For those of us that live in the Northeast and other parts of the country that are going through serious heat and hig humidity keep these tips in mind…

• Bring plenty of extra fluid on your rides and runs
• Supplement your hydration with an electrolyte drink (think about extra salt content)
• Back off the intensity if the heat is too oppressive
• Try to go out early in the morning or later in the evening
• Enjoy swimming outdoors:)

We’ll be in Lake Placid this weekend cheering on the many athletes at IM USA.

Train smart…

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Start-tri.com would like to congratulate many first time and veteran finishers in a multitude of races this summer…Here are some recent finishes:

Bassman Sprint Triathlon in April-Scott Johnson, Tucker McKeever, Lawrence Writer, Steve Varley
Doc and Sok Sprint Triathlon in May-Steve Varley, Tucker McKeever, JT Thompson
Jerseyman 1/2 Ironman in May-Lawrence Writer
Black Bear 1/2 Ironman in May-John Bye
Philadelphia Olympic Distance Triathlon in June-Tucker McKeever
Ironman Germany in July-Lawrence Writer…you are an Ironman!!!
Randolph Sprint Triathlon in July-Gene Boyle, Steve Badian, Mark Gropler, Maryfaith Burke, Heather Lukeman, Pete Rouillard, Wendi Zimmerman, Jaclyn Sullivan, Suzanne Corbett, Robert Tallman, Mike Van Allen
NYC Olympic Triathlon in July-Tom Maney, JT Thompson
Ironman Lake Placid in July-Scott Johnson, Gene Boyle, Jason Norman, Mickey Cassu…you are Ironmen!

Also, with a strong showing at Ironman Lake Placid were all of our Start-tri.com campers-Walt Skrinski, Robyn Ritter, Mike Peretta, Scott Johnson, Gene Boyle and the coaches!

If looking for a great way to close out the season, September in the Metropolitan area always boasts a multitude of good season-ending races. Be sure to check the racing calendars at Raceforum.com or active.com

See you at the races!

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We received an email recently regarding the elevation at Ironman Lake Placid – more specifically, how much climbing is there?

The Ironman USA website has an interesting quote “The two loop bike course takes place on impeccably smooth roads.  There is a major 9km downhill (good for the average speed).  The rest of the bike is a mix of some rolling hills and some “small chainring climbs.  Overall, you can move on this course!”

We think that this is slightly misleading in that it doesn’t really address the level of climbing that you will actually be doing.  The figure below depicts a heart-rate file (Jason’s) during one of our Ironman training camps held earlier this year.  The heart rate profile gives an ascent of 3300ft for one loop.  Obviously this needs to be doubled giving you a climbing elevation of 6600ft.  That is some serious climbing if you’re used to riding on flat roads.

IMUSA course profile

One of the main comments from our camp attendees was that the first loop seemed ‘quite reasonable’.  However, the second loop is ‘a (insert expletive)’ and it’s mainly due to the fatigue that accumulates from the first loop.

Our advice?  Take it easy climbing out of Lake Placid initially – you can blow your race here right at the beginning.  Go fast on the downhill to Keene if you’re comfortable riding at speed.  The section from Keene thru Upper Jay and Jay is a fast road and you should take advantage of staying in aero and covering the ground quickly.  Take the climbs easy so as to keep the legs as fresh as possible.  Enjoy the crowd coming back into Lake Placid and once again, watch that climb out of town prior to the descent.  On the second loop, even though you’ll want to get off the bike as quickly as possible, hold back a little  and spin up the hills – your legs will thank you for it during the marathon!

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Kids Triathlon Series

Marty’s Reliable Cycle, one of our sponsor’s, is running a triathlon series for the younger triathletes in the area.  They have five different age group ranges with three events – one in July, August and September.    The flyer has more details and you can register directly at their website: martysreliable.com Should be a fun time for all the family and who knows – you might just see a top-triathlete of the future….

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