My cycling week consisted of two hilly rides of about five hours each. I always managed short transition runs off the bike. The other rides were active recovery sessions. Once or twice I had enough energy to do another, shorter, ride in the hills. In the middle of my build period I substituted a 1/2 Ironman for one of these bricks.

I tried a few new things with my running. Aside from the two transition runs and my long run, I've been doing a sustained speed session (more about this in March) and a running strength session. I added the two new sessions to give my run a little something extra. These group sessions gave me a chance to share a laugh with some local athletes.

What about the race?

I've been pretty calm for the last week or so. So calm, in fact, that I was worried about being calm! The standard fears have been making their appearances... Have I done enough run training? My knee is tight, will it hold together? What was that creaking on my bike? Still, they are like old friends dropping by to say hello before the race. I've experienced all the same fears in the past and know that they are thoughts, rather than facts.

I am using my standard taper, I'll write about it later this year. Four weeks out was a recovery week followed by a 1/2 Ironman simulation. My fitness at that stage was good, but not great. I have tried a few new techniques for this race, particularly with my running, and they started to kick in about three weeks ago. The running taper is always a tough one because you just start to see the benefits, and then it is time to back off. So you know that you are getting better, but by the time the race rolls around, you wonder if that fitness remains. There is a lot of faith required to avoid doing one more hammer session.

The biggest question mark I have is my bike fitness. Cycling is a power sport so I think it is the last thing to come right in the taper. About 10 days ago, I started noticing that my HR was dropping and my speed was increasing on my favorite routes in Christchurch. That feeling continued to build and last Friday I had a session that felt just like my last workout before IMC 2000. The whole ride was done with a comfortable sensation of focused power flowing through me. That was a huge confidence boost as I had been searching for my IMC form. I am now pretty sure that it is with me.