Done with sore throat back to training

Last week had the thing no athlete appreciates. Sickness or injury, well I only had a sore throat caused by catching some cold at work. Taking two days away from work and away from training for four days my throat was good again. I can tell I've a doctor as my old coach and we discussed some time that infections beginning from from bronchis are tend to have more potential of developing into something more harmful and such is the reason why I take it as seriously as fever considering training.
On monday a good ice training with cold wind blowing and freezing. Then Tuesday morning a good dry land speed workout at Liikuntamylly, an inside multi-sport facility in Eastern Helsinki, before going to work in the evening until 23. Now Wednesday back to school at 8. This afternoon an ice training and then heading North for the rest of week to check local training grounds and hopefully meet some friends. Also going to get 2-4 starts hopefully during the rest of the week clocked to get the body used to maxing out constantly. Three weeks for Finnish nationals. And they said Kaamos has ended since today the sun should rise in Utsjoki up in Northernmost part of Finland! Days will be brighter and sunnier hopefully.

Norway done

The races in Hamar over the weekend were pretty good. If I disregard that races began at 18:00 on Saturday and ended at 21:00 and the fact that hamburger or a pizza costs 30€ at a restaurant. Timewise nothing special but starting to get back to that awesome flow of just skating and enjoying it. That's how the second day 500m felt like, atleast before I fell. But again on fear behind; falling with full speed at the last inner of 500m race. The second day one thousand was the best race by time since it was only 6 tenths away from my best time in Europe and also the fastest 1k since November. So day by day I'm coming back!
Next chance to race will be tomorrow at weekly time trials here in Helsinki. I hope for a good weather and good ice to be able to do a decent run.

Next plan is to begin working with the moving company back here in Finland and dig my speed out and still keep on building my endurance for the rest of the season like I did in States. Tomorrow I will go back to school also and it's nice to meet again the people over there. I've put myself again into a pit with all the stuff going on as I try to take care of this school period, so that after passing all the courses I would be only one period away + project work and thesis from graduating!
Then trying to work 4 days a week driving a truck and do the most excellent training I'm capable of on ice and with dry-land work outs. After all that I should be good to race in Finnish Sprint Nationals and after that go back to States and pound some serious time on the table at American cup finales in Salt Lake City and a week after that in Calgary.

Stay tuned!

In the country of Fjords och Trollen!

Flights on time and a small five hour layover in Stockholm in between. But Norwegian worked good and the train from airport of Oslo was really simple to catch, just next to the exit of arrivals. Train trip took about one hour and then a 10 minute walk to the hotel. Hamar feels like a cool small town with not that much hustle but more like easy-going and peaceful. We did not have time to go on ice today but there was a decent fitness room with a fitness bike at our hotel and a grocery right next to our hotel. Even having sauna, = bastu in Norway, today. Tomorrow on ice and the wait is on. Just superb going back inside to skate. More of the feeling tomorrow after feeling how the ice works. Today the legs felt pretty good after some biking!