The 140.6 Mile Swim...

...otherwise known as IM USA in Lake Placid. The trip started off great as we had easy flights with good connections to Burlington, Vermont. Then it was A nice drive to the ferry to cross Lake Champlain and a pizza dinner in Elizabethtown, NY. We made it to our hotel around 8 pm with no issues.

Friday we registered, got our gear bags and picked up the bikes. Gotta love tribike transport - so much easier than having to unpack and reassemble a bike. Rode back to the hotel then regrouped for a swim in Mirror Lake.

We just wanted to get a feel for the water and sighting since the course buoys were in place. Tons of people on the shore as the kids tri was just finishing. Those little guys are fast! Decided to just swim out to the third buoy, cut across to the return side and get out. At the second buoy we heard loud thunder claps and then it started raining - really hard. So much rain we couldn't see the next buoy! Thankfully there is a cable that runs underwater from buoy to buoy so we sighted on that then made the turn back to shore. It even started hailing a bit on us in the water! I read some other racer reports that said there was lightening strike near the shore at the end of the loop - they felt their felt tingling. Good thing we felt nothing but the sting against our faces.

Saturday was an easy day as we dropped off our bikes and gear bags at T1. We grabbed a lot of plastic shopping bags from the grocery store the night before so all of our gear bags and bikes were covered in a hope to keep things dry.

Sunday was up at 4 am, had pre-race breakfast and coffee. Saw my way to clear then went with the team to the start. At this time the skies were overcast but it was still dry. Dropped off our nutrition on our bikes then headed up the road to drop off special needs. Tons of people getting ready, lots of energy around and lots of volunteers helping out. As we were getting into our wetsuits it started drizzling - uh oh.

Walked to the swim start and it wasn't too wet as the rain stopped. The swim is a 2 loop course with everyone wanting to get on the buoy line and sight on the underwater cable. Ann, Bindu and I decided to start close to the boat dock but still back a ways. As the cannon boomed we walked a bit further out then started the swim. A we rounded the corner of the boat dock it really bunched up - I couldn't lay flat at all so it was a frantic dog paddle until we passed the dock. My heart rate shot way up. Once past the first buoy it was still crowded but now I could swim. I looked to my right and saw a sea of swimmers. No way I was getting into that washing machine- so I decided to stay left of the buoys and swim inside the buoy line. I could see the cable off to my right and kayakers to my left. I thought they would tell me to keep the buoys on my left but they never did. There were a lot of others with the same idea. At the turn around I had to take the buoys on my left so it got a bit crowded there but then it was back to the inside.

The return and the entire second loop were uneventful - I was able to focus on long strokes, gliding and front quadrant swimming. I didn't get kicked or grabbed much at all except for the turns. I did notice when we got out to start the second loop that there were a lot of umbrellas on the shore.

Got out of the water and saw my watch at 1:23 - not great but not bad at all. But the best part of the swim was no dizziness as I stood up. Then I noticed it was raining. I started to worry about the bike. 7 mike descents are not my favorite and doing one in a downpour is my worst nightmare.

Made it to T1 (which is a 400 meter run from the swim), got my bag and into the changing tent I went. Slow and smooth as I got myself ready for the bike. I lookeed around and saw lots of guys with shells, vests or jackets on. uh oh - I only had arm warmers and my tri top. The descent was gonna be a cold one.

On the way out of town we passed right by our hotel and there was my lovely wife Karen on the side of the road cheering for us. I stopped and asked her to get my shell from the room. So I had about a 10 minute rest stop waiting for her to return but it was worth it to stay warm. Once I started again Ann came flying past met me. I caught up and we rode together until the descent started. She went crazy fast down as I rode my brakes and made it safely to the bottom. I spent the next 45 miles catching up to her.

At special needs (halfway mark) I saw Ann again and we had a nice lunch together. The volunteers were great, they held our bags for us as we rummaged thru what we wanted and ate our food. These folks were just standing out in the rain serving us. Great volunteers! Did I mention it was still raining? Ann and I looked up to the sky and yelled "Is this all you got?" "Bring it on Lake Placid!" Maybe we shouldn't have been so arrogant as the rain never let up.

Off again for the next loop. I had seen Bindu on the first loop out and back so I knew he made it out of the water. That was the highlight of my day. Passing the hotel again I saw Karen, Shanti, Katie, and Coach Alex from NB. I always stop and talk a bit when I see friends and family. I told them I saw Bindu on the bike and was really happy he made the swim cutoff. They told me he swam a 1:29!! I was flabbergasted - where did that come from? He must have been sandbagging all year. We're gonna move him up a few lanes for next season.

The second bike loop wasn't bad despite the rain. Did I mention it was still raining? Again Ann went ahead of me on the downhills and I spent the next 45 miles trying to catch her. This time I never did.

Made it into T2 with a 7:03 bike time - with the 10 minute stop on the first loop I felt pretty good about this time. The rain may have been a blessing in disguise as it made me slow down on the bike. Leaving T2 I felt strong and the legs were working just fine - no cramps and no foot issues. I stayed with my 4:1 plan and saw I was doing an 11 minute pace. I could live with that.

I beat Ann out of transition but she caught up to me as were leaving town. So we ran together for the first loop. The rain let up a bit but as we left town it started up again. I worried about blisters since my feet were soaking wet. I was very lucky as none developed.

At the turn around back in town and at special needs (mile 13) we saw the fish known as Steve. He was about 2 miles ahead of us. He told me to catch up to him and we could runt he second loop together. So off I went to try catching him. Leaving town on the run is mostly downhill so I was able to run most of it. At the out of town out and back I made the turn expecting to see Steve but he was nowhere to be seen. Then all of a sudden there he was - but still doing the out while I was on the return. Seems I passed him while he was taking a potty break. Ann was right behind him. I had my own bladder issues - either I was very good with my hydration or my kidneys were just working overtime - I peed a record 13 times combined bike and run. Thank goodness I'm a guy and can pee anywhere.

As we headed back into town I was feeling great - no cramps, hammies were fine and no foot issues at all. It was still raining but starting to lessen a bit. I looked at my watch and saw I could PR if I ran the rest of the way. So off we went for the last 3 miles. We walked the last uphill into town then took off again. One more out and back then it was a slight downhill finish. The crowd is cheering, we were slapping hands with kids as we made our way onto the oval. Then there it was – the finish chute and clock. I looked up and saw a PR – only by about 45 seconds but still a PR. Steve was right there with me and Ann just a few minutes later.

We got our medals, t-shirts and hats then went to the food tent. They were just handing out freshly arrived pizza. Wow – was that ever good.

Then we saw Katie – she had our dry clothes bags – what an angel! Karen, Shanti and Katie had retrieved our bikes, took them to tribike transport and then had all of our gear bags in the car already! We felt so pampered and what a relief to not have to deal with the bikes or bags. And to have warm dry clothes was awesome. The rain let up as waited for Bindu and Mike to finish.

What an honor it was to watch Bindu cross the line and become an Ironman. He had an ear to ear smile that lit up the finish area. We got more pizza as we waited for Mike and the last of the NB team to finish.

And to bring it back to why we do this crazy thing – a woman stopped me in the finish area to thank me for what we are doing. Her 3 year old grandson is battling leukemia and she wanted us to know how much she appreciates what we do.

A very good day on a very, terrible rainy day. Ironteam was 10 for 10 with all starters finishing. And the flames were well represented – a guy from Boston TNT wants to buy flames gear and sent me an email already asking how he can get some!