Lake Placid Bound...

Ironman Lake Placid 2010

So the beginning of my long awaited journey to conquer the monstrosity of Ironman has arrived. I've experienced many challenges in my 11+ years at endurance events. Starting with the 5K, 8K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Sprint, International, Century, etc. This seems the natural progression for me to push my body to the limits and finally meet Ironman right dead in the eyes, right? I've been thinking about Ironman for many years and know what it's gonna take to complete it, putting it off has been a pretty good excuse until now. :)

Wanting to pseudo-guarantee my spot in the race next year I went up to volunteer. I had a pretty good gig, the VIP dinner on Friday night. No, it wasn't the "Tri-Stars" (which I was hoping to rub elbows with) but corporate sponsors, politicians, etc. All I had to do was check gold wrist bands, yes I was exhausted and standing in the rain but I wasn't complaining. Watching the athletes dinner was a great experience, everyone should attend this.

I stayed at Paul Smith's College which was 30 minutes away from Lake Placid. It was dirt cheap for a weekend to volunteer and watch the race but not recommended for an athlete. I felt like I was worlds away from the Lake Placid action.

I rode some of the back roads (HILLS) in the Paul Smith's, NY area. I wanted to wrap my head around what I was in store for. I bricked a 20 mile ride with a 3 mile run. The temps were in the 60's and not humid, perfect. These hills are gonna be hard to train for since I live in the flattest part of Virginia. I'm gonna have to journey out and make some weekend trips to hills around Virginia or North Carolina. My spin bike isn't gonna cut what your legs need to feel when mounting the hills of Lake Placid.

So many stories to share about the 4 days I was there, but I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Mirror Lake

Proud IronMom (LP Winner Ben Hoffman)

Ben Hoffman 8:39:34

Amy Marsh 9:27:30

The race was amazing and I was so inspired. Into the wee hours of the night as it creeps closer and closer to midnight the crowds on the "grassy knoll" get bigger, louder, and the music and energy is intoxicating. I watched some athletes that were dragging themselves to the finish line, truly the best kind of athlete. They exhibit what the race is all about for me which is pushing past fatigue and exhaustion to find what runs in all of us weekend warriors. Isn't it the tenacity, determination, grit, and heart that helps us cross the finish line? I saw a lot of that laying on the streets leading up to Mike Riley saying, "You Are An Ironman."

Monday morning as I stood in the volunteer line for 4 hours, it was my turn to hand over my American Express and watch the lady sizzle $603.00 US Dollars on my green card. I think my butt cheeks squeezed up instantly when I heard the lady say, "you are a confirmed participant of the Ironman 2011 race next year." My very first thought was, "what the hell did I just sign up for?"

Then I received this.....

You are receiving this email because you are an on-site registrant for the 2011 Ford Ironman Lake Placid event.

Now let's talk training.......