Ironman Lake Placid 2010 Race Report

I hope you will enjoy reading my race report below recapping the IM Lake Placid experience. I will talk about the course and event itself, and perhaps a few other things that are related in hopes of inspiring a few if not most of you to keep on in this great sport called triathlon. Beginning with the end … I for ths first time qualified for Kona out at Ironman Lake Placid and am a bit in shock but I’ll get over it soon (especially after I saw the cost that this trip will entail, putting aside this once-in-a-lifetime event and opportunity). Writing this report in the way that I am because what happened for me on Sunday would not have happened had I not read or been told about someone else that had been racing and training hard and had the good fortune of ‘qualifying for Kona’. So much has to go right besides just eating, drinking and living triathlon – a lifestyle that is awesome in and of itself in so many ways besides finishing time.

IRONMAN LAKE PLACID 

This was my second trip to Lake Placid. It also was to be my last Ironman as I had told many who know me. Yes, I have been accused of saying I was done with IM before and as recent as last year. But it is what it is, I can tell you I whole-heartedly am ready to take a step back in training to less hours, less stress, and shorter races while still being competitive and seeing what can do on 10-12 hours of training a week. as you can guess, this one had special meaning and I had big motivation to do well. We drove here – managed to take in some whitewater rafting mid-week after having hit Hershey Park in PA along the way to make the most of the week – outstanding, kids loved it as did Teri and I! We stayed at the Crown Plaza on Mirror Lake - about 1/2 mile or less from the swim start and just about the most ideal hotel location central to everything including the race itself and expo minus a 14+ percent grade hill climbing up to the hotel. Ask for a room on the main level that walks out and faces the lake! There are other great places of course, but this one sets the bar. 

My first time here was back in 2005, it was my 2^nd IM and previously I had finished IM Wisconsin in 2004 when I fell in love with this event. As a vacation destination, LP it is a GREAT PLACE to go to! My kids were so excited to return, they are now ages 9 thru 15 and so this time we were able to do more activities on the way and while in Lake Placid. One other positive – this IMLP I was going to be there with others I train with and their families – Jeff Rodgers and Jay Druml, also hooked up with Jim Dicker while we were out there when we hit Tail of the Pup BBQ, an outside casual eatery with great atmosphere and unique picnic/campground style amenities and a live band playing country and folk music. This was an AWESOME way to get away from the madness around the race site for a night with the big day coming up and I had been expo’d out. 

I was beyond pumped for this return to LP perhaps for some redemption and in hopes of qualifying for Kona – big hopes. I have been building to this race for the past few years once I got within striking distance of qualifying at IM Arizona had I not had a bike issue back in 2008 and also in IM Wisconsin back in 2009. I will share this about last year which almost didn’t happen – I finished in 10:25 having a great race and felt good all day long. I met up with one of my closest IM hommies Danny Delgado who had qualified and we talked about how the race went. When he found out I was 12-13 minutes off making the cut, he asked me how I felt during the run and I told him it was great! His quote that stayed with me throughout training this year was simple and I’ll paraphrase “Well, that’s the difference. For you to qualify, it’s not going to feel good. You’ll need to take yourself to that uncomfortable zone and figure out how to put yourself right on the edge during the run and it’s going to hurt like hell down the stretch. That’s your 12-13 minutes bro in an IM marathon. And I really want you to qualify so we can do this thing together!” I took that to heart and took it with me to Lake Placid. Thanks Danny, as you know you’re one of my best buds in this sport.  

The Course

Okay – let’s dig into this before I lose you if I haven’t already. Mountains, vista views everywhere, great restaurants and shopping in a small town located in upper state New York. The race course features a swim in Mirror Lake which is just pristine water. A somewhat demanding and technical bike course if you don’t have a strategy to not fry your legs during climbs. If it rains like it did Sunday am, you will need some experience riding on wet roads especially during a very fast descent along Rt 86 that stretches about 9 km! Bike course has some longer descents, a few rollers and false flats, and a few long climbs that include the ‘3 Bears’ – Mama, Baby and Papa during the final 10 mile climb back into town with a few flats mixed in to find your legs again temporarily. The hill climbs are nothing you can’t manage especially if you have a power meter, and nothing is so high in % grade that you melt, they are just long so you have to have some patience and discipline. Save yourself for the flats and down hills you can pedal on and you will gain time on those who hammer the climbs! And save your legs for the second loop – the wind is notoriously in your face heading back up into town at the end of each loop heading up Whiteface Mountain, and tends to get stronger as the day goes on.  For those of you that can train in hills in IL or WI, you can train for this race I assure you.

The marathon course that goes downhill early past the Olympic Ski jumps and flattens out into the country with a turnaround back again going up what turn out to be a couple of nasty steeper hills back into town capped off with a finish line located on the speed skating oval that witnessed such greatness back in the 1980 Olympics and right next door to the Olympic Hockey Stadium that most of us remember was host to the US hockey team defeating Russia in the ‘Miracle’ game.  Easy to picture yourself living there half the year, biking there all the time, and perhaps taking up other outdoor activities. I can still smell the mountain air let me tell you – like nothing else I have come across. A must do on the IM circuit!

The Race

Followed my training plan as diligently and disciplined as I could manage, and this year my diet was far more consistent in the months before and I avoided the ‘crap’ as my coach and training partner, Jay Druml, called it to get lean and mean. I eliminated starches for the most part during past couple months and ate GREAT, and yes I had to lay off the drinky – and I weighed in as light as ever at 193 pounds at 6’3” (my low was 190 the week before the race but I felt great). He told me 1 pound less would equate to 3 less watts I’d have to push on the bike to manage the same speed, and 3-4 seconds per mile on the run at same effort level. Whether that’s accurate or not being a perennial 200-205 IMer in the past, I was not about to argue since the goal was to be fast and handle the hills of LP. I had included a lot more core work as well and really honed in on my running speed this past winter and spring per Jay’s suggestion with a 12 week ‘GOAL MILE’ workout period that really made me fast by the end. I did ramp up the swim and bike to where I needed them to be before I run what would need to be a 15 minute PR in the marathon (ridiculous just saying it since I have now done 5 IMs leading up to this, harder and harder to cut more time!) - my stated goal being 3:30. Jay Druml a few weeks ago made a prediction for my times at IM LP if all went well based upon the little ‘fun house’ of training he put me through, 1 to 1:05 hr swim, 5:25 bike, 3:35 run with good conditions and 3:30 if I didn’t lose my speed towards the end. Total time should be 10:10 or better to be in contention based upon previous results, 10 hours if I feel great and hit my strategy on the nose which would mean perfect position for a slot if I can get lucky on weather as well. By the way, I may as well tell you know I hit 10:00:08 so I’d say the training plan was exactly what I needed to do this year – thank you Jay and Training Bible Coaching! Jay as a triathlete has been an inspiration to me since meeting him a couple years back as an up and coming age grouper in the ’30 somethings’ that has pushed himself to lower times more than anyone I know from where he started going sub-10 last year at IM Florida posting a 9:27. I have watched him train and talked to him about his training that Adam Zucco puts him through, chased him on his hard rides, and run with him when he was going easier and I was running harder, and swam together which is the only time I ever felt faster than him really – and that was by beating him to the wall by perhaps a stroke or two that’s it. Like Danny – Jay and I are very similar in our race times for most distances though he has the edge on me, unlike Delgado who I never see in the swim, usually pass on the bike towards the end (sorry – had to be said bro), only to be passed again on the run (there – now do you feel better?), Jay and I have had swims within seconds of one another. This year we came out of loop 1 of the swim right next to each other! I had no idea he was right with me the whole time amongst the masses as we had started with about 5-10 people in between us across the start line, and our bike splits within seconds of each other most races, and like Danny Jay passes me on the run in a very sportsman-like fashion … most times. What’s the message this year?  Andy – you gotta learn to run the IM marathon! Message received.

This year, I am now competing in a new age group - M40-44. Never thought I’d say this, but I am REALLY glad I turned 40 this year based upon the 30-somethings I saw out in IMLP flying by and seeing the finishing times they posted! Forecast was for some rain on race weekend and race morning, can’t control the elements so I never really let that get into my head. I did drive the bike course twice this year – two different mornings with coffee – once by myself and once with Jay and Jeff Rodgers whom I ride with as well. I wanted to feel comfortable and familiar with the descents in particular and the areas I could find a rhythm to gain some time. Also, I was excited because I had exited my 30s faster than I entered them. I have several people and a handful of training partners to thank for this, including Chris Palmquist who is one of the best coaches I know who prepped me for and qualified me for Boston 2009 aside from a few IMs and other triathlons I nailed with her guidance - my times consistently improved each and every time. I learned how to properly train for and commit to a strategy at an IM race under her! She is the best I know at managing the athlete with a busy life! No offense Jay, you have been simply great in so many ways and spot on in your training plan you laid out for me, advantage being we were able to train together, give grief to one another and you really dialed into who I was as a triathlete, what my strengths and weaknesses were first-hand since we trained together often, and how I was going to knock off enough time to have a shot at Hawaii.  Hope this message is received well by both of you as my friends, valued peers and highly regarded coaches.

Quick funny story – last swim before the race – this is written by Jay Druml and is hysterical!!

Have to share a quick story that you’ll all have a good laugh at about our little swimming adventure in LP.  AB, JR, myself and another friend of mine (Brian) all decided to do our swim recon on Friday morning for about 20 minutes.  We all start swimming together and plan to do a quick 10 minutes out and back along the course.  At about the 10 minute mark, three of us stop to regroup but notice there’s no sign of JR.  About 20-30 yards back we see JR approaching kind of just doing his own thing.  AB and I decide to try to have a little fun at JR’s expense and attempt to scare him a bit, so as JR approaches AB is first to go under and is swimming underneath JR in some quasi underwater breast stroke.  No reaction from JR.  As JR approaches me, I go under the water and kind of hover about 4 feet down with my back to the bottom of the lake and JR swims directly over the top of me.  Still no reaction from JR.  In fact we thought he was being a prick for not indulging us with a response, so after he was about 10 yards further up the lake, I decide to take action.  I sprint in the water to catch him, and when I do, I sit in his draft and begin grabbing his toes and feet/ankles with every stroke.  I continue to grab at his feet for about 20 or so strokes.  Still no reaction from JR.  With that I swim up further on his body and with both hands I grab his right leg just above his knee and let him pull me for a real quick second before I let go.  STILL no reaction from JR.  AB, Brian, and myself just sit there in the middle of the lake laughing and trying to figure out why he wouldn’t stop. 

It then dawns on us that maybe that wasn’t JR.  We ponder for about 30 seconds if JR had a swim cap on or not as this guy we were playing with didn’t have a cap on.  We decide to call it quits and work our way back to the swim start.  We get back to the beach and after about 2 minutes comes JR with his Red swim cap on. 

Oops, really glad that dude in the water didn’t punch me.

Jay

LOL!!!!

Night before and morning of ….

Several calls and emails and texts from good friends and MSMers alike, lots of good vibes in the air, some thoughts and prayers sent up, and the typical well wishes one would expect from those close to you - overall was feeling relaxed and race ready, and knew I had a lot of people backing me up on this effort coming on Sunday.

Morning of woke at 3:30 am, ate my 1000 calories of breakfast and lightly stretched a bit and mentally started to dial in to what I had to do pre-race. All check ins and drop-offs went without a hitch.  Special needs bags were quite a ways away from the transition area so if you have the chance to race here – take your Bike and Run Special Needs out to the boathouse across Mirror Lake first  before heading to your bike to do last minute stuff before the swim.

Swim start …

In 2005 – I made the mistake of starting right up front and center ahead of 2000+ adrenaline filled age groupers that I thought I was fast enough to stay in front of. Man was I mistaken and that was my first experience in Tarzan swimming. I had no stomach after the rough swim I encountered though I did PR it by posting a 1:02 (perhaps was sucked along with the masses), I suffered during the bike as a result of not being able to get much down, but I recovered during second loop by backing off and getting water down along with Gatorade and gels, and managed to run the marathon in 4:16 which was a PR.

2010 – I got in the water which felt so great – temp had to be around 70 and water was calm, rain clouds were overhead so I knew rain was coming as forecasted but was to be gone by late morning. It was just after 6:30 and no one had entered yet – perfect. Swam across and warmed up a bit but got to the far shore ahead of the masses and waited under the starting line which was flags strewn across to the pier overhead. So easy to relax now and I had my line perfectly set as people piled in the water, I had no real stress, although a few did come over and jump in front of me along the shore but I simply made small talk with them and stayed knee deep in the water as up front as possible and remained as far right as I could manage so I could hit a line towards the far buoy with little contact and find some open water and my pace.

The swim went the best I could have imagined this year. Got a great start, found some fast feet a few hundred yards up and my line was dead on with the turn buoy so I knew I was in good shape. A few bumps and some jostling around the turns – Tarzan swim practice is essential my friends!! It is used during the crowded turns! When I lost fast feet, I did keep a steady effort and focused solely on swim form and relaxing and breathing just as I practiced and imagined leading up to the race. only minor issue was most of the loop 1 I had a drafter on me that was constantly touching my feet but made no difference to me since it was not affecting how I felt or was swimming and I too was happy on someone else’s draft half the time I’d guess.

Out of the water after loop 1 and wouldn’t ya know – the pesky swimmer was none other than Jay Druml who yells “Hey DUDE! What’s up?? How do you feel?” and then around the dock along the sand we went and re-entered the water for loop 2. He dove out in front of me – I planned to get on his feet but he had jumped between two swimmers, and when I dove I got sandwiched between them as they both aimed to get on his feet as well. Tarzaned over the top of one of them to the inside and lost Jay. Did have open water, but after about 50 yards someone grabbed my foot and then grabbed my calf as if to tell me I cut them off. But again, as Chris P. had told me before (yes, she still pops up in my head during a race!) you are entitled to your water and don’t get upset when the bumping occurs in the swim, stick with your swim and move on best you can, do not stress or retaliate, move on.  I did. Found some feet on and off during second loop and was swimming well and steady, was getting tired but came out of the water feeling like I wanted to this year but had no idea what my time was. Lots of people in front of me so I assumed I was somewhere around 1:05. (Turned out to be a PR 1:01 which ended up being very important at the end of the day – whew!). 

Bike course …

Solid transition – won’t spend time here (surprised you are I’m sure). But it was raining as forecasted and the big descent down from Lake Placid on Rt 86 lasts about 6 miles, after a few early hill climbs and getting passed by a lot of people hammering early, even witnessed a wipe out at the bottom of the downhill leaving transition that everyone was warned about but a few ignore – what a way to start the bike and perhaps end the race!

Anyways, the descents are exhilarating but also it was about as scared as I’ve been on a bike given the wet and windy conditions. 100% focus was on handling the bike and not taking my hands off the handlebars. Half the way down you hit some pretty high speeds and on wet with occasional cross-winds roads your bike tends to wobble and waiver since you are pretty much hydroplaning. The key I am told is to have weight forward not back so the front wheel can stay on the ground vs. jump when you hit some small bumps. I believe I found new religion during this descent – and yes Chris P this may have been my second time I think I saw Jesus because I could not help but talk to the greater power above, beg forgiveness for all sorts of things, explained my situation, and asked for help getting down this treacherous descent in one piece.

Luckily the roads in Lake Placid overall are very nice and mostly smooth throughout. Rest of the loop was all about managing my watts on the power meter which Jay honed in to 230-240 and I nailed it this day – averaged 238. Worst part being on the up hills I got passed by a lot of people seemingly as I was told to keep watts below 300 if at all possible, never exceeding 350 for any lengthy period on the steepest of climbs. This was mentally very hard for me, I felt good and hated getting passed uphill, but I noticed I regained ground on the flats on smaller hills and false flats maintaining a steady effort using watts, and on the slight down hills others were coasting and I was still pushing my targeted watts which ended up being a big difference. Loop 2 was more of the same, certainly tougher on the legs but the rain had let up. Unfortunately the wind picked up as usual for the return trip into town. I had skipped special needs and my fueling was going well – new this year was using Infinit and no solids except for bananas as needed plus a few gels, and water. I am now a believer!!! By the way, last comment on the bike course is your bike splits will be fast on the way out to the turnaround on the second stick, and will be slow on the way back into town as you head back up in elevation. You are going down the mountain to the flats and rollers and then you come back upl into Lake Placid via White Face Mountain - for about 10 miles. Ended up nailing a 5:24 bike split this time versus my 5:50 back in 2005 and in line with my 5:25 at Madison last year.

Almost home now!!! Here comes the run. I could here Marv Albert saying to me in my head “It ALLLL … comes DOWNNN … to THIS!”  

Run course …

Upon exiting T2, a volunteer looked at me and my BIB#  and told me “989 – Andrew - you are currently 6^th in your age group” This was my first reality check for how I was doing this day, and it was a nice wind in my sails! This year Jay told me to keep the race simple – it involves a long swim, a long ride that you want to feel pretty good by about mile 80 or 90 to know you paced yourself well and kept your watts in target, and then a run that involves a 10-15 mile warm-up near IM pace. The second half of the marathon, and specifically the last 10 miles is what it will come down to and the goal is to race this as fast as you can manage without blowing up – and this is where it’s gonna hurt like hell in order to qualify.   Well – I had been hitting 7:50s in my training all summer long off the long, hard bike workouts and at IMLP the first few miles like the bike course go downhill away from Lake Placid only to loop back again.  This is why everyone’s splits are fast early, slow late in the loops if you track on-line. First loop I hurt like heck in my low back and legs from being aero which is normal, but my stride was good, high cadence, relaxed as much as possible, and hit the first porta-potty instead if doing so in T2 this year because I just wanted to get going on the run and get out with space from the other athletes vs. in the transition area. Perhaps that’s where I lost the 9 seconds that would have resulted in a sub-10 hr IM in hindsight since I had to go BAAAD. Okay, too much information … moving on!

I typically break the IM run into 4 x 10ks (6 miles) mile loops and then worry about closing the final mile or two best I can. Works well mentally and easier to pace with this in mind.  My effort increases with each 10k, but only slightly, so I learned to make my first 10k the warm up before being right on IM pace. Good news is with some early down hills and relaxing I was hitting 7:50s, and I had legs to come back into town up some climbs steady but not too strong because I would be seeing these hills again. There is a turnaround along the lake which is full of fanfare and flat, so I was able to move past loop 1 feeling better and better but working moderately hard by the end of it. I made a big decision right here – I was very dialed in and focused, and like training runs called ‘envelope runs’ when you don’t look at your watch and feel your pace and effort, the purpose being you run better when you actually don’t know how fast your going or how high your HR is running, so I told myself not to look again until after the second turnaround and just feel my way out there. I was rewarded with the down hills again heading out of town again and maintained pace and was really hitting some good mile splits - between 7:30 and 7:50 – best I felt all day actually. But I knew the pain was coming and my legs were beginning to get a little heavy on some small rises out in the country along the stick and at the turnaround, this was when the race began for me mentally because I had been counting down miles and each one began to hurt more than the last maintaining my pace.  

Looked at my watch for first time in 6 miles, saw 2:28 total run time (had no idea what my bike split or swim split was by the way so I had to guesstimate I was sub 10:15 or even 10:10 at this point) with about 7 miles to go – my heart jumped a bit and the adrenaline picked up for a bit – I was about to go 3:30 in an IM, I am on pace right now for a great time. Wow.   Hang on to it! Legs began hurting and now I started picking off aid stations, telling myself there are other 40-44s out here behind me, cannot walk now, too far along. Then I saw the Ford Motivational Sign that posts my own phrase I keyed in before the race “BIB 989 – Andrew Buchta - FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED!”

Indeed I now had to and I fought off the urge to walk knowing I had to simply not cramp and make it up the last couple hills with short quick strides and forget about pace on those, need to be able to close the final 2 miles as hard as I can. 

Second time up the hills was brutal! I was very unaware of anything else around me at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I did see and acknowledge family, kids, and friends on sidelines of course, but was all business today and even my wife said I was a bit quieter when passing by and seemed to be in a zone. I got to Mile 25 – which was great – only to be passed by not one but TWO guys flying with a 40 and a 41 on their calves. “FU….!” Well, I told myself all day not to deviate from target, push but don’t blow up, so I chased but did not sprint, was definitely anaerobic though down the closing stretch and entering the Olympic Speed Skating Oval for the finish.  This was the first time I saw the total time clock … and it said 09:59:24.  Insert more expletives right about here!!! Right then I heard Mike Reilly announce to the fans at the finish “Let’s see if we can get Andy Buchta from Crystal Lake, IL around the track in 13 seconds!” I went from relief to be finishing and hitting my run strategy on the head to a sudden wave of panic and anxiety that I was now being watched by hundreds to cross in under 10 hours … which was NOT going to happen! I was already running all out and as I turned the final corner to the finish I watched the clock turn 10:00:00. Well, you can guess the next part. Instead of a big surge and cheer from the crowd, I end up hearing a mass and collective sigh, “Awwwwwww!!!!”. How ironic and humorous is that?? If that was the worst thing that could happen today, I’ll give up the 9 seconds for a 9:59 in favor of the 1:30 that was the difference in me qualifying for Kona – hands down! Finished in 10:00:08 officially – and truly with nothing left in the tank!

Headed straight to medical tent afterwards, I always do just in case I’m worse off than I think when I finish … good thing I did because I ended up there for about an hour!

I was low on sodium level so slightly hypnotremic (sp?) and they were glad I came into the tent. My ratio was 130 and I guess it's supposed to be 138-144 or something in that range sodium to water. Drank a bunch of chicken broth with bullion cubes in it and PowerAde, a few sticks in the arm for blood work, was overall fine but a bit spacey (yes - Wellman – I know – this is normal for me so what’s the big deal? Jerk) and legs hurt like a mother!  Still did not know my status for qualifying or not but figured I was in the hunt. Wife came in and told me unofficially I had finished 8^th in age group, 62^nd overall.  Unreal, couldn’t believe it, still trying to actually and seriously. Liked my chances for a slot – and sure enough I found out soon after and confirmed the next morning as I signed up for Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii that some dreams due come true. Made it by a about 1:30 – there was one roll-down in my age group but most age groups the top slots all get taken. There were 10 in mine because of the size of M40-44 being at 463 athletes. Whew!!!!

Thanks everyone for reading – cannot wait for the Big Island experience. Big thanks to all that know me, especially my wife and kids for putting up with this past year (okay – past 7 years), cheered me on, pushed me harder, believed in me, put up with my occasional ‘Triathlon Terrett’s’ and/or sudden mood changes, and supported me thru the highs and lows and also to those who make fun of me to keep me grounded. You guys and gals are all the best – every one of you is an important step along the way to a race result like this one and will be savored for a long, long time.

Andy 

P.S.

Final thoughts ….

Wrote the following during car ride home in my head and now sharing with you. call it a post-script or something like that.

KONA

One word. One place. So much meaning and rich history to amateur and professional triathletes alike.

As you all know, this is the home for the Ironman World Championship each year and the birthplace of the event itself. It is called the ultimate or ‘grand-daddy’ of the Ironman events to take on in a triathlete’s career. Several within the Multisport Madness tri-club have gone before and will again and this has been a seemingly distant goal of mine since I began racing like so many others in the sport. If you can get there via qualifying, lottery, or charity slot, your triathlon life may even feel complete as I understand. Experienced by so few, and yet talked about by so many. After 6 attempts I can now say I will be finding out what this mystical place with all the hype surrounding it within our sport is all about. A bit overwhelming. Okay, very overwhelming, yet also humbling considering the field that will be in attendance there and I don’t just mean the people who qualify. I read the stories about the various athletes that race in Kona each year when published or on TV when the race is televised, and there are people that will be doing this race that have suffered great losses in their life, or have been disabled but overcome the odds, or are doing this for a bigger cause being a charity or ailing relative or to answer a challenge that came from within to turn their life in a new direction and overcome one of the most grueling days a person may experience in their life if the weather serves up a heat wave.

For me, this will be a rewarding and reflective experience all the way through as I think of everyone else I know and have spent time with training and racing triathlons since I began several years back. Unlike other races, my goal is to soak it in, live the experience in full appreciation and respect for all that compete in an IM each year regardless of ability or finishing time. We all make big sacrifices and so do our families to allow us to compete in an IM, and I will absolutely be checking my ego at the door I assure you given the company I will be in. I am there with my ‘for the love of the game’ thoughts in my head, which is something I typically write down somewhere before a race as a reminder of why I do this crazy stuff and to keep things in perspective.