40 Years in Existence

Roger’s World – Thursday July 23, 2009

40 Years in Existence

  As I hinted to on Monday, I will be checking in from Lake Placid during race week to give you all an idea of what happens the days before an Ironman race. I hope you find it useful, here goes.

 The better half and I arrived in Lake Placid late yesterday and made our customary stops at the shops before checking in at the KOA. The first stop was the Rite Aid to stock up on supplies. Contrary to some of the opinions floating around on some websites, this business owner thanked us for shopping there and said their summer has been dead so for and have been looking forward to when the Ironman race came to town. He wished me luck and it was off to Placid Planet Bicycles to check out the bikes, and other gear. This is a great little shop and worth a stop to score a deal or two. Plus, their owners are strong supporters of the race sticking around and promote the idea of cyclists sharing the road and behaving appropriately.

 After checking in a unpacking, we headed off to celebrate our 8^th Wedding Anniversary with a nice dinner at the Brown Dog Café. After 11 years of coming down here, we finally made it in to sit down and eat in the joint. It did not disappoint. This was by far the best dining experience we have had in Lake Placid. Every aspect of the meal was perfect along with the service. Yes, it is pricey but it might be worth every cent. We have eaten at slightly cheaper places in town but there was always something lacking. Not here. My New York strip was a hefty hunk of meat, a little over one inch thick and very tasty. The Cuban black bean soup that I chose to go with it (instead of a salad) was awesome. I sample my wife’s crab cakes, and strawberry salad and those was incredible too. We had no intentions of dessert but the menu convinced us otherwise. My crème brule was quite excellent, and my wife’s vanilla cupcake was the best cupcake I’d ever tasted. And I hate cupcakes. Make sure to check this place out if you are ever in town, it will not disappoint.

 Today was registration day. Angus (a regular in the HSBC Series) and I kicked off the morning with a 25-minute swim. I felt way faster than I’ve ever felt in the water. Largely due to the winter swimming with the Markham Masters. This makes me a bit excited to see what happens on Sunday. Afterwards, we walked through the Expo, and to Lake Placid High School to get registered (quick and easy). Angus and I then paid a visit to the ART tent. I got some work on my upper back (sore from the drive and bad bed I am sleeping on) and my inner thigh. By the way, the Expo was the smallest I’ve seen since 1999. The economy perhaps??  Before heading out of town, we had lunch at Wise Guys – not like last night but great pub food at a decent price.

 I will sign off by giving thanks for being fortunate enough to survive and thrive on this planet for 40 years. That’s right, I hit the big 40 today. It really didn’t hit me until I had to fill out the USAT form for one-day insurance. I am now one of them old dudes. Yikes! Now it is off to do a short bike and run. I will check in again soon. Until then, stay safe!