So--why should I think its going to be different this time?

I've completed eight prior IM races. My best was a 11:19 at IMFL in 2007. However, I've never felt that I actually raced any of them up to my full potential. I'm hoping that IMAZ will be different. Is there anything besides hope I could hang my hat on? I think so. The chart below shows a graph of my monthly training hours back to 2007. The chart shows a trailing three-month average (to smooth the chart out). Also on the chart, I've indicated where my last five IM occurred (IMFL07, IMAUS08, IMCAN08, IMGER10, Kona10). Note how in each of these races my training hours peaked long before the race and were declining significantly in the last few months bfore the race. Contrast that to the current situation where I have built over time:


Next you can see my monthly swim volume--note the same story as total training hours--a stronger trend for this year. While my agregate swim volume is lower in 2011, my recent swim volume is actually higher:


The pattern repeats with respect to my bike training. Note how much more bike miles I have coming into 2011 than I did in prior years--especially leading into IMFL07:



Finally, with respect to my run. You can clearly see the impact of mid-year injury in 2011 and how I've bounced back quite nicely since. My 2011 run volumes are comprable to 2007 and better than 2008-2010:




So this is no guarantee I'll have that breakthrough IM this time. But my training entering this IM is clearly stronger than it has been in the past--at the very least, this shouldn't be a negative!