Tag: ironmanlakeplacid

Rational Brain/Emotional Brain: 2013 Ironman Lake Placid Race Report

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I wanted so badly for this race report to be a zero-to-hero story, the dream-come-true-story, the local-small-town-girl-goes-big-Kahuna story. I wanted to be the dark horse that no one saw coming. I wanted to be the American Dream equivalent of Ironman racing – work hard, realize your dreams. I wanted to qualify for Kona. But, I didn’t. Despite giving this race everything I had – mentally and physically – I came up short for a Kona slot, 4 minutes and 53 seconds short to be exact.  That’s how far ahead the 4th place woman was. She earned the last Kona slot in …

Ironman Taper Progresses: A Case of Whoa Nellies with a Side of Joyful Weeping

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It’s just days from Ironman Lake Placid. And, I’m well into the taper, as I wrote last week. If you’ve ever experienced a taper from endurance training, then you know that it brings with it a range of emotions, from irritability to anxiety to excitement to joy. The irritability stage is usually first for me, and on Monday it hit me pretty hard. I spent most of the day trying to keep myself from hurting someone – especially after the women in the aqua aerobics class hit me in the head and hand with the lane rope. GRRR! But, yesterday’s episode of taper …

I have a secret… I love to taper

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That’s right. You read that headline correctly. I. LOVE. TO. TAPER. In fact, I think it’s pretty darn taper-ific. I realize this taper-love makes me something of an endurance-weirdo. I read the tweets, Facebook statuses, and articles that attest to how much people hate to taper, or find the taper as something that must be tolerated, not loved. Sure, I understand the taper-tantrums. The first time I did a “real” taper was before my first marathon. I didn’t like it so much that first time. But, on race day, I was able to run so well, on such fresh legs …

Off the Plan: Does spontaneous dancing count as cross training?

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Sunday morning I woke up and was all ready to knock out my scheduled training plan for the day. First, I was all like:   Then, I was all like: Normally, after a long day of training, John and I stick to a pretty set plan of the 3 R’s: refuel, recover, and rack out on the couch. Yet, by the end of the day on Sunday, we were all like: What happened, right? With just under 4 weeks to go until Ironman Lake Placid for me, and just under 3 weeks to the Vermont 100 for him, this type of …

Training Days are Teachers – Learn From Them

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“Tomorrow you will find out where you are with your training,” I said. “Take note of what goes well and what doesn’t. It’s just a training day – learn from it. You’ve got 8 weeks until race day to work on whatever needs work.” It was Friday night, May 31st, and I was giving a presentation to the group of athletes assembled for the Draper Training & Nutrition Lake Placid Training camp. The next morning, we’d be doing two loops of the Ironman Lake Placid bike course. But that night, I didn’t realize how important my advice would be–for myself. My …

(Not) Just Like the First Time: The Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course

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As we drove north to Lake Placid last weekend, and the one-dimensional terrain of southern New Jersey gave way to the peaks of the Adirondacks, I could feel the flapping of those butterfly wings in my belly. It was a mixture of both excitement and anxiety as we returned to what I consider to be my “home” Ironman course. We were heading to Lake Placid for a long training weekend. John would be running Mt. Marcy in preparation for the VT100 on July 20. I would be joining the Fireman Ironman training camp for a swim-bike-run of the course in anticipation …

Suffer Today, Win Tomorrow: 20 Weeks to Ironman Lake Placid

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Twenty weeks, five months, less than half of a year. That’s how much training time I have from now until my third go round with Ironman Lake Placid. (Previous IMLP race reports here: 2010, 2011.) With some experience, my understanding of what “5 months of training” means has changed considerably. For my first Ironman, 20 weeks to go was filled with questions such as: Will I finish? Will I hear Mike Reilly call my name as I cross the finish line? How difficult will it be to pee during the race? What goes on in the changing tent? Is it …

The Anti-Skiing Ski Vacation

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“So, you really aren’t going to ski?” John asked. We were packing for our weekend trip to his grandparents’ vacation home Vermont. “Nope. My body is a temple,” I replied. “I’ve got to respect the temple.” Ever since I started training for Ironman, I have come to see my body in a very different way, as something to build, to strengthen, to protect, and to respect. Sounds like some kind of temple to me. At almost 40 years old, I am the fittest I have ever been in my life. I have worked very hard to build my temple, and …

Preparation Rituals: Ironman Race Week Tips

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Ironman race week is here. The training is done. All that remains are the final, don’t-mess-this-up-now preparations. It can be quite easy to get off track in the final days leading into an Ironman: there’s so much excitement, new places to explore, people to chat up, gear bags to pack, bikes to drop off, athlete dinners to attend, expos to walk through. All of this excitement seems cruel at a time when you need to relax, rest and reserve energy. It can be very easy to go off the rails and make decisions that could affect you on race day. …

There is no magic on race day

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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act. But a habit.” (Will Durant) Last weekend, John and I traveled to Lake Placid to watch and volunteer at the second oldest Ironman in North America. So, you know what that means… Yup, I’m doing IMLP again. Third time is a charm. Back to where my love affair with the 140.6 began, and (hopefully) back to where I will take my long course racing to the next level. After I successfully registered for the 2013 race (which was no small feat considering I left my ID at home), …