to do another one. I guess it’s just like giving birth…the farther away you get from the event, you forget the sacrifices and pain and only remember the glory!

But in Carson’s words: “DADDY! YOU ARE A IRONMAN!!!”