Category: Training

Ironman Eve

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A few days ago, John, his parents and I sat by Mirror Lake, relaxing and soaking up the vibe. It was a beautiful day, cool, partly cloudy, light winds. Swimmers dotted the course. Dogs frolicked along the lake shore. I sucked up the relaxed vibe, and realized that on Sunday morning (tomorrow morning!) it will be quite a different scene. Despite our relaxation, I am seriously excited. I mean really ants-in-my-pants excited. The actions of the last several days have made this experience very real—we are going to do this. Okay, yes, I knew we were doing the Ironman before. …

14 days

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On July 27th, 2009, John and I stood in line for several hours to sign up for Lake Placid Ironman 2010. After we entered the Lake Placid High School gymnasium, it took only a few minutes to sign up for the event. It has taken us 12 months to prepare ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. In 14 days, we will do this. So, what makes someone want to go 140.6 miles in under 17 hours? Well, there are about 3,000 registered to participate in Ironman Lake Placid, and I imagine that amounts to about 3,000 answers to that question. I …

Let’s Celebrate: Vermont Training Camp

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I spent last Thursday, July 1st, getting various last minute items (gels, accelerade, spare tires, etc.), and then packing those items and more. The car was packed, with the exception of the bikes, which simply needed to be put on the rooftop racks. So, within moments of John’s arrival home from work, we (including Bella) were in the car and on our way. We were headed to John’s family’s vacation home in West Halifax, VT, where we had married 10 years ago to the day. Isn’t it just oh-so-romantic to return there for our anniversary? Well, I guess it would …

Lake Placid Bike Course: Observations from a newbie

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[Update: Since I first wrote this post in 2010, I have since raced IMLP 3 times, and trained there yearly. If you’d like to see an updated course overview with detailed information about all three aspects of the race, please visit this post: Discipline Thyself: Tips for Racing Ironman Lake Placid.] No matter how one may think himself accomplished, when he sets out to learn a new language, science, or the bicycle, he has entered a new realm as truly as if he were a child newly born into the world. ~Frances Willard, How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle …

Fireman Ironman Training Camp: “I am so lucky to be able to do this”

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“Whenever I get scared or feel anxiety, I just remind myself that I am so lucky to be able to do this.” And with that statement, Charlotte became a source of incredible knowledge and motivation as I worked my way through a challenging, exhilarating and ultimately rewarding training weekend in Lake Placid, NY. I met Charlotte on the banks of Mirror Lake, just as we were getting ready to do one loop of the swim course last Friday evening (June 18th) to kick off the 10th Annual Fireman Ironman Training Camp, which is organized by New York City Fire Fighter …

I’m going mental

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We are about 12 weeks away from the big show: Ironman Lake Placid. As I type that sentence, I can feel my heart rate elevate. A few weeks ago (7 to be exact), I wrote a post about how training for Ironman Lake Placid was changing our lives. At that time, I thought only in simple terms of time management. Ha! Silly girl. I didn’t even know the half of it when I wrote that entry. Way back on March 12th, I oh-so naively thought this journey was about managing time and training my body for the physical endurance challenge …

Hitting the road

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Saturday morning means one thing: my long bike ride. All week long, I was looking forward to the ride because everyone was abuzz with “how nice” the weather would be. Hmmm. Well, the sun and warm temps must have taken a pass on the Southern Jersey shoreline on Saturday morning. When we woke up, it was foggy, damp and chilly. My original plan had been to get up early (which I did) and complete my ride, leaving most of the day to catch up on work. No dice. It just wasn’t safe to head out a 7:00 a.m. with such …

25 Minutes of Bliss & Lessons Learned from Injury

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“Before you come back next time, go for a short run. We need to see where that leg is at,” said Dr. Terry Andrus, my physical therapist. Wait, did I hear that correctly? Did he just clear me to go for a run? *Big smile* I guess he was reading my mind because he added, “Don’t make it a half marathon or anything. Easy and short. 20-25 minutes.” “Okay,” I replied, laughing. “I know. I know.” I was excited, but also a little bit fearful. The last time I had tried to run was February 2nd. I ran only 10 …

I’m injured, but I’m not out

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I have a case of what appears to be hamstring tendonitis in my right leg. At first, the injury led me to drop running from my training, and replace it with aqua jogging, while continuing my training with swimming and biking. However, at the end of last week, it became painfully (literally) clear to me that I would have to also drop the bike and aqua jogging. My coach took it a step further and said: no kicking while swimming. My first response: SERIOUSLY? I found it impossible to be optimistic and find the silver lining at first. This news …

Indoor training doesn’t have to be as terrible as the weather

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Cold weather doesn’t bother me. I prefer it to the warmer weather. However, snow is a problem for outdoor training – especially cycling, Unfortunately, the snow has been plentiful this winter–an anomaly for the Southern New Jersey coast. With all the snow, and limited city budgets for plowing said snow, John and I have had to ride the indoor trainer* quite a bit. If you’ve never ridden a bike trainer, you have been spared what is sometimes mental agony, resulting from spinning in circles without going anywhere, which can be similar to running on a treadmill or swimming laps in …