Month: July 2016

July 29, 2016

Ironman Lake Placid 2016: The Mystery that Never Unfolded

 

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Heading into this race, I had a plan which culminated in a projected finish time. Based on training, I thought I could do the swim in 1:00, the bike in 5:45, and the run in 3:30. Add in some extra time for transitions and miscellaneous other miscues, so sure, maybe I could finish in 10:30. Did I expect the race to unfold this way? Absolutely not! I know that in ironman racing there are so many uncontrollable factors that can and often do interfere with your race plan. I expected this interference to come into play. I was prepared for it.

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July 11, 2016

The Taper, Two Weeks to Go, and a Twelve-Mile Run

 

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I’ve made it. Made it to the coveted ironman taper. I’m happy to say I’m still married (thanks to my husband Sam for his unwavering support! J), my kids and dog are still alive and thriving, and my body doesn’t seem to despise me for all that I’ve put it through over the past 8 months. I’ve survived. The very long rides, the runs, the hard swims, and the 5:00 AM (or earlier) daily wakeup calls are slowly winding down. It’s taper time. From here, it’s all downhill until race day. Two more weeks until I toe that starting line at Mirror Lake. Until I line up with all the other hopeful ironman athletes. It all seems so surreal. The event that I have been targeting for months on end is just around the corner. And I feel an odd sense of relief.

 

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