An Adventure
Life is short take the opportunities you can get. Two years ago, I decided I wanted to race triathlons in Canada. After growing up in Florida, our whole lives, we were tired of the ridiculously hot summers Florida has and wanted out of Florida for a little bit. I suggested two trips to Canada, one for Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant and one for Ironman Mont Tremblant.
Keith, my husband inquired as to why we were coming back to Florida. He works remotely, and I take care of the house. He said let's figure it out and leave for a few weeks. No 90 degree workouts at 7am?!? I was in. Excitedly, I started training. As is life, nothing goes perfect. I still am not in the shape I want to be in. I am not even back to pre-pandemic shape. I skipped way too many workouts, and could not get motivation to train. It was an oxymoron. I didn't want to train because I felt so slow, but I want to be the amazing athlete I dream of. I love the sport, but nothing felt fun. I have an amazing bike and comfy running shoes, but I just feel so far behind everyone and couldn't change that.
I wanted to pull the plug and wait one more year. Everyone mentioned how disappointed we would be if we did. Nervously, I kept the reservations. Soon enough, it was the day to leave for Mont Tremblant, Quebec. We loaded the car, and the puppies and we were off.
Day 1:
We left Florida and headed to Charlotte NC. Our 8 hour drive turned into nearly a twelve-hour drive, due to rain. It was a long day for us and the pups in the car. We were barely able to get out of the car and let the pups out to do their business and then back in the car. We were so happy to see our hotel, checked in and got some sleep, and decided to get an early start the next day.
Day 2:
Our drive today was going to be from Charlotte to the Poconos. The first four hours of the drive were in pouring rain and then we were finally north of the rain once we left Virginia. We were able to stop a little more and have a more enjoyable day in the afternoon. Most of the drive was uneventful until we got into the Poconos in Pennsylvania. Neither one of us had visited there before and we were amazed at the natural beauty of the mountains and the crisp mountain air. I'm sure the locals found it warm, but to us 70 degrees and breezy felt great. We checked into our hotel, and then went out to check out the area. I wanted to get a run in today. We found a local park. Keith walked the dogs while I did my run. After my run, I walked down to the park's swimming area, took my shoes off and put my feet in the clear, crisp, cool water. It was chilly but felt so good. I started to get excited for my race on Sunday. Soon enough, it was announced the park was closing. We went back to the hotel and slept for our short drive the next morning.
Day 3:
This was probably the nicest day of the drive. It was a pretty drive with some back roads and not miles upon miles of interstates, which we had seen the last 2 days. We were up and on our way to Lake Placid, New York. I wanted to check out the Ironman course. From the Youtube videos, it looked amazing. We arrived in Lake Placid well before dark, checked into our hotel and headed out and about to walk the pups and explore this little town. This town has hosted the Olympics twice, and the town is very proud of it, as they should be. We saw the ski jumps on the way into town, and the town has numerous buildings where they held other Olympic events. The town is beautiful with lots of little shops and restaurants. The Ironman swim course is set up to swim the course for practice. We let the dogs in the water and got in the water ourselves. Water in the mountains just feels different. It feels so crisp and cool. We went to the local brewery for dinner and called it a night.
For me, Lake Placid was absolutely magical. I was enthralled with the fact that the town hosted an Ironman every year and you can swim the actual Ironman swim course during the summer. It will be my Ironman when I feel like everything is together. The dogs loved the water and the town too. Soon enough, it was time to return to the hotel and settle in for the night.
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Lake Placid. I met so many staff members that complimented my bike and I asked several questions about the Ironman. Many of them had even done it themselves.
We woke up early and walked down to a local bagel shop for coffee and breakfast, checked out, loaded the car and it was off to our last day of driving to our summer destination, Mont Tremblant Quebec.
Day 4:
Our last day was pretty uneventful. It was a short four hour drive and we arrived at our Airbnb. Everything was nice, and I was looking forward to the race.
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