The month has arrived

July has arrived. 27 days until race day.

I have sufficiently recovered from Patriot half. It took me a good 7 days to truly recover. I felt 100% on the Monday and close to 90% on Sunday. This past week I felt great on most of my workout. Yesterday I did a 180/15 brick which turned into 195 minutes/15. I felt great-excellent the whole time!! My legs where alive and my brain engaged. Today's swim workout was not the best, but felt good on my run. This may have been that I had two beers last night.

I am reading Chris McCormicks "I'm here to win". In it he discusses creating folders in your brain to draw upon during your race, specifically IM. I have done this a bit throughout the last 9 months of training. In the last week I have intentionally placed good and bad moments in swim/bike/run folders. When I feel really good during a training session I file it. When I feel crappy, but manage finish my w/o I file the way I did that. I file songs. Songs to motivate me. Songs that coincide with a good running stride and with a good climbing pace. I file motivation: faces of my family and friends, Tootsie, pie, a cold beer, and the ability to swim/bike/run due to my health and life options.

I am visualizing more and more: the swim, exiting the swim, T1, the ride, mile 100 of the ride; T2; various segments of the run. AND the finish line. I am physically ready. I am 80-90% mentally ready. Some days I am 100% ready.

Tomorrow I enter my last four weeks of training. WOOT WOOT Bring it.