Ironman Lake Placid - Take 2!

Pre-Race

After a year of training, Sean and I arrived in Lake Placid, NY, about a week before Ironman Lake Placid. 20 hours in the car behind us…and 140.6 miles of racing ahead of us. We rented a beautiful yellow house on the water with my parents. The house had its own private dock into Mirror Lake…just 2 docks down from the swim start. It was a perfect location in the midst of the beautiful mountains and clouds.

Leading up to the race, there was plenty of time to swim/bike/run with Sean and my dad as I mentally prepared for what was to come. The mental part can be the toughest. After last year, I constantly worried about fracturing my femur again or something going horribly wrong. But I tried to stay positive with many fun pre-race events with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. My dad had the chance to speak on the pro/charity panel with Heather Jackson and other amazing athletes. And the night before the race (after dropping off bikes and transition bags), we celebrated over $300,000 raised by the MMRF Team for Cures. We are so thankful for everyone who helped Sean and I reach out $10,000 fundraising goal in an effort to find a cure for blood cancer patients like my mom! I absolutely think the world of the MMRF and all of the progress they have made with blood cancer research. It really gave me a purpose for racing IMLP again this year.

After the MMRF banquet and a hearty pre-race dinner, Sean and I attended an athlete blessing at the Lake Placid Community Church. The experience was very meaningful as we sang songs, prayed, and received a blessing next to the lake where our swim start would take place. This service, support from the Lake Placid community, and connection to faith helped me sleep much better than my usual pre-race night of tossing and turning.

Swim (2.4 miles - 1:19:35)

The alarm clock went off at 4:30AM, and I knew the next time I was in bed, it would be finished…but not before a long day. So many questions raced through my mind of what the day would hold, but each race is completely different. After dropping off special needs bags and pulling on our wetsuits, I devoured some Kashi cereal, pistachios, and blueberries before making my way to the start. Sean, my dad, and I took our annual picture before finding our individual swim waves. I worked my way to the front of the 70-80 minute crew and waited…waited…waited for the race to start. Even that 10 minutes of waiting seems so long. I had some nice chats with others nervously waiting for the boom of the cannon, but really…I was just ready to go after 2 weeks of tapering.

As the race directors started moving waves of racers into the water, I looked up at the hill over the swim course and spotted my mom. We blew kisses, waved, and smiled as I walked under the starting chute. I took a mental picture to keep that image throughout the day, as I knew things would inevitably get tough. I was right, and things were tough fairly quickly due to the weather. The weather was already cold and windy during the swim start at 6:40AM, making the water choppy. I felt like I was completing an ocean swim, as opposed to the usually glassy Lake Placid lake swim. During the first loop, I even had a guy swim right overtop of me. We were not bunched up, and it was completely unnecessary. But rather than get frustrated early in the day, I made an effort to remember my mom’s smiling face. I also looked up and saw one of the kayak lifeguards who blessed us at the church service the night before. This helped me to focus on staying positive and enjoying the swim (while pushing of course!). The second loop of the swim was slower than it should have been. Between the choppy water and my nerves after going under, I just tried to stay calm and keep swimming. I was happy to finish fairly strong with little energy expended as I moved onto the bike.

T1 (9:31)

Transition 1 in Lake Placid seemed like a marathon. You have to run more than 0.25 miles (maybe even more) barefoot from the swim exit to the transition area. But the carpet is lined with spectators who yell for you and make you feel like a rock star! I was feeling strong but clearly delusional, as I accidentally grabbed my run bag instead of my bike bag while making my way to the change tent. This slowed me down a little bit, but thankfully, a wonderful volunteer ran back and grabbed the correct bag for me. I opted to wear my tri kit under my wetsuit even in the cold conditions. Because of the rain, I determined I would get wet quickly regardless. I simply pulled on some arm warmers, grabbed my helmet/shoes, and headed for my bike!

Bike (112 miles with 6700 ft. climbing - 7:06:25)

This bike was the toughest bike I have ever completed…there is simply no other way of describing it. The course is tough already due to the climbing…descending…climbing…descending in the Adirondack Mountains. They changed the course this year and added a little elevation for the 20th anniversary, so I knew it would be challenging. But it was really the conditions that made the ride horrendously hard. By the time I started the first set of climbs on the bike, the cross winds were practically blowing me off my bike while the rain poured down. Everyone around me was shaking just trying to keep their bikes upright, with lots of negative words flying. I tried to stay as positive as possible, knowing it would get me through the day. I made a few jokes to those I passed about the beautiful weather or pretending the bike was almost over/going quickly. I also gained some positivity from thoughts about my pink Dynamo Smash race kit (AKA the Haley Chura kit). So many people I saw on the bike or spectating yelled out about loving my Haley Chura kit. (Haley…if you’re reading this…this made me smile each time, and I tried to channel my inner “Haley Chura” on some of the tough sections via the amazing Smash kit.)

I was a little nervous about the long descent on the “scream to Keene,” but I reminded myself that I was prepared for this type of riding. I felt strong on the low rollers, false flats, and back up Mama Bear, Baby Bear, Papa Bear, and RayRay Bear. I maintained positivity on the second loop, while the wind/rain/cold continued. All in all…I tried to stay positive and felt pretty strong. The bike time/pace was slower than my goal, but the conditions played a large factor for everyone out of the course. In looking at the results, I was happy to see that my bike splits were much more competitive than usual. After more time on the bike than ever this year in training (including a 13 hour bike weekend and many 6+ hour Gaps days), the training really paid off in these tough conditions. Nutritionally, this was also the best I’ve ever felt getting off this long of a bike. Throughout the course of the bike, I took in Huma gel from a flask every 20 minutes (total of 10 gels) with part of a Lara Bar at the top of each hour. Lots of amazing, natural products!

T2 (6:34)

Despite the wind/rain (and maybe hail?), I had a fun time on the bike. I was still very happy to hand over my bike and head onto the run. Ironman racing (even in my "short" experience with "long" course) can be funny. I always want to get off the bike so badly. Then, I start running and would almost give anything to get back on the bike! The first few steps to transition 2 were rough. Fortunately, I grabbed the correct transition bag this time and headed to the change tent. I made a quick shoe change, ditched the arm warmers, and changed into some compression pants due to fears about my leg. I have no idea what difference I thought this would make, but it was all mental for me. I headed out for the run where my mom was waiting. I gave her a big hug for a power boost and began the marathon…already 8.5 hours into my race.

Run (26.2 miles with 1600 ft. climbing - 5:56:54)

The run and bike conditions really should have been flipped. I started the run, and the wind/rain stopped just in time for it to get a little hot. Funny how that works! Surprisingly, I felt very strong the first few miles of the run. I had some nervous femur thoughts, but I tried to stay positive once again. As i headed out on my first of 2 run loops, I saw Sean finishing his first loop for another power boost. My goal was just to keep running forward. I knew I could do this! I continued to feel strong with no real nutritional issues the first 9 miles. I took in a Huma gel every 30 minutes and grabbed water at each aid station just slowing down to a jog. Around mile 9, my stomach started to get a little upset, which made me nervous this early on into the marathon. I tried to back off on the nutrition a little bit to settle my stomach and just kept moving forward. I allowed myself to walk the aid stations to sip on water and settle my stomach.

At the 13.1 mile mark (the end of the first loop), I saw my mom which gave me a huge power boost. However, with some stomach issues and nausea, heading back out for another 13.1 miles seemed a little tough - especially when staring at the finish line after the first loop and having to pass it to head out for another half marathon. I noticed the hills much more on the second loop. Some painful downhills and some gradual rollers to the turn-around at mile 19. The turn-around seemed much further on the second loop and seemed to take forever. However, the amazing volunteers and spectators lining the course kept me super positive with hilarious signs, high fives, and power-up posters. Wiebke at the base salt tent especially gave me a huge boost, running with me for a minute. But I was bonking pretty hard. I could no longer take in any gels without getting sick, and I couldn’t even get down a pretzel. Between aid stations, I felt like I couldn’t swallow and had to fight the sickness. I probably only consumed 4 gels, a few pretzels, and more oranges than I can count (along with water) during the run, because it became so difficult to fuel. Walking, unfortunately, became more frequent as I tried to get it together. On the last 3 major hills, I was determined to run without stopping, and seeing Sean finished with his race at the top of the steepest hill really helped. At this point, there was only 2 miles to go, but those final 2 miles seemed like an eternity.

Finish (13:38:58)

I was bargaining and playing games in my head just to get myself to the finish chute. I prayed throughout the day, but that definitely became an even larger part of surviving the last 2 miles. I kept trying to remember my mom and the MMRF - why I was competing in this race - a larger purpose. Finally, I reached the amazing Lake Placid finish line around the Olympic speed skating track. Hearing Mike Reilly say those famous words, “You Are An Ironman,” was so satisfying on this tough day. Seeing Sean, my mom, and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation made every moment of struggle worth it. And watching my dad finish a few hours later with chants from the crowd close to midnight was the perfect way to close out the day.

I can’t even put into words how humbled I am by competing in this type of race. After 12 years of coming to Lake Placid as a spectator, competing in this race for the second time alongside my family for a cause close to our hearts is highly emotional for me. I love my family, Lake Placid, and endurance racing. I am so thankful for support from Team MMRF, Dynamo Multisport, Woodward Academy, Kirkwood UCC, and Coach Matthew. From a racing perspective, it’s not exactly the day I hoped for in training. I definitely have some bigger goals, particularly on the marathon. But racing triathlon is all about the journey. I feel liked I learned a ton and just enjoyed every moment. Even in the adverse conditions, I couldn’t help but smile and have a blast. All I can say is this - “I can’t wait for Ironman Lake Placid next year with the MMRF and alongside my family!” But first...Augusta 70.3 in less than 8 weeks!