Ok, so here it is:
Swim: 59:09. HR: 148
I didn’t know if I should start from the sides or be right in the middle of the action. Thankfully I chose the latter, as I am a strong swimmer and only had to fight for my space over the first 5-10 minutes. After that it was all great.
I was able to pace myself how I wanted and even enjoyed some long strokes. I completed the 1st loop in 29min and went for the 2nd loop as fresh as I could be. For a split second I thought about doing a negative split, but decided against, as it was way too soon for that. I continued my pace and over the way back from the loop I even relaxed a bit. When I got out of the water I could not believe I was done sub-1 hour and feeling so relaxed and fresh.
T1: 8:42
My transitions during an IM race are not fast, as I am not proficient enough to be fast and still make sure I got everything I need. I rather take my time and make sure everything is ok.
Bike: 6:03:14 HR: 147
The bike was the biggest surprise for me. I was hoping to do around 6:40, or even 6:20 if I was feeling really strong.
I drove the course Friday and realized that it is very tricky, the kind of course that fools you in letting you think that you are going strong, but in reality
it really GRINDS you and when you have to go through the rolling hills at 86 for the second loop your legs will call for help… So my strategy was to go easier during the first loop and then keep it steady during the second loop. I read that 80% of the people who do IMLP do the bike course wrong, so I knew that if I was doing what everybody else was, I should stop… lol.
To my surprise I completed the first loop in 2hr 58min, and that’s including my stop for the Special Needs Bag. As I got caught-up by the crowd excitement and also by seeing my wife cheering for me (blew her a kiss!), for another split second I set the goal to complete the bike under 6 hours, but again I decided against it as I know that during the run I would go by a lot of people who were sub-6 hours on the bike…The second loop was really good, not as many people riding together as the first loop, and I was able to take advantage of the downhills at Keene (clocked 50 mph+ top speed, and I did use the breaks a bit), and the flats on 9. After a couple of “nature calling breaks” I got back to the rolling hills at 86 feeling strong and got by a lot of people. I could see their faces saying: “Why did I push so hard earlier today?”. When I was at the Baby Bear, Mamma Bear and Pappa Bear “climbs” section I really relaxed and started focusing on my marathon. Completed the bike just over 7 hours total time, and feeling good.
That’s when I first thought about my chances of breaking 12 hours.
T2: 6:27
Same as T1, but no run from Mirror Lake to the transition zone, that’s why I as a bit faster… lol
Run: 4:34:24 HR: 151 during the 1st loop and a lot higher during the second loop.
So NOW I understand why everybody tells me that the Ironman starts on the run… The first half of the first loop was actually not too bad, I was able to keep a decent pace and still control my HR. I only walked during the Aid Stations, as I had planned, and I was really glad with the pace I had set. But then, the turn-around came and the way back to town is not that easy. My legs were still feeling ok, but my HR was starting to go north, so I had to slow my pace a bit. It worked at first, but then I realized that sooner or later I would have to make a tough choice: Either HR or Pace, as one of them would have to give.
After walking through the second and steepest climb getting back to town (IGA climb) I was thinking “Gotta know to pick my battles” and then I remember that Mark (my coach) said I could let the HR “loose” close to the final 3 hours. So that was it. From that moment on I only glanced to my watch to check the total time. I completed the 1st loop in 2hr 16min and if I wanted to finish it under 12 hours I would need to have a sub 2hr 30min 1/2 marathon next. It would be easy if I haven’t been racing for 9.5 hours already. And THAT’s when I said to myself: “SIU baby!”, now is time to prove if all that training is going to pay-off. I kept with the strategy of walking over the Aid Stations, but in between I was pushing really hard. “So, this is what an Ironman feels like, eh?” I remember thinking out loud.
During the second loop there were no more waiving to the crowd, talking to fellow racers, etc… I was in the zone and had to keep in it if I wanted to finish under 12 hours. The only thing I kept doing was thanking every single volunteer I saw, all the time. I even ran through the same IGA climb I walked during the first loop, and felt great! Within 3 miles to go I knew I had it, as I had almost 40 minutes to spare, so I then got in “control mode”, trying not to push too hard and have cramps or pull a muscle.
The last mile was all a big celebration… I was giving high-fives to everybody and anybody, there were about 10 of us running together and up to the last 200 yds we were still trying to beat each other, but without anybody saying anything, everybody relaxed at the end and gave each other some space so we all could enjoy the last moments. I crossed the finish line with both arms raised and remember yelling as loud as I could. No words, just a loud sound… lol. I was thrilled, I was tired, I was almost crying, but above all, I knew I had left everything out there. I did my best, from planning to training and racing, and that’s what an Ironman is all about to me.
Total time: 11:51:53 Avg HR: 153
What a race (the course is the fairest I’ve ever been, and the organization was great), what a town, what an amazing group of volunteers and how about the crowd support!!! Sometimes I felt I was in the Tour de France during the bike and the Boston Marathon during the run. I won’t be doing Lake Placid again anytime soon, as I want to try other IM races around the world, but I will certainly come back one day and I will tell anybody looking to do their first IM to seriously consider Lake Placid. It will be awesome, I guarantee it.
Final thougthts: I can only say this: What a huge difference training with coach (even if virtually) this year has made. My goal for IMLP was 12hr 40min (1:07 swim; 6:40 bike and 4:40 run). I was faster in all splits and beat the time I had set as a goal for my next IM! lol . A friend of mine qualified for Kona in Lake Placid, and he swears that in 2 years I can too. I am not too sure about the 2 years (my plan is more like 3-5 years), but now I believe that Kona is out there and will work hard to achieve this goal. Clearwater first, then Kona. The thing is, to get a Kona spot either on the 35-39 or 40-44 AG I have to break 10 hours! Ouch! So, baby steps, right? Let’s focus in getting under 11 hours first, shall we? LOL!
You see, I come from a competitive background (former swimmer), so I can’t help but setting some really aggressive goals. To me, that’s a big part of the fun.
Here’s to a great journey ahead!
Good job! The bike was awesome.
As per qualifying, why not?!
I think it takes time and discipline, the rest is consequence!
Cheers!
Awesome report C. I felt like I was right with you.
And YES you can do it. I have no doubt that one day you will be in Clearwater and Kona. No doubt.
Alice and I had a great time handing out with Fernanda and you. It was one of the highlights of my IMLP experience.
Congrats again.
B
Terrific job! Great report. I hope I can plan and train and execute as well as you in the future.
Hey Cherie!
So, sorry for the delay… I did not receive any alerts regarding the comments.
You got it! It’s all about the Big 3: Planning, Training and Executing. Just knowing that puts you ahead of many people I know… Most of us use to focus only on training, but planning and execution are normally left as an “after-thought”, as we have it, but just don’t follow… :o)
Good luck, go long and have fun!
Cheers!
Carlos
Great IMLP report. You seed the desire in all of us , especially on me, I’m dreaming about on day such incredible and fascinating job coming thru. We’re proud of you, Congratulation !
Hey Marcelo!
Thanks you so much!
Cheers!
Carlos
Carlos! Found your blog through the PFG website. Great story!
Love your dedication and thought process through IMLP. It seems just when you think you should pull the trigger and hit a great time is when you should actually hold back and wait for the right time to attack.
Great job hitting your time at that race, impressive!
Hey Matty!
Sorry for the delay… I did not receive any alerts regarding the comments.
Thanks again for the kind words. And I am sorry I didn’t get to meet you at the House of Payne run! Looking forward to racing with you one of these days!
Cheers!
Carlos
GREAT report! GREAT race! and just a remarkeable result, way to SIU, way to be smart the whole way through…I really learned a lot in this post about your race…I have been following Training Payne since January and have loosely worked on HR training…I am a first time IM heading to LP next year and couldnt be more excited after reading your report. I also now feel I need to be WAY more focused on my HR training.
Congrats!
-Derek
Thank you Derek!
Sorry for the delay… I did not receive any alerts regarding the comments.
Good luck at IMLP next year! You will have a great time, I guarantee it! It’s an amazing site for racing.
About the HR… Get on that bandwagon right now! I was NOT a believer when I started but now I don’t think I will ever train another way. It made all the difference for me.
Cheers!
Carlos