Ironman Lake Placid 2008

For fear of dragging out my 2008 Lake Placid experience way to long, I will stick to my race details. I WILL say that Lake Placid is always a special place for me and the town was so packed with friends and other athletes that it was hard to walk more than 5 minutes without running into someone that I knew. I will also say that I think I will be taking a break from Ironman Lake Placid for a while, as this year proved to be the hardest race that I can remember completing (I thought the course was really tough last year, but given the day we had this year, it was the hardest Ironman that I have raced).
I knew it would rain. I looked at the sky before I got into the water and I told my mom that it was going to rain. She tried to be positive, but I said there was no use in being falsely positive. I had to mentally prepare for the rain. I WAS prepared for rain, but not for what we actually got! If anyone knows me, they know that I hate the cold. I would gladly take a 100 degree day over a chilly rainy one. This is usually my “point of contention” with Lake Placid, but some years the weather can be beautiful! This year was the worst.
I was REALLY excited to race. I felt highly confident and I was psyched. As the pro field waded in the water waiting for the swim to start, I looked around and felt so psyched to be doing what I am doing. There was absolutely nowhere that I would rather be at that moment. “This is going to be a good day”, I thought. I know that when I am “mentally on” like I was the morning of Placid, that I am in for a good day (as long as the body responds). The pros went off 10 minutes earlier than the age groupers and after getting beat up a bit, I quickly found some feet to get on. The great thing about being a pro is the swim start. It is MUCH less hectic and crowded. The BAD thing about it is that is less crowded! Because of the smaller field, the draft is not nearly as good as it was when I was an age grouper. This doesn’t affect the fast swimmers as much (they are in front anyway), but for someone like me the draft is a huge help. Luckily, as I said, I found a small group to latch onto. It was led by two male pros and next to me was my friend Jacqui Gordon! How cool is that! The swim felt EASY (maybe too easy?). When the swim feels this easy, you wonder whether you should try and pass the group you are swimming with. I decided that it would be a waste of energy. I exited the water at 1:01 (I’ve done a: 57 as an age group athlete in Lake Placid) and I was satisfied with this swim and this effort. I was smiling as I got my wetsuit stripped off of me and I was psyched to get onto my bike! Oh, did I mention that it was pouring rain? “Maybe it will stop before I get to the wicked downhill”, I thought. No such luck.
I felt AWESOME on the bike! Watts were coming VERY easily. I DID get passed by Kim Loeffler right away (she was FLYING!) but I decided to stick with my planned effort, as I know that 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running is a LONG WAY to go! It was still pouring as I reached the dreaded downhill. The day before, I went out on the course with another athlete, Josh, that Matt Dixon was coaching (Matt Dixon also helped coach/guide me through Placid). This was to be Josh's first Ironman. Josh was a former adventure racer and just missed making the Olympic team for crew. Matt was expecting great things from Josh and he delivered (he did a sub-10 hour race, qualifying him for Kona). When Josh and I rode the day before we started just before the downhill section and I freaked. My bike started shaking and I hit the brakes. “I cannot do this on race day”, I thought!! I was glad I did this downhill the day before the race as Matt Dixon and George gave me some good tips for descending (Keep pedaling when you can, to keep momentum going and keep your knees on the top tube!) Ironically, Josh passed me at the EXACT same section that we started the bike the day prior…right before the downhill. This is good sign! I talked myself down the hill without touching my brakes (too afraid to touch the brakes in the rain). I did what Matt and George said and it was going smoothly! The rain was pelting my face and my body, but I stayed focused on where I was heading, while talking myself through it. I was THRILLED when I got down safely! I rode solo, not really knowing where I was until the out and back section of the course. I counted the women ahead and realized I was in 7th. At the end of the first loop I passed Catlin Shea and found myself in 6th place. I figured that my pass was for good and that I wouldn’t see Catlin again. Boy was I wrong! By the middle of the second loop I was sick of the rain, but I remained positive. At one point I had to laugh. The rain would give way for a bit (not completely, but down to a light rain) and then a huge downpour would follow. It was insane! I passed Marie Danais on the second loop to see that she was really hurting. Being VERY LEAN, the cold had apparently gotten to her and she eventually had to drop out. I saw my friend Stephan on the last section of the bike and it was nice to see a familiar face. He looked great on the bike and I watched him climb away from me. I always like to “check-in” with myself throughout the race and by the end of the 2nd loop of the bike I had held similar watts to last year, but felt SO MUCH BETTER than I had last year! This is a good sign because last year I felt TERRIBLE by the end of the bike, but still managed to run 3:23! I was ready for a sub-3:20 run!

I got off the bike in 5th place, but Catlin Shea (now Snow) was still behind me! I passed her on the first loop of the bike, but she must have rallied and stayed close by! We ran out of transition together and she was quickly in front and making more and more distance on me (she eventually won, running a record-breaking 2:59!). So I was in 6th. I felt great right away. Again, checking in with myself, I remember that last year I felt “mentally cloudy and bonky” by mile six of the run, but gutted it out. This year, I felt coherent and my legs felt light. I was holding between 7 minute and 7:25 pace on the first loop and I said to myself, “I can hold this pace all day long!” I passed my friend Jacqui on the out-and-back section and could tell by looking at her that she was struggling. It was bittersweet passing her. Good to run myself into 5th place, but hard to pass a friend. Coming into town for the end of the first loop was awesome. I saw people I knew on every corner. As I passed the Runner’s Edge tent I saw my mom and gave her a high five! On my way out, I saw Mike Monastero and he said that I was gaining on Desiree. This gave me a jolt of energy and as I ran out of town I cheered as I passed a big group of friends on top of the big hill in town. I ran myself into 4th place! Then the cramping came.
Just to clarify, I do not cramp. It has never happened and it is never an issue, until today. All of a sudden I noticed that my hamstrings were locking up and my calves were just about to completely seize up! “Oh no…this can ruin the whole day!” I did my mental check and I actually felt clear and coherent. I was not bonking! My muscles were just giving out on me/seizing up! I had to run “carefully" for the next 10+ miles for fear that any sudden move would put my legs into wicked cramping and seizing! I forged ahead while being SCARED that my race was going to end with one wrong move. In hindsight, I do not know how I got up those hills without my legs seizing up, but I did it. I did it slowly. My pace per mile was more than a minute slower that the first half, but I managed to stay in 4th place. As I crossed the finish line, I was thrilled to finish 4th place on such a terrible day. I quickly found my mom, gave her a hug, called George and headed to my room. I could barely walk as my legs were cramped. Usually, I cleanup my bike, shower, get dinner and head out to the course. This day, I showered and headed to bed, where I stayed from 6:30PM until 7:30 AM the next morning.
Walking has been very difficult for me as my calves are still in very bad shape, but they are getting better every day. I got a great massage from Bill Romas yesterday and I am starting to walk like a regular person again. I did not get a slot to Kona this year. There were only two slots given to women pros and I was 4th. I’ve been to Kona 5 years now and I’m OK with not going this year. My plan is to race a different Ironman this fall (in warmer weather!) and race for a top podium finish. Reflecting back on the day, it is hard to believe what I (and all the other athletes) endured. The constant torrential rains were something that I hope to never revisit. Congrats to everyone who raced in such terrible conditions and finished. A big congrats to Dave Gatz who has been suffering with hip injuries for the past year and had little run trainnig under his belt. He ended up qualifying for Kona regardless. I'm sure this was due to his extreme mental toughness and also the coaching of his wife, Jen Gatz. Amazing performance. My friend Jacqui Gordon ended up finishing 5th and was taken right to medical after the race. Her core temperature was 91 degrees and she received 3 IV’s. I wish her a speedy recovery and good luck in whatever race she does next. As for myself, I am enjoying my recovery period as it is a much desreved "off time". I know it will be over soon and I will be back to training hard, so I am trying to really enjoy going to the beach, going on the boat, being a little less strict with my eating and working out when I want with no particular structure!