"Brendan Claflin,You are an Ironman!"

I've heard those words five times now, and they never get old, although it would help if someday they learned how to pronounce my last name!  That is a story for another day however...

After a week of binge drinking, feeling sorry for myself, and whining, I think i'm ready for a race report.  I don't think i'll talk about results or time or watts or heart rate or anything like that because if you're not a professional or an aspiring professional these things are annoying to talk about endlessly.  For the vast majority of us, endurance racing is a lifestyle choice, a way to conduct your life day in and day out, and an Ironman is the culmination and the reward for choosing to live that life!  It's sort of like if you get together with an accountant and all they can talk about is numbers, you know, it's boring and nobody cares...This is not anger or bitterness, though after every Ironman I have to go through this period of feeling like I need to lock myself in a dark room and scream for a couple of days and then after a little while I have to stop and remind myself, "wait a minute, I completed another challenge, with new twists and turns, and I should feel good!".  

So having said that, Ironman Lake Placid for me was about going up to the Adirondacks, hanging out with a bunch of family for a couple of days, oh yes and trying to get to Kona (which I didn't, but I didn't put on a wetsuit and discount myself from the beginning). At the end of the day, giving my 3 year old nephew a high five on the side of the road is worth more than anything else I can think of.

Thank you to mom and dad for renting this big SUV, with a bike rack and kayak so we could all ride in comfort up to Lake Placid, instead of squished in their subaru with derailleurs and spokes and aerobars hitting them in the neck, face, shoulders, etc...Especially glad for the nice comfy seats on the way home stuck in traffic.  I'm not usually one for excessive creature comforts, however after an Ironman sometimes it is appreciated a little more.  So we get up to Lake placid complete with bike and kayaks and a cooler full of food, and all is well in the world!

Lake Placid is a beautiful venue for an Ironman, and the weather was unbelievably good for the entire weekend, and then Monday, the skies opened up and a deluge followed,  the kind of rain they don't even make a windshield wiper setting for.

So the swim was wetsuit optional and I went without one because I figured you gotta go for it or don't go at all, although one suggestion for Ironman:  It might be nice to have a seperate wave for those not wearing wetsuits going for awards and slots, as for terrible swimmers such as myself , almost drowning in the middle of a bunch of people crawling over you with "floaties" is a challenge, but maybe not the best feeling i've ever experienced...

The Bike course was great, challenging, nice rollers and good climbs, and nice riverside road for a good part of the bike. No regrets.  Chain dropped twice, probably operator error so can't complain...

Run was a great course as well, not my best run, but no excuses, just didn't get the job done....Oh well,next time... 

Big thanks to Southwest Airlines, handing out free drinks on a delayed flight out of DIA, and not charging for my bike on the way home, they are my all-time favorite airline for sure!  Big thanks as well to all my family who stood out in the sun for 10+ hours with kids, no less, to cheer me on!  Also thanks, as usual, to GU for fueling me during the day and Louis Garneau for getting my new helmet to me before the race, and of course Erin Baker's for all the support!

there's my blah, blah, blah for now...