Considerations for Lake Placid IRONMAN
Over the years, we have found that some things are worth considering for IMLP that may be diffrent then other races. Here are some of the most frequently asked about topics.
Dressing for the Cold
Mornings here in the mountains can be quite chilly. Combine the typical cold temps with a long descent at the beginning of the bike after getting out of the water can make for a frigid start to your day. In fact, it is not unheard of for athletes to DNF because of the cold at the start of the bike.
We recommend having gloves and a wind jacket as a minimum, regardless of the forecast. For colder years, we often recommend arm and leg sleeves, shoe covers, and a neck gatter to fight off the cold. You may not need the extra layers for most of the ride, but for the 20 miles with the 1,400 ft descent into Keen, they can make or break your day.
Bike Setup for the Climbs
The Lake Placid IRONMAN course is one of the most hilly in the world, and there are a few different bike setup recommendations that we often make.
The first and most obvious change is to make your gearing easier for the uphills. While you may be able to make it around the course with your current gearing, there are many benefits to having easier gearing. Being able to avoid running out of gears and having to grind up the hills at a slow cadence will both allow you to stay in the aero bars for more of the hills, and reduce the fatigue in your legs for the run.
There are two possible routes for setting up your bike with easier gearing. Firstly and most common, is to get a wider range cassette, this will keep your hardest gear the same while giving you more range on the easier end of the gearing. Depending on the specifics of your bike, you may be able to go up to an 11-34, 10-36, or a similar cassette. The downside of this approach is that the jumps between gears will be larger, so at your desired cadence on the flatter sections, you may find that one gear is too easy, and the next gear is too hard. The other option is to keep your cassette the same and get smaller chainrings. This will keep the gaps between each gear the same, but will make the whole range of gears less hard. Although its strategy will mean that you will spin out at a slightly lower speed on the descents.
The other area of the bike setup that can be tailored for the hills is finding ways to reduce the overall weight. So, things like editing your repair kit down to the necessities and rethinking your hydration to make sure that you are not carrying extra water will help to keep your bike as light as possible.
Running on Hills
Running on the hills also takes some special consideration. On the steepest hills, like the one by the ski jumps or climbing up into town, don't be afraid to powerwalk up the hill to keep your heart rate under control and your legs from blowing up. In the same vein, on the rolling hills, pay attention to your heart rate to make sure that you are not overextending by accident, then once the hill levels off, if possible, try to settle back into your target pace.
If time allows, in your training plan, try to do some intensity work on hills for your body to get accustomed to what it feels like to run uphill, and what paces are required to maintain your effort on the hills without blowing up after.
