Ironman USA, Lake Placid, NY

6.30.00

"What part of the ironman are you the most concerned about?" asked my sister a couple of days before the race. I wasn’t sure how to reply. I was concerned about every single part of the race, from the nutrition, to the mass swim start, to running my first marathon, and the list went on. I told her that I just didn’t want to have someone shove one of those glow sticks in my hand because I was out on the course after the sun went down. A very appealing part of racing in an ironman, as opposed to a sprint or olympic distance race, is that you have the potential to control your performance. You have the time to listen to your body and respond. My goal was to listen and respond in time in order to make it to the finish line as quickly as possible. I also wanted to ENJOY the day and take in as much of the experience as possible.

Beth and I, with Allyn dozing in the back seat, drove into Lake Placid on July 27^th. Looking at the map, I saw that we would be driving into town on part of the bike course. This was exciting, yet a little daunting as well. The bike AND run courses were clearly visible on the New York state map. Hmmmm…just how long is an ironman? Once on the course, we hit a hill that seemed to go down forever and the grade reminded me of Thunder Ridge. I made a mental note to return to this descent the next day as it appeared to be a key part of the bike course.

The days prior to the race were spent organizing gear, checking out the "Ironman Village," and making last minute repairs on the bike. The "Ironman Village" was really an expo with all sorts of vendors and booths. It was located on the Olympic Speed Skating Oval, which also served as the transition area for the race…pretty cool.

As planned, I checked out the descent which was nearly nine miles in length. At the bottom, I decided to ride on a little further and found some nice flat sections. I hooked up with two other guys and later our group grew to seven. We were clipping along in a nicely organized pace-line and I wondered if we were going a little too hard just a couple of days before the race. I casually raised the subject with my new riding partners and I found out that I was the only one in the group competing in the race. I politely dismissed myself from the group and headed back to town.

The day before the race I checked out the swim course. Just like the bike and the run, the swim was two loops. The water was AWESOME and just right for a long-sleeved wetsuit. I cruised a loop of the swim and came in right at my race goal time. The buoys were connected with a wire that ran about 2m beneath the surface of the water. Keep an eye on the wire and no sighting is necessary!! I felt REALLY good and knew I was ready for the race to start.

Race morning and the lake was covered in fog! It was impossible to see the buoys but it was possible to see my family. The relatives were out in full force with yellow T-shirts on. At every stage of the race, I usually saw them before they saw me! At around 6:55am I positioned myself over the cable that was going to guide me to the promised land of T1. The gun went off and at that moment, as the pack moved in on the cable, I learned that everyone else wanted to pick the same line that I wanted. The start wasn’t rough but there was definitely more contact than I’m used to. I lost sight of the cable and resorted to sighting. In the fog and sea of arms and legs, I eventually picked up a buoy and swam for it, but at about 500m, I noticed that the crowd I was swimming with was getting smaller. The fog started to lift and I soon realized I was swimming along the return buoy line…snap! I got back on course and somehow finished the first lap ahead of schedule. The second lap was much smoother; less people and the cable line was clearly visible. I excited to T1 and was still a few minutes ahead of schedule. A good start to a long day!

T1 was uneventful and soon we were out on the bike. There were LOADS of bikes as far as the eye could see. My goal for the bike was to stay in control and keep my heart rate between 145 and 155. The bikes thinned out and soon I found myself with some open road to enjoy. The first 40 miles were blissful. On an out and back section, I saw the pros heading the other way and tried to identify as many as I could. Beautiful scenery, lots of support at the aid stations, and I was feeling fresh. I wish it was all that easy. The last 10 miles or so of the first loop the course slowly started to climb. Finishing the loop was tough but the rewards of travelling back through Lake Placid to begin the second loop made it all worth the while. The course snaked through town and the riders were forced to slow down in some sections. I saw my family all decked out in yellow. The crowds were unbelievable!! I wound through town with a woman having a great race. The crowd went crazy when they saw her. Many of the spectators even knew her name. Outside of town she told me her name which sounded familiar…she was the sister of the guy who owned the race and she was a Lake Placid native. Talk about home crowd advantage. This was definitely cool and made my ride much more enjoyable.

The second loop needed a little more focus. I could feel myself slowing down a bit, but still managed to make my goal time. The key on this loop was to keep up with the eating and drinking as well as staying positive. "Power in and feeling strong!" The descent out of town was a good place to listen to that call of nature. I remember hearing Karen Smyers talk about this: "Find a long hill, get nice and relaxed, and make sure there is no one behind you." It took a little effort but everything worked out just fine.

The aid station volunteers must have received a lesson on how to deposit small objects in the hands of rapidly moving cyclists. They were very good. More of the same crowds coming back into town. This was the first time I’ve ever ridden over 100 miles without getting off of the bike. I was surprised at how good I felt and I told myself I just wanted to go out for a run. That’s it. There is nothing but running.

Taking off out of T2 for the run was a trip! Fans all over the place and I got to see my family a little more closely this time. I managed to catch a glimpse of my wife and daughter. The first two miles of the run were downhill or flat. I read that many of the athletes walk/run this section because it is so difficult to run downhill after riding. After reading that, I decided to run this section and I cruised these two miles at an 8:00 mpm pace and was feeling pretty good. My pace slowed a bit but stayed steady at around 8:30 mpm which was my goal pace. Everything was going so well! At around mile seven, the first twinge of a cramp crept into both quads, and then eventually into my groin. What a strange sensation. I had never cramped there before. Did you know that you need your groin muscles to stay upright when running? I never reached that all-out cramp stage but had to maintain for the rest of the marathon. The course was beautiful and went right by the Olympic Ski Jumping Facility.

Running back into town to finish the first loop was another huge boost. My family spread out on Main Street and for about a quarter of a mile I got some first rate encouragement. Even random spectators were looking up names of the competitors and yelling in support. Loads of energy and it was great! Loop two of the marathon was much like the first; running between aid stations and walking through them to get enough fluids and stretch. The course was much more crowded and the pro race was really heating up. DeBoom was out front but cramping badly and Widoff, the eventual winner, and Jamey Yon were closing pretty fast.

Coming back into town was pretty cool but also a pain in the butt. The course passes by the oval and the finish line and then takes you out onto an out and back section. When you pass the finish line the first time, you’ve actually got two more miles to go. Whoever planned this run course – not cool. I wasn’t sure exactly when I was going to finish until I saw the archway into the oval. The finish was very emotional; sensations of relief and happiness were all mixed in with the fatigue and soreness. It took a few moments for my family to arrive and we all enjoyed the moment together.

Things I would change:

1. Find out exactly what your body can tolerate in terms of solids and liquids. I was surprised at how difficult it was to eat some of the things I ate without a problem while training. Even bananas didn’t go down too well in the race.
2. Do a long and intense brick to get a sense of what you’ll be feeling like on race day. This will help you figure out the nutrition piece of the puzzle as well. I did some long bricks but they tended to be casual and social.
3. Put sun screen on before the bike. I’ve got a really nice tan line, complete with the outline of my number belt and race number. I didn’t feel the sun during the bike or run, but getting burned like that can’t be a good thing.
4. In the grand scope of things, see of you can avoid having a child and racing in your first ironman within two weeks of one another. But hey, if you drop the entry in the mail and then two days later find out you’re going to have a child, just tell yourself it’ll all work out and it will!

Things I wouldn’t change:

1. Get your family out onto the course.
2. Consider finding a coach who knows how to set up a long range training plan for an event like this. As important as the training is, so is the tune-up and taper. This was the first race I truly tapered for and a good taper is not easy to generate. Coaches understand the science of training and can help you peak at the right time.
3. SMILE your way through the race…you can fool your body into feeling good!

Thanks for reading…Chris Bright