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!!
