2015 Lake Placid Camp Recap (And Camper Input...Do It!)
Another excellent Lake Placid Camp...my report follows below, but I'd love it if the folks who attended dropped in a few comments on what they learned, did, etc. Hope you can join us next year! Here's the complete camp photo album too!
Official 2015 Lake Placid Camp Report
Without a doubt, today ranks up there as one of the best Placid days I have had here in 15 years of training. No wind. Slightly overcast. Mostly in the 60s. Throw in some great people and a few hills and it’s official — Life Is Good.
Pre Camp
Everyone arrived on Thursday night, and from what I gather pretty much everyone got in a good swim on the course. The Lake Placid swim course is set up for kayak / canoe races, so you have plenty of buoys and underwater cables to follow. With the mountains and town as a backdrop, there simply is no better open water swim venue for triathletes. It was time for a mad dash to the evening meeting to prep the campers, where I met all 16 of our amazing athletes. Some are veterans I have known for over a decade…others are new friends I just met. All are just great and clearly pumped for the camp. After the meeting I quickly checked in and joined the crew for dinner at the Lake Placid Brewery.
Day One: 112 Mile Ride, 2.75 Mile Run
The plan was simple — we ride most of lap one together so we could stop to talk at key areas of the course. And I was blown away by how well the group did — not easy to get a group together from across the US to ride, much less on this course. Here are some of the key things we noted across the day:
The descent was pretty darn smooth, compared to the past, except for the final 2 miles into Keene (rough roads + some construction).
The out and back leg into Ausable Forks is still pretty chewed up; worse on the return trip for sure.
The climb back into town still remains a chance for speed but only when ridden well -- especially thru the Whiteface area.
The final climbs into town are just as classic as ever -- Momma, Baby and Poppa Bear all continue to work their magic on triathletes.
Here is my Bike File: https://www.strava.com/activities/324074998
After the Bike
Given that the first day of Camp is designed to be a race simulation activity, almost everyone was ready (not willing!) to run off the bike. Since the camp hotel is adjacent to the swim start area, our plan was to run the 2.75-mile loop of the lake. Despite riding this course more times than is probably legal, I was once again surprised to see how well I was able to run despite being in a terrible, terrible place at the end of the bike. An excellent reminder that mentally committing to the run and actually getting out there to see what happens is the best policy.
Here is my run file: https://www.strava.com/activities/324732178
Camp Talk #1
On the first day the focus of the talk is about learning the course, and general areas for improvement. We spent the first half of the talk breaking down the layout of the course and how we handled it -- our focus was on how to improve our execution for the Saturday ride. Then we shifted focus to talking about the critical elements of writing a hilly course: climbing, descending, pacing hill, soft-pedaling, and timing your admin/nutrition windows. It was a solid presentation with lots of camper input. By 7:30 it was time to head out for some much needed dinner before Day Two!
Early Morning Walk Through
We kicked the day off with an early morning walkthrough of the Swim Start and Transition areas. One of the most unique areas of the Ironman® Lake Placid course is the long transition from Mirror Lake to the Olympic Oval. Add in the different transition race set ups, the layout of the oval and you have some real learning to do. We also reviewed the bike mount line area and discussed strategies on how to handle the quick turns and instant speed that comes with descending down to the actual course. This is, in my mind, the most dangerous part of the course. I even got to show the campers our Race Morning Meet Up location and the top secret port-o-potty area that beats standing in massive lines. Camp pays for itself!!!
Riding Long...Again!
The plan was to ride two loops, but not everyone was on board with more mega-suffering. I got a verbal commitment for at least one loop out of everyone; their tweaks included 2.4-mile swim first, or a nice post ride swim all the way down to a short run in preparation for tomorrow's final long run. I personally decided to head off the beaten path and travel down to Lake Champlain for a different flavor of a century ride. The terrain is friendly to start, hard at the end and beautiful in between.
Here is my ride file: https://www.strava.com/activities/324732178
Yes, that's a mountain behind a mountain behind a mountain with just one more mountain behind it. Like you used to draw when you were a kid! Epic!
Day Two Camp Lecture: Race Execution
This is by far my most favorite evening of the camp, as we get to discuss -- even briefly -- how much better it was to "Ride With Our Heads" vs "Riding With Our Legs." Almost everyone had a story of improvement, with the most common theme being some version of "I was just about 15 minutes faster on my loop today than yesterday, and on fewer watts!" In case math isn't your strength, that's a potential 30-minute savings on race day!
Once we were done high-fiving one another, it was time to review our Four Keys of Race Execution talk in preparation for the big day -- and eat some yummy Team Dinner calories. I reviewed critical parts of the course and well as our overall big picture strategy. You can view the same talk live on race week, for FREE at the Main Street Movie Theater. >> Learn More and RSVP here
Day Three Recap: The Long Run and Why “Camping" is So Critical
It was an early 7am start for the Sunday run, given the Lake Placid Marathon was in town for the weekend and was starting at 8am. This would give us enough time to get out of town and be heading back in before the lead runners swallowed us up. Running the course in Lake Placid is just as important as the bike. The two key hills (Lisa G to the Pub and the Ski Jump) is just part of the mix...there's also getting oriented to the rolling terrain of River Road.
It's a stunning course, with fir trees on one side and the Ausable River rolling by on the other...but it can be deadly as well. Net downhill out and uphill back, everyone benefits from experience on this part of the course. After sending out the campers, I ran the outbound portion of the run and continued through on the final portion of the bike course over the Cherries and Bears for a solid 10-miler. I was pretty darn tired but interesting to see my pace was the same as it has been in 2013 and 2014 for this run.
Here is the link to my run file: https://www.strava.com/activities/325225990
Comments
Great recap and excellent pics! Had a great time and learned more than expected about course execution!
Thanks Coach!
I was expecting the 4 days of work on the course, but what I didn't expect blew me away and made IMLP Camp priceless: guided tour of the course stopping at key points with discussion of the terrain and strategy, the sheer volume of information that was doled out by Coach P and my teammates at each evening debriefing, putting together the pieces from training into a race strategy (to be tested on my RR2), the walk-through of transition and swim start location and layout and putting eyes on (and later riding) the T1 exit and the challenging quarter mile that follows it and getting to spend time with and know the great cast of characters that I'm looking forward to seeing again on race week. As much as my body is still absorbing all the work, my mind is working so much harder to assimilate all I learned at Camp. Thanks to Coach P and my teammates for an absolutely fantastic experience.
Great recap and pics! My takeaways from the camp fall into three categories:
1. The Concrete:
Despite having trained on that course before, I was blown away at how much I learned about the course and how to best ride it to squeeze out every last bit of available speed - and I'm still learning! I can't overstate my appreciation for having even subtle things pointed out, like glancing at the water in the early section of the course to be prepared for what kind of headwinds are waiting for you further down. Plus, of course, all the practical execution strategies and tips. Invaluable!
2. The Psychological:
There's no substitute for time in the trenches, and having spent that kind of guided time on the course and debriefs are a huge confidence booster going into the race. Also, while we all run our own race, getting to know some of the other teammates that will be out on the course with me, or on the sidelines cheering provides a big boost.
3. The Intangible:
Lake Placid is an absolutely beautiful course - looking around, you can't help but get some sort of sense of awe. To be outside, in that environment, sharing the experience with other like-minded individuals who also love this sport and are taking on this big personal challenge creates a unique and truly wonderful feeling. In some things, the sign of a job well done is that things seem effortless and easy. Coach P's and Shaughn's efforts, plus the contributions from the good folks participating at camp, were key in creating an environment where we could truly enjoy (and not just suffer through) a very rewarding camp experience.
Can't wait to see you all on race day!!