Author: Administrator

This was one great comeback race. After positive mental boost following the Midnight run performance I went to run 10.000m on track in Eläintarha with my legendary coach Matti “Helmesvuo” Halmeaho shouting the lap times and counting the 1K splits. Decided not to follow Strömsholm and Teittinen who went at 33 mins pace from the start. Ended up following Juha Löppönen for the first 5K punctually at 17.15 — thanked him for the early pace setting — and then picked it up after he faded. At some point started thinking I am in a pretty good shape taking into account I haven’t really trained anything. I wish Vane would have been there to keep the pace from the gun… Anyway it has been all positive this year. In May I did 10K in 37.02, July 35.56, August 34.47 and now 34.28. — Where’s the limit?

The best race of the year. Went out pretty much to the limit hitting the first half in 17.00. Then the group I was running in spread out and I had to do all the pacemaking after that. Two guys passed close to the finish making it 18th place in a field of 11.000 something… Actually the second half went like last year. — Our Tuxera team did also well with 9 guys total making it. Next year same time, same place.

Have taken it easy this week. Last night sprinted on top of Visamäki in 47.3 — a new PB. During warmup I felt something is not right in the left knee. Must be the result of the long asphalt run last weekend. Today I feel like the knee is not bending 100%. Let’s hope I can get it in shape before the run which starts less than 48 hrs from now.

Ran today to Biltema in Espoonlahti and back with a plastic bag full of bicycle parts. Must have been 25K level stuff. It took over 50 minutes per set totalling like 1.52 with a few mins of messing up the course somewhere around Nöykkiö — both ways. Obviously I’m not yet familiar with the street layout far beyond Suomenoja.

Same set as two weeks ago or so: 6.37, 6.39, 6.41 and 6.42. So a bit faster, sub 3.20/km avg. This time in the morning sun and shade, +20, no wind. Only eight nights to Midnight Run left. — Last week in Bay Area did two times PG&E trail in 1.04 and 1.06.