Speed Bumps?

Every journey that is successful has culs-de-sac and speed bumps. -- Peter Guber

I'm less than 2 months out from Raleigh 70.3...and I have been experiencing a very weird sensation.  Last year the entire season was a big lead-up to Patriots Half.  That was my season, my A-race, my ultimate goal.  Now I have a half coming up shortly and it's just a speed bump.  It's not my season.  Now, sure - it's a big deal.  Heck, it's a 7-hour race and I need to finish getting in the miles (especially time in the saddle, now that spring has sprung...not to mention facing that open water swim monkey again).  And I have goals - I want at least one of my two 70.3's this year to go under 7:00.  I believe I can - maybe more likely at Muncie...given the course and given that it will be that much further into my IM training.  But boy it'd be cool to go under 7:00 at Raleigh...never know what conditions will be for any given race, so I want to rock all of them when I can.  But it just feels like a little bump in the road on the way to Louisville.

Strange.  Going 70.3 miles used to seem like the impossible.  Now it's a long training day.  A long training day where I respect the distance...but holey cow, what a mind shift.