RACE-REPORT FROM THE DAY OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE TRIPLE IRONMAN DISTANCE 28.7.2019:

(11 km swimming, 544 km cycling, 126 km running)

In the last weeks before the race I experienced a anxiety in the body, the well-known excitement: Am I ready? Have I trained enough? Can I do better? What if I get hurt? Etc ..

I had a good talk with M2 Sportslab (my trainer) before I left for Germany, but it wasn't until I got to the city of Lensahn that I got calm.

I was able to run 5 laps on the race route and had a good feeling in my body and head.

The last days before the competition I spend with preparations, everything should be clear so my helpers know where everything was: my bicycles, clothes, energy, food etc.

RACE START:
Friday morning at 7 am the race started.

In this competition the swimming distance is done in a pool (not in the open sea). I had a seat with 5 others on lane 2. 

I had a plan: 30 minute swim, a fast break to consume energy and then back to work. That plan worked and with the timing of every 100 meters, I could constantly follow my pace. The swimming session ended perfect - I finished after 3.37 hours and that was 21 min faster than last year👌🏻.

The change from swimming til cycling wasn´t quick. I prioritized spending some time on consuming food and loosening my neck with some massage. 

So when I finally started cycling I was so ready :-). The biking route was a 68 laps on an 8 km route.

The weather was fine and the sun was shining, but the wind was strong! There was a strong side wind that made it difficult to stay focused for periods at a time and that took a lot of energy. The wind also made it difficult to stay in aero position on the bike because the wind moved the bike and the body.

However I keept the plan regarding food, energy and fluid and i worked perfectly.

My helpers were sharp and made sure I had what I needed without stopping.

When I had finished 1/2 of the ride it had gotten dark and I had to stop to get lights on the bike - at the same time I also got dry clothes and some food.

The break was to long and while it at the same time was getting dark, I had difficulty getting the body / legs back on track.

The rest of the bike ride I feeling like I didn't have the best legs - but it was ok.
The night was really long - unfortunately the wind didn´t stop but the kilometers disapeared one at a time.

After about 21.5 hours I was done on the bike. The last couple of laps felt extra long - getting to the finish line and getting off the bike was liberating.

I changed into running shoes and walked 1/2 a round to the tent so I could change my clothes. At that time the best surprise happened - as I was heading up to the tent, I suddenly heard my 2 nieces. "Aunt Kristin" they shouts, it was just amazing. My sister and Jeanette was there to 😍

Once again I had massage on my neck, got some food and got ready for running.
Last year I quickly lost my faith in ability to run fast, and I was very focused on that not to happen again - besides, I was much better running this year, I quickly feelt that.

In the beginning I actually kept the planned pace for a long time, however, the weather was extremely hot and I got a bit of a cramp.

I split the running distance into 3. So the first marathon was 33 laps and I did that in a fine pace. A bit strange to think about that a marathon distance sometimes can feel short.

Marathon nr. 2 - the 66 rounds feelt a bit longer, but don't remember there being any bigger problems. I continued holding small breaks which are just a waste of time.

The crisis came in the evening, I was sick and unwell.

Felt a bit of self-pity and had a hard time staying focused. At this point I lost track of time my helpers pushed me as hard as the could but I wasn´t very receptive. 

Fortunately, a colleague and her son came by and they got me going again💪🏻👌🏻 Thanks to you☺️.

Durring the night the fatigue and sleepiness started kicking in for real and I started mumbeli

 After a visit to the toilet or perhaps during, I apparently fell asleep and slept sitting in the toilet for 10 min. In my world, I just closed my eyes for 1 minute or so.

But the I was off again and most of the time i walked the route, until I become so absent that I was put on the massagebench and sleep for 25 min.

At this time there were only 8 laps to go, but there was no energy left.

After I short sleep, I actually started fast and ran 4 laps but then I almost fell asleep standing up.

I was put on a chair and was a sleep right away, then a one more round. After that I sat down on the chair again and another participant passed by, he told me: "This will not get any better, just get it done". And suddently I got some energy and ended up running the last3 laps💪🏻😆.

At the finish line it was very quiet. It was 6 o'clock in the morning and the participants who wasen´t out running were sleeping.

But most important - my team, my helpers, my family and friends were there so everything was good❤️.

I ended up finishing the race 4 hours and 12 minutes better than last year. Although we cycled 1 more laps and ran 2 more laps, I can only be satisfied.

After I finished the race my body was tired but couldn't sleep, hungry - but couldn't eat. It was a long Sunday and everything required a lot of energy - but I managed the award ceremony and got my nice trophy and medal.