Here we go - only 24 hours until the IM dance begins. There is an overwhelming sense of stress sitting on my head & shoulders, but it is accompanied by a feeling that there is absolutely nothing I can do about it now - all the work and planning is going to play out as it will on race day.
Up at 6:30 am for breakfast. Mike headed out for a loop of the swim course, leaving from the hotel beach. Talk about convenient! The Golden Arrow Hotel in downtown Lake Placid is really great. Not to mention the wonderful hotel staff. Yesterday, they cleaned the room with Logan in it and then later gifted him a tennis ball & doggie treats wrapped in a cute cellophane packet. How amazing!
24 July 2008
23 July 2008
Friday, 18 July 2008
Only two days away at this point. Things are getting busier!
Swimming!
After a quick breakfast of amazing granola that Virginia had found (Dorset Cereal - from the UK!), Mike headed to the Gatorade swim for a lap. We met up with Debbie Cavender who did a short swim, sans wetsuit. She was great - shared w. us that she got a little freaked out in the water without the bouyancy of a wetsuit. Debbie is a very strong swimmer, so somehow, her fears helped settle me down as I had these feelings of freaking out at every swim.
Multisport Breakfast & Words of Wisdom from IM Champions
Went to the Multisport breakfast at the Northwoods Inn. Food was horrible and mostly gone when I arrived 10 minutes late (no oatmeal, just gluteny danishes and some sour fruit cocktail & gelatin-filled yogurt). The coffee & OJ were perfect fluids though and I shouldn't complain as it was all complimentary (aka, FREE!)
Paula, Heather, Sue Fraser, Jimmy Riccatello and Michael Lovato all spoke.
Paula's advice was to go out and 'Have a Day' - she said some of us would have a GREAT day, but regardless, we'd all have a 'Day' and it was up to us to handle what the course and conditions threw at us. Her analysis that athletes get to the race and think something magical is going to happen & everything will fall into place - that is hardly the case. We'd have tough times and wonderful times and it was up to us to determine how we'd handle it. For example, if we bonked on a long ride, we'd go into a convenience store and grab a Snickers bar & Red Bull to pull us out of it. We needed to do the same planning and have backup strategies for race day. The key was to keep asking yourself what your body needs and try things to deal with the issue. [I'd call upon this advice on race day more than I realized!]
Michael Lovato was absolutely hilarious.
Sue Fraser stopped to chat after the talk. She is totally amazing with all the planning and work she does for NA Sports. Honestly, I think she's the brains behind everything! And so modest, too!
Saw Debbie having a very nice-looking blueberry pancake breakfast and as we were talking, it became so apparent to me the wonderful things I have in my life, thanks to my husband. He really has helped me more than I could have hoped/asked.
I got back to the hotel just as Mike & Virginia were heading out - we had errands to run to prep for Sunday!
I was so thankful to have my fabulous husband to walk me through the options and help guide the process, as well as take care of things! He is fantastic!
We placed everything on the bed and went thru the scenarios, including planning out the nutrition/bottles I'd need, when I'd take things. It went so smoothly and we had a very sleepy little supervisor in Lolo
Dinner Plans
We had planned to pick up an extra ticket for my wonderful husband to join us at the Athlete's Banquest/PreRace Dinner. Mike & Virginia had tried to get an extra ticket but no luck - were told it was sold out, but we could go to the dinner and buy a ticket from an athlete who had an extra one. We drove out to the Horseshow Grounds. Nice idea - didn't pan out as about 30 others athletes hoped to do the same.
As we waited for an opportunity to buy a ticket, Juan and Mike Thacker (also from the Multisports Camp) came up and suggested that since they needed three extra tickets for Mike's family/crew, we should just go & eat at a nice restaurant. Nicola's it was for the second night in a row, but we knew what we wanted to eat, at least! We sold our extra ticket and headed back into town. :)
Swimming!
After a quick breakfast of amazing granola that Virginia had found (Dorset Cereal - from the UK!), Mike headed to the Gatorade swim for a lap. We met up with Debbie Cavender who did a short swim, sans wetsuit. She was great - shared w. us that she got a little freaked out in the water without the bouyancy of a wetsuit. Debbie is a very strong swimmer, so somehow, her fears helped settle me down as I had these feelings of freaking out at every swim.
Multisport Breakfast & Words of Wisdom from IM Champions
Went to the Multisport breakfast at the Northwoods Inn. Food was horrible and mostly gone when I arrived 10 minutes late (no oatmeal, just gluteny danishes and some sour fruit cocktail & gelatin-filled yogurt). The coffee & OJ were perfect fluids though and I shouldn't complain as it was all complimentary (aka, FREE!)
Paula, Heather, Sue Fraser, Jimmy Riccatello and Michael Lovato all spoke.
Paula's advice was to go out and 'Have a Day' - she said some of us would have a GREAT day, but regardless, we'd all have a 'Day' and it was up to us to handle what the course and conditions threw at us. Her analysis that athletes get to the race and think something magical is going to happen & everything will fall into place - that is hardly the case. We'd have tough times and wonderful times and it was up to us to determine how we'd handle it. For example, if we bonked on a long ride, we'd go into a convenience store and grab a Snickers bar & Red Bull to pull us out of it. We needed to do the same planning and have backup strategies for race day. The key was to keep asking yourself what your body needs and try things to deal with the issue. [I'd call upon this advice on race day more than I realized!]
Michael Lovato was absolutely hilarious.
Sue Fraser stopped to chat after the talk. She is totally amazing with all the planning and work she does for NA Sports. Honestly, I think she's the brains behind everything! And so modest, too!
Saw Debbie having a very nice-looking blueberry pancake breakfast and as we were talking, it became so apparent to me the wonderful things I have in my life, thanks to my husband. He really has helped me more than I could have hoped/asked.
I got back to the hotel just as Mike & Virginia were heading out - we had errands to run to prep for Sunday!
- My spare tyre needed to be stretched & glued. Wayne (whose place we swim at on Friday mornings) had suggested to take it to the Inside Out Sports guys. Of course - my buddy, Lawrence "Tractor" Garcia, would take care of it. We dropped it off to be picked up on Saturday.
- Mike picked up the additional batteries for the cycle computer [who knew it took 4!!! Juan had loaned me one, I bought one, but still needed two more!!] and get whatever other small things I needed.
- We also picked out a new race belt - Mike teased me that mine was so old school it still used safety pins to hold the number! I liked it b/c it was from a friend's company, Rip 'n' Hammer, acquired when I first started racing duathlons in Canada over 14 years ago. But yeah, the new Fuel Belt one was sweet and could be accessorized w. a little pouch for electrolyte tabs.
I was so thankful to have my fabulous husband to walk me through the options and help guide the process, as well as take care of things! He is fantastic!
We placed everything on the bed and went thru the scenarios, including planning out the nutrition/bottles I'd need, when I'd take things. It went so smoothly and we had a very sleepy little supervisor in Lolo
Dinner Plans
We had planned to pick up an extra ticket for my wonderful husband to join us at the Athlete's Banquest/PreRace Dinner. Mike & Virginia had tried to get an extra ticket but no luck - were told it was sold out, but we could go to the dinner and buy a ticket from an athlete who had an extra one. We drove out to the Horseshow Grounds. Nice idea - didn't pan out as about 30 others athletes hoped to do the same.
As we waited for an opportunity to buy a ticket, Juan and Mike Thacker (also from the Multisports Camp) came up and suggested that since they needed three extra tickets for Mike's family/crew, we should just go & eat at a nice restaurant. Nicola's it was for the second night in a row, but we knew what we wanted to eat, at least! We sold our extra ticket and headed back into town. :)
Thursday, 17 July 2008: Amazing things in store!
The morning dawned beautifully today - had some amazing steel cut oatmeal that I had brought. It's frozen in pre-made packages, mixed with brown sugar & maple syrup. Apparently, a product of Canada sold at Trader Joe's in the US! Wild. Delicious with a bit of soy milk. A cup of coffee and I headed out to the Gatorade Swim to do a lap of the course at 7:00 am.
Gatorade Swim
The Gatorade Swim is simply a cordened area open from 7 - 11 am each day, starting on Wednesday to race day. Volunteers provide bright green Gatorade plastic bags for you to store your gear while you swim. They write a number (1 to infinity!) on the bag and on your hand with dark black marker so you can claim your kit when done. They'll also give you a bottle of Gatorade Endurance formula when you are done. It's a very nice perk!
Virginia, Logan & I were the first to arrive as the volunteers opened, right at 7:00 am. Other swimmers already in the water and getting their wetsuits on, but when I dropped my gear, I was stunned to receive 'Number 1' on my bag and hand. Wild. Certainly that would be a good omen for being able to complete my first IM!
The woman at the table also recognized that Logan was a soft-coated Wheaton Terrier. She had raised a Norwich Terrier who had won Westminster! Wow. We got star treatment with Lolo there!
The swim went well - very easy 42 minutes. I was encouraged that I did it, but still nervous about being able to do two laps with 2500+ athletes surrounding me in a giant washing machine!
Registration
After cleaning up, we walked down to the Transition area & I registered for the race! Ha, ha, ha! Almost forgot the most important thing. It was unbelievably easy. Small line in the High School gymnasium, gave my name, signed my sheets of paper, weighed in [much heavier than expected - what up w. that?? Darn taper] and then had a nice volunteer walk me thru the packet w. numbers and sparkly bracelet which I'd wear for the next four days. Picked up race poster & an extra banquet ticket for Virginia... I was a little miffed to pay $25 for catered pasta & iceberg lettuce salad, but hey, you only do your first IM once!
A Short Ride to Test the Bike, followed by a T-Run
After the swim, we chilled for a bit - had lunch & I had sent an email to ride with one of the guys from the Multisports Camp, Juan Andrade. We met up at 1:00 pm and rode the run course loop, heading up into Lake Placid to ride the Three Bears (a series of gentle, small hills which loom larger than life in the race - Momma Bear, a tiny bump known as Baby Bear, followed by the much steeper Poppa Bear]. In less than the first mile, my cycle computer started blinking, then went dead. Wow - what a good thing to actually do a test ride! Note for next year: Swap out batteries on computer!!!
As we rode out of town, there was a cyclist in front of us who seemed to be tooling around. Juan passed him first and as I rode up, I thought there was something VERY familiar about the guy's low-rider shorts, muffin top & orange t-shirt blowing in the wind. Sure enough - it was Darren! Another guy from the Multisports Camp. He linked up with us and then he & Juan rode hard into town. I took it easy - very easy - tooling behind them.
My bike seat had been raised about 2 cm, so I really wanted to ensure it was not causing any leg/back problems. When I headed out for the t-run around the lake, I was incredibly comfortable. Perhaps it was due to the Taper & rest week, but I felt like I could run the entire course! The Newton shoes are also incredible.
The BEST Surprise EVER!!!
When I returned, after I showered, my sister insisted I have a nap. I wasn't going to argue that one as it seemed the stress of getting ready, driving & fearing the swim had exhausted me. Virginia decided to take Logan for a walk, so I settled down to rest and surf the Ironman Lake Placid info in an attempt to get organized for Sunday's main event.
They had been out for about 30 minutes when I heard a knock on the door and a male voice calling 'Room Service'. Huh? Likely a mistake in room number, but I thought I'd check it out. It even crossed my mind that if it was anything good, I'd just keep it for us!
I was confused as I opened the door to see Logan in his haltie. I guessed Virginia had arrived just behind the room service guy but when my glance caught the man I was speechless. IT WAS MY HUSBAND!
Mike had flown all the way from England to Montreal and driven to Lake Placid to support me in my first Ironman. WOW. My hands went to my mouth and I just stood there, tears welling up in my eyes. What a wonderful surprise! I am so blessed in being married to this amazing man.
After huge hugs and many kisses, I think I recovered, although I was in complete disbelief for at least the next hour!
I had worried that I'd not heard from Mike and he was offline from the computer for the last day. This could have been because he was incredibly busy or the work servers were experiencing difficulty - but he also hadn't called me the night prior. Again, not a stretch because he was likely exhausted, but it did worry me as it is our habit to talk every night [Thanks, Vonage!]. For a nanosecond, I considered that he might be coming to Lake Placid, but I immediately had dismissed the thought: how could he get time away when he was so busy? Besides he had just been here a week ago for the GM Shutdown period! I was so thrilled!!
Mike settled in and we spent the evening prepping for the race, having a wonderful dinner at Nicola's. They do some incredible dishes that border on gourmet, although the service was taxed by the volume of athletes!
I slept like a dream that night thinking just three more sleeps and I have the chance to be an Ironman!
Gatorade Swim
The Gatorade Swim is simply a cordened area open from 7 - 11 am each day, starting on Wednesday to race day. Volunteers provide bright green Gatorade plastic bags for you to store your gear while you swim. They write a number (1 to infinity!) on the bag and on your hand with dark black marker so you can claim your kit when done. They'll also give you a bottle of Gatorade Endurance formula when you are done. It's a very nice perk!
Virginia, Logan & I were the first to arrive as the volunteers opened, right at 7:00 am. Other swimmers already in the water and getting their wetsuits on, but when I dropped my gear, I was stunned to receive 'Number 1' on my bag and hand. Wild. Certainly that would be a good omen for being able to complete my first IM!
The woman at the table also recognized that Logan was a soft-coated Wheaton Terrier. She had raised a Norwich Terrier who had won Westminster! Wow. We got star treatment with Lolo there!
The swim went well - very easy 42 minutes. I was encouraged that I did it, but still nervous about being able to do two laps with 2500+ athletes surrounding me in a giant washing machine!
Registration
After cleaning up, we walked down to the Transition area & I registered for the race! Ha, ha, ha! Almost forgot the most important thing. It was unbelievably easy. Small line in the High School gymnasium, gave my name, signed my sheets of paper, weighed in [much heavier than expected - what up w. that?? Darn taper] and then had a nice volunteer walk me thru the packet w. numbers and sparkly bracelet which I'd wear for the next four days. Picked up race poster & an extra banquet ticket for Virginia... I was a little miffed to pay $25 for catered pasta & iceberg lettuce salad, but hey, you only do your first IM once!
A Short Ride to Test the Bike, followed by a T-Run
After the swim, we chilled for a bit - had lunch & I had sent an email to ride with one of the guys from the Multisports Camp, Juan Andrade. We met up at 1:00 pm and rode the run course loop, heading up into Lake Placid to ride the Three Bears (a series of gentle, small hills which loom larger than life in the race - Momma Bear, a tiny bump known as Baby Bear, followed by the much steeper Poppa Bear]. In less than the first mile, my cycle computer started blinking, then went dead. Wow - what a good thing to actually do a test ride! Note for next year: Swap out batteries on computer!!!
As we rode out of town, there was a cyclist in front of us who seemed to be tooling around. Juan passed him first and as I rode up, I thought there was something VERY familiar about the guy's low-rider shorts, muffin top & orange t-shirt blowing in the wind. Sure enough - it was Darren! Another guy from the Multisports Camp. He linked up with us and then he & Juan rode hard into town. I took it easy - very easy - tooling behind them.
My bike seat had been raised about 2 cm, so I really wanted to ensure it was not causing any leg/back problems. When I headed out for the t-run around the lake, I was incredibly comfortable. Perhaps it was due to the Taper & rest week, but I felt like I could run the entire course! The Newton shoes are also incredible.
The BEST Surprise EVER!!!
When I returned, after I showered, my sister insisted I have a nap. I wasn't going to argue that one as it seemed the stress of getting ready, driving & fearing the swim had exhausted me. Virginia decided to take Logan for a walk, so I settled down to rest and surf the Ironman Lake Placid info in an attempt to get organized for Sunday's main event.
They had been out for about 30 minutes when I heard a knock on the door and a male voice calling 'Room Service'. Huh? Likely a mistake in room number, but I thought I'd check it out. It even crossed my mind that if it was anything good, I'd just keep it for us!
I was confused as I opened the door to see Logan in his haltie. I guessed Virginia had arrived just behind the room service guy but when my glance caught the man I was speechless. IT WAS MY HUSBAND!
Mike had flown all the way from England to Montreal and driven to Lake Placid to support me in my first Ironman. WOW. My hands went to my mouth and I just stood there, tears welling up in my eyes. What a wonderful surprise! I am so blessed in being married to this amazing man.
After huge hugs and many kisses, I think I recovered, although I was in complete disbelief for at least the next hour!
I had worried that I'd not heard from Mike and he was offline from the computer for the last day. This could have been because he was incredibly busy or the work servers were experiencing difficulty - but he also hadn't called me the night prior. Again, not a stretch because he was likely exhausted, but it did worry me as it is our habit to talk every night [Thanks, Vonage!]. For a nanosecond, I considered that he might be coming to Lake Placid, but I immediately had dismissed the thought: how could he get time away when he was so busy? Besides he had just been here a week ago for the GM Shutdown period! I was so thrilled!!
Mike settled in and we spent the evening prepping for the race, having a wonderful dinner at Nicola's. They do some incredible dishes that border on gourmet, although the service was taxed by the volume of athletes!
I slept like a dream that night thinking just three more sleeps and I have the chance to be an Ironman!
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Bright and early, we prepared to drive to Lake Placid. The plan had been to leave by 5:30 am to miss the rush hour traffic across the top of Toronto. Unfortunately, we had a later start than we'd liked. To add to things, Logan decided he'd like to make a run for it and took off up the street! After a short chase, I captured the little man and we headed out. 6:30 am. We were worried about traffic but hit a wonderful window and sped through to New York, stopping at a gas station to refuel (and for Logan to stretch again) as well as at the Ontario/New York border above Watertown, NY.
It may have been a sign, but as we drove thru Watertown, there was a deluge of rain. Mmmm ... The weather did clear as we drove to Placid, but during our stop in Tupper Lake, we had to abandon plans to eat lunch on a patio as a thunder storm rolled thru. Poor Logan tried to alternately climb into my lap and under my chair to be protected. We had to put him in the car, but he was stressed by the thunder and lightning. 
Overall, he was a dream to travel with! Just settled down to look out the window.
We arrived at the Golden Arrow - our room was fabulous with a balcony & wonderful panoramic view of Mirror Lake and the swim course.
The hotel had prepared gift bags for all the athletes! How cool. 
We settled our gear and took Logan for a tour of the downtown, swim and transition area.
Getting Ready for Ironman Lake Placid!
I may change the title, but will leave it as is for now ...
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Spent the day running around crazily, trying to get everything done! Scheduled a myotherapy appointment with a new myotherapist who was very good - he worked on my neck and hip to loosen the tightness. I wasn't sure it would last until the weekend, especially as it was manic to get everything ready to leave.
After the appointment, drove to Ann Arbor and picked up my bike.
Ken was fabulous, setting up the bottle cage on the back of the P3C which was rather challenging! Although I'd not had the rear cage set for training, I was concerned that I needed it for the race (to stay hydrated). The argument against adding or using the bottle cages was the added weight to the bike. Each full 24 oz bottle weighs 2.5 lbs - if I used all cages, that would add 10 lbs to be carried up the hills in Placid. My plan was to use only one of the two at the rear, putting my spare tyre in the extra cage. More on how that worked later...
Arrived home around 4 pm, packed up the car and loaded Logan in for the drive to my sister's place in Cambridge, ON - about 3 hours away.
Virginia was fantastic - she had a wonderful order of Pad Thai takeout ready for me. It was great to finally relax & chill after the craziness of the day. Logan had a blast running around the large back yard - bombing up and down the small hill! He definitely needed to stretch his legs! He also had a bath and looks like a new puppy!
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Spent the day running around crazily, trying to get everything done! Scheduled a myotherapy appointment with a new myotherapist who was very good - he worked on my neck and hip to loosen the tightness. I wasn't sure it would last until the weekend, especially as it was manic to get everything ready to leave.
After the appointment, drove to Ann Arbor and picked up my bike.
Ken was fabulous, setting up the bottle cage on the back of the P3C which was rather challenging! Although I'd not had the rear cage set for training, I was concerned that I needed it for the race (to stay hydrated). The argument against adding or using the bottle cages was the added weight to the bike. Each full 24 oz bottle weighs 2.5 lbs - if I used all cages, that would add 10 lbs to be carried up the hills in Placid. My plan was to use only one of the two at the rear, putting my spare tyre in the extra cage. More on how that worked later...
Arrived home around 4 pm, packed up the car and loaded Logan in for the drive to my sister's place in Cambridge, ON - about 3 hours away.
Virginia was fantastic - she had a wonderful order of Pad Thai takeout ready for me. It was great to finally relax & chill after the craziness of the day. Logan had a blast running around the large back yard - bombing up and down the small hill! He definitely needed to stretch his legs! He also had a bath and looks like a new puppy!
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