Training up here is fun and amazing as always! It has been a good 4 days so far and I wish I could spend another week here as the training is just such great preperation for IMLP! The climbing is phenomenal,the scenery breathtaking and there is always a good vibe around town. I am always amazed at the amount of athletes here at this time of year. Its also good to be here without the pressure of having to know you have an Ironman in a few days!
I have had the special treat of spending a few days staying with friends at a great house on Lake Placid by the Whiteface Mountain Lodge. They have come out here to get some training in too on a more relaxed level as they do not have any Ironman in their near future. So the atmoshere has been really fun and relaxing. Last night we went to see "Hangover" Funniest movie I've seen this year!
My trip here started with leaving my house at 4.30 am and arriving by 10.30am. I then found a hotel to check into for a night until my friends arrived. While driving into town I was happy to see friends Steve and Ran on their second loop of the bike so I rushed to meet them. I rode the run course and then down Whiteface Mountain to join them. They were awfully happy to see me as it was their second day in a row of the two loops and they were feeling it!
Soon after biking we went to swim. Mirror Lake is absolutely perfect right now...with temps in the high 60's! This is by far my favorite swim ever! I got a good solid 50 minutes swimming in before heading out for my 2.20 run on the course.
The run started off great, but the roads and hills are very unforgiving and by the end I was done. It was 7pm and I was feeling the long ride and early start to the day!
The next day I got to ride two loops of the bike course without Hazleton, as they have been paving roads...yay! I am happy to report they have paved the most of the descent down to Keene. It is even faster now! Of course I was feeling a little tired from the long day before but the bike was good and I finished the second loop strong....so I was quite happy about that!
As my plan was to race Tupperlake Tinman Half Ironman, Paulo was kind enough to give me an easier day of swimming,biking and running the day before the race:-)I got a good ride and run in and sadly(or not) my swim was cancelled as in typical LP fashion a fierce storm rolled in as I was standing on the shore ready to go in the water. Very reminiscent of the day before IMLP last year. Severe thunder and lightning. My friends were actually swimming at the time and they said lightning hit the water and they all felt numb on one side as they were trying to swim to safety....very scary stuff! I then called it a day as it was already 5 pm and I had to get up early to race the next day. So far alot of fun! More updates on Tinman to come....for now I have to go ride :-)
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Lake Placid
Heading up to the beautiful Lake Placid tomorrow and I can't wait. Stuck around tonight as Tanner had his first All Star baseball game...couldn't miss it of course. So as much as I wanted to wake up there ready to train I will wake early tomorrow and do the 6 hour drive(hopefully!) This shall be a fun week as there are so many people from my area going up for training camps. It will be good to get some open water swimming in in Mirror Lake. This is my favorite open water swim although with the cool temps and all the rain I heard it is still COLD! The biking up there is gorgeous and I love the Whiteface mountain climbs. It is always a shock to my system after training down the Jersey Shore area. Tomorrow I shall have a long run on the race course...this is always a tough hilly run and I hope to do it in the sun...not like my last experience racing Lake Placid. This time I will be a little more prepared with lots of warm clothes...just encase! I will travel up to Tupperlake for a half Ironman on Saturday which should be fun and a great training day...I've heard lots of good things about this race.
This is a welcome change to the routine of this dreary weather we have been having here. This will be a high energy, quality training week!
This is a welcome change to the routine of this dreary weather we have been having here. This will be a high energy, quality training week!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Waiting Game!
Today I awoke to the gentle sound of rain AGAIN! My alarm is set for 5.20 every morning and the first thing I always do is peek out the window hoping for blue sky. Today,like everyday was grey and overcast. I rolled out of bed adamant after my nightmarish ride yesterday where I had to be picked up after a double flat and shredding my tire, that I would get my ride in today rain or shine. I texted my friend Laura who is always up for a ride....she too was wavering. I got dressed keeping up the will do it attitude....then I got the text that it was coming down hard. That's all I needed to hear...back to bed...couldn't quite fall back asleep so I got up and wandered what my back up plan would be for a 5 hour ride. What kind of trainer workout was I going to get.
My son and I headed out to pick up my husband a paper,coffee,donuts,crumb cake and bagels for breakfast! Happy Fathers Day Hank! Not a bad morning to spend at home.By 10 am it was still pouring and I was contemplating the 3 hour ride on the trainer that Paulo had sent me followed by a 1.30 ride outdoors. I decided I would wait until 11.30am. Finally the rain seemed to be tapering off and I headed out to meet Laura. She was only up for 2 hours as it was so late already...which meant 3 hours solo. I was happy to have the company. We headed up the coast into a bit of a headwind that continued to grow. One hour 15 minutes of headwind that was pumping in the hook and we were both very happy to make the turn. With the wind at our back we now had to push to keep the watts high which meant some fast riding. I then headed out west to get a Na Mocha loop in. I was thrilled when the sun came out and that kept a smile on my face for a while. By four hours my legs were starting to feel the hard first windy hour. It was time to pick it up so I looked for any hill I could find to help keep the watts higher and to resemble the effort I will put out in Ironman on the last climb back into town in Lake Placid. Unfortunately our mountains are like speed bumps.
The closer I got to the coast I could see a storm moving in and that was incentive enough to keep pushing. I did not feel like getting dumped on again so I began to race the storm back to my car. I literally got off my bike in time for the skies to open and the rain to come pelting down. I had a run to do off the bike but I didn't want to head into that cold rain so I sat in the back of my car waiting for it to calm down. Everytime I opened my car door it would pour so hard. I eventually headed out for a slow run on stiff legs. I always enjoy the transtion run as it allows your body time to stretch and loosen up after being on the bike for along time. The cool rain kept me a little stiff though but it felt good to get a short run in before heading home.
Starving I stopped at my new favorite place. Ever since I was in Arizona I have been dreaming of Paulo's favorite place Chipolte. Well yesterday I stopped into Beek a Boos Burrito's...minutes from my house and wow...it was just like being back in Arizona. I warned them that they would be seeing me alot.. Good stuff...just what I needed...instant quick food...rice beans,chicken,salsa,guacamole....perfect! All in all a good training day!
My son and I headed out to pick up my husband a paper,coffee,donuts,crumb cake and bagels for breakfast! Happy Fathers Day Hank! Not a bad morning to spend at home.By 10 am it was still pouring and I was contemplating the 3 hour ride on the trainer that Paulo had sent me followed by a 1.30 ride outdoors. I decided I would wait until 11.30am. Finally the rain seemed to be tapering off and I headed out to meet Laura. She was only up for 2 hours as it was so late already...which meant 3 hours solo. I was happy to have the company. We headed up the coast into a bit of a headwind that continued to grow. One hour 15 minutes of headwind that was pumping in the hook and we were both very happy to make the turn. With the wind at our back we now had to push to keep the watts high which meant some fast riding. I then headed out west to get a Na Mocha loop in. I was thrilled when the sun came out and that kept a smile on my face for a while. By four hours my legs were starting to feel the hard first windy hour. It was time to pick it up so I looked for any hill I could find to help keep the watts higher and to resemble the effort I will put out in Ironman on the last climb back into town in Lake Placid. Unfortunately our mountains are like speed bumps.
The closer I got to the coast I could see a storm moving in and that was incentive enough to keep pushing. I did not feel like getting dumped on again so I began to race the storm back to my car. I literally got off my bike in time for the skies to open and the rain to come pelting down. I had a run to do off the bike but I didn't want to head into that cold rain so I sat in the back of my car waiting for it to calm down. Everytime I opened my car door it would pour so hard. I eventually headed out for a slow run on stiff legs. I always enjoy the transtion run as it allows your body time to stretch and loosen up after being on the bike for along time. The cool rain kept me a little stiff though but it felt good to get a short run in before heading home.
Starving I stopped at my new favorite place. Ever since I was in Arizona I have been dreaming of Paulo's favorite place Chipolte. Well yesterday I stopped into Beek a Boos Burrito's...minutes from my house and wow...it was just like being back in Arizona. I warned them that they would be seeing me alot.. Good stuff...just what I needed...instant quick food...rice beans,chicken,salsa,guacamole....perfect! All in all a good training day!
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