Humbly Humbled

Work has again been interfering with training and blogging, sorry for the delayed post!  


I love Lake Placid.  Last weekend I had the pleasure of heading up there with Doreen for a training weekend with Todd and a small group of athletes.  What a weekend, it was completely humbling and absolutely awesome.  I was thrilled to go, and once there remembered very quickly why I find the town amazing.  It's picturesque, beautiful, athlete-friendly, healthy, clean, and full of history.  Olympics and Miracle on Ice, pretty amazing stuff.  


Before I get into the adventures of the weekend, a few lessons learned:

1. Snickers are a delicious, satisfying, perfect mid-ride snack.  And perfectly acceptable by Coach standards.
2. I go to bed earlier than my Grandmom (she is a night owl ;), just kidding Grams).
3. I need to stretch and foam roll.  My body is abused.
4. Pack at least $10 on bike at all times.  The longer the ride and higher the temp, the more mula needed.
5. I will never again sacrifice my copy of a map for others.  
6. Other athletes also have cried during/after bad workouts, validation.
7. There is a good reason why you don't swim after you bike.
8. I will permanently look like I am wearing bike shorts and gloves, sweet tan lines this summer.
9. People in the mountains are very nice.
10. The hills at the end of the bike and run courses are the worst.

Met some really nice people I look forward to seeing race day, 8 of us plus Todd.  The more friendly, smiling faces the better!  Always gives me a boost.  The weekend was full of my longest workouts to date.  

Friday - 30 miles biking, run course and end of bike course through Wilmington

Saturday - 82 miles biking, over 2 mountains NOT on the course (slight detour due to being lost twice), followed by a short (very) swim for me

Sunday - 14.5 miles running, run course and around Mirror Lake

Friday we ride the run course and met the rolling hills by Whiteface Mountain, and the hills fondly known as Mama, Papa and Baby Bears (yes, those are the names).  Had a decent ride and was a good intro to the course.  My competitive side took over to be up by the front.  

Saturday the plan was to ride the first loop, 56 miles, and add as we wanted to.  We ran out of maps and I gave mine up, bad mistake.  At least I was with someone, unfortunately not Doreen though!  Jen, another athlete Todd is training, and I got lost first by missing the left turn to 9N (the N does not stand for North, as there is a North and South 9N, stupid - more on that later).  We rode 73 all the way to the Sausage Man, who has a stand when you get off the highway in the Adirondacks.  After he turned down our money for water and directed us to the spring or "fountain of youth" as we called it (marked by a rock with water and an arrow on it), he proceeded to tell us that we were "no where close" to where we expected to be.  Directed us to turn onto 9N by the red barn.  Oh and on the way back got up to our highest speed, 41.5 MPH, even faster than the 7 mile downhill early in the course (aka the was a big hill we rode up).      

We approached the red barn, and turned onto what we thought was 9N...wrong.  We ended up going South instead of North.  Turn and immediately start climbing an insane hill, that we learned was a MOUNTAIN.  It was so steep that I thought I was going to have to walk up it, and thought why the hell didn't Todd tell me about this...got to an unexpected intersection and realized something was wrong.  Went to the Napa store and asked for directions, and again was told "I'm really sorry but you are not anywhere close to where you want to be."  Excellent!  Bruce ended up closing his shop early to drive us back over the mountain since there was no other way to get back to the course.  To ease the pain, we got cold water and my snickers from the Dollar Store next door and called Todd to get the ok to hitch a ride.  He sounded worried.  Bruce was super nice and delightful, and saved us a ton of time and agony.  If you ever need to buy a car in Elizabethtown, NY, I know a guy.  Turns out Todd was concerned we'd be able to finish the ride after the huge climbs, and we opted to skip the 2 out and back flatter portions of the bike course due to our detour.  This whole little adventure added about 30 miles to the ride.  Had some good practice with nutrition and fueling, need to stay on top of that in the heat now as mileage really increases.  Thankfully, Bruce turned down our collective $7.20 after the Dollar Store...we ended up needing it for another pit stop to get more water and G2 (which I now know I really hate).  The Bears kicked my butt at the end of the ride, but when a fanny-pack wearing rider passed me I managed to pick it up on the last hill out of pride.  Was spent after we finally finished the ride.  

Bruce, Jen and our bikes in a pick up.

When we finally got back, had about 35 minutes to explain the adventure before some of us planned to go to Mirror Lake to see the swim course.  Water temp was 61 and warm enough for everyone (I hate cold water after last summer's ocean adventure in sub-50 temps).  I squeezed into a wetsuit and got in, but my arms felt like jello.  I think I made it to the second buoy, and was spent.  Turned and swam back, feeling slightly defeated.  But, that's why you swim first and hoping I was just exhausted.  Went to the Lake Placid Brewery that night so it made it all better.  Yum.  


Sunday was the run, which I was nervous for because of my leggies.  Ran the course and added on mileage around the Lake at the end.  There is an out and back there, and I just went completely around.  Learned that there are 2 killer hills at the end of the run course - I will be likely walking these.  Awesome to do the not once, but twice!  My group will be staying just by one of them so that is good - friends and family, you will be joining me up those hills for support, thank you in advance :)  


When I asked Todd how I would run 26.2 miles after the bike, he said "you don't have to, you can walk them."  Words of wisdom.  Spoken like a Pro and Coach ha, and a pretty amazing athlete.  He told us he'd never bike up the mountain we were on, so I felt pretty good about myself.  I asked him about what to wear, and he said he wore a Speedo for his first IM because everyone was doing it.  So naturally I googled...

Todd, our beloved coach!

I do not plan on doing this in a Speedo, or any type of bathing suit.  Hardcore though.  He would love to know I found this haha.


Hope that I don't have to walk most of my first marathon, but he taught us the importance of pacing yourself during this IM.  No need to kill your HR and legs early.  Need to be strategic.  Also was reminded how important my nutrition is.  I ate a ton on the bike, but it was needed.  I am also always hungry, it is fun.   

The weekend was exactly what I needed and hoped for.  You can read as much as you want, but until you get to experience the actual hills for yourself you have no idea what you are in for.  Thank goodness for Todd offering to take us up there.  So glad to have him, this experience, the weekend, Doreen, and all the love and support I've been given so far into this journey. :)