It all comes down to this

I am in Utah! I have been here since Friday (August 29th). I am now less than 4 days from the LOTOJA. I can't believe that nearly a year and a half has come down to this. So, how am I feeling? Well, I am excited and nervous. What does that mean? I am not sure, but here is what is going through my mind:
1. I did all I could do to prepare for the race. I rode nearly 4000 miles (1000 miles more than my goal). I "climbed" the best I could in Illinois. I followed a program that gave me focus and allowed me to get the most of my training days. I rode in several century rides this summer and felt strong during all of them. The only thing I could have done differently is live in Utah (or other state with mountains) but not much I could do about that.
2. Ever since I started riding my bike seriously I have wanted to do this race. Now that it is here I feel a certain amount of stress. With all the build up, I just want to perform well.
3. Since coming to Utah I have noticed that the altitude makes a big difference. I am not surprised but it is one thing to expect to feel a certian way and actually feel that way. I have been more out of breath than normal. In addition, the climbing I have done while here has been a bit harder than I was hoping for, which hasn't increased my confidence. If I don't get to feeling better than I have I will start to have some doubts about climbing. Now, I have been told by several people that the first 72 hours after arriving at altitude are the worst (yesterday was 72 hours). I have a training ride scheduled for tomorrow so I am hoping that I feel better than I have.
4. I basically neglected my family, friends and other important responsibilities over the past several months. I feel like I need to perform well to validate all the sacrifices that my family has made to allow me to train.
So, that is where I am at. I hope to do one more post before I race and then do a post immediately after so that I can blog about my experience while it is fresh in my mind.