Final Weeks of Preparation

As the days march on towards Sylvan Lake, I am now starting to get myself more mentally prepared for the event. I haven't competed in anything since the Red Deer Marathon back in May so I need to get together a little bit of a game plan for this race.
Plans have changed somewhat in that Angela won't be accompanying me to this race. We have a critical "second showing" of our property on that weekend and she wants to make sure that everything is tip top. Selling an acreage is a bit of a challenge in that it only appeals to a small segment of the market and within that segment there is another smaller segment that can afford such a property. With that, we don't want to miss any opportunity.
Going by myself in some ways is not totally a bad thing. It does allow me to spend more time in getting myself ready. For IMAZ I found myself a little disorganized since I was spending more time enjoying my vacation time with Angela than getting my act together. With little else to do the night before, I will be more focused on making sure all my stuff is in order.
The swim for this race is great in that it is a water start and the lake is big enough to allow for the entire 1.9 kms to be done in one loop. No getting out of the water at the mid-point and having to run the beach, which for me is good. I find I can get in a much better groove and stay focused without the in and out again section.
The bike is a single loop as well and is relatively flat with a few minor climbs. Hopefully this year I will remember to take my cleat covers off of my shoes prior to trying to clip in! What a dork! Last year I was fumbling around trying to get going until I realized the problem. Then I threw my covers off to the side never expecting to see them again. However, when I was finished the race, there they were in the grass beside my bike. Someone apparently noted my number and was kind enough to place them there for me. God bless them!
The run is through trails and tree shaded roads and is really nice. The only problem is that they don't monitor the traffic going to the beach so you have to dodge people with their kids and inflated mattresses as they cross the path to go the lake.
The next couple days will be resting and trying to get the Achilles settled down. On Tuesday I ran 6 miles and I noticed that I was not running very comfortably. Monday's run was a little longer but much the same in that I was really having trouble getting into a comfortable stride. Today I took the day off and I am thinking I may just swim and bike right up to the race now. My conditioning is good and the rest will hopefully give everything a chance to heal a bit.
Have a great day!