Thank you for the helpful advice!!! I also train on a fairly boring 10 mile loop around a lake here (I don't like the roads for safety reasons- although I plan on pre-riding the course at least half a dozen times before race day). The biggest mental speed bump for me is the wind (Oklahoma)- most days it's sustained and steady at 10-30 mph. If I can mentally make going into a strong headwind easier, I don't think the distance will scare me as much. I guess it just makes me stronger (and a strong tailwind is always a good thing).

I think it's great advice to stay in the moment. I often think "I've got 10 or 20 miles left" and I know that'll kill me mentally on race day. I even tried counting to 100 by 3's, 4's, etc... to pass the time. It worked for a little while. I know race days are always better than the training days, but I guess for some reason I thought an IM would be less spectated and more barren (I suppose not). It's good to know all the volunteers and people will still be out there cheering me on.

Thank you all for all your tips! I'll keep them in mind this weekend on my 40 mile fun-fest.

You women are the greatest here- I'm so glad I'm no longer a lurker....