Ironman Lake Placid - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Lake Placid, New York
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 10h 57m 32s
Overall Rank = 187/2539
Age Group = M 35 - 39
Age Group Rank = 50/352
Pre-race routine:

Racked bike @ noon, then ate 2 pieces of pepperoni pizza. Rested with feet up the rest of the day. Baked chicken with baked potatoes for dinner. In bed @ 8:30. Woke up at 4 am. Drank an Ensure +, then had a pb&fruit spread and coffee. In the hour before the race I ate a banana and had a 2 scoop EFS bottle.
Event warmup:

Got a ride down the hill, then walked to transition, then to special needs to drop off my bags, then to the FeXY tent. Walked to the waterfront at 6:30. Got in right after the pros went off at 6:50.
Swim
  • 1h 12m 22s
  • 3862 meters
  • 01m 52s / 100 meters
Comments:

Rough and crazy swim. We positioned ourselves right in the middle about 20 yards behind the start. I wanted to be a little further to the right, but the right was packed and the middle was open. The first lenght was all about survival. Then the length coming home everyone went wide and I stayed close to the wire. I was actually by myself for little while, which was nice, but I wasn't in the pack to draft. Time at the end of first loop was 34 something. Happy with that, but the 2nd loop I wasn't in the draft as much again, I was hanging onto the wire, and the last length coming home I got kicked in the face knocking my goggles off. After fixing them, I decided to make up some time and push the last length a little more. My swim was about 3 minutes longer than I expected, but still solid.
What would you do differently?:

Not much to do. I got sucked into the crowd and survived. Learn to swim a little better.
Transition 1
  • 06m 43s
Comments:

Long T1 run from the lake to the bike bags and tents. I passed my bag and had to go back and find it. Wasted a few seconds here. I got into the tent, went to the back and grabbed a seat. Swimskin off, body glide feet, lube up under the shorts, socks and shoes on, helmet on, sunglasses on, race # on. This still took a little longer than I wanted. My rack was also near the end of the rack in the back (so I grabbed it first, before getting through the field). So, overall, it's an Ironman Transition, and didn't waste time, just had a long way to go.
What would you do differently?:

I practiced where my bag would be, but I still missed it. But overall, I wasn't incredibly efficient.
Bike
  • 5h 47m 20s
  • 112 miles
  • 19.35 mile/hr
Comments:

My goal was to be in the 5:40s. Mission accomplished. Yes, I can ride this in the 5:30s or even maybe faster, but have nothing left for the run. I was shooting for mid to upper zone 2, which is where I stayed for most of the ride. I got up into zone 3 in the hills and riding through town after lap 1 was a rush and my HR jumped up. I felt my legs getting tired a few times, which worried my a little, but I just kept things as steady as I could.
Nutrition - Started the bike with aero bottle 1/2 full of water (no need to carry a full bottle as there is plenty of water on the course), 1 flask of Cappacino Perpetuem with 3 scoops, 1 bottle EFS with 3 scoops, and 1 bottle EFS with 3 scoops EFS and 1 scoop Pre Race, 1 Power Bar cut in half (so I can eat it easier on the ride). Got thru all of this, special needs I slammed 1/2 can of Coke, grabbed 2 bottles of EFS (both with 3 scoops but 1 had Pre Race just like at the start), and another Perpetuem flask. I finished the EFS bottles, but didn't feel as though I needed all the calories in the Perpetuem. I refilled the water as needed.
What would you do differently?:

I need to still be a better long distace cyclist. I can go a lot faster, but I don't know how much to push myself and still be able to run well.
Transition 2
  • 03m 24s
Comments:

I didn't take my shoes off on the bike. Too long to run without shoes and I didn't want to risk stepping on something. I got off my bike, and the bike runners were there to grab my bike and rack it for me. I ran and found my run bag, went into the back of the tent, bike shoes and socks off, helmet off, HR monitor off, body glide on feet, fresh socks and shoes on, grabbed my EFS gel flask with a scoop of PreRace, and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really
Run
  • 3h 47m 43s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 08m 41s  min/mile
Comments:

2nd Ironman Marathon and again, it all came down to this for me. All the training, all the miles and hours in the pool, on the bike, and running. Just so that I could finally have a sub 4 hour marathon. I looked at my watch at the start of the run, I needed to run a 3:50 marathon in order to go sub 11 hours. So, off I went. I knew that I only needed to average a 8:45 or 8:50 mile pace in order to do this. But my goal was to average 8:30. I was supposed to be faster in the first loop, but I felt like I could easily hold a sub 8:30 pace after the first mile. Then I had one Port o John stop at mile 2. Then the 2nd downhill rumbled my stomach, and I had to make another stop at mile 4. This was a real necessary stop. After that, I felt great. Well as good as I thought I was going to feel. I had my EFS gel with some PreRace that I had a shot of at each aid station on the first loop. I also had water, ice,sponges, coke, and IM Perform at each stop. I told myself it's okay to walk the hills, so in the first loop I walked half of them, then jogged the rest. That helped and I felt fresher at the top and passed a bunch of people. Then the second loop at walked a little further on the hills. I think I retired at around mile 18. At mile 22, going up the hill by the ski jumps, my right knee and IT band started to hurt. I knew that once I got passed the ski jumps and by the horse show grounds it was slighlty downhill back to town. I just made sure my stride was smooth and I wouldn't let my average pace drop below the mid 8:30s no matter what. I got to town, 1 last big hill. It's starting to hurt now, a lot. I still had a shot at sub 11 hours. I was actually a few minutes ahead of that. I got into town and by the lake, passed the FeXY tent, passed special needs, 2 miles to go (if that), the mile marker signs were a little off from my Garmin, I trusted the Garmin on this one, this was going to be a long mile to turn around. The turn around finally came, and I started running with almost everything I had left, but I also wanted to enjoy this experience, then I saw Lisa, "Take it the F*&% Home!" she screamed at me, then i started to lose it, knowing that it's all downhill from here, and I would reach my goals. But I had to keep my cool, I still hadn't seen an official race clock. I turned at the gas station, got waived into the Olympic Oval (yes the official Olympic Race Oval), started to round the Oval, fellow FeXY teammates (Brad and Kristin) were right there and (Sara Swenson) working security and waiving me in, I saw the clock (10:57), I completely lost it, one of the most incredible feelings of my life. I did a sub 11 hour Ironman, that's 41 minutes faster than IM Louisville last year, and I shattered my previous marathon time by 30 minutes. I jumped up screaming, waving my arms in pride and victory. All the pain went away. I got to the finish, got my medal, hat and t shirt, grabbed a chair and cried. At this point I couldn't wait to see Lisa run around that oval and finish.
What would you do differently?:

Absolutely nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Massage, changed clothes, ate pizza and a sub. Weighed myself at the med tent. Weight was the same as the am, but I was wearing wet clothes and shoes, and just had some water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing, I hit all my goals.

Event comments:

I actually finished 50th in my age group since I did not wear a wesuit. That means that 20 people in front of me wore a wetsuit. I am glad that I bought the swimskin. The fact that I didn't wear a wetsuit really validates this for me. I have arrived in this sport. I may not be the fastest, but I have been improving and feel great about my Triathlon achievements. This was one of the best experiences of my life. I went sub 11 hours, got some great photos of me, and Lisa qualified for Kona. I'd say that's a great day for Team Albrecht. My Dad was also at this race. That was nice. So was my Mother in Law - she's an Ironman fanatic at this point, and I can always hear her screaming for me. We've worked so hard for this, and for both of us to have amazing races and hit our goals is just incredible. I don't think that I would do Placid again, just for the reason that it would be tough to match this experience. Just like Louisville. I loved that race and that city, but I can't match that experience of my first Ironman there again. What's next?


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Last updated: 2011-08-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:12:22 | 3862 meters | 01m 52s / 100meters
Age Group: 135/352
Overall: 767/2539
Performance: Average
Avg HR: 149 bpm Zone 4.1 Max HR: 160 bpm Zone 4.7 I wasn't trying to swim real hard, but I did seem like I tried to speed up on the final length, and the crowds and the adrenaline fueled this and my HR got up there.
Suit: Blue Seventy PZ3TX swimskin
Course: 2 laps in Mirror Lake. The water was warm. We bought the swimskins the day before the race since we knew the water was going to be too warm for wetsuits. Wetsuits were allowed, but not for awards. Lisa had a shot at Kona, so we made sure she had one, and I bought one as well. I didn't want an asterisk next to my time knowing that I wore a wetsuit.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Bad Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 06:43
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
05:47:20 | 112 miles | 19.35 mile/hr
Age Group: 88/352
Overall: 397/2539
Performance: Good
Avg HR: 144 bpm Zone 2.5 Max HR: 167 bpm Zone 4.8 BIKE SPLIT 1: 30 mi 30 mi (1:19:15) 22.71 mi/h BIKE SPLIT 2: 86 mi 56 mi (2:53:38) 19.35 mi/h BIKE SPLIT 3: 112 mi 26 mi (1:34:27) 16.52 mi/h
Wind: Some
Course: 2 challenging loops. Going downhill into Keene was a headwind. I spent the whole time pedalling trying to get to 50 mph, but could only reach 45.2 mph. Patches in the road had been resurfaced in the previous few days, but the first stretch to Keene has some poor road surfaces. Elevation Gain: 5,408 ft Elevation Loss: 5,410 ft Min Elevation: 557 ft Max Elevation: 2,205 ft
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:24
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
03:47:43 | 26.2 miles | 08m 41s  min/mile
Age Group: 70/352
Overall: 253/2539
Performance: Good
No HR data as I don't wear a HR monitor to run.
Course: 2 loops from Lake Placid down to River Road. 2 major hills. Go down them leaving town, and come back up them returning to town. The rest is fairly flat with some rollers. Elevation Gain: 1,038 ft Elevation Loss: 1,032 ft Min Elevation: 1,641 ft Max Elevation: 1,879 ft
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5