Dialing it in

Another long delay between posts, but believe me, it's not by design.
I have been super busy this past week with training, logistics for the BIG trip and life in general.
My travel schedule is off the charts as I leave May 30th and do a IM LP prep camp for a client, stay in PA for week, head to MD for the Eagleman 70.3, chill in DC for 3 days, fly to Frankfurt and race the Quelle Challenge Roth June 24th, July 2nd we leave Germany and go to Chicago to spend the 4th with Court's parents, then on the 6th I leave Chi Town and go fishing in the Northwest Territorries and finally back home on July 12th. It's crazy that I will be gone for about 6 weeks.
I am having to figure out what to do with bills, reserving cars, hotels, (thankfully I have a homestay in Germany) and getting everything straight before I leave. It's exhausting! The most nerve racking event was booking the overseas flight. That's a big one and you don't want to screw it up. Thankfully it's over and pretty much settled.
The training has been going very well. I am upping the intensity on the bike and run to bring up my fitness. I had a good meeting with Neal Henderson of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and realized that I am spending a little too much time in the "gray zone". Right now I either need to go easy, long and easy, or HARD! No middle ground. Neal showed me some training of a top cyclist, a young gun that will be in Europe next year. You should see his easy days. We are talking 25-30% of what he is capable of. He is recovering with rides at under 100 watts. The average person over 80 can do 100 watts for an hour! It goes to show that TRUE recovery is the most important thing, not what you write in your log.
Quality is my main concern at this point as I have put in the majority of miles needed. The weekend will be a long ride in Boulder with some strong guys, with a short brick run after. Sunday is a moderate run on Magnolia Rd, a rolling dirt road at 8500 ft. I love that road as it's peaceful, quite and hard. You may see the Kenyans, Japanese or a Pro triathlete up there on any weekend. My training has consisted of a 12 day block that will end on Sunday, with 2 easy days. I have found this really works for me when I am building in the intensity. After Sunday it's a few days of VERY EASY, then another block leading to a short 5-6 day taper for Eagleman 70.3.
I am looking forward to racing again after Wildflower's disappointment. I think the course suits me pretty well. It will be a great last tune up for the Quelle Challenge and nice trip to the East Coast as well.