40+ Club : Where the Cool Kids Are

bweath2 wrote: »

@QuikDogs I lift heavy things too. I firmly believe that the word "cardio" is spanish. The only reason I would ever run is if I'm being chased by a bear.

Djproulx wrote: »

Welcome to new kids @navygrrl and @hartlandmom.
@BettyM1017 - So glad to hear all ok with you!
@__TMac__ Love it when you say the "t" word, even if its low key.

My wife and I are just back from a 5 day trip to Lake Placid, NY for an IM race and vacation. It was a great time. We stayed right on Main street, overlooking the swim course on Mirror Lake. The town was full of athletes and their families this weekend, so the shops, hotels and restaurants all ran race weekend promos and Ironman banners were everywhere you looked. Since Montreal is less than two hours north of LP, there were many Canadians racing, but I also met participants from Europe and South America.

The Lake Placid Ironman course is both very difficult and very scenic. The race was held on Sunday and started at 7am with a rolling swim start. It took about one hour to get all 2600 athletes into the water. The cold early morning weather and the significant climbing required on the bike and run course were a real test, and took quite a few people out of the race. The trick was to stay warm during the cold swim (air temp 38 degrees, water 62 degrees at race time) then dry off and put on windproof layers to cover skin and avoid hypothermia from riding a bike in cold weather. Once through the steep descent and rolling back stretch, most riders then shed layers as the temps rose and the heavy climbing started during the last 20 miles heading back into town. Finally, the run course was an out and back route, with two significant climbs on the return trip, the first one by the Olympic Ski Jump site and the second one a steep grade at mile 11, just as you came into town. That one was tough and most people, including me, walked most of it. The only help came from the significant crowds cheering as runners approached town and headed towards the Olympic speed skating oval and the finish line.

Regarding my race results, I finished in 6:32:04, placing me 14th in the men's 60-64 age group. The conditions caused a high percentage of DNS/DNF's, since there were 73 registered and only 49 finishers in my age group.
My 1.2 mile swim split was fairly soft at 45 min, my 56 mile bike split of 3:16:00 was solid (this included a 5 min stop to strip clothing, etc.) and my half marathon run split of 2:17:48 was fair at best, (10:20 pace) but it was all I could manage on Sunday. Overall, I'm happy with my finish and learned a lot about the course. I'll use that information to train, since I'm registered for the full IM race there next July. (two loops of each segment)

Finally, we spent Monday hiking, since the area is famous for the 46 High Peaks that surround the town. We climbed Cascade Mountain, which was a bit more challenging than I needed, but the summit had some spectacular views.

Here are a few pictures. The first is the Olympic Oval on Saturday showing bikes set up in transition. Second is the temp shown on phone at 5:30am on Sunday, as we prepared for the swim. The other transition area shot showed how it looked on race morning in 5:30am darkness as athletes donned wetsuits and prepared to race. Finally, a few other shots showing the bike and the hike.

Stay Cool, Kids.

QuikDogs wrote: »

Morgaen73 wrote: »

@QuikDogs I did weightlifting for two years but recently went over to crossfit. I still do 2 weight training sessions a week plus 1 crossfit lifting session.

Respect to you! Crossfit scares me and I hate reps. I'm a true powerlifter! I don't know why I thought weightlifting would be fun to try. omg it is SO technically difficult, and I'm kind of a klutz so that doesn't help. I have a great coach, he's very encouraging, but it's hard not to be discouraged a lot.

Tonight is deadlift night though. That always makes me happy. Can't wait!

QuikDogs wrote: »

lolI t really isnt that bad. I'm in the basics goup so it is much easier than normal crossfit. I go to the weightlifting class once a week though. We did an hou session last night and did exactly 2 types of lifts lol There is a LOT of emphasis on form so each lift gets broken down into smaller components that are fist practiced seperately with just the ba, then together with the bar and then when your form is ok you can add weights. In the last 2 weeks I've leaned a lot of where my weaknesses are in lifting.

Also, the crossfit helps with flexibility and stamina which helps with the weightlifting

Yeah I love deadlifts as well So how did the session go?