Christmas Relays

OD had its annual Christmas relays this year in Rough Close. It was a four-leg relay with handicapping system, which meant that juniors and elderly started first whereas men in the age category 21-34 got the highest handicap (extra minutes) and got to start last. Our family team (Sami and me) got 30 extra minutes (2xW21+2xM35 as we planned to run two legs each) and started half an hour after the first start.

There were a couple of junior teams who got to start and finish far before the other teams but the system was nevertheless brilliant and equalised the teams in a fair way so that different age and sex categories got to race against each others in a fair way. The legs were of different degrees of length and difficulty (yellow, orange, light green and green) so that everyone could run.

Sami was supposed to run the first and the third leg but unfortunately he couldn't run more than one with his injured hamstring. That meant that I got to run the remaining legs nonstop without a rest. As usual I started aggressively and ran nearly full speed my first leg (orange) after which I had to drop my speed a little in order to survive the last two legs (light green and green) that were much longer. However there were some junior and senior men whom I tried to keep up with and had to keep on pushing (especially after a fateful mistake on the 14th on the last loop). The juniors were faster but the seniors I managed to keep behind. A total of 9.4km orienteering and a really fun race format!

Xploring Mexico

We just spent awesome two weeks in Yucatan Peninsula and Riviera Maya by the Caribbean Sea in Mexico. Characteristic to Yucatan Peninsula is its unique geological formation comprising of numerous cenotes (sinkholes filled with water) and underground caverns filled with stalactites and stalagmites through which you can walk, swim or paddle. This magical underground world was fabulous and it felt like being in a fairy-tale world as we paddled and swam through these beautiful endless caverns filled with clear fresh water. 

Yucatan is also known for its Mayan culture and ancient archeological sites such as Chichen Itza and of course for its underwater life. Great Maya Barrier Reef, the second largest coral reef in the world, stretches 200 miles along the eastern coast of Yucatan peninsula and provides an excellent site for snorkeling and scuba diving. After hours of snorkeling and watching diving exercises in the pool, we couldn't resist testing diving ourselves. I had never tried scuba diving before but after a short demo in the pool I felt ready for a one-day course that included the basics in the pool and then diving in the sea. It was exciting to sit in the boat and wait for my first dive but everything went very well. It was amazing and a lot easier than I had thought. The coral was really beautiful and full of different kind of colorful fishes. I even got to see a sea turtle!

As much as I wanted to explore everything there was to see I also intended to train there as well. The problem was that running was restricted only to an enclosed area around the hotels if you didn't want to end up running along the highway or get lost in the jungle where it was barely impossible to get through without a cutlass. That was a bit of disappointment to me (as I had imagined running along imaginary footpaths in the jungle) but fortunately I found a nice 10km cycling route around the well-cared hotel and marine area. After the first ten rounds or so the route got quite familiar to me and I got to know nearly every stone and bush around it. I even learned a long list of boat names and got to know the gardeners that took care of particular streets or corners of the golf course. They also learned to know what time I was expected to pass them every morning and started to cheer me. It all made me feel more and more like a runner. You know exactly the route you're running, the distance of every street, the time you use per a distance, and the pace you are running. There's no room for feeling or imagination, the watch is accurate and tells everything you need to know. There's some attraction in it but I have to admit that I was happy to get home and get some variation in my routes again.

Another problem (when it comes to training) was the warmth. The only possibility to run was early in the morning. Evenings would have been fine too if it hadn't been that dark. Fortunately there were plenty of alternative training forms you could do during the day or evenings: swimming, aqua gymnastics, water polo, beach volley, ping pong, dancing, tennis, spinning, zumba, step, aerobics, treadmill, cross-training and gym. So even if I did only one "real" training per day I actually got a lot of all forms of recovery training as I attended daily to aqua gym and dance lessons, swam, played tennis and ping pong and took part to spinning, zumba and step lessons. Four to five trainings a day unnoticed and as a bonus I got more flexible hips after two weeks of all forms of Latin dances. That was so much fun and I really enjoyed it! Also zumba lessons in Mexico are far from what they are in Europe. If you want to do zumba, you should definitively do in the Latin America at its origin. I still need to work on my shoulders to learn to dance like they do (very unlikely).

Highlights of the trip in addition to scuba diving and stalactite caves were flying along zip lines, riding with dolphins and swimming with sharks, stingrays, and manatees. Manatees were brilliant. I cannot imagine any uglier creature than that. Did you know that they can weigh up to 590kg and swim so slowly than they get covered all over with algae?

Training is good

Four weeks of training and I feel good. I started my winter training by a strength block as I've done previously prior my best seasons. As usual my legs were aching after the first training sessions but I recovered quite quickly and opposite to last season I have now been able to complete all sessions without problems. In addition to training at gym I've tried to do some hill intervals now that I've found a couple of hills here. My weeks have included 2-3 strength sessions at gym and hill intervals of varying length. Best was the one of 90mins continuous hill running up and down several tops with devilish 666m elevation in total. The longest climb was 1,7km and 140m ascent. In other trainings the hills were only moderate. 

In the middle of this heavish strength period I entered myself to a 10km road race in Stratford to get some variation and to run faster for a change. My legs felt a bit heavy and tight from the strength before the race and running didn't feel very easy but I managed to go under 40mins, which was quite ok at this phase. I was second woman and 15th overall, yay! Results

I also ran an awesome o-event in Sheffield just a day ago in beautiful landscape of Burbage Moor with some really fun and tricky orienteering (see the maps below). Terrain was predominantly open moorland but contained areas of complex rock details that offered great technical challenge. There were two micro-o sections on a specific 1:2000 boulder map on the backside of the normal 1:10000 map and you had to turn the map four times during the race. I really fancied the detailed micro-o parts but I also liked the course as a whole as it offered a variety of challenges from details to long legs and you had to adapt your speed at the right level and change your techniques during the race. Results

Now that I've hopefully got some power in my legs, I'll be ready to do more miles during the coming months. In a few days I'll be on my way to Mexico for some warm and sunny runs before skiing in Finland :)

Mental training

Physical training is easy and technical training is fun but mental training is the hardest part. I mean to really do that. Of course every race you run is kind of mental training and the tougher the race, the better. You go through your routines, you give a few thoughts about what you're up to do when you get the map and you try to focus on your own race and ignore everything else. Yeah it works, but in order to do your best when it really matters requires great mental capacity. Some have it and others train it. Most top athletes actually put some hours to mental training and some even use mental coaches.  

I've always been kind of lazy with mental training and raise my hand as a sign of weakness when it comes to that. Maybe I've been a bit arrogant, maybe I've seen it as a waste of time, maybe I've been always to busy with work or maybe it's just pure laziness. Surely I've done some mental training, but seldom of my own initiative. There's always been a teacher, a coach or a psychologist who has advised me to do something. Then I've conscientiously accomplished whatever I've been asked to. Just what a good schoolgirl ought to do. But that's about it.

However, it is not said that everyone needs to do the same to gain the same objective. We're all individuals and we train physically different too. Principals may be similar but there's always some individual variation. So the mental preparation may vary a great deal from person to person as well. I believe this reflects our personality and therefore the variation between individuals is even greater than in physical training. Or this is just me seeking acceptance for my way of doing things. Might be the truth but anyway I just had a kind of important presentation for which I used two weeks to prepare and once taking that time and putting myself through that pressure I realized how the process was like preparing yourself to an important race. You try to assimilate all possible information there is before the actual event, you go through your own plan in your mind, and you try to imagine the situations you may face during your performance.

It is actually quite seldom that I feel that nervous and anxious before any race. Usually I have some butterflies in the stomach before big races but it is most often a positive and waiting feeling whereas the feeling before a major presentation is seldom that joyous. But what I realized was that putting yourself through any situation where you're under pressure and you need to perform well can be compared to mental training. I think there is a clear gain-gain situation there. Growing in a competitive milieu (learning to compete at any sport at early age) gives you mental strength that you can use in your "normal life" and, vice versa, the situations you face at your work can train you mentally for your goals at sport. That's what I believe.

O-training

I've had a strength block going on in my training but nevertheless I've tried to do some orienteering too every week. A few times I've been training in Cannock Chase, one of the best areas to orienteer around here. Training from Penkridge Bank was a new area and map for me, which made it all even more fun. I love to go to new places to orienteer, especially if it turns out to be as nice and beautiful as it did. I slightly missed the third control at the first glance as it was hiding below the brackens but otherwise it went quite smoothly as soon as I realized that the controls lay below the brackens and weren't visible from afar. Most of the terrain was however open and beautiful.

Another training was in Sherwood Woods in Nottingham on the map of Byron's Walk. I had hoped to get further into South but unfortunately the course just circulated around a somewhat limited area. You can't always win can you? Well it was at least nice weather and an easy way to do a longer training when I included some warm-up and cool-down jogging along the paths. And taking 25 controls forces you to do some map reading too. In addition I got some extra hill training without even noticing it. Some areas were nice but most of it was quite outgrown (observe also the very true notifications on the map: light green = slow run; intermediate green = walk; green lines = walk; dark green = fight) and therefore I used a lot of paths. I passed a couple of "walk areas" and one "fight area" where I really had to drop the pace to get through. As long as you kept yourself in the runnable areas it was okay.

On Sunday OD organized a color-coded event and WMOA Champs in Hay Wood, one of the nearest forests to us. I've been training there a couple of times but it's always better when someone else plans the course and you don't know what to expect. I chose to do the Brown, the longest course available. It was a fun course with a lot of turns and an excellent compass training, as you couldn't see much of the features due to overgrown brackens. I may have made a couple of stops and took number 14 on my way to 7 but otherwise it went nice and smoothly. White areas weren't as open as you would think (due to brackens) but it was somewhat runnable and a lot of fun anyway! 

XC season started!

Last winter I missed the whole cross country season but this time I took care to take part right from the beginning. It was the first race of Midland Women's Cross Country League and the event was held in Leamington. As it was my first cross country event I wasn't sure what to expect. When you run cross country in Finland it is mostly on sand roads, occasionally coated by sawdust but, based on the upfront information that I've got here, cross country in the UK means real off road running. So I was prepared to crawl deep in the mud but I luckily it wasn't that awful. It was just perfect for an orienteer and I loved it! The route went on grass, moorland, and slightly muddy paths. No road whatsoever. In other words very nice and gently surface to run with spikes for the first time in your life.

When we gathered to the start I still didn't know anything about my tactics and whether to stay in the frontline or farther back. I wasn't even sure about the distance (thought it was about 6km). We were a lot more (a few hundred or so) than I had expected and it felt a hundred times more exciting than in those regional cross country champs I've ran in Finland. I was waiting for the "on your marks" comment when the sudden shot surprised me. Without thinking I just automatically sprinted to take my place in the leading pack. First kilometer went to 3:35 (on muddy grass!) and the climb was ahead. "Too fast" I was thinking but unwilling to slow down. I remembered the warnings about the "killer hill" that was a steep 20m upwards and down again. So I slowed down a little thinking that running must feel easy on the first loop. Some of the girls were running really fast but I had to do my own race. I realized by then that I had underestimated the other runners. They were from university teams and clearly no amateurs. I just kept telling myself that I’d catch a few again in the muddiest and most challenging parts.

Running felt ok during the first loop but when I checked my split in about half way I had already ran 4km and realized that it had to be far more than 6km. There I had my psychological breakdown and my next two kilometers were really slow and heavy. When I came to the "killer hill" for the second time I was nearly half a minute slower than on the first loop and part of it was just mental tiredness. Realizing how much I had lost on those two kilometers I tried to find a bigger gear and the last mile I could run at decent pace again. The whole race was 7,53km and took me 30:47. Apart from the two slow kilometers from 5-6km my race was quite ok and a fabulous experience! What could be a better training for an orienteer during winter?! I also felt great to be part of a terrific team with excellent atmosphere and great cheering. Thanks Knowle & Dorridge!!

Sunday in Southampton

On Sunday we drove all the way to Southampton to run orienteering. It was one of the major senior events in England as it was one of the three selection races for Interland 2012, an international cup against Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and France. Therefore my expectations were slightly higher than for an average regional race. It turned out to be great and definitively worth driving. A classic distance with a 10,1km course and a 1:15000 map in beautiful terrain of New Forest with wild ponies galloping around did not let me down.

The course was very runnable and I enjoyed it a lot. For most parts it was quite open and beautiful, with only little slowing vegetation. There were some really wet and flooding marshes but they were small and crossable with a few long jumps. To the first control I followed the path quite far but noticed then that the white forest was good to run and after that I went mostly pretty straight. The first three controls I hit well but on the forth I didn't see the control right away although I came straight to the marsh. Fifth and sixth all right. To seventh I had my best split. It was great, just speeding downhill and checking the bearing. Then it went pretty straight and smoothly all the way to 12th but on my way there I may have lost some seconds in the ditches. 13th okay again but then I lost some time passing the river on the way to 14th and again when taking a gel on the control. It didn't go too well to open the zipper at the backside of my tights. I both fall down and accidently stopped my garmin there. I didn't notice that at that point and continued my race to the finish. The rest of the course went well too although I didn't enjoy the last four legs as much as the preceding part of the course. I was happy with my run but a bit disappointed that I only got part of my gps-route :/

Results

Searching for hills

After living and training here for almost a year now I finally start to know where to go to train. Simple things that I've taken for granted back in Tampere, such as O-training or hill intervals from your door, have caused me enormous trouble here. I'm used to have everything within 15 minutes from home but things are different here. I've learned now that it takes approximately an hour to get to forest and nearly the same to get to hills. I've been cycling and running around the neighborhood to find some hills without success. So I've learned the hard way that it really is flat here and the easiest way to train hills is by increasing the gradient on a treadmill. It would indeed be a bit strange if the canals were going up and down on hillsides.

But myths are to be broken and so was the myth of flatness. The hills didn't come to my front door one night, I had to go and find them myself. But still, a beautiful country park with mixture of woodland and heathland, steep slopes and high hills, and amazing view over the whole shire, just half an hour's way from us! The place is called Clent Hills. I went there for a nice and easy long run, climbed up to the highest point and got astonished by the magnificent panoramic view. I will certainly go back there again. The more often the better. It's a perfect place for tough and muddy hill intervals!

Birmingham 1/2 marathon

Birmingham half marathon was held on October 23 in the city center under the blue sky and the TV-helicopters. It was my first big half marathon and an amazing event in every aspect. I don't know whether it was the magical lightness in the legs, the great weather, the crowds and cheering, the pipe orchestras, the banjo drums, or presence of the King of Distance Running himself but the event had an indelible impact on me.

The atmosphere was exciting already when approaching the city center and it was easy to recognize co-passengers who were heading to the same event. When we climbed out from the bus all we had to do was to follow the stream of runners. On the way towards the arena we saw people in their running kits sipping coffee in the cafés on the sides of the prom. It all felt kind of unreal. The streets were decorated with tapes, signs, marshals, and advertisers. Everything was ready for the big event. We were early and it was quiet as went in to the arena to leave the bags and get prepared.

Just a while later when outside again a few hundred people had multiplied into tens of thousands of people and the music and hyping was on. It was huge. I got worried about where to go and went to check where my start group was supposed to assemble. It was clearly marked and still empty. The rest of the warm-up time I spent in a toilet queue missing the supervised warm-up gymnastics and the good starting place. I ended up behind the masses and was far from the elite up in front. It took five minutes from the gunshot before I reached the start line but I didn't care. It was here and now, my first mass marathon and I was about to enjoy it!

The first two miles I concentrated mainly on avoiding elbows and kicks but then after passing a thousand runners or so it eased up and I could start to enjoy the running. To my surprise the first miles had gone far below the pace I had planned despite the folks and I tried to slow down. Running felt good and after a while I totally ignored my pace and heart rate monitor and I just ran. Like Forest Gump, I just ran and enjoyed it. After four miles or so came my biggest highlight of the day as Haile passed me. Oh yes he did, on his way back. The route did a short loop and came then back along the same road some miles or so. So Haile was only a few miles ahead. The leading runners came across one by one whereas I met an endless line of runners when running back myself.

Running was fun throughout the race and the atmosphere was fantastic. There were several bands, orchestras, high five zones, supporters and so much cheering during the run that it was almost impossible not to enjoy it. Miles from nine to eleven were uphill and less pleasant but after managing that far it was just sprinting into the finish. Two kilometers left and I start to run against the watch. But I forget that the last kilometer is indeed longer than the others and have to push a bit harder at the end. When reaching the finish line I feel awesome. 1:27:47. I go home and look for the next half marathon. It will be Liverpool.

Season 2011 in a nutshell

After finishing my PhD just before the Christmas I decided to take a year off from my academic career and become a professional athlete. Before I realized I got over-trained and it took the whole season to recover. I was more or less tired throughout the season but did not dare to take a break. Legs were heavy and running felt awful most of the time. It had been better if I had realized to rest before it was too late but I didn't. After missing the World Champs I gave myself a longer break and it helped. Now I'm feeling much better than I felt during the season. I was very happy to run Birmingham half marathon to 1:27:47 just a week ago. It was a sign of recovery and gave me some faith and confidence for the coming training period. The highlights of the year were the victory at Tiomila, the second place at Venla, and the victory of 25-manna. I was happy to do well in these big club relays despite my problems. My first victories at Tiomila and 25-manna!!

 

Welcome to my new blog!

I am a Finnish orienteerer based in Solihull in England and this is my new blog. I love running, orienteering and competing and the purpose of this blog is to share it with you. I am focusing now fully on orienteering and trying to improve myself in order to reach the goals I've been dreaming about. Being a professional orienteerer in West Midlands is challenging but I am coping with it the best I can. I hope you will have a good time following my blog!