Ready for a new World Championship; the Gunn-Rita diary

We're all set for a new World Championship in Cross Country, and this time we'll be competing on the soil of New Zealand. Our preparations have gone as expected, and I'm in good shape. The countdown has started, and I feel excitement and nervousness increasing every day that passes.

It was a long trip down to New Zealand, but with a new World Championship gold medal in my luggage, it was an amazingly easy flight. We travelled non-stop for around 30 hours, so we were pretty worn out when we were fetched at the airport in Auckland, and then driven to Rotorua where we're presently staying. I've spent some time getting used to the new time-zone, but it's starting to get better now.

I've been out on the track today and had my physical condition confirmed, my legs and body are ready to do battle on Sunday. We women will be starting at 10:00 on Sunday morning, or Saturday night at 24:00 European time.

The track down here consists of a lot of climbing, both long and steep hills, plus rapid descents, not too technically demanding, but with lots of bends and turns. The weather report is for rain this weekend, but the downhills will be a rather different story from what they are today. The ground usually dries quickly here, but if it rains nonstop, the track will end up as incredibly slippery clay.

Read the entire Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa diary here.