Ironman Lake Tahoe Recon on the way to Vineman 70.3.

So on the way to Vineman 70.3 ( well not on the way) ,but you get the idea, we headed to Lake Tahoe to do some reconnaissance for Ironman which is 9/22.

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We are staying at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe in Incline Village which is a sensational hotel.  Not an ideal spot for Ironman but if you are
coming to Lake Tahoe in the summer - this is where you want to be.

Lake Tahoe sunset

If I was not racing Vineman I would be our riding and running the course but I AM racing!  Which is great news considering I was not running 6 weeks ago.  It has been a big 4 weeks build of cramming systematic training to get me ready to run 13.1 miles.  90% of the time I think my coach is the best, but I have to say this last week I had a few occasions to really dislike what I saw in Training Peaks and thus cursed his name a lot. And he has let me know he is not looking to win a popularity contest so there.  In any case, I it done. One day, one workout at  time.  The last tough day with 1x20 and 2x10 bike intervals I lobbed out an email complaining how tired I was, sluggish and grumpy. No reply- I got it - out the door I went and overshot the 1st interval and fell short on the other 2.  UGH oh well- and pulled of the run off the bike and it was taper time.  I will admit the twice last week I found myself splayed on the tile floor looking up at Roo and Mako.  If they had bubbles above their heads  "what's wrong with mom?"  "don't know?"  " she smells good."  " lets start licking her alot and see what happens"  When I dove in the pool and swam underwater for a bit I popped up to a very concerned Roo- ready to dive in to the rescue.

So the recon was done mostly in the car.  

Swim- not done in the car.  Stunning lake, great temperature and clear as can me.  Cannot wait for 2.4 in this beautiful spot.

Bike-  Wow is all I can say.  Again the scenery is beautiful, my kind of race.  And guess what is is hilly, really hilly, but doable climbs and a reasonable course.   Taking out the climb to Alpine Meadows is huge.  I would not say it is now easy but it is doable. I see double GWL's,  GWL/Mt Laguna rides- really my favorite kind of training.  There is a lot of climbing late it the race so training needs to accommodate that.  So adding Honey Springs and later climbs in rides - to be climbing on tired legs.   KP's EPIC ride which includes a ride to Dudelys and then out the S2 and up banner grade.  Good stuff- will be fun!    I've had a few people ask road bike vs TT.  TT without question- the descents are fast and not technical so a TT bike will prevail here and on the rollers you can stay aero.   Road quality is good and they re working on a lot of the roads now, so smooth surfaces.

Run-  T2 and the finish are at Squaw Valley.  This will be my 3rd Ironman finishing at an Olympic Village ( Lake Placid, Whistler and Tahoe)  It's definitely motivating.  The run is not flat - gee what a shocker!   And the finish is a gradual 2 mile uphill finish.   Most of the run is on the river trail which is nice.

Altitude- there is some, a lot actually, 6200-7200ft.   Do I notice it ? yes.  Here is my theory - not many people live here in Tahoe so most of us are at the same disadvantage  - suck it up!   I plan to get here 7 days early- I know I know it takes 21-30 days to acclimate but I am not a pro and not looking to live in Tahoe alone for a month.

Thinking about the course I am excited, scared, nervous, anxious.... pretty much Ironman!

Today I ran from T2 and did an out and back to "test" the hill- not bad and it was a nice run  John came along and then decided to keep running.... 26+ miles later he finished.  Gotta love a guy who randomly does a marathon at altitude.    

Dip in the lake post run