2016 Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Report

So, Kelly and I decided to race Ironman Mont Tremblant (IMMT) because we had raced Lake Placid a few times and wanted to experience something different.
We had raced IMMT 70.3 a few times and we decided that the village really welcomes the athletes in a way that Lake Placid doesn't. The community seems to embrace the athletes in a more positive way. We had some success one the half course so we decided, why not?

Training

Training started a little earlier this time around. We really wanted to see what we could accomplish in Tremblant so we talked to our Coach, Jamie Boward, about getting it going earlier. He welcomed the idea and we got going in November. That would mean we would be training for roughly 10 months. Now, this is not peak training for 10 months, this is base training and racing local races along the way. The races would allow us to check the fitness level and gradually work up to the longer distance training.
I made it through this time period very well. I achieved many personal bests in several race distances. I also stayed relatively healthy the whole time. I tend to be susceptible to illnesses around winter time. This time around I didn't have any illnesses that interfered with training... until my last peak weak. With 3 weeks left before the big race, I came down with a strange illness that knocked me off my feet for over a week. This resulted in me having to miss my last long ride and run. I was able to make the ride up just before I tapered, but I wasn't 100%. I was able to convince myself that I had done enough work leading up to this I was ready. Maybe the time I was sick and incapable of training would do me some good. My body was rested and that might help on race day...??

Race Weekend

Kelly and I decided to head to Mont Tremblant on the Thursday to give ourselves time to calmly get things ready for race day.

Thursday, we arrived at the village very early. We went through Trout River border crossing this time instead of taking 87 across. The reason behind this was because the last few times we went to Tremblant, we took 87 and went through Montreal. The construction and traffic before, during, and after Montreal was enough to add an hour to our travel time. It is never enjoyable and always leads to a build in anxiety. This was exactly what we were trying to avoid this weekend. I looked at the different ways to cross into Canada and avoid Montreal. I researched Trout River and found that many people recommend this route to travel into the Quebec area (which is where Tremblant is located). Boy, am I glad we went this way! We were the only vehicle when we approached and the worker at the booth was fantastic! The route was so scenic and continued to be after the border cross. Since there was a lack of traffic and construction, we arrived in Tremblant sooner than we expected! We even stopped at an IGA just outside of the village for some essential race day breakfast items! We arrived at our hotel so early that our room was not ready yet. They allowed us to park our car underground and we decided to stretch our legs and walk the village. When we popped up above ground, we noticed that there was absolutely no line for athlete check-in. WHAT?! We immediately went to check in to take advantage of this lack of a wait. We went straight through and had many volunteers waiting to help us. When I made it to the area where we weigh in, I became nervous. I always end up about 3-5 pounds heavier than I think I am. THis time around I was sure I had nailed my goal race weight. When I stepped on the scale, I saw that I was about 3 pounds UNDER my goal. NO WAY! I was hoping that this doesn't end up meaning a lack of power and energy on Sunday.
We get the rest of our swag and then head to eat some lunch. I will spare you the rest of this day as we ended up waiting longer than we wanted for our room to be ready, but we eventually made it in and unpacked.

Friday, we went to the Race Day Wheels tent to get our race wheels for Sunday. Kelly and I dropped our bikes off and went to join our Loco teammate, Uncle Chuck, for a quick swim in Lake Tremblant (the lake we would be swimming on Sunday). Kelly and I had heard about a pontoon that is in the lake on race weekend that serves coffee and espresso to athletes. All you have to do is swim up to it and order your free beverage. The 3 of us finagled ourselves into our wetsuits and set out for the pontoon. It wasn't long before we came around a swim buoy and saw the pontoon right before us! We swam up and ordered our drinks. The pontoon has roped hanging from it so athletes can hang off of them while drinking their highly caffeinated beverage. The drink was fantastic and it was a truly awesome experience. We frolicked for a few minutes and then decided to turn back to shore. The swim was great and did a lot to raise the confidence level.
Kelly and I went back to the village, picked up our bikes with our speedy wheels attached, and told Chuck we would meet him later for the athlete's banquet and info meeting. The rest of the day was dedicated to trying to stay calm and hydrated.
We met Chuck outside of his hotel (which was literally right across from ours) and made our way to the athlete's village (which was literally 100 yards down the hill).
The dinner was full of entertainment that was provided by IMMT. The food was decent and there were options for all kinds of strict diets.
After dinner there was a brief information session for the athletes. I was specifically interested in hearing about race morning scenarios in case of storms. The forecast at that point called for a significant chance of severe storms with torrential rain. This was to start at about 7am (swim start time). The slide show went over 3 different scenarios for the swim. I heard all I needed to know. After the session was over, we parted from Chuck once more and threw out a shaky time for a bike ride for Saturday.

Saturday, Kelly andI woke up a bit early but the plan was to get out on the bike before breakfast. We figured the sooner we got out, the less chaotic the roads would be with athletes and traffic (always a bad combination). We texted Chuck that we were leaving at 8:30 and due to crappy cell service, Chuck didn't get our message until later. Kelly and I waited a few minutes outside of Chuck's hotel just in case but after a while, we decided that the phone must be acting up. We went out to get our 30 minute bike ride done. Kelly and I separated a bit because I wanted to check the gears at different speeds. Because of the race wheel swap, I wanted to make sure all gears were functional. The bike ride was great. I am so happy we went so early. Upon arrival at our hotel, I noticed the bike and car traffic starting to thicken quite a bit. I also found out that there was an ambulance tending to what was believed to be downed bike rider.
Kelly and I missed breakfast but was able to head to an early lunch which worked out well, too, because other athletes and families were not quite ready for lunch. We basically had the place to ourselves.
After lunch was over, Kelly and I went back to our room to get our bags and bikes ready to check in. Bikes and transition bags had to be checked between 12 and 4 today. This was the only time that athletes can get this done. We decided to go after the initial rush of people. This process was pretty standard. We racked our bikes and let out some air from the tires. This is to save the tubes from possible ruptures. The pressure tends to build from the heat (the sun was definitely out) and you might find yourself with a flat tire on race morning if you don't alleviate some of that pressure when you rack the bike.
We dropped out bags in the transition tent and memorized where our bags were to make it easier for race morning.
After this was done, we went back and waited for dinner. We decided 5:30 was a good time for dinner so that we had time afterwards to make sure our gear for the next day was ready.
Dinner was great! We go to the same place every time for our pre-race dinner. Service is always great and the food options are just right for the 2 of us.
Kelly and I at as much food as we could comfortably fit into ourselves and then went back to the room. We ensured that everything was set to go and then set our alarms for 4:15am. Sleep came quickly and lasted until 3am. This was the best pre Ironman sleep I have ever had!

Sunday, was RACE DAY!! We woke to Phil Collins on the Canadian radio channel. Breakfast was prepared and consumed and we dressed and exited the hotel. Immediately, I noticed how humid it was. The sky was partly cloudy and it hadn't rained yet so the swim start looked like a pretty good bet. Kelly and I met Chuck and Michelle and went to transition to place our bottles on the bikes and refill the tubes. Transition was great! Things went very smoothly and we had plenty of time to prepare.
I met Kelly at our predetermined location and we made the trip to the lake together. This part was pretty quick as we jumped in a potty line and when we were done we hopped into our wetsuits and ditched our morning clothes bag in the massive dump trucks. We walked to the swim warmup location. I jumped in really quickly as my wave was lining up in a few minutes. I came out, made sure Kelly was zipped up. Kelly and I gave each other one more assuring smile and kiss and then I lined up with my wave. People were moving toward the front of the wave pretty rapidly which was different from the half. In the half, it seemed like nobody wanted the front.
Pretty soon the waves in front of us set out and it was our turn to make our way to the swim start. I used the previous waves to see what position might work best for me. It seemed the inside of the buoys was the best option for less contact.

Swim- 1:16
When we went through the arch for our beach gathering spot, the announcer said it was 30 seconds until the start. WOW! I still needed to put my goggles on! I rushed to get those on and in position just before the horn sounded my wave's start.
I let all of the athletes go in front of me. 2.4 miles is too long to get so worked up that soon. I found open water and feet to swim with right away. Initially, the swim was great. I was in a groove and focusing on catching as much water per stroke as possible. And then... the waves started. These waves were lifting me up and bringing me back. I tried to stay calm and continue to focus on form, but sighting and breathing forced me to change my stroke a bit. I thought the reaching the turn would help straighten things out a bit but it only made it worse. The whole way in on the swim was full of waves and currents. Thoughts of Kelly kept creeping into my brain. If it was this bad for my wave, it would only be getting worse for Kelly. She started about 10 minutes after me! I readied myself for a horrible result and just convinced myself to stay calm and not to expend any extra energy. I would need as much as I had for the rest of the day. As I approached the shore I started to scrape the sandy lake bottom so I stood and walked the rest of the way out (longer than I wanted to). I looked at my watch and saw 1:15. I was actually happy with that time based on what I just went through. I don't know the actual distance I ended up swimming but I know it was a few strokes more than I wanted. I walked to the wetsuit peelers and plopped down for some assistance. During the 70.3 I pointed my toes to make the wetsuit peel smooth but I ended up with a calf cramp that saw me waiting for a minute before I could stand back up. This time, I did not point my feet and it worked well. No cramp! I was handed my wetsuit and was told that my timing chip was still around my ankle. The peeler yelled at me to GO GO GO!!

Transition- 9:30
So this transition is one of the longer ones I've seen. It is 100% lined with carpet, which is great, but if you are looking to cut down on transition times, this is not the course for you. My goal here was to take my time and make sure I had everything I needed as I made my way out on the bike course. I ran to the tent and found my bag. I grabbed it and found an empty seat. I took my time opening my bag and emptying its contents on the chair next to me. I placed my wetsuit into the bag. What followed was as methodical as could be. I packed everything in reverse order of when I would put it on (shoes went in the bag first, next was the helmet, ... all the way to my calf sleeves). I put on my calf sleeves, arm sleeves, bike jersey (over my tri top), helmet, shoes, and loaded my nutrition and sunglasses in my bike jersey. As I was loading my jersey, a volunteer came over and took my bag from me after asking if I was all set. I got up, grabbed my bottle of gatorade, and ran to my bike. As I was running to my bike, I downed about half of the bottle of gatorade. In the past, I wouldn't take anything after the swim. I would come to figure out later that swimming for over an hour depletes that body of more than you think. It might not feel like it, but it does. So now I take a throw away bottle and place it in the swim to bike transition bag so I can get something back in me before biking. So I arrived at my bike and run it to the transition exit. I discard my transition bottle and cross the mount line. It's time to see how bike training went!!

Bike- 5:28
WHAT?! No rain?! Okay, well, I am only slightly overdressed... I make my way to the Montee Ryan for the first section of the bike. As soon as I start the first climb, I start to feel the humidity. I peel my arm sleeves down around my wrists but I am not convinced I won't need them. I roll my bike jersey sleeves up over my shoulders and I unzip my bike jersey halfway. The dilemma was that it was currently VERY humid with no wind, but would it stay this way? I decided I would wait until the first loop is over before ditching any of my current gear. I made my way to the end of the Montee Ryan and turned right onto the longest stretch of road for the race, Route 117. When I made this turn, a bit of a breeze kicked up and cooled me down just a little bit. I was hoping for just a bit of a drizzle at this point (boy was that coming). As I was approaching the turn around on Route 117 (almost 20 miles in) I noticed the road was wet. Oh man! We just missed the rain (boy was I wrong)! After turning to come back down 117, the sky opened up. I'm going just tell you here that it didn't stop raining for the rest of the bike. It was only varying degrees of rain. It was either a steady cold rain or a driving torrential downpour. Got it? Okay, good. Let's continue. So it was raining and I thought that it felt great! I welcomed it, at first. But it got old really quickly. I lowered my sunglasses down my nose so I could see the road and the riders in front of me. I attempted to avoid the standing water and rivers of water flowing down the roads. That got old really quickly, too. Eventually, I just rode through what was in front of me. I was able to see enough that when Kelly came riding by in the opposite direction that she looked very good! This made me happy because I was still worried about her swim at that point. The last part of each loop requires some climbing. When I reached it on the first loop, I tried to take it very slowly, knowing that I would be here again in another 2:40. Upon reaching the halfway point on the bike, I was hoping to see 2:45. When I looked down and saw 2:38, I was really happy. The weather hadn't kept me from my goal ride at this point. My concern was whether I was burning my matches and not even knowing it. I felt great as I started the second loop, but here is where I will learn if I had used too much.
The second loop was much the same except mother nature became a bit angrier. She added a crushing head and side wind. The second loop was crazy. I was riding blind for portions of it and couldn't tell what my effort was. My power meter stopped working a while ago and I couldn't see my bike computer anyway. As I made my way up the final hills towards the end, I noticed a man standing in the middle of the road. He was yelling at people coming down the hills to slow down. He said the only way you will finish this race is if you are still in one piece. He looked at me and made me promise to reduce my speed on the way back down. If I could breathe enough to say anything, I would've said I promise. Instead, I nodded an affirmation. After getting by him, I saw the reason that he was standing there. There were a few bikes leaning against the trees off the side of the road. They were severely damaged and riderless. Come to find out after the race, there was a massive crash that put a rider in the ICU. This happened in the 70.3 in June, too. It happened in the same spot of the bike course. When I returned down the hill, the man was still there and he was saying how he loved my speed... nice and controlled. I nodded to him again and made my way into transition. I found out later that the man in the road was the race director. He decided to personally do something about the lack of caution people were showing at the spot. I stopped my computer at 5:28. I had slowed quite a bit on that second loop but I felt very strong. I was looking forward to the run.

Transition- 6:00

The goal of T2 was to be calm and use the potty. I grabbed my run bag and found a seat. I was shocked to see that the tent was pretty empty! I had the pick of seats! I dropped my bag next to me, opened it and emptied it on the chair next to me. I placed my horribly disgusting bike shoes, helmet, jersey, and arm sleeves in the bag. I started to put in my socks and sneakers when a volunteer came over and asked if he could take my bag for me. I looked at the items that surrounded me and noticed my sunglasses. I picked them up and said, "Well, I probably won't need these today, will I?" The volunteer just looked at me and I threw them in the bag. I nodded that he could take it now and he lumbered away with my 500lb bag of sopping wet funk filled slop. I got my sneakers on, put on my long sleeve shirt, placed my hat on backwards (I don't like seeing the sweat and/or rain drip in front of my face), and grabbed my handheld bottle with gatorade and started out of the tent. The volunteers are lined all of the way out of the tent to cheer the athletes on and they were yelling for me to run... go go go! I told them I had something to do first and walked right over to the bathroom. I heard some of them laugh as they watched where I was going. I came out of the potty with an empty bladder and confidence.

Run- 3:55

My goal for the run was a 3:30. I had trained for this pace and felt comfortable coming off of the bike at this pace. I even switched my Garmin over to KM so that the course markers and my pace would make sense.As I set out, my legs felt great as I exited transition. I tried to settle in and find a groove. As I approached the first hill coming out of the village, my legs responded well. I leaned into the hill and stayed at a comfortable heart rate. Before I knew it, I was out of the village and done with the first set of hills. The middle part of  the course (it is a 2 loop course so you have to do everything twice) is a flat rail trail. It used to be crushed gravel but they paved it a few years ago. This is a great spot to put your head down and get into a mindless pace. I did that on the way down, but as soon as I turned, my intestines started to cramp. Up to this point, I had taken gatorade and sugary gels for my nutrition. While this worked in training, I think I took in more than I ever had during training. I was worried about exerting myself too much on the bike and not knowing it due to the cold, wet, windy conditions. Sometimes in those conditions, you don't realize just how much you are working. I made sure I was taking in enough fluids and nutrition on the bike and I think it caught up with me. Until this point on the run, I had felt great! I even started to let myself think about a better marathon time. The cramps started to have an effect and it slowed my pace. I started to think of what I could do to help the issue. I came to the conclusion that all of my nutrition has been sugary liquids so I started looking for solid foods in the aid stations. Starting at around mile 7 or so, I walked the aid stations looking for anything that could absorb what I had in my stomach. The only thing that I could find were pretzels. I started double fisting pretzels at every aid station along with water to make them go down easier. As soon as I got those down, I would start running again. Amazingly, this helped! After I got back through the end of the first loop and up and over those hills a second time, I found some comfort and was able to hop on a better pace. I continued the pretzel and water strategy for the rest of the run and took some chicken broth once they started serving that. With 5K left, I saw Kelly coming in the other direction. It's always nice to know how Kelly is doing and seeing her smile on race courses. It puts me at ease and lowers my anxiety a bit. After we passed each other, it was all about the finish. I went through the final aid station and looked at my watch. My main goal of 10:30 was gone; it had flown away several cups of pretzels ago. I thought about a sub 11 hour performance, but according to my calculations that was now gone too. I decided that I would still muster a strong finish. As I came back to the hills just outside of the village, I moved up and over them and looked at my watch with 1KM left. Wait, according to calculations (which is always a dangerous and questionable statement to make this late in an Ironman) I could finish under 11 hours! Let's do it! I put my head down and summoned the rest of my energy to push up the final hill before the big downhill finish through the village. As I made the final turn into the finishing chute I realized that I would be an Ironman again. I was thrown a lot of obstacles on this day and I made my way through them. The finish line was different from other finish lines. This isn't because it is in a different location. It is because I learned a lot about myself during this 10 month journey and it all played out here, ending at this line in this place on this day. It all came crashing in at one moment and left me a better athlete and person because of it. Although you are surrounded by athletes, volunteers, and spectators all day long, Ironman allows you to spend some quality time with #1 (yourself). This could be a scary thing depending on where you might be, mentally, during this day. When I cross that finish line, I always bring so much new knowledge with me and I cherish it every time. This year is no different.
Although I finished off of my goal, I am the most proud of this result. I don't care about the time. I care about who I became at the finish line.

Boston Marathon 2013

Boston Marathon 2013

Where do I begin?

I had run Boston in 2007. I didn’t really prepare myself for the course or to try to race it. I wanted my Boston experience to be one of enjoyment; running with a smile and for the memories. That plan went out the window as a noreaster blew into town on race morning. I also let the first half of the course take me and went out too fast. This was not the experience that I wanted but I fell in love with the course anyway. It was impossible not to love every bit of the course.

With this in mind, I qualified to run Boston again this year. I was coming off of 2 marathon times of 3:03. I wanted a sub 3 so badly and my last attempt was on a trail marathon due to the NYC cancellation. The trail terrain ended up putting some minutes onto my time. I felt ready to break 3 hours but I had to find happiness in assuming that I was fit enough to break the barrier on a paved route. Anybody that knows me knows that this will not do. Both of my 3:03 times qualified me for Boston. One for this year’s (2013) and the other for next year’s (2014). Fresh off of my second 3:03, I decided that Boston will be my next shot. I put every effort into my race training and strategy for the course. I would be able to say that my marathon pr starts with a 2. This would be my time!

I am very lucky that I have friends in Boston that allow Kelly and me to stay with them whenever we get the Boston itch. We LOVE Boston and truly think of it as our favorite city. One of those friends, Shauna, often tries to convince us to move to Boston. She doesn’t know how much we fantasize about it (well, now she does). Shauna, once again, offered up her place for us to stay for the weekend of the race. We gladly accepted and asked if we could have a few friends come and stay, too. She replied that our friends were more than welcome. So with that, we had Mark and Liam (Team Loco teammates and good friends) make plans to come cheer me and the other runners on. They also knew they were going to enjoy some free time in Boston, which didn’t hurt.

With everything going so smoothly on race weekend, I felt like this was it. This was going to be the marathon where it happens. I was going to break 3 hours. I stayed gluten-free for a little over 2 weeks and race weekend was no different. I ate the right things and got my steak meal the night before. Kelly, Shauna, Liam and Mark were great as they kept me relaxed and kept my mind off of the worries of the marathon. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to spend marathon weekend with (well, maybe the rest of Team Loco would have been even better). I got a solid night’s sleep and woke up at 4:30am on race day. I ate breakfast and my stomach was very accepting. I put on layer after layer, made sure I had my number and nutrition for the day and said goodbye to Kelly.

The plan was for Kelly and Shauna to see me finish. I was assuming that they were going to get as close to the finish line as possible. I was excited that Kelly would be able to see me finish in under 3 hours. This was to be a VERY special moment for me due to the frustration and struggle to make it happen. To have Kelly witness it would be more than I could ever ask. She has put up with my crazy gluten-free approach. She made our meal gluten-free, researched ingredients, searched ingredients in the market, researched restaurant menus to make sure they have options for me. She’s witnessed my struggle with the 3 hour barrier. She’s my sounding board even though she is tired of hearing it. But I got the sense that she wanted it as much as I did because she knew what it meant to me.

I arrived at the starting line under perfect conditions. The weather was mid 40s at the starting line and wasn’t to exceed lower 50s by the time I finished. There was an ever-so-slight breeze to dry the sweat and keep the skin cool during the first half of the race. There was a moment of silence for the victims of the Newtown shooting before the race started. It was a somber moment but it was touching. With the confidence that something special was going to happen, I “toed the line.”

The gun went off for the start and there was no way I wasn’t following my plan. I was going to stay over 7 minutes for the first mile. The pace I needed was 6:52 and all of the research I found said to hold back early on. If you let yourself go down the hills, you will lose the very muscles (quads) that will get you up the hills from 15-21. I learned this in 2007 so it wasn’t happening again. I watched all of these people go flying by me in that first mile and came through in a 7:07. I was very happy with that. From that point until mile 5, it was all about finding my groove and staying relaxed.

I took salt capsules and powerbar gel for sustained energy. I stuck to the plan and continued to hit my goal pace time. It seemed that 6:52s were clicking by. My legs felt great and I was able to breathe through my nose (a check I do with myself to make sure I’m not pushing too hard early on). This was mile 11! I made my way through Wellsley College and read all of the signs that the young ladies created for this special day. Many of those signs can’t be mentioned here as this is a family friendly blog. After I made my way through, I was at mile 13! Still feeling good!

I knew that this would be the true test. The hills were coming. I placed myself behind a man that was going my pace and stayed right on his heels. He brought me through the next mile in 6:51. I couldn’t believe things were going this well. I stepped to the side and went past him. I did the next mile on my own and hit a 6:43 mile. Here are the hills. At this point, I was actually looking forward to them as I was looking for a change in the muscles that were being recruited. I settled into the hills with a quick turn over and good arm pull. I made it up the early hills with no problem. The positive thoughts started forming in my head. I was thinking that this could be possible today.

The next (and possibly most frightening) challenge was heartbreak hill section. I sucked down a few more salt capsules and another energy gel and leaned into the hills. I watched all of these runners falling back, walking, stopping, and suffering. I couldn’t believe just how great I felt. I started to get chills thinking about seeing Mark, Liam, Kelly, and Shauna while feeling this good. I knew that Kelly was worried and I didn’t know if the tracking system that Kelly used was working. I finished the hills with a 6:51 pace without even pushing. I was still able to breathe through my nose. This was inexplicable! I felt like I was on a cloud that was transporting me to the finish line. I rounded the corner onto Beacon St. and there were Liam and Mark! I was not ready to see them as I thought they would be closer to Mile 23. I gave Liam a high five and gave them a thumbs up. I had just over 3 miles left and I was pretty sure I was on pace to achieve my goal. I felt way too good for this not to happen.

I continued passing a huge amount of people and was doing more weaving now than I was in the beginning of the race. I didn’t mind, however, because I was feeling so good. Next up, the finish line and Shauna and Kelly! I popped one more energy gel at mile 23 and set my mind on the line. I kept telling myself, “just keep your turnover up.” I couldn’t believe I was doing it! I had goosebumps that wouldn’t quite. I had feet that couldn’t feel the ground. I had spectators yelling, “GO TEAM LOCO!!!” I floated towards the finish. I turned down Hereford and onto Boylston, the final road to victory! I saw the finish line, looked at my watch, saw that I had a cushion to work with and immediately started scanning the crowd for Kelly. I wanted to share this with her and had to find her. I also thought that I should make sure my number was showing for the finisher picture. As I thinking about my number I heard, “Joe Sullivan!!!” I looked to my left and there was Kelly, lunging over the railing, shouting for me. I pumped my fist and smiled to her and knew my journey was complete. I could finish now. I turned towards the finish line and my heart starting to beat out of my chest. This was the first time that my breath was uncontrollable. I started to hyperventilate and wheeze. I told myself to calm down or I wasn’t going to finish. I relaxed and slowed my pace a tad, ripped my number off of my race belt and held it up to the crowd in the grandstand. I was gesturing for the spectators to make some noise and was rewarded with screams and applause. What an unbelievable feeling. I had never experienced that before. I crossed the line holding my number over my head with a huge smile. I did it! 2:57:55! I have many people to thank for my successful race. I will continue to do so for a long time.

I met Kelly, Shauna, and Maureen at the family reunion and we made our way to our celebrating spot at mile 23 (Brookline).  We were sitting outside, enjoying a wonderful lunch and watching the runners continue on to their finishing line when one of our lunch party received a notice about the tragic events at the finish line. Our celebration immediately turned to disbelieve and heartbreak.

I know that this tragedy was done to strike fear into the hearts of Americans. This only made me sad and proud. I am incredibly saddened that innocent people were forever scarred on a day that was meant for celebrating. I have a feeling that the Boston Marathon will be back even stronger next year. I have a feeling that more people will try harder to qualify to show that we will not bend in the face of fear. I am proud of the people that responded in the way that they did at the site of the tragedy. I am proud of the BAA and the way they handled everything very swiftly and decisively.

I still don’t know how to feel about my race. Every time I sit back and start to feel the excitement from my accomplishment, sadness creeps in and saturates everything. I’m sure it will work itself out, but for now it’s not about me. I will revisit this blog in the weeks to follow and at some point it will be about my race, but not now.

2012 Ironman Lake Placid

2012 Ironman Lake Placid Race Report

Joe Sullivan

Training:

Training had gone as well as it ever has for my Ironman prep. This year, I met some great people that were very supportive and fun to train with. I joined Team Loco after I was introduced to the founding members on a Wednesday night ride. From that point on, I had an invitation to go for a weekday ride somewhere new. I enjoyed those rides, thoroughly. I also got in some great long rides with J from Steiner’s Bike Shop in Glenmont. J knows all of the roads out there and knew where to take me when I was in need of a certain distance and hilly route. Needless to say, it was one of my better bike training years.

My plan going into this race was to bike more than I had previously. I would stress the bike in training with the hope that it would translate to a sub 6 hour Ironman bike split. I have the luxury of training on the course from early spring up until the day of the event. During training, I had some GREAT rides on the course. I found a nutrition plan that worked and I was very excited for. Going into race day, I had reason to believe that I was going to have a great bike split.

Race Day:

I woke up at 3:45am after getting a better night’s sleep than I anticipated. I chose to set the alarm for this time because the last 2 Ironman competitions, we hadn’t gotten to the race site with enough time to take care of special needs bags, set up the bikes, get body marked, and use the restrooms. There was never time to get myself mentally ready.

This year, I ate my English Muffins with peanut butter and honey in a relaxed state, at the kitchen table of the camp. I drank 2 glasses of water very slowly. I was ready for this day, physically. I didn’t want to mess it up by stuffing my face too quickly. Everything settled in my stomach, nicely. So far, so good.

With the help of Kelly’s parents, the truck was packed up with my baggage and their cooler and chairs for the long day. We applied Kelly’s Ironman tattoo to the back of her head, double checked that we had everything, and then left for the race site. We were on time and I was excited.

We got there with more than enough time to drop my bags at the special needs site and do my last minute bike prep in the oval. I got my body marked and used the rest rooms multiple times. Things were going swimmingly! We found Mark and Liam (2 of the people I met during training that were doing their first Ironman). They were excited, although Mark was trying not to show it. He’s such a cool cucumber. Liam showed us what he was wearing underneath his wetsuit and just as he was doing this, Mike Reilly, “the voice of the Ironman” (the guy that you all know that announces that “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!! As you cross the finish line) walked by and told Liam that if he wears that throughout the day, he will stay on him and keep tabs for the crowd. Liam’s choice of speedo was definitely unique.

With about 15 minutes to the canon, we started our walk to the timing mat to enter Mirror Lake. I said my goodbye to Kelly and that’s when it hit me. This is the first time that Kelly and I aren’t competing in the Ironman at the same time. We don’t really train together so I didn’t really let it sink in during training, but we start the race together and give each other a hug and a kiss right before the canon. I started to walk away and Kelly stayed with the spectators. Kelly called to me and I turned to see her at the gate. Boom. She’s not coming with me. My heart went into my throat and I quickly came back and hugged her and gave her a kiss. If I didn’t turn back around and leave her then, I would’ve been a mess. So I did just that. I found Mark and Liam and we continued on to the timing mat.

I shook Mark’s hand (we lost Liam in the crowd) at the mat and wished him luck. I reminded him to enjoy the day. I then stepped over the mat and swam to my starting spot. There seemed to be more people than usual. I could not start in my usual spot because it was packed with competitors. I swam out a little towards the starting line and found a patch of water to call my own. I found Kelly and her family on the shore line and then floated on the water with a minute left. I was in my calm place and let Mike Reilly count it down.

KABOOM!!! The canon fired and the lake came alive. Arms, legs, heads, body parts were everywhere. I continued breathing and stroking. I was immediately met by people who started on the shore line and swam over towards the buoys. People were swimming over me, hitting me with viciously swinging arms, and pulling on my feet and legs. There was no spot of water that wasn’t occupied by at least 2 people at the same time. CHAOS!! I stayed in my peaceful place as much as I could by I was using my legs more than I wanted to. I soon found myself kicking people off of me and swimming sideways to try and find space. I swam out wide enough that I finally found a spot that I could make forward progress. As soon as I got into a groove, I heard swimmers yelling and screaming for a kayak. I stopped swimming and noticed a mass of swimmers waving their arms and shouting for help. A swimmer was in distress and many swimmers stopped to help. I screamed for help a couple of times and then thought, well, there are enough people helping, I will just continue on and get out of the way. I continued on and made my way around the turn buoys and back to the beach. I got out of the water and looked at my watch. Oops! Someone kicked it at around 10 minutes because that’s where my time had stopped. I looked up and saw that the clock was at 47 minutes… wait… 47 minutes??!! That’s 10 minutes slower than I wanted! I asked the person that got out next to me if that was the pro time (the pros start 10 minutes before we do) and she confirmed that I was correct. Phew!!

Back out for lap 2! This was much more uneventful… thank goodness! I got it around in 38 minutes for a total swim time of 1:16. Right on target! I noticed, however, that I expended way too much energy on that first loop just from the fighting that I did. I had my wetsuit stripped from my body and I was off to the transition area.

I got my bike bag and ran into the change ten. There were no seats to be had so I took a volunteer’s chair while he was helping someone. I, quickly, got my shoes and helmet on. I put my race belt on with my number attached. I grabbed my sunglasses and stuffed some gu into my trishirt pouches and I was out! I had to grab my own bike from the rack, again. Not a big deal. As I was running out of the oval with my bike, I noticed that my bike computer was not functioning. I stopped at the mounting area and fiddled with it for a minute. No luck. Oh well, I only had a race strategy that was contingent upon my computer functioning, that’s all. Shit! I pedaled away trying to calm myself down. It’ll be ok. Just go by feel. My plan was to bike the first loop slightly under 3 hours and then hopefully match it on the second loop. I immediately took in a good amount of my Infinit Nutrition as I rode out of Placid. It actually tasted good and went down nicely. All signs are a go for a good bike!

I made it up the Lake Placid hills with very little effort. I was so happy with my training! It made it possible for me to feel this good at this point! I continued on toward Cascade Lakes which is a traditional sign that the 5 miles of extreme downhills was coming. I was ready to go 50! As I started the descent, I dropped down into an aggressive aero position and was flying by people. The hill gently flattened out and I started to pedal… (CLANK!!) I looked down and saw my chain wedged all in my crank set and derailleur. SHIT!! Calm down… it’s fixable… calm…down… I got off of my bike after coasting to a stop. I pulled the tangled chain out and reaffixed it. I got it rolling again in about 2 minutes, or so. IT felt like 10! Calm down… calm… down… I hit the flat sections after the downhills and felt REALLY GOOD! I continued sucking down my nutrition at 20 minute intervals. Still yummy and still sitting well in my stomach. As I reached the turn onto 86, I hit the next series of challenging uphills. This would be a great test for how my legs are holding up. I went up the hills feeling like I was holding myself back. Good sign. The only problem was that I planned a speed that I was going to go on the hills and not go over it. I’m pretty sure that I surpassed that speed but I couldn’t tell.

As I turned onto the part of Route 86 that I dread the most (Whiteface Mountain), I knew that this was the most important part of my ride. If I can get through this with little effort and continuing to take in my nutrition, I’d be set! Not only did I accomplish this, but it went even better than I had planned. No effort at all! I came back into town super excited! I calculated my time as a 2:56. Spot on! I sped by Kelly, her family, and our friends giving them a thumbs up. I wanted them to know that all was going well.

I stopped to switch out my empty bottle for the full ones in my special needs bag. I got back on my bike and I was out for lap 2! As I approached the Placid hills I heard someone say, “Joe?” It was Mark! He was spinning along, looking great! We talked about our race so far and then wished each other continued luck. I made my way up the hills feeling pretty good. It took a little more effort than the first time, but about 60 miles of biking will do that to a person. I went down the hills without incident this time. I turned onto the flat section and went to take in my nutrition. My stomach rebelled. I started to get cramps in my lower intestines and my stomach started turning. Oh no. This can’t happen! Not this early, anyway!I still had roughly 40 miles to go! I backed off of the speed on the flats and cmae out of my aero position to try and let the body angle help things along. As I made it to my next nutrition marker, my stomach wanted nothing to do with it. I felt like I would have to get off the bike at any moment and either vomit or run into the woods for an emergency bowel movement. I started to take in water only. I knew this was bad, but I couldn’t get anything else down. I tried putting my nutrition in, I would get it into my mouth, but then would gag on it, or spit it out.

I reached the Whiteface section in this state. My energy levels were extremely low and I had not taken in anything that my body would need for the run. I was in trouble. I knew it. My goals went from 11:15 to hold on and finish.

I went down 86 and past Whiteface using every ounce of energy that I had. I just want to make it to the change tent so I could sit for a minute. I came through town not being able to stand on my bike to push up the hills. If I stood to pedal, my quads started to seize up on me. The last sign that my body had used up everything. I grinded back into transition. I got off of my bike and gingerly walked to my run bag. 6:16. I was so out of it that I tried to grab my bike bag that had my wetsuit and goggles in it. A volunteer had to run over and yell at me, “No! You want your run bag!!! He came over and got it for me and then led me to the tent.

Ahhhh!!! An open chair! I sat down and the volunteer put my bag next to me and asked if I needed anything. I wanted to tell him, “new legs,” or, “you to run my marathon for me.” I went with water instead. I, very slowly, got my socks, running sneakers, and visor on. I sat for a minute after that just getting myself ready to leave the tent. Oh boy, this is going to be a long marathon.

I walked out of the tent, got slathered with sun screen and then walked onto the run course. Kelly, her parents, KP, and Grace were standing right there. I walked over and I could tell that I looked like crap. How could I tell? They told me so! What great friends they are!! I leaned against the barrier and did not want to go. I knew that if I didn’t go, I never would. So, off I went down the road to finish what I started. The thought that was with me for the entire marathon was, “Kelly wanted to be out here doing this if she could. She would be doing it with a smile on her face. I WILL get this done. If I could have put Kelly in my pocket for the marathon, I would have.

Let’s just say this. The marathon was the most mentally and physically challenging thing that I have ever accomplished. Along the way, there were runners being pulled from the course. People just couldn’t continue. Bodies were giving out left and right. The ATVs were working non-stop; bringing people back to the oval so they could be treated at the medical tent. The ambulances were hauling people away at a rate that was inconceivable. What was happening to us? I feared that I would be next after every step I took on that marathon course. I was dizzy, foggy, blurry, shuffling, walking, stumbling, and swaying. I tried cola, water, ice, bananas, oranges, performance drink, pretzels, anything… and none of it was working. My body had had it. It was done and it was slowly shutting down on me. I never thought that I would ever get to a point where I couldn’t at least walk. I had to sit on a guardrail 5 times because walking was too exhausting. I questioned myself for over 5 hours. I willed myself to take another step. Just another step and then we’ll see. Just another one. One more. What would Kelly think? Do you want her to see you on the back of an ATV driving up the road back into town? Think of what she is going through. This shit is nothing. Take another step. And now another. That finish line is getting closer each time you take a step.

On the out on River Road (Mile 16ish), they started offering chicken broth. I thought, what the heck. My body is probably missing salt (along with everything else). Let’s give it a shot. Gulp. Ok, that was tolerable. Let’s get more at the next one. Gulp. It’s getting tastier! Yum! Let’s keep doing that! I grabbed 2 more at the next one and my eyes started to focus. Interesting! I tried a jog and was able to keep it up for a long distance. What’s this? I started to sweat again! It’s been miles since I could sweat! This is a good sign! I ran as far as that soup could take me. I ran back into Placid. I ran up the last hill. I ran most of the last 2 mile out and back stretch. I sprinted into the oval. I stopped when I saw Kelly waiting on the last turn before I would get my 3^rd Ironman finish. I wanted to take Kelly with me to that finish because without her, who knows where my thoughts would’ve led me on that long and lonely marathon…

I gave Kelly a quick and sweaty hug. I started to well up a little bit. What an emotional roller coaster ride I had been on. And what a better way to finish than to have Kelly there with me? I released her and rounded the bend. And there it was! The big, bright finish line! “Joseph Sullivan, from Schenectady, NY, YOU ARE A 3 TIME LAKE PLACID IRONMAN FINISHER!

Post Race:

I should have gone to the medical tent. I lost 12 pounds during the race and Kelly said that I was blue. I just wanted out. I wanted to sit somewhere and recover in peace. I wanted to be around the people that supported me around and I wanted to thank everybody. I, immediately, starting cramping in my legs when I sat down with Kelly and friends. I should have gone to the medical tent.

I slept soundly that night, and the next. I slowly recovered over the next few days. My intestines still aren’t right. I should have gone to the medical tent.

I learned a lot about myself that day and what I am capable of. I also learned that my body needs more salt than I take in.

I will be signing up for IM Lake Placid 2014. I will do this again. I will be back with a vengeance. And so will Kelly!

Ironman Lake Placid 2012

2012 Ironman Lake Placid Race Report

Joe Sullivan

Training:

Training had gone as well as it ever has for my Ironman prep. This year, I met some great people that were very supportive and fun to train with. I joined Team Loco after I was introduced to the founding members on a Wednesday night ride. From that point on, I had an invitation to go for a weekday ride somewhere new. I enjoyed those rides, thoroughly. I also got in some great long rides with J from Steiner’s Bike Shop in Glenmont. J knows all of the roads out there and knew where to take me when I was in need of a certain distance and hilly route. Needless to say, it was one of my better bike training years.

My plan going into this race was to bike more than I had previously. I would stress the bike in training with the hope that it would translate to a sub 6 hour Ironman bike split. I have the luxury of training on the course from early spring up until the day of the event. During training, I had some GREAT rides on the course. I found a nutrition plan that worked and I was very excited for. Going into race day, I had reason to believe that I was going to have a great bike split.

Race Day:

I woke up at 3:45am after getting a better night’s sleep than I anticipated. I chose to set the alarm for this time because the last 2 Ironman competitions, we hadn’t gotten to the race site with enough time to take care of special needs bags, set up the bikes, get body marked, and use the restrooms. There was never time to get myself mentally ready.

This year, I ate my English Muffins with peanut butter and honey in a relaxed state, at the kitchen table of the camp. I drank 2 glasses of water very slowly. I was ready for this day, physically. I didn’t want to mess it up by stuffing my face too quickly. Everything settled in my stomach, nicely. So far, so good.

With the help of Kelly’s parents, the truck was packed up with my baggage and their cooler and chairs for the long day. We applied Kelly’s Ironman tattoo to the back of her head, double checked that we had everything, and then left for the race site. We were on time and I was excited.

We got there with more than enough time to drop my bags at the special needs site and do my last minute bike prep in the oval. I got my body marked and used the rest rooms multiple times. Things were going swimmingly! We found Mark and Liam (2 of the people I met during training that were doing their first Ironman). They were excited, although Mark was trying not to show it. He’s such a cool cucumber. Liam showed us what he was wearing underneath his wetsuit and just as he was doing this, Mike Reilly, “the voice of the Ironman” (the guy that you all know that announces that “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!! As you cross the finish line) walked by and told Liam that if he wears that throughout the day, he will stay on him and keep tabs for the crowd. Liam’s choice of speedo was definitely unique.

With about 15 minutes to the canon, we started our walk to the timing mat to enter Mirror Lake. I said my goodbye to Kelly and that’s when it hit me. This is the first time that Kelly and I aren’t competing in the Ironman at the same time. We don’t really train together so I didn’t really let it sink in during training, but we start the race together and give each other a hug and a kiss right before the canon. I started to walk away and Kelly stayed with the spectators. Kelly called to me and I turned to see her at the gate. Boom. She’s not coming with me. My heart went into my throat and I quickly came back and hugged her and gave her a kiss. If I didn’t turn back around and leave her then, I would’ve been a mess. So I did just that. I found Mark and Liam and we continued on to the timing mat.

I shook Mark’s hand (we lost Liam in the crowd) at the mat and wished him luck. I reminded him to enjoy the day. I then stepped over the mat and swam to my starting spot. There seemed to be more people than usual. I could not start in my usual spot because it was packed with competitors. I swam out a little towards the starting line and found a patch of water to call my own. I found Kelly and her family on the shore line and then floated on the water with a minute left. I was in my calm place and let Mike Reilly count it down.

KABOOM!!! The canon fired and the lake came alive. Arms, legs, heads, body parts were everywhere. I continued breathing and stroking. I was immediately met by people who started on the shore line and swam over towards the buoys. People were swimming over me, hitting me with viciously swinging arms, and pulling on my feet and legs. There was no spot of water that wasn’t occupied by at least 2 people at the same time. CHAOS!! I stayed in my peaceful place as much as I could by I was using my legs more than I wanted to. I soon found myself kicking people off of me and swimming sideways to try and find space. I swam out wide enough that I finally found a spot that I could make forward progress. As soon as I got into a groove, I heard swimmers yelling and screaming for a kayak. I stopped swimming and noticed a mass of swimmers waving their arms and shouting for help. A swimmer was in distress and many swimmers stopped to help. I screamed for help a couple of times and then thought, well, there are enough people helping, I will just continue on and get out of the way. I continued on and made my way around the turn buoys and back to the beach. I got out of the water and looked at my watch. Oops! Someone kicked it at around 10 minutes because that’s where my time had stopped. I looked up and saw that the clock was at 47 minutes… wait… 47 minutes??!! That’s 10 minutes slower than I wanted! I asked the person that got out next to me if that was the pro time (the pros start 10 minutes before we do) and she confirmed that I was correct. Phew!!

Back out for lap 2! This was much more uneventful… thank goodness! I got it around in 38 minutes for a total swim time of 1:16. Right on target! I noticed, however, that I expended way too much energy on that first loop just from the fighting that I did. I had my wetsuit stripped from my body and I was off to the transition area.

I got my bike bag and ran into the change ten. There were no seats to be had so I took a volunteer’s chair while he was helping someone. I, quickly, got my shoes and helmet on. I put my race belt on with my number attached. I grabbed my sunglasses and stuffed some gu into my trishirt pouches and I was out! I had to grab my own bike from the rack, again. Not a big deal. As I was running out of the oval with my bike, I noticed that my bike computer was not functioning. I stopped at the mounting area and fiddled with it for a minute. No luck. Oh well, I only had a race strategy that was contingent upon my computer functioning, that’s all. Shit! I pedaled away trying to calm myself down. It’ll be ok. Just go by feel. My plan was to bike the first loop slightly under 3 hours and then hopefully match it on the second loop. I immediately took in a good amount of my Infinit Nutrition as I rode out of Placid. It actually tasted good and went down nicely. All signs are a go for a good bike!

I made it up the Lake Placid hills with very little effort. I was so happy with my training! It made it possible for me to feel this good at this point! I continued on toward Cascade Lakes which is a traditional sign that the 5 miles of extreme downhills was coming. I was ready to go 50! As I started the descent, I dropped down into an aggressive aero position and was flying by people. The hill gently flattened out and I started to pedal… (CLANK!!) I looked down and saw my chain wedged all in my crank set and derailleur. SHIT!! Calm down… it’s fixable… calm…down… I got off of my bike after coasting to a stop. I pulled the tangled chain out and reaffixed it. I got it rolling again in about 2 minutes, or so. IT felt like 10! Calm down… calm… down… I hit the flat sections after the downhills and felt REALLY GOOD! I continued sucking down my nutrition at 20 minute intervals. Still yummy and still sitting well in my stomach. As I reached the turn onto 86, I hit the next series of challenging uphills. This would be a great test for how my legs are holding up. I went up the hills feeling like I was holding myself back. Good sign. The only problem was that I planned a speed that I was going to go on the hills and not go over it. I’m pretty sure that I surpassed that speed but I couldn’t tell.

As I turned onto the part of Route 86 that I dread the most (Whiteface Mountain), I knew that this was the most important part of my ride. If I can get through this with little effort and continuing to take in my nutrition, I’d be set! Not only did I accomplish this, but it went even better than I had planned. No effort at all! I came back into town super excited! I calculated my time as a 2:56. Spot on! I sped by Kelly, her family, and our friends giving them a thumbs up. I wanted them to know that all was going well.

I stopped to switch out my empty bottle for the full ones in my special needs bag. I got back on my bike and I was out for lap 2! As I approached the Placid hills I heard someone say, “Joe?” It was Mark! He was spinning along, looking great! We talked about our race so far and then wished each other continued luck. I made my way up the hills feeling pretty good. It took a little more effort than the first time, but about 60 miles of biking will do that to a person. I went down the hills without incident this time. I turned onto the flat section and went to take in my nutrition. My stomach rebelled. I started to get cramps in my lower intestines and my stomach started turning. Oh no. This can’t happen! Not this early, anyway!I still had roughly 40 miles to go! I backed off of the speed on the flats and cmae out of my aero position to try and let the body angle help things along. As I made it to my next nutrition marker, my stomach wanted nothing to do with it. I felt like I would have to get off the bike at any moment and either vomit or run into the woods for an emergency bowel movement. I started to take in water only. I knew this was bad, but I couldn’t get anything else down. I tried putting my nutrition in, I would get it into my mouth, but then would gag on it, or spit it out.

I reached the Whiteface section in this state. My energy levels were extremely low and I had not taken in anything that my body would need for the run. I was in trouble. I knew it. My goals went from 11:15 to hold on and finish.

I went down 86 and past Whiteface using every ounce of energy that I had. I just want to make it to the change tent so I could sit for a minute. I came through town not being able to stand on my bike to push up the hills. If I stood to pedal, my quads started to seize up on me. The last sign that my body had used up everything. I grinded back into transition. I got off of my bike and gingerly walked to my run bag. 6:16. I was so out of it that I tried to grab my bike bag that had my wetsuit and goggles in it. A volunteer had to run over and yell at me, “No! You want your run bag!!! He came over and got it for me and then led me to the tent.

Ahhhh!!! An open chair! I sat down and the volunteer put my bag next to me and asked if I needed anything. I wanted to tell him, “new legs,” or, “you to run my marathon for me.” I went with water instead. I, very slowly, got my socks, running sneakers, and visor on. I sat for a minute after that just getting myself ready to leave the tent. Oh boy, this is going to be a long marathon.

I walked out of the tent, got slathered with sun screen and then walked onto the run course. Kelly, her parents, KP, and Grace were standing right there. I walked over and I could tell that I looked like crap. How could I tell? They told me so! What great friends they are!! I leaned against the barrier and did not want to go. I knew that if I didn’t go, I never would. So, off I went down the road to finish what I started. The thought that was with me for the entire marathon was, “Kelly wanted to be out here doing this if she could. She would be doing it with a smile on her face. I WILL get this done. If I could have put Kelly in my pocket for the marathon, I would have.

Let’s just say this. The marathon was the most mentally and physically challenging thing that I have ever accomplished. Along the way, there were runners being pulled from the course. People just couldn’t continue. Bodies were giving out left and right. The ATVs were working non-stop; bringing people back to the oval so they could be treated at the medical tent. The ambulances were hauling people away at a rate that was inconceivable. What was happening to us? I feared that I would be next after every step I took on that marathon course. I was dizzy, foggy, blurry, shuffling, walking, stumbling, and swaying. I tried cola, water, ice, bananas, oranges, performance drink, pretzels, anything… and none of it was working. My body had had it. It was done and it was slowly shutting down on me. I never thought that I would ever get to a point where I couldn’t at least walk. I had to sit on a guardrail 5 times because walking was too exhausting. I questioned myself for over 5 hours. I willed myself to take another step. Just another step and then we’ll see. Just another one. One more. What would Kelly think? Do you want her to see you on the back of an ATV driving up the road back into town? Think of what she is going through. This shit is nothing. Take another step. And now another. That finish line is getting closer each time you take a step.

On the out on River Road (Mile 16ish), they started offering chicken broth. I thought, what the heck. My body is probably missing salt (along with everything else). Let’s give it a shot. Gulp. Ok, that was tolerable. Let’s get more at the next one. Gulp. It’s getting tastier! Yum! Let’s keep doing that! I grabbed 2 more at the next one and my eyes started to focus. Interesting! I tried a jog and was able to keep it up for a long distance. What’s this? I started to sweat again! It’s been miles since I could sweat! This is a good sign! I ran as far as that soup could take me. I ran back into Placid. I ran up the last hill. I ran most of the last 2 mile out and back stretch. I sprinted into the oval. I stopped when I saw Kelly waiting on the last turn before I would get my 3^rd Ironman finish. I wanted to take Kelly with me to that finish because without her, who knows where my thoughts would’ve led me on that long and lonely marathon…

I gave Kelly a quick and sweaty hug. I started to well up a little bit. What an emotional roller coaster ride I had been on. And what a better way to finish than to have Kelly there with me? I released her and rounded the bend. And there it was! The big, bright finish line! “Joseph Sullivan, from Schenectady, NY, YOU ARE A 3 TIME LAKE PLACID IRONMAN FINISHER!

Post Race:

I should have gone to the medical tent. I lost 12 pounds during the race and Kelly said that I was blue. I just wanted out. I wanted to sit somewhere and recover in peace. I wanted to be around the people that supported me around and I wanted to thank everybody. I, immediately, starting cramping in my legs when I sat down with Kelly and friends. I should have gone to the medical tent.

I slept soundly that night, and the next. I slowly recovered over the next few days. My intestines still aren’t right. I should have gone to the medical tent.

I learned a lot about myself that day and what I am capable of. I also learned that my body needs more salt than I take in.

I will be signing up for IM Lake Placid 2014. I will do this again. I will be back with a vengeance. And so will Kelly!