ÿþ<html> <head> <title> // valimaki-dot-com // </title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.valimaki.com/config/valimaki.css"> <meta name="keywords" content="Mikko Välimäki, Mikko, Välimäki, valimaki, corvette, research, running, travel, pictures, music, rock, law, economics, money, business, mrgekko"> </head> <body backgound="pics/bg2.gif" leftmargin="5" topmargin="5" marginheight="5" marginwidth="5"> <center> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="750"><tr><td> <tr><td valign="top" width=100% height=97 background="http://www.valimaki.com/landscape.jpg"> <center> <span class="quote"><b> use your imagination<br> - and start a fire -<br></b> </span><span class="smallb"> INXS: Hear That Sound // 1990 </td></tr> </table> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="750" bgcolor=white><tr><td> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="5" border="0" width="750"><tr><td> <tr><td valign=top width="125" bgcolor="#98DAB7"> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/index.html">New Stuff</a><br> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/outofdate.html">Out of Date</a><br> <hr> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/research.html">Research</a><br> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/practise.html">Practise</a><br> <hr> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/writings.html">Writings</a><br> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/popculture.html">Pop Culture</a><br> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/music.html">Music</a><br> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/quotes.html">Quotes</a><br> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/machine.html">Angry Machine</a><br> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/running.html">Running</a><br> <hr> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/pics.html">Travel Pics</a><br> <a class="navi" href="http://www.valimaki.com/contact.html">Contact</a><br> </td> <td valign=top width="625" bgcolor=white> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="0" width=100% bgcolor=#CCCCFF><tr><td> <span class="topic"> Running</span></td></tr></table> </p> <center> <img src="http://www.valimaki.com/pics/stinson_runningman.jpg"><br> <i>Running man on Stinson Beach, California, 11.11.2002</i></center> <p class="basic"><b>Cool stuff: </b><a href="http://www.hiit.fi/u/valimaki/venice_beach_0803.avi">Click here </a>to see a short video clip from Venice Beach, California, in August 2003. <p class="basic"> I've been training long-distance running systematically and kept records of my runs from 1992 when I turned 16. My running careers can be split into two. The first "juonior career" spanned roughly the years 1992-1998. The heaviest year was 1996 when I recorded around 4000 kilometres total. I have written memories from some of the best runs of my life between 1995-2000 in Finnish into <a href="http://www.valimaki.com/docs/on_the_road_again.pdf">"On the road again"</a> (pdf). </p><p class="basic"> Since that peak in 1996 my training started to slowly fade. I moved to Helsinki and focused on university studies and related activities. Finally by 2000 I had such a load of other stuff going on that I stopped keeping track of my runs altogether. I just jogged randomly. I tried to return a few times in vain until I literally fell to the bottom in the summer of 2004 in Chile. A wine & meat diet for three months without any running whatsoever made it. Upon return to Finland, I was hardly able to do 1000m on Otaniemi track at 3.25. I literally dropped to the track at the end, totally given up everything. That experience started my return. I started to run again, little by little. </p><p class="basic"> Enter my "senior career". The next spring I already did a 3600m Cooper based on frequent 10K training runs around Lautttasaari island. In the fall I managed to do even a sub-34 minute street 10K. Encouraged, I joined the running club Sjundeå IF in spring 2006 and started competing for real again. Since then I've recorded my personal bests in all distance from 3000m up. I came back to the thing I was once good at. It keeps me sharp, on the edge, where I got to be. </p><p class="basic"> I'm currently training for a marathon and will hopefully run it in the near future. Something like 2.35-2.40 should be possible. In my youth I competed on track and cross-country. I also competed in orienteering and took part in Jukolan viesti, the biggest orienteering event in the world, every year between 1991-2003. To get some picture of my development in running here are some of my best measured performances: </p><p class="basic"> <ul> <li class="quote">Espoo rantamaraton 2008, half marathon: 1.12.47 PB <a href="http://www.marathon.se/racetimer/?v=%2Fen%2Frace%2Fresultlist%2F161%3Flayout%3Dmarathon%26amp%3Brc_id%3D1067">position 1st</a>)</span> <li class="quote">10 000m on track in Helsinki 2008: 33.26 PB (<a href="http://www.helsy.com/kilpailutoiminta/tulokset/203-162008-pm-10-000m-elaeintarha-helsinki">position 5th</a>)</span> <li class="quote">3 000m on track (indoor) in Helsinki 2008: 9.19 PB (<a href="http://www.helsy.com/vanhat_sivut/tulokset/2008/03022008s2.txt">position 6th</a>)</span> <li class="quote">5 000m on track in Porvoo 2007: 15.53 PB (<a href="http://www.varaslahto.net/tulokset.php?kisa=2262">position 5th</a>)</span> <li class="quote">Länsiväylä-juoksu in Espoo 2007, c. 18 km: 1.01.18 (<a href="http://www.resultservice.fi/lansi2007/index.php?action=show&sarja=M17">position 2nd</a>) <li class="quote">5 000m on track in Espoo 2006: 15.59 (<a href="http://www.helsy.com/tulokset/110706S.txt">position 4th</a>)<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">Helsinki City Run in Helsinki 2006, half marathon: 1.13.59 (<a href="http://www.helsinkicitymarathon.com/ilmo2/results_show.php?serie=HCR_0_130&hcmyear=2006&hcmid=2&base=HCR">position 3rd</a>)<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">Lauttasaari-juoksu in Helsinki 2005, c. 10 km: 33.53 (position 3rd)<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">L'Oreal Twosome in New York 2000, c. 10 km: 35.28 (<a href="http://www.nyrrc.org/race/r0429x03.htm">position 6th</a>, age should be 23 - last race before a long pause)<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">Pääkaupunkijuoksu in Helsinki 1997, c. 19.8 km: 1.10.47 (position 13th)<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">Reserve Officer School orienteering champion in Hamina 1995, course 207<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">Jääkäriprikaati Cooper: 3700m in Sodankylä 1995<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">5 000m on track in Porvoo: 16.29 in 1994 (qualifying for national youth championships)<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">3 000m on track in Nastola: 9.39 in 1993<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">1 500m on track in Nummela: 4.29 in 1993 (age 16)<span class="quote"></span> <li class="quote">1 000m on track in Kuusankoski: 2.58 in 1992 (age 15)<span class="quote"></span> <span class="quote"></span> </ul> </p><p class="basic"> <center> <i> <img src="http://www.valimaki.com/pics/juoksu_virkkala.jpg"> <img src="http://www.valimaki.com/pics/juoksu_porvoo.jpg"> <br>5000 m in Virkkala 1993 (left) and Porvoo 1994<br><br> <img src="http://www.valimaki.com/pics/juoksu_myyrmaki_2_www.jpg"> <br>10 000 m in Myyrmäki 1995</i><br><br> </center> </p><p class="basic"> Here are some links: <ul> <li class="quote"><span class="quote"> <a href="http://www.nyrrc.org">New York Road Runner's Club</a>. Check their site if you want to compete in Central Park - one of the best running locations in the world.</span></li> <li class="quote"><span class="quote"> <a href="http://www.baoc.org">Bay Area Orienteering Club</a>. These guys organize orienteering in SF Bay Area.</span></li> <li class="quote"><span class="quote"> <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com">Runner's World</a>. This is actually a magazine but a good site too.</span></li> </ul> </p><p class="basic"> Three principles to become a good runner: <ul> <li class="quote"><span class="quote"> keep track on your runs </span></li> <li class="quote"><span class="quote"> keep your easy days easy </span></li> <li class="quote"><span class="quote"> remember to run fast and on different terrains once a while </span></li> </ul> </p> </td> </tr></td></table> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="0" width="750" bgcolor=white><tr><td> <tr><td valign="top" width=100%> <span class="small"> (C) 2001-2002 <a href=mailto:mikko@valimaki.com class="smallnavi">Mikko Välimäki</a> // <a href="http://www.valimaki.com/valimaki.asc" class="smallnavi">PGP</a> </span> </td></tr> </table> </tr></td></table> </html>