Race week...

Managed to steal a couple of minutes to post a quick blog entry... will try and post something later this week but may not get the chance so this could be the final entry till the race.

Don't forget you can follow us via twitter.com/tomstraining every single day (don't need to be a Twitter user).

We had a remarkably trouble free journey over here and have settled straight into the chilled out Lanzarote lifestyle. I rode the northern end of the bike course on Sunday, went for a nice 10k run with H yesterday and swam a lap of the swim course this morning. I do still feel tired, particularly in the legs but with every single day things are getting better and I'm actually starting to feel a little confident!

This evening Mart and I will be recording Marathon Talk over Skype and we have a great interview with American running sensation Ryan Hall so don't forget to tune in on Wednesday. Tomorrow it's race prep day with a lap of the swim at the same time as race start, breakfast, a quick ride of the first and last few miles of the bike and then a few miles of the run course in the heat of the day. Then at 3pm it's massage time and feet up. Thursday will be a complete rest day and be spent mostly at La Santa for registration and the race briefing and then Friday see's back racking and an early night... not! Saturday... well, we'll see about that ;)

As for my race plans... I need to stay positive in the swim, with no idea of how fast you're swimming or what position you;re in it's easy to let the negative feelings creep in. It will be what it will be and I'll need to stay positive and swim smart... high cadence to reduce the power needed per stroke, plenty of hanging on peoples feet and a focus on technique technique technique. From then on I'll be putting everything absolutely on the line, if you're following me on the internet please don't get excited until you see a finish time, I will be on the limit all the way and holding nothing back... the potential for mid-race detonation is very real.

I felt that throughout the training for and racing at Ironman Switzerland I was playing the numbers game and doing just enough to get my sub 9.30 and qualify... 9.28 did happen but qualifying didn't (missed by three mins) and despite a massive PB it was probably the worst I've felt about a performance in a long time! As you know, this year has never been about just getting to the start line or doing 'enough'... it's been about giving absolutely everything for one final time, laying all my cards on the table and seeing where they fall. I can honestly say that I couldn't have given even one more heartbeat to my training for Ironman Lanzarote, I've been right to the edge and amazed myself not to have fallen over it, I really have taken myself to the brink, furtther than I ever thought possible and I have no interest in going through those dark winter days again.. this then is it. Whatever happens on Saturday I will invest every available drop of effort into the 140.6 miles and whatever my time is, whether I qualify or not and even if I don't finish I'll know that I really truly gave it everything...

Speak soon,

T