One week until Budapest!!

This week had a few rough patches, but training has gone well. I am fit and I am so ready to race. I have been ready for over a month now and trying to stay mentally sharp has been a challenge. Run training this week was phenomenal - thank you Helen Cooper. Bike training was also good. We had some major winds to contend with this week - parts of Hurricane Earl, I think. Really challenged me to figure out how to handle my bike with race wheels. Its all good. So if there is any wind, I'm still going to burn up the course. Same same with swim training. I am very ready. Many thanks to Vicki Keith and Tom Anzai.

Mentally, I have had to re-read Terry Orlick, Pursuit of Excellence (some chapters more so than others) to help keep my brain in the zone. I find the 'waiting' for the race rather tiresome and my mind tends to stray away. When I do that…I tend to start picking apart my training in an effort to get the technique a bit stronger, or more fluid or whatever. What I did was in effect, start getting down on myself. NO NO NO…not a good thing to do. So, I had to go back read some of the passages that applied to me, and revamp. I am as ready for the race as I have ever been. Trust in my training, trust in my coaches, and trust in me !! I'm good. I can start to taper and just enjoy life.

Next week is Team Canada's inaugural paratriathlon training camp. The focus is mental skills training, and race course familiarization. I'm so thrilled by this opportunity. It will give me a chance to learn how to analyze the course and determine a race strategy. I have my own race mission (which I will execute flawlessly)…but having a strategy based on what the ground tells me, will help me tweak the execution. Always be flexible…this is what I have learned. If you have never seen the race site - I have never been to Budapest - you have to have a race mission that is flexible. If there are mountains to climb, or cobblestones to run over…the plan will change slightly !!

My bike is packed and my suitcase is 1/2 packed. I will finish up tomorrow by noon. Then its off to the airport for 1400h. Our flight does not leave until 1715h but I want to be early to permit the Transport Authority to inspect my bike box before I seal it up. That way, I can avoid having it re-inspected while in Frankfurt and my bike should arrive all in one piece.

I will try and blog everyday right up until we return home…to give everyone a play by play of how I am doing and feeling as we get closer to race day. How exciting. I'm so stoked !!