I remember now, I actually like doing this

  The temperatures are starting to drop off, and training is becoming a lot more fun.  My run this weekend was 20 miles and ended at 1:00 in the afternoon.  That means I didn't have to roll out of bed at 5 AM to get started, which takes a great deal of effort for a night shifter.  I rolled out of bed around 8 or 9 every day this weekend.  This allowed me to enjoy staying up a little later, and gave me more time in the sunshine. 
  I took my bike in to get my Zipps put on.  As always, I got a lecture on all the neglect my bike had suffered since the last time I had it tuned up.  Well, I dumped some money into a new chain, some new tires and tubes, and a service plan.  I have to confess, my poor bike has been through a lot this summer, and I didn't do a lot to clean things up.  I forget how many miles I'm actually putting on that bike these days. 
  I put another 92.5 miles on my bike with the new Zipps.  It was a great ride.  I did my Usery pass loop (45 miles), and set a new PR of 2:59.  I wasn't really pushing for speed either, since I knew I had another 55 miles to go, but these new wheels are rocking!  I switched from my Armadillo to Gatorskin tires though, and my poor gatorskins couldn't handle the piss-poor job my neighborhood's landscapers did of cleaning up after the mesquite trees they'd trimmed.  Unfortunately, I didn't buy any new 60mm stem tubes, so I walked my bike home.  I was only a mile and a half from home, so not a huge inconvenience.  I guess I could have patched the tube, but sometimes you just want to go home and chill with the hubby and cook something nice for dinner.  I made turkey meatballs which I had been meaning to make for over a month, but they take too long, and I have been incredibly busy.
  I feel like I've been pushing through the summer with my head down, gutting out workouts I don't want to do because it is too hot or I am too tired.  I have been finishing rides and runs with dehydration headaches, and wishing I could just give up on the whole thing.  The temperature drop this week let me enjoy myself for a change, and I finally remember why I signed up for this race in the first place!  Am I ready for this race?  I ran 20 miles yesterday, and I'm not sore.  I can finish 100 miles on my bike in 6:40.  I can swim 4000 yards without any left shoulder pain, and I have done 2 miles in open water.  If the race was next week, I would probably do ok.  Thankfully, I still have 6 weeks, and that is plenty of time to build speed and confidence.  But, I am in a good spot right now, and that is encouraging.  I wasn't sure things would fall in place, and I'm happy to see myself getting stronger in so many ways.