Ironman Lake Placid

While the rest of my TT buddies have been busy racing this summer (Yoke- 59 races), I have been training for my one "A" race and watching from the sidelines. Weekends when I could have raced sprint and Olympic distance races, I have stayed disciplined and made sure I got in my long rides and runs. The nice thing about racing frequently is that if you don't like your performance, you only need to wait a week or 2 for the next race. This year, all of my proverbial eggs were in 1 basket. I did race the Rev3 Half (and DNF'd after going off course... on the run!), but that was it. After this race, I also had no plans and had not signed up for anything else. So, yes, I was a little nervous going into this race and was definitely pushing in all my chips.

After a stellar tune-up of my Cervelo P2C at TT, my bike and I headed up to LP on Wednesday where I would enjoy time with family and friends in the most spectacular setting anyone can imagine. I felt good race morning and tried to not get bummed or freaked out as the skies opened up around 6:30, a half hour before the race start. Fortunately, the rain was short lived and there was no repeat of the torrential rains from LP08. My swim felt solid and I managed to find some toes to draft now and then. I was out of the water in 57:27 and was feeling pretty good about my start to the day. Once out on the bike, I intended to ride stronger in the beginning then I had at Ironman Arizona as I feel I may have given away too much time to competitors. Well, I may have went a bit too hard on the first loop but was really feeling strong as I came back into town and got huge energy from seeing my wife, kids, parents, and friends. (2:38:41, ) Reality set in on the second loop of the bike. I accidentally threw away my salt tabs at the end of the first loop (don't ask) and also did not plan for the Powerbars on the course to be the 1 ounce, 2 bite, sample sizes. Yikes! Low on nutrition and no salt is not very smart! Also, the wind definitely kicked up a bit on the second loop and I suffered badly over the last 20 miles of the bike. That is a decidely uphill section of the bike and I was getting passed and struggling to find any power. Emotionally, this was definitely my low point as I kicked myself for my earlier mistakes and felt like I was watching the wheels come off the bus. Also, the looming marathon did not seem like something I was ready to attack. My second loop ended up being 2:48:08, roughly 10 minutes slower than my first loop for a total bike split of 5:26:49.

Apparently my body was thrilled to get off the bike and have a go at running (must be my Newton's!!). I felt strong and comfortable for the first loop of the run and completed my first loop in 1:34:36 (7:13/mile). While this was a good 17 seconds per mile faster than my target time, I really didn't feel I was "pushing it" and any point and figured I'd run while I was still feeling well. Similar to my experience on the second bike loop, things began to get tough on the second loop of the run. I believe this is where some of my earlier nutrition mistakes may have really hurt me as I began to have some cramping and then dizziness after mile 20. Unfortunately, the last six miles also possess the 2 biggest hills on the course. While the wheels didn't completely come off, it was really close, as I managed a 1:48 flat for the second loop (8:14/mile). I certainly hadn't planned on running my first loop a whole minute faster than my second, but I was happy with my run time of 3:22:36 (7:43/mile). My final time: 9:53:56. I was hoping to scare 10 hours and thrilled to have met that goal. Following the first loop of the run, my wife screamed to me that I was in 5th place in my AG. Having gotten passed by a few guys on the second loop, I ended up 8th in the AG and 36th overall, good enough for a spot to "The Show" in Hawaii.. I secured my spot the following morning and am now making plans for my family and I do go to Kona this October 10th. A dream come true for me, and something I have wanted since I began this sport. A huge thanks to everybody at TargeTraining for supporting me along the way and helping me to reach my goal.

Comments

[rickTT]

Wow!!!! What an experience!!! And now you have another A race coming up -- I expect that you will be at TT practicing on the Kona virtual reality course...:) Great stuff.

[CK]

Congratulations Mitch!! What an accomplishment.

Be sure to keep us posted on your recovery and training for Kona.

[Allie]

Whooo hooo Mitch! You make us so proud!

[Megan Kelly]

Awesome job Mitch! I am so excited for you!

[muzzin]

Since you are training for the "Big show" no more pies @ Colony! Good job man...jeff

[Kristin Thor Budden]

Amazing! Congrats on crushing your goal time, and for making it to Kona!

[Mitch West]

Thanks for the love guys! Rick, I'll definitely be indoors to ride the Kona course. I'll bring my humidifier and wind machine as well!