Despite having completed 2 XTRI events and 19 Ironman events, this race requires a lot of respect and I don't want to assume that just because I have long-distance experience, that everything will go smoothly on race day. I know Karel (and Honza) are there to help me get to the finish line and they will give me great energy throughout the day.
Swim finish
Tuesday was my "big" day of training with a 75 min morning spin (with intervals) followed by a 28 min run. In the evening I tried out some different neoprene gear options so I wouldn't really call it a "swim" as I was just swimming in circles near the shore.
On Wednesday, Karel went out for a long ride on the race course and he said it was very windy and cold when he got to the top of the first climb. I checked my Epic Ride Weather app to compare Wed to Sat (race day) and the wind should be much less on race day.
While he was riding, I did a 1:07 ride by the quiet road near the water and my legs felt great. I did 40 min run off the bike and this was the first time since we arrived to Norway last Thursday that my legs felt fluid and rhythmic.
In the evening from 7-8:45pm, we went to the local sports hall and watched a documentary series called "Human Endurance" that Norseman was showing from the 2023 race.
Today we went to the social swim by the Old Yellow House. There is one buoy on the point to point swim course (~800 meters from the finish and our only turn buoy) which is where we swam today. There were lots of people at the social swim (and many others waiting to purchase Norseman gear at the shop inside the Yellow House). I wanted to be in the water for around 30 minutes to give myself a chance to feel what it may be like during the race and while the water was cool (upper 50's) I found myself very comfortable in the water. I wore my booties and neoprene cap, clear goggles and ROKA thermal wetsuit. I wanted to see what it felt like to wear my race kit under my wetsuit during the swim and then get out and stand on shore to see if I would be comfortable racing with a wet kit in air temp of low 50's and I was not comfortable. I quickly decided that I will put on a dry kit in T1.
Since arriving to Norway, every workout has been an opportunity to test gear and think about scenarios for race day. Although I have my routines and rituals leading up to my races, I am gaining a lot of confidence from these "practice" workouts.
Around 1pm we drove to the host hotel to check in for the race. Since we walked to and from the social swim (~1 mile each way) we decided to drive to the check in. Parking was difficult as there were a lot of athletes in the town. We finally found a spot and stood in line for check in. Unlike the other extreme triathlon events we have done, it was nice to have check in on Thursday (and not just the day before the race) and a wide range of times to check in.
Each athlete is required one support team member but they encourage another member as well. Thankfully, our friend Honza (who helped us out in Icon) came from Czech to help out Karel throughout my race. The primary support crew member (Karel) is able to access T1 with me after the swim and is allowed to run with me at any point after 25K (start of Zombie Hill). The primary support member is required to accompany the athlete up Guastatoppen mountain (if making the cut off). Honza is able to hand me nutrition throughout the race and he will also bring our required gear in our backpacks to 37K (enterance to the mountain) for me and Karel. Honza and Karel had to sign a waiver, along with myself for the race. We handed that in during check in.
Prior to that, Karel and I had to show our mandatory gear in our backpacks:
-Waterproof pants
-Waterproof jacket w/ hood
-Base layer
-Hat, gloves
-Headlamp
After our gear was approved, I received a bag with all of my gear for the race. We then picked up my chip and GPS tracker. If you would like to follow the race, you can track the race live HERE. There will also be live coverage on the Norseman website.
I spent Wednesday organizing and laying out my gear so that I didn't have too much to do going into the race. The epic weather app helps so much for these all day events, especially when the weather can impact what you wear/eat/drink, etc. After the check in, I added a few more things to my gear piles and tomorrow I'll go over my nutrition with Karel and Honza (although it's pretty simple).
This evening we got take out pizza from Fjord & Mountain cafe and Kremmeri - it was good but not great. Certainly nothing compares to pizza from Italy. But I have to keep with my tradition of pizza two days before a long distance race. 
Tomorrow I have to take a headshot with my bib number and there is the mandatory athlete and support crew briefing at 4pm. After that, there's only one more (restless) night of sleep before a very early alarm and the 5am start of covering 140 miles and 17,000 feet elevation gain at the 2024 Norseman XTRI World Championship.
Today we went to the social swim by the Old Yellow House. There is one buoy on the point to point swim course (~800 meters from the finish and our only turn buoy) which is where we swam today. There were lots of people at the social swim (and many others waiting to purchase Norseman gear at the shop inside the Yellow House). I wanted to be in the water for around 30 minutes to give myself a chance to feel what it may be like during the race and while the water was cool (upper 50's) I found myself very comfortable in the water. I wore my booties and neoprene cap, clear goggles and ROKA thermal wetsuit. I wanted to see what it felt like to wear my race kit under my wetsuit during the swim and then get out and stand on shore to see if I would be comfortable racing with a wet kit in air temp of low 50's and I was not comfortable. I quickly decided that I will put on a dry kit in T1.
Since arriving to Norway, every workout has been an opportunity to test gear and think about scenarios for race day. Although I have my routines and rituals leading up to my races, I am gaining a lot of confidence from these "practice" workouts.
Each athlete is required one support team member but they encourage another member as well. Thankfully, our friend Honza (who helped us out in Icon) came from Czech to help out Karel throughout my race. The primary support crew member (Karel) is able to access T1 with me after the swim and is allowed to run with me at any point after 25K (start of Zombie Hill). The primary support member is required to accompany the athlete up Guastatoppen mountain (if making the cut off). Honza is able to hand me nutrition throughout the race and he will also bring our required gear in our backpacks to 37K (enterance to the mountain) for me and Karel. Honza and Karel had to sign a waiver, along with myself for the race. We handed that in during check in.
Prior to that, Karel and I had to show our mandatory gear in our backpacks:
-Waterproof pants
-Waterproof jacket w/ hood
-Base layer
-Hat, gloves
-Headlamp
After our gear was approved, I received a bag with all of my gear for the race. We then picked up my chip and GPS tracker. If you would like to follow the race, you can track the race live HERE. There will also be live coverage on the Norseman website.