This morning I packed up the Honda Fit and made my way to Lake Placid for Troy Jacobson’s Triathlon Camp. I made it all the way to the Plattekill rest stop on I-87 before I needed a bathroom break. The rest stop was more empty than it usually is on treks up to LP, but it was still only a Thursday morning. I needed to use a stall on this particular time and when I reached for the TP there was none to be had. My first thought was the Seinfeld episode where Elaine was in the same situation and she was requesting her stall neighbor(Jerry’s date) for a small square of TP. Only in my case there was no stall neighbors to spare a square from. I collected my thoughts and made my way to the empty stall next to me and finished what needed to be done. After that I headed over to the Starbucks to get my usual 5-pump Chai with….Soy Milk? Yes…No more whole milk in my chai latte! Actually it was pretty good! Still sticking to the plant-based diet so far.
My Plan was to stop at Catskill Mountain Multisport in New Paltz, NY, which I found on the Internet, to pick-up some tri goodies I might need. The gps took me to a shopping mall that had nothing called that name. I drove around a bit and then asked some people and no one ever heard of it. Ok time to move on. Next I had planned to hit an vegan/organic place in New Paltz called Karma Road, which was where it was supposed to be. Had a Falaffel Wrap with a side of Quinoa and beans and a tea which was really good. Ok still on 
track here. Next to Karma Road was a bike shop called Bicycle Depot so I stopped in to check that out. Pretty nice shop and the dude in there was pretty stoked about life. I bought a pair of arm warmers and a water bottle and back on my way again. As I was heading back to the NY Thruway(I-87) I saw the name Catskill Mountain Multisport listed on the sign for the shopping mall I was in before, so I made one last attempt to find it. I saw a door under a fitness center that is a typical triathlon bike maker and went to the door. The place was empty inside and there was a paper on the door that indicated that Catskill Mountain Multisport had moved 20 miles up the Thruway. Doh! I had sent the store an email at lunch and they responded later with the same address and apologized. So maybe another time.
The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful really. It was extremely hot out today and the Fit is like a little greenhouse. The A/C cannot keep up with the heat after awhile and it gets really warm. But hey I was getting 40+ MPG, so a little greenhouse effect for me and less for the world! I jammed the tunes the rest of the way and bitched to myself about the lousy New Jersey drivers, the asshole Infiniti drivers, and the Massachusetts drivers that go so freaking fast. I keep catching myself getting so cranked up for nothing. EZ-Pass rocks by the way. I love driving past all those toll-paying idiots. Ok enough trash talk.
I eventually made my way to the Golden Arrow in Lake Placid. There were no places to park when I checked in so I just left the car in the middle of the parking lot. The teenage girl that checked me in was of no help and was giving me attitude. I asked what’s the deal with the internet and she was like “just connect to it, no password!” Ok…why didn’t you tell me that and where the hell do I park?! Useless! I found my room which was first floor and 10 yards from the lake…Sweet! Everyone was out in the lake with the heat. Paddleboarders, kayakers, and swimmers. I didn’t have time to swim since orientation was within an hour.
I headed over to Northwoods in for Orientation, but I must have missed an email cause it was in some room at the hotel I was at. Of course the useless girl at the front desk could have told me that. Driving up here I was thinking that this camp was going to be a bunch of testosterone-filled, super-fit knuckleheads, but it turns out I was way off. It seems like a bunch of really nice people who may have done a Ironman or two or are getting ready to do one. More the latter. There were several that had volunteered last year and are doing it this year for the first time like I will be doing next year. One guy had done Ironman Muskoka 70.3 too and he filled me in on that race. Everyone seems very cool though. I think this will be a fun camp. Troy seems really nice too and I hear he spends time with everyone.
After we registered and got our swag, we had an hour orientation and then I headed over to the Cowboy for dinner. I had a black bean, mushroom burger with avocado and sweet potato fries and potato leek soup for an appetizer. It was really GOOD! Ok this plant diet is looking pretty good. I was so full afterwards. I headed to the Hannaford grocery store afterwards and picked up a few items and back to the hotel. I am now sitting here in my ADK chair looking over the lake and typing this. It is so peaceful! Tomorrow should be fun, so stay tuned for more adventures!
