The countdown is well and truly on!

As P and I sat eating Pasta Masta (new takeaway, disappointing) in the sun at Kilbirnie park after an early evening recovery run, I realised that one week from now we'll be sitting in our log cabin, eating our pre-race pasta, and stressing about the next day. Then it'll be early to bed, early up and over to the lake to rack our bikes in the Bloggers at Rotorua 08 team pozzy.

As Kathy's mentioned tonight as well, our Buckeye outdoors team has been fantastic! It's been a great support network, a huge motivation (I'm sure I've done at LEAST an extra 10% knowing I have someone to report to...) and since I can access it at work, it's instant blogging and a wonderful time-waster ;)

I'm looking forward to meeting those I haven't already met next weekend, seeing everyone out on the course (and meeting Mike's famous race gear in person ;)) and enjoying hot pools, bubbly and Heinekens with the team after the RACE!

The past week has been lots of fun, as we enjoy the shorter more intense workouts (Sunday's hot intervals off the bike, Monday's 10 x 100 in the pool, Wednesday's early morning hill reps and blustery aquathon...) After so many months of trudging up hills in Xterra races, and struggling up Mt Vic on the carbonless beast, it was amazing to go fast again! (and frightening to see how fast that boy of mine can run!!!!)

I'm feeling fitter too (duh!) I had a fantastic recovery run this evening, and was pleased to be running VERY easy 5:35/ks on the flat. Most gratifying though, I think, is that I'm recovering well, looking forward to (almost) every session and not getting too burnt out. I think this is due to a few things: a reasonably manageable workload, the variety of workouts, and basing my training around P's workout plans. His experience with Gene has definitely convinced me to get a coach next time round!

I put some figures into this and it spat out 6:24. I tweaked it a little and got 6:02, and I don't think I can tweak it enough to make it go sub-6 (also, there's no way I'll be out of the water in 33 minutes, or round the run course in 1:52)! I'd be stoked with somewhere between 6:10 and 6:30, and I truly will be happy to finish!

Tomorrow we're sea swimming with friends, and I'm testing Eric's compact cranks with a wee climb up Prison Hill (PS- have I told you how much I love Eric's wheels? No? I love Eric). On Sunday we're doing the Xmas Scorcher sprint distance race, and I'll practice using Garmin and Camelbak (eww) in race conditions. I don't know what taper week will bring, but I hope I can get through the week unscathed as the pre-Xmas rush has well and truly started, and I don't want a repeat of my Auckland marathon taper!