Lake Placid Ironman 2012

The second race of my 2012 triathlon season was Ironman Lake Placid on Sunday, July 22.  It was a day of many firsts for me: my first full Ironman after having raced six half-ironman events, my first mass swim start, my first complete marathon, my first drafting penalty on the bike, my first time to ever pee while running, and my first hug from Coach Kurt Perham! It was also a hard day for many athletes, including my friend Mary Holt-Wilson who struggled mentally during her 5th Ironman, and my friend and sometimes training partner Gary Snow, who did not finish the race despite being in Age Group Winning Form. More on both of these exceptional athletes later.

IMLP 2012

This is going to be a long post, so for those short on time or attention, I'll give you the results first.  My goal was to finish between 10 and 11 hours, the closer to 10, the greater the probability of reaching my dream of qualifying for the Kona Ironman.  Last year my age group was won with 9:58, second place was 10:07.  This year it was won with 9:39 and second, third, and fourth were all under 10 hours.  I finished in 10:37, 12th in my age group (out of 321 who made it through the swim) and 94th overall (out of 2,896 starters).  My splits were as follows:

These are fantastic results for a first Ironman and I am satisfied that I raced to the best of my ability last Sunday.  I did not leave anything out on the course.  I could have finished faster by doing a few things differently, but in terms of focus, patience, and toughness (Coach's mantra) I executed well.  My age group had 5 Kona slots allocated to it and only one person in the top 5 didn't claim their slot, so roll down was to 6th place at 10:14:43.

My IMLP experience started on Thursday upon arrival for check-in and a swim in Mirror Lake.  I had dinner with veteran triathlete Leslie Myers, who finished 2nd in her age group and is even now beginning to prepare for her trip to Kona.  Leslie and I swam together Friday morning, and again on Saturday.  I appreciated her company as we made our final preparations for race day.  I met her husband Geoff and ate at their rented condo right on Mirror Lake all three nights prior to the race.  Leslie did most of the cooking and it was great to eat well prepared, healthy food and not have to brave restaurant fare right before a huge race.

Going into the race I would say my biggest concern was getting through the run if temperatures and/or humidity were high and my largest anxiety was surviving the mass swim start.  Race day temperatures began around 60 and climbed to about 80 under partially cloudy skies; humidity was higher than I would have liked, but not oppressive.  Mirror Lake was 74 degree, wetsuit legal. Overall a great day for racing but with heat high enough to require some adjustment in pace and fluid intake.

Leslie and I talked a lot about where to start the swim.  Mirror Lake is not a large body of water and the area where we start is quite small to accommodate 2800+ swimmers all trying to start at the same time.  Based on our practice swims we strategized that it would be best to start near the dock and then take an inside line on the course, which is a very long rectangle.  You swim the course twice, exiting the water midway through, crossing the timing mats to record your split and then re-entering the lake to swim your second lap.

So on race morning I woke at 3:45 AM, ate a 600 calorie breakfast, dressed and was in the transition area by 5:30.  I set-up my bike by pumping the tires, getting fluids into my bottles, and placing race nutrition in my "Bento Box".  I checked everything over and said hi to the legendary Mike Reilly, who was making announcements right next to my transition spot.  I checked my Bike and Run bags that contained all the gear I would don during my two transitions, walked out to drop-off my special needs bags, which can have anything in them that you might want halfway through the bike and halfway through the run.  Then I got into my wetsuit and warmed up.  This photo was taken right before entering the corral, crossing the timing mats, and starting my swim warm up. Thank you Nicole and James for helping me get ready and keep my nerves in check.

I swam back and forth in the small bay behind the starting line until my lats had loosened up a little.  Then I made my way through all of the swimmers already treading water 15 people or so deep, in a line that stretched all the way across the lake.  I found Leslie near the dock as planned and when the gun went off we sprinted like hell for the inside of the first buoy.

2012 LPIM: Mirror Lake seconds before swim start

There was a bit of jostling, but I had a clean start, no worse than any wave start at a big Olympic or Half-Ironman event.  I cleared the first buoy and then began to focus on my stroke and staying on the feet in front of me.  Near the turnaround I had to swing across the buoy line in order to go around the end of the course, and then right back in to the inside line.  I didn't have clear water, there were people on both sides of me, but we were moving fast and the rhythm was pretty good given how many good swimmers there were in the water.  All those swimmers moving together creates a current and you can feel it pulling you along.

IMLP 2012: The Swim Start

IMLP 2012: 23 minutes into the swim

As I approached the beach to conclude the first lap, there began to be a great deal more contact, arm hooking, and people swimming into me on an angle; everyone was jostling to get position to exit the water.  I hit the sand and started to jog.  My first lap time was 28:33, a perfect start to the swim.  However, as I re-entered the water my left hamstring cramped.  I had to pause for at least a minute to work out the cramp.  As soon as I was back in the water it grabbed again.  I stretched a moment and then started swimming.  The muscle was still contracted, but all I could think was that I needed to keep moving.  After I passed the first buoy it relaxed and I had open water to swim.  I focused on form, turnover, and breathing well.  The second lap flew by.....it was slower than the first at 32+ minutes, but when I exited the water the clock read 1:00 hour.....right on target.

IMLP 2012: Running the gauntlet to T1

I undid my wetsuit and stripped it to my waist, then threw myself to the ground to allow the wetsuit removers to yank it off of my legs.  After that I was up and jogging.  It is about a 1/4 mile to the transition area, maybe even a bit more.  I grabbed my bag, put on all my gear, and ran another 1/4 mile to my bike.  Then I was rolling.  The anxiety melted away and I focused on riding to my power goals, staying low and aerodynamic when I could, and taking in my nutrition.

Technically speaking my bike goal was to target around 180 watts instantaneous power, with a limit of 250 watts on the climbs, 235 on climbs longer than 5 minutes, and coasting whenever speed was above 30 mph.  To achieve this and save my legs as much as possible, I try to maintain a cadence above 90 rpm.  This is possible on all but the steepest sections of the course.  I occasionally rise off the seat and ride standing to stretch my back and relieve pressure on the groin, but the remainder of the time I am as low and slip streamed as possible.

IMLP 2012: Bike nearing T2

The bike course climbs out of Lake Placid to an area where I used to rock climb, called Pitchoff.  From there follows a long, steep descent to the town of Keene.  On the first lap I hit a top speed of 51.8 mph going down to Keene.  From there the course is fairly flat out to mile 36.  It was on the out and back leg of this section that I saw Gary Snow.  He was wearing the green polka-dot jersey of Green Mountain Rehab and Sports Medicine, which sponsors both Gary and I.  We are both lucky to have their support and they were instrumental in keeping me healthy and getting me to the starting line ready to race.  Gary was flying on the return portion of the out and back; after a 55 minute swim it looked like he was in the mix with some of the pros, riding strong in about the top 20 overall. 

I made the turnaround and headed back toward the Hamlet of Jay, mentally preparing for the long climb back to Lake Placid.  I came into a small group of riders and as I passed the last guy in line, another guy passed me.  Before I had time to react the course referee pulled alongside on a motorcycle and held a red card up.  He told me I was drafting and to report to the next penalty tent for a 4 minute timeout.  I was horrified.  I dropped back, collected myself, and then started riding with focus again.  I finished the first lap right on target at 2 hours, 46 minutes.  I ripped into the next lap knowing I was going to lose 4 minutes in a penalty tent before I was done.

On the climb out of Lake Placid headed back to Pitchoff I came to an intersection where race support vehicles and New York State Troopers were stationed. Prone on the ground was an athlete, a bike nearby, a small shade erected to keep the sun off his face and trooper standing over him.  The athlete was wearing a green polka-dot jersey.  I was shaken.  I yelled to Gary but got no response.  I kept going, muttering to myself the whole time about what could have happened.  Within a couple of minutes an ambulance roared past me, sirens wailing.  Another few minutes and a helicopter flew low overhead, following the road back to where Gary lay.  By then I was nearly up the climb but I was pretty freaked-out.  I later found out the helicopter was a coincidence, Gary was taken by ambulance back to the medical tent, given an IV and later released.  He couldn't continue the race and is still having tests done to figure out why his energy and ability to concentrate was so severely debilitated during the race that he literally coasted to a stop on his bike and collapsed, unresponsive to attempts to communicate with him.

I continued my ride, served my penalty, and completed the second lap for a final bike time of 5:43:43.  I was hoping for 5:30, so I was off pace a little bit, even accounting for the 4 minute penalty, but I wasn't way off, which was encouraging.  I was 17th in my division after the swim, falling back to 22nd after the bike.  Overall I was 171st after the swim, but moved up to 150th by the conclusion of the bike.  Below is my bike file from training peaks showing cadence, power output, and speed. I put out an average of about 170 watts and average speed just under 20 mph.

IMLP 2012: Entering T2

IMLP 2012: Training Peaks Bike File

By the time I started on the run I had been racing for almost 7 hours.  I felt pretty good, but it was the hottest part of the day.  I entered the run course carrying a fuel belt with 2 bottles of EFS and shooting to go 8 minutes per mile for 26 miles plus or minus a few.  I turned the first corner and headed down the hill......and my left hamstring cramped.  After trying to stretch it, massage it, shake it, and grimace it away, I proceeded to turn around and walk down the hill backwards.  After 10 or 15 yards I was able to get the contraction to release and I started to jog, then run, and pretty soon I was cruising along normally.  I saw Coach Kurt and my friend Chris Coffey after a couple of miles and was glad for their encouragement. The turnaround is at about the 5 mile point and as I made my way out there the heat began to weigh on me.  The EFS did not sit well when I drank it, so I started taking the Power Bar Perform from the aid stations and dumping ice down my top to keep cool.  Many people were walking on the course, but I was running well......a little slower than planned, but acceptable.  After the turnaround my right hamstring cramped.  I knew the drill by then, worked it out, and kept running.

IMLP 2012: 2nd lap on the marathon

That was really my mantra for the rest of the marathon, keep running.  However, at every aid station I stopped and walked to take in Perform, water, and to get ice.  This resulted in an eroded average pace.  On the first lap of the run I was able to gain some of those losses back by running a little harder between aid stations, but on the second lap this just wasn't possible.  There are two nasty hills going back into town.  On both laps there were long lines of people walking these hills.  I refused to stop, and while I didn't run fast, I did run those hills.  By keeping my feet moving with little steps I ran by a lot of people.

I saw my daughter Nicole and her boyfriend James at Special Needs halfway through the marathon.  I took some nutrition from my bag, but seeing them was much better satisfaction of my "special needs" at that point.  I headed out for the second lap hot, but confident.  I ran well out to the turnaround, but my legs started to hurt in the quads and calves at that point.  When I had passed mile 2 on the course it felt like I had a huge mountain before me to climb.  At mile 22 I felt exactly the same way even though it was only 4 miles to the finish.  People were walking or stopping entirely all along the course.  I saw my friend Tyler Sperry weaving as he walked down the road. 

At mile 24 I saw my coach again and told him how much everything hurt.  He told me to ignore it and take it home, to pass every runner I could on the way back into town.  And I did.  Going up the last big hill I saw a guy from my age group who'd passed me earlier.  He was walking.  I so badly wanted to walk too, but I didn't.  I kept running, I don't know how, and I passed him.  Then I actually lengthened my stride and ran the last 1.5 miles to the finish at around 7:30 minutes per mile pace.  My Training Peaks run file is shown below.  Note the downward spikes in the blue graph that indicate where I stopped to walk through each aid station.

IMLP was the hardest race I have ever done.  But I crossed the line alone to the voice of Mike Reilly, like so many before me, saying "Marc Meredyth, you ARE an Ironman".  I cannot convey the rush of emotion I felt at having achieved what once upon a time I thought I would never accomplish. During the run I passed 10 athletes in my division to move from 22nd to 12th.  In terms of the overall standings, I moved from 150th to 94th.  My marathon time of 3:44 was not very fast, but conditions were tough and I persevered.

There are a couple of more things I need to write about.  First, the volunteers on the course were tremendous.  I do not know how many of them there are, but their dedication and help make the race possible for the athletes.  They help in so many ways and I especially appreciated the woman who "caught" me at the finish and supported me as I began to recover, as well as this volunteer below who took my bike and racked it for me.

IMLP 2012: Thank you volunteers!

Special thanks go to my daughter Nicole and her boyfriend James McAvoy for being there to support me, but also to be pit crew and photographers.  They made it fun, helped keep my nerves from getting the better of me, and retrieved all of my gear after the race as I was in no condition to do anything; I could barely walk.  I love you both.

I have to thank Jennifer O'Connor of Sustainable Wellness Massage and everyone at Green Mountain Rehab and Sports medicine.  These people are first rate healers and they helped me nurse my body through the difficult training regimen.  I could not have reached the starting line, let alone the finish line without them.  In the same vein, I thank Malaika DosRemedios at Burlington Yoga for helping me with my physical and spiritual flexibility, strength, and most of all balance.

Thank you to Gary Snow and Chris Coffey.  Both guys helped to fuel my dream, trained with me, and educated me.  Gary did not finish the race, but his insight into triathlon and IMLP were instrumental in preparing me for the race.  Chris' enthusiasm and willingness to drive over and cheer us on meant a great deal to me.

Finally, thank you to Kurt Perham of Personal Best Multisport Coaching for his willingness to work with me; he is knowledgeable, passionate, and motivating for me.  I especially appreciate his ability to adapt to my schedule and issues, and to encourage me through the tough times, in training and in life.  I am certain that there are very few coaches in the world who could have turned my dearth of talent and durability into an Ironman. My accomplishment is his as well.

Lastly, to Mary Holt-Wilson.  You have quickly become a good friend and I want you to know that no matter the results on the race course, regardless of how you felt or now feel about racing, I and many others hold you dear to our hearts and respect your record and your guidance.  Recover, heal, and join us out there again soon because we miss you.  You may have felt that the hunger for the finish faded this year, but when I saw you on the course you looked great and you, like myself and about 2600 athletes this year, are an Ironman. Congratulations Mary.