Never before have I experienced such a wide range of emotions in such a short short span of time. From the depths of despair to the heights of ecstasy, from panic, sadness and pain to joy, jubilation and euphoria -- and that was just signing up for this race last year. As for the race itself, the entire weekend was unforgettable. I can't believe the amount of support I got from the greatest friends and family members, from my wife Rachel and from my siblings Dom and Shauna. I might as well start from the taper. I had a two week taper and after a five-month base period and a three-month build, my body was extremely fatigued from the wear and tear. Cutting down my training produced the weirdest effect. I was very tired the last two weeks heading into the race. I couldn't rest enough, but I couldn't sleep well at night either. It was a constant deep fatigue I couldn't shake. During race week -- my second taper week, I started getting energy back but still felt weak. I had alot of concern that I'd blown my taper and exhausted all the energy that I needed for race day. This was most pronounced the last two days before the race. My final workouts were short, but I was truly beat right after them. The more I tried to figure out strategies to recover, the more stressed I felt. The day before the race I think I had an epiphany and realized there was absolutely nothing more I could do. I'd done all the work. I'd followed my program closely and might as well let it be.
Race Morning
Race morning I was up at 3:45 a.m. to have a bowl of cereal with a banana, a bagel with peanut butter and some water and a bit of gatorade. My goal was to get about 700-800 calories in. I'd checked the weather in Lake Placid a few days before the event and it called for overcast skies with a 30% chance of rain. Perfect. The off-and-on rain would keep the humidity down and produce a cooling effect. Rachel, Dom, Shauna and I left the apartment we were at in Lake Saranac around 4:45 a.m. and drove to the shuttle parking lot outside LP, which took us the rest of the way into town. We walked down to the transition area and I went in to change and drop some gear off. I got my body marked and then we all sat down and chilled for a bit. Around 6:15 a.m. we started heading up to the beach. I went and dropped my special needs bags off and then headed to the beach. I was able to see Rachel and Shauna right before getting to the beach and said a final goodbye. I had to do my best to not cry.
Swim - 1:13:38
It was great to witness the pre-race minutes from the water. Last year I was on the media pier absolutely enthralled by the energy and the spectacle of so many athletes and their supporters. The music was so great and announcer Mike Riley was pumping up the crowd. I found a spot in the lake where I could stand, and as the last minute came I waded into the middle to get a little bit better positioning. At 7 a.m. the cannon pounded and we were off to U2s "Beautiful Day". The swim was what I expected -- very congested. I managed to get into a rhythm though that was interrupted every minute or so by a body crossing my path. In spite of all this, I came out of the first loop at 35 minutes which I was very pleased with. Back in the water for the second loop and the athletes had thinned out. I got back into my rhythm, repeating my mantra "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" with every stroke. My goal for the race was to keep my heart rate in Zone 1-3 for the duration, and to do this I needed to be not fast but steady. I came out of the water on the second loop a couple minutes slower than my first, pointed to a peeler and had a couple of them peel my wetsuit off. I'd been afraid of them pulling my shorts off as well and leaving me standing there dripping and naked so I made sure to pull the wetsuit down to my knees first. With my wetsuit over my shoulder I headed off to T1.
T1 - 8:22
My first transition felt like what I would imagine a bomb shelter might be like in the midst of a blitzkrieg. The men's tent was packed. The rain had started during the swim and the downpour turned the transition zone into a muddy pool. It smelled. Lots of commotion. It was great. I pulled on my bike clothes and shoes, helmet and glasses, then stuffed my glasses in my back pocket because there was no way I'd be able to see with them in the rain. I headed out of the tent to get my bike and heard someone call my name. It was Matt! I pointed at him and yelled. This would be a recurring action of mine throughout the day: see someone familiar, point and yell. Maybe throw in a fist pump. A volunteer rolled my bike to me and I trotted it out to the mounting area.
Bike - 6:37:09
I'd ridden this loop twice in training so I had a sense of what was to come. However, I had a fear of the bike and having a mechanical issue or a flat. That would destroy any possiblity of a good bike time. I rolled out of town and got into a steady spin cycle. There were so many cyclists that we were riding single or double file. I clipped the tire of a guy in front of me and spilled over about 3 miles out of town. He stayed upright and was OK. I was fine and quickly got back up and on the bike. I started my 20-minute countdown alarm on my watch which would indicate when to eat and started on my eating and drinking plan: 500 calories per hour. My goal was to spin steady, to be conservative on my first loop and keep my heartrate below 140 if possible. It was a great ride. The rain however made for misery and with the wind I started to get chilled very quickly. I had goosebumps and was shivering and my teeth were chattering. My concern was that I was expending energy just trying to keep warm. I wished I'd stowed a rain jacket. No matter. The first loop was great and coming back up Papa Bear on the outskirts of town and seeing the roads lined with rowdy people was incredible. I had a sense of what the pro cyclists at the Tour de France might feel like. It was even more inspiring getting into town and seeing all the people and feeling so great -- not even tired. Riding down main street I heard my name and looked up and saw Matt on a hill. He was yelling. I yelled his name and raised a fist in the air and yelled some unintelligible thing. On Cummins Rd. I heard my name again and again and it was Rachel, Scott, Moira and Dom and some others. I yelled some more and headed out for my second loop. My second loop, incredibly, was only a few minutes longer than my first, even though I felt quite a bit more tired. I had no mishaps other than a dropped chain which I fixed in 10 seconds. I saw alot of other people off their bikes fixing flats, or peeing, which was no concern of mine since I was content to pee on the bike the entire way, relish the warmth of it and allow the rain to wash it away after several minutes of jostling around in my left shoe (eeeewwwww). I saved so much time this way. Coming back into town was such a great feeling. I'd survived the bike with no mishap. What's more, I exceeded my expecations on my time. I'd thought from training I might come in between 7-8 hours, but did it in 6:37.
T2 - 6:48
My second transition was good. I felt a bit wobbly off the bike as I handed it to a volunteer and trotted to the change tent. I was so happy to put on dry shorts and socks and shoes and to ditch my helmet. I used the port-o-john quickly and then headed off for the marathon.
Run - 4:38:13
Last year I remember seeing everyone coming out of the run chute to start their marathon and being so excited. This year I was able to experience what it was like to be one of them. As I ran out I heard my name over and over. I was used to people calling my name since my name was on my bib -- so alot of times I'd just give a thumbs up and not always look over. But these people were my people and I saw them and pointed and yelled at them. I passed by Mike Riley who said "Go Chris!" in the P.A. (a pic of this below), and then several yards down looked over to see Dean running alongside me in front of the spectators asking me how I felt. That cracked me up. The run overall was good. I developed a terrible sidestitch the first 2 miles and was scared it would continue the whole way. I couldn't remember what the remedy was for this: more water? sports drink? food? I decided to go with water. Things eased up around mile 4 and I'd say from mile 5-10 I felt really good. I walked the aid stations drinking water and sports drink and then would run to the next one. My mantra of "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" (thanks to a guy named Phil Strauss) kept me focused the whole way. My goal was to run between aid stations, then walk through to recover and eat, and then head out again. My marathon split was decent (around 2:13), but I started feeling the pain after that. The last 13 miles or so were tough and I had to really dig deep to keep going. Just like the Lake Placid Marathon last year, I decided to trot up the hills and not reduce myself to a walk. I had the energy to do it, and I didn't want to walk since it's an energy drain not only on me, but I feel on other competitors and even the spectators as well. I wanted to push as much as I could. In spite of this, on the second leg I did end up walking a bit up two of the tougher hills, before beginning the run again over the crest. I was well and truly spent the last 6 miles but realized it was possible to come in under 13 hours. This was my priority then. I kept tabs on my pace and soon enough realized I might be able to come in under 12:45. The last two miles were spent just trying to will myself to within sight of the last stretch, where i knew I'd be carried on the energy of the crowd and the knowledge my family and friends were there waiting. I felt euphoric coming into the finish chute, heard everyone yell my name and crossed the finish at 12:44:08, putting my arms in the air and yelling into the sky.
Post Race
A volunteer put a heat blanket over me and another one escorted me to the side. I felt a bit wobbly but OK. She asked me if I needed medical and I said no. I got my goodies and a final professional photo taken with my medal. Then meandered over to the athletes' corner for food. They had nothing vegetarian so I contented myself with some chips. I was freezng and drenched still and trying to stay warm and wanted to find everyone. After about 15 minutes I decided to mozy over to get my gear and that's when I saw everyone. They burst out into cheers: Dom, Shauna, Ben, Megan, Dean, Christine, Matt, Moira, Scott, Vanessa and Dawn. It was great to see them. A few minutes later I was reunited with Rachel, who had gone to get my bike. We hugged and kissed.
Thank Yous
I had so much support from everyone, and can honestly say I couldn't have done this without you. To Moira for her sponsoring me through her Integrated Bodies business with Rolfing and body work over a six-month period. To Ben for his financial sponsorship through his business Solsys. I was able to get race apparel and gear I wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. To Matt for lending me his race wheels and for all of his tech support and encouragement over the months. To Keith for helping me overcome a running injury that was more in my head than anything. To Nancy for her support and well-wishes. To all of you who got up early and drove up and spent the day getting drenched to cheer me on. To Streetgang and TAD for your long-distance support. To my mom and dad for their support (and I'm sure there were many prayers). To Rachel's family: Richard, Yvonne, Sarah, Sylvie and Johnny for their words of encouragement. To Dom and Shauna -- my brother and sister, who went to every length to make me feel comfortable and at ease. It meant so much that you would actually take time and your money to fly out east to support me in an event that could have ended up with another result. I'm glad it all went well. Though I know it really wouldn't have been the case, a part of me felt as though how I did on race day would dicate the value of your trip. I didn't want to let anyone down. Shauna - thanks for creating the 'team binza' hats. That was a surprise and really cool. To Mike, who turned me into an athlete starting from a young age and wouldn't let up, teaching me the value of pushing on through the pain, though it became too much for him. I thought of Mike my first triathlon three years ago and vowed soon after to keep pushing until I became an Ironman. Lastly, to my wife Rachel, who supported me the entire year and was so willing to help me in anyway possible. I love you sweetie.
The Weekend in Pictures and Videos
In chubbier times, July 23, 2007 - signing up for the race with my buddy Dean the day after watching the event.
Postscript
I mentioned how my taper went and my worries about it, but in the end it set me up for a really good execution on race day. Credit for this goes to Mike Llerandi, a top age-group athlete who put together a 36-week training program and made it available online for free. Thanks Mike.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Ironman Lake Placid Race Report
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