Ironman Lake Placid - Training

Lake Placid Ironman

Well, I haven’t had a post in a while, you ask why, well I fell completely off the training track, and it wasn’t just a short fall, but I rolled all the way down the mountain, not a real mountain, but you get the point.  I had knee surgery in late December and was on crutches until March.  I finally got back to running and riding in March, but it was a really slow recovery.  I am not fully recovered, but I am back on the training plan and now in taper mode for Ironman Lake Placid.

I know you wonder how I could even possibly think about doing an Ironman on 5 months of training, starting with no base.  Well here’s the deal, you have to register for the Ironman race a year in advance, when I registered I had no idea that a month later I would blow out my knee.  And if you know me, you know how cheap I am, there is no way I’m paying $750 dollars to race and then not show up. 

So with the help of Ironman Bill Peterson, I learned to train with an injury, using a recovery training plan he gave me and I got back on the training track.  Not to say that I didn’t freak out multiple times and whine about how there is no way I would ever be ready on time.  I had a few really bad long workouts at first, one time I even had to walk the last mile back to my car, then laid down in the grass and could not get back up due to every muscle in my body locking up.  It was actually quite a sight, me trying to roll over on my belly and push myself up off the ground.  I was more than frustrated at that time, with doubts running through my head. 

Lucky for me, I have way more good friends than I deserve to have.  As I continued to do my long runs and swims with Bill, more and more of our friends came out to help us train.  

Some of the Training Crew

 We always had 8 or so people out swimming at 5:15 am, then others that came out on Thursday mornings at 4:15 am to run.  On long run days friends would come and go based on the miles they wanted to run, we always had 4 to 6 people show up to run with us.  Oh and during the week, there was always an excess of people out to do core workouts, shorts runs and bike with us. 

We even started having a debriefs in the lake after long runs, it was the best part of the entire run.  I would love to tell you what we talked about during those runs, but I’m not sure I can put that on the internet and the rule is, what is said on the trail stays on the trail.  Makes you want to come run with us doesn’t it. 

Debrief in Progress

I am confident that I am in the best shape I have ever been in for an Ironman race, even though when I compare the Lake Placid course to the Wisconsin course (Wisconsin was my last Ironman race), It is a much tougher course, Bill did not tell me that Lake Placid is the 3^rd hardest IM course in the world when he said you have to do Lake Placid. 

Lake Placid Run Course compared to Wisconsin IM

Lake Placid Bike Course compared to Wisconsin IM

The race is 12 days away, I think I’m as ready as I could possibly be, I may still be limping at some points, but it’s bearable.  None of this would be possible without my Orthopedist (Dr Bicalho) who I know I frustrate to no end.  To my friend Mark who made it a point to be available to pull my slow butt all over Madison County, especially on days that I did not want to ride. To what I call my Zilla Ironman Training Team, all those people that show up at ungodly hours of the morning to workout with me (Jenny, Jim, Jeff, Amy, Russ, Bill, Doug, Mike and so many more). To my super Ironman Coach, Bill who always had faith in my ability and always kept me in check so that I wouldn’t blow up during those long training days.  Last but not least to my family who never complained about all the time I spent training and worked their schedules around my training plan for the last 5 months. 

I think all this effort deserves recognition and I hope that every time one of these people jump out of the water they think of the great times we had training for this race. And I know that many of them will be at Lake Placid next year and they can count on me to help them train for it. 

Only the Toughest have this

Bring on Lake Placid because everything will be ok, Bill, Russ and I will be an Ironman.

But I will be an Ironman - Get ready to laugh at how true this is