Back to America

So after staying home for few weeks and getting my work-permit I came back to Wisconsin.

Just felt like doing a video blog in both Finnish and English.

So here they are:

First one in English and the one below in Finnish.

Sorry for being a bit phlegmatic. But you know risking the biggest thing in your life is not always easy. And apparently the doubting moment struck the moment while filming. But now that I am here, I am just going forward full speed without doubt or fear.

In English:

 

 In Finnish:

Season is over! + video

Thanks to all the superb people I've met during this last year.

Kiitos Äiti, Isä ja Topi, sekä ne lukuisat muut ystävät vuoden varrelta, jotka ovat auttaneet minua eteenpäin.

When one drives hard to reach your dreams, there's never too many friends to keep you on the right track. And that being said, every friend I have met during this year has made an impact how this season went. To all my friends in Oulu, Tampere, Helsinki, Oconomowoc, Milwaukee, Calgary, I thank you. Thanks Roscoe looking forward to next season.

Oval Finale Calgary day 3

Finishing the season where I began.

Though the first 100m of the 500m showed something awesome, my opener was 10,07. My fastest ever. The finishing time was 37,68 so one tenth out of my PB. The one thousand did not feel as good as yesterday but I managed a time some 7tenths of my record with 1.15,8.

Tomorrow still 1500m which may go fast after today. Just gonna gun it out and keep it relaxed through the finish line.

Oval finale Calgary day 2

One way to recognize mentally strong athlete is to know that like a professional, he does his job no matter what is going on in his life.

Another thing of course is, how well he performs.
Second day included a one thousand meter race at three in the afternoon. My time was 1.16,10. I didn't pick my rhythm up and skated technically a "pretty" race but as it is nothing happens when you try to be nice on the ice. The time of course was better than in SLC last weekend but that's about it.

Have to try to change the vibe, that has been holding me for almost a month for tomorrow and begin racing again as I usually do. Just watch me do it!

"Every failure is one failure closer to success, remember to focus on the success and not on making those failures. Always begin with success and if it won't go. Start again."

Oval Finale Calgary day 1

First day and race was so and so. Pretty content with 500m 38,00, opening 10,1. The first 100m was quite solid, quick from the line and good skating driving into first turn. And no big mistakes after that. Bobbing a bit at the back strech but otherwise no spectacular mistakes. And it was the best time since November's visit here so I'm confident of continuing these games for the next three days. Tomorrow 1000m.

Race day - morning

Unusually a post in the morning of the race day. First 500m taking place in little more than 3 hours. Feeling a lot better than yesterday, more relaxed and focused on the coming races.

Fly like an eagle today and for the next three days!

Calgary time to race, *warning* this is a long post.

So tomorrow the last races for this season will begin. Friday 500, Saturday 1000, Sunday 500&1000 and finally on Monday 1500.

Today I did a race preparation, just easy laps, few accelerations and a start.

To be honest, I don't feel good. I don't feel confident to race. Last weekend was really hard. The last two months have been mentally challenging. And I really feel like all my energy has been drained out.

One could think that saying that out loud here would make things only worse. But an athlete as a normal human, is never just a physical being. We are emotional animals and writing that here is just me accepting the facts. "I'm not mentally prepared to race. I can't make any good times." But then seeing it out here makes me understand how small matter it really is and how easily I'm able to leave it and get back up on the track. Seeing that, tells me how pathetic it would be to try going on the line tomorrow. Knowing that I'm mentally a lot tougher than that.
Thoughts like that are the inner devil we all have. The force that tries to put us down, the only thing in the way of perfect harmony between the mind, and the body.
And the body will always do what the mind says.

So by saying it out loud, I actually create a turning point for myself to place my feet where I usually stand mentally, and stand there really firmly. Just knowing that I have what it takes to do better than ever before. Knowing that this challenge is something I made by myself and something only I can survive.
I'm already beginning to feel better and I know that after warm up tomorrow I will be ready to challenge my times here from last year. Since even if I've trained harder and I can't feel anything I can still do better than last year because none of those races last year was perfect. I've come a long way, and now it is time to enjoy if I could already pick some crop from all the hard work that I've done.

I hope you had the time to read this. Stay tuned for the results!!

In Calgary

Author presenting himself with same gracious beauty as always.

I'm done with Salt Lake, see you in Calgary

That was it. My first visit with high altitude races in Salt Lake City. Last day's pain menu offered 1000 m skating. I gunned it out to 17,4 opener but missed driving into second turn skating it a meter away from the line and that pretty much concluded my speed to finish 1.16,38. Around 1,2 seconds from my PR.

Again the time difference between last and first full lap was 2,5 seconds. I won't take it anymore that I'm too much of a sprinter to finish 1k strong. On the bright side today I felt for the first time that I might actually be able to produce some good skating on the ice. My hips and the complete feeling was more relaxed.

Today I'll be travelling for 9hours to reach Calgary by midnight. And staying with some good friends from my last trip.
I have to admit though, that as much as I love travelling I will enjoy spending more than a month in one place when I come back to Milwaukee to begin my 6 months internship in an American company for my studies. Last time I spent a month still without travelling was probably in July.

As I previously finished a post: every failure is one failure closer to success.

Expect another video post as I reach Calgary tomorrow and have a day off ice.

Second race day Salt Lake City

38,11 and 2.02,29, well less than 5 seconds from my personal. That pretty much sums up the second day. 500m alot more aggressive than on the first day and then for the 1500m we decided to save some energy for the last day's 1000m so I didn't gun it up. Also then I died already after 500 meters of skating so no chance for anything decent. I'll have another 1500 on the last day in Calgary after 8 days.
Technically today both distances were good, straightways with good transition from side to side, good driving into the turns and as strong skating as possible.

What I feel I'm lacking the most is strength. I have nothing to push with in my legs, that shows up as slow ~10,3-10,5 openers on 500m and especially when I skate longer distances I have no power to build my speed up. Right now I'm not even expecting much from else other than the two last 500m's in Calgary.
Of course as always when I go to line I will give every drop of energy I can, but I'm facing the facts I need more strength and endurance to become better.

And I have to admit that after December's tough, new type of training and January's work+school is still taking its toll on my body. I notice this from the feeling after a race. 15 minutes after finishing I don't even feel like I raced at all.

We Finnish never give up, we just tell the problems to go screw themselves and then take care of it our way. The bigger the problem, the harder we work to solve it.

Nothing was ever won by giving up