New blog

Long time no talk. Made a decision to move all my working out stuff to a whole new blog and leaving this one to be the english version of my life, focusing on traveling and such. You can find my new blog all about sweating and aching muscles, this time in Finnish, here: 

http://lauskunhikipaivakirja.blogspot.fi

my Saturday activities; yummy porridge, foam rolling and watching The CrossFit Games

Weeks 24, 25, 26 and 27 in workouts

Long time no see, dear blog. Where should I start, i don't even know. My life has been very busy for the past couple of weeks or even months now, but definitely in a good way. After spending the weekend at the big orienteering relay in Kuopio, it took me almost a full week to recover. It wasn't the actual performance that got me so exhausted but staying up until like 3am and waking up to see my dad at the finish line at around 7-8 am. For the drive back home, I was totally exhausted and there were moments when I just passed out for being so tired. But for the most part I had to be awake to make sure dad stays awake and we won't drive off the road. Luckily we made it home safe and sound. But the next five days I feel like I just slept trough, don't really remember what happened.

Also, the summer holidays have kicked off at work so for three weeks now I have been covering for two people. Luckily for me, not so much for the people enjoying their holiday, the weather has been the worst ever so everyone else is as pale as I am :-D

What else.. well finally all my friends are back in town, so have been seeing them a lot more now than during the spring time. The CrossFit addiction keeps continues and my weeks are filled with new movements, improving techniques, getting lost in the woods and a lot of sweaty clothing. Friday before mid summer celebrations, I went for the morning wod including some negative pull-ups and couldn't carry heavy objects for the next two days. Luckily on Sunday I was recovered enough to hit a golf ball, on Saturday I still couldn't... :-D

This week I crushed altogether 11 workouts and now I feel pretty weary. Next week will probably turn out to be an easy week as I am going to Helsinki on Friday and all :-)

My week 23 in workouts

This week was a rough one for me as my sleeping schedule did not take high note even after my official announcement on social media. I took it a bit easy and really focused on technique (and learning to use the compass correctly for once, lols), or at least tried. This whole working out thing is just so addictive! Especially when you really and honestly enjoy what you are doing. I don't know what will happen when I have to move back to Vaasa as there seems to be no CrossFit box there just yet and there will be no orienteering during the winter of course. Obviously I can do running, and I suppose I have to sign up to a "regular" gym and learn to have fun in there. My past experiences on gyms is not the most positive ones though. Usually they just bore me after two weeks as all you can do is sit in a machine and move your legs up and down, spend half an hour on a cross trainer or do awkward booty-shacking movements on a Zumba class. Yeah, maybe I'll just come up with another new hobby. Karate could be fun, haven't yet tried self-defense sports yet other than a single class of aikido or something like that when I was like 12.

On Tuesday I had a nice run as we attended this running event in Hämeenlinna with a bunch of my coworkers even though I was kind of exhausted from my Sunday run and Monday orienteering. Minna really pushed me do good as I tried my best to keep up with her pace, haha! We ended up blasting a pretty decent time for a 7k run, at least for me. At the finish line there were some Scandinavian Hunks, literally, waiting for us which was awesome as of course it was raining cats and dogs and freezing and makeup running down the at-that-point very pink face... :-D

Saturday was also a fun day, I figured to do a whole post about this but oh well.. So it was time for the summer season opening "party" at the CrossFit gym. Earlier this week I was so hesitant for even attending as I know I am not (yet) the strongest person or have a best technique in any of those movements we do at classes, and most of them probably have never yet tried. But I am so glad I went, as I had a blast and didn't do that bad after all I think :-) My group was also super understanding and I got to choose what I wanted to do so that I could actually finish the movements :-D The program for the day was basically four different group WODs and which group had the lowest scoring in the end won. Somehow I ended up having an awesome team full of _ripped_ people and my "CrossFit career" started off with a #podiumselfie! Such an awesome day with awesome people :-)

Sadepäivän Sankarit 

For this summer I seem to have a pattern going on for working out. Monday is for orienteering, tuesday and wednesday for CrossFit, thursday orienteering again, friday CrossFit and the weekend will be decided by the weather so either golf, CrossFit or just rest and relaxing. Its hard to get amazingly creative with this schedule, as it is made almost to the minute. That's just how it is as a "grown-up" and a full-time job I guess. I can't even attend the morning classes as they are from 7 to 8am, and basically that would leave me 15 minutes to take a shower, put on some makeup and decent clothes. Not gonna happen for me. 

Totally (not so) Famous

I totally forgot to mention this, but last Tuesday I made it to the second largest news paper in published in Finland, Aamulehti! I had no idea until my mom showed me and boy was I shocked :-D Apparently I was the sixth fastest of all the women running the same track(4 km) on Monday a week ago. All in all I was 48th I think, but I guess there wasn't that many girls/women running haha. Only lost 12 min to the winner, bur I mean it was Marika Hara so can not be too disappointed..

Right after, I found this in my hair...

My week 22 in workouts

Okaay, its time to wrap up the week again. I can't believe how fast weeks just fly by nowadays! I remember being like 10 or so, and school year as well as summer holidays always felt like forever and never-ending. Luckily I am all grown up now(yap.) so no need for boring hours, days and weeks not passing by, now they just speed past before you even notice.

Once again I had a pretty active week. But in a sense that I enjoyed everything, I still don't need to "force" myself to go to the gym or anything, instead all is purely for enjoyment. I am enjoying orienteering a lot, as it has such a short season so you really need to get all out of it before its gone again for the winter. Crossfit has also hooked me so bad,  I am always waiting for the next workout (even though a bit scared if I will survive them, haha.So far so good!) and what they will consist of, as they are always different. Also, as a beginner I keep learning new things at the same time, thumbs up for that!

Lately, I haven't been able to include running into my schedule (other than orienteering of course and running done at CF) and I was convinced that I would be able to run even for half an hour anymore. This morning however I went for a run, just cause I felt like it, and crushed my new record; 6k for under 30 min!! I was so happy and extremely surprised. That feeling after making it trough, oh it was good. 

Something I miss a lot is golfing. Last summer was definitely my "golden season" when it comes to golfing, I trained a lot and you could really tell that as my technique got a lot better, hits longer and naturally by that my HCP went down. For this season too of course I had such high hopes but during the last few weeks I have kind of had to give in to the fact that there just is not enough time for everything. I still try to dedicate weekends for golfing mainly, but that is just not enough to achieve that development in my game that I want to. Oh well, what big problems I have going on right now hah!

Jukola is coming closer and closer (only two more weeks left!!) so that is exciting. That also means that more running and orienteering needs to happen. The next two weeks are definitely going to be extremely busy and full of activities for me, but thats how I like it so fun!

Running and cleaning

Today at the gym we had an awesome WOD. Even though otherwise my day was not a very good one(apart from the cake we had at work..), but right as I got to the gym I totally forgot all those worries. One of the best features of working out for sure. 

Squat clean and snatch were my favorite movements already from the first few onramp classes. Even though technically very difficult ones, somehow I just like the intensity and how you need to use your whole body to get that barbell up and not just your hands as you would assume, or at least how I assumed it.. To get to those impressive heavy weights I definitely still need many, many reps and loads of practice but one WOD by one, I am getting there.

So about todays workout(and I totally realize this blog is nowadays super boring and only consists of me rambling about sports, but what can you do thats what I am into right now. Maybe in a few months the topics are totally different. That's just life I guess.), as I read the description on Facebook I was already hyped but still a bit worried how I would make it.

Partner WOD: 25 min AMRAP

a)400m run

b)8 squat clean @25kg

6 rounds

I was b), so my part was to start with doing 8 squat cleans as my partner would run 400m. Then we switched and I ran 400m and so on. This continued for 25 min. When running for the second time I was already feeling pretty tired, but somehow I found the energy to just keep on going. In the start of the fourth round I was totally feeling it again, with heaps of energy or at least determination. I managed to push it to the end and even do a slight final spurt! 

I think there is no need for me to emphasize this any more but I am just totally hooked on CrossFit, loving every bit of it. Even the max reps we did on Tuesday(and my extremely weak and embarrassing PR result, lol..).

Tomorrow we are having a day off from work as it is some kind of a religious holiday(didn't pay too much attention at school during this topic, soo..) and I am so happy to just sleep in, play some golf if its not raining, go orienteering in the evening and maybe film some vids :-)

My week 21 in workouts

Its time to wrap up the week again and start a new one with a fresh mind. The time flies by so fast at this moment of my life, with loads to do and not much time to sit and listen to the birds whistle haha. I guess that is a good thing as I am a type of person who gets bored really easily. So especially during the summer I tend to keep myself very busy. I mean, we all know that when it gets super cold and snowy again there is no way I will be spending any spear time outside but instead inside with a thick sweater on me. But luckily the heath wave has hit the town and already for a couple of days we have had the chance to enjoy those +30C sunny days. Even so much that I managed to burn myself and get a real nice tan line...

This week we finished our onramp-course and I managed to already check out one of the "real" classes at our gym, and boy was it a hit in the face. I think I was already super tired from the week and so I decided to take the weekend and really relax, get some sleep in and just nurture my body  and mind with stretching, foam rolling(..eating ice cream..) and reading in the sun(..eating more ice cream..)!

Was really satisfied on my orienteering on Tuesday until I ran 6 min to a total opposite direction as I was supposed to, so in total a 12 min miss, not good! Maybe I should learn how to hold the map the right way up first..

For the next week my goal is to keep up with foam rolling preferably every night even, and to really work on mobility and stretching. I do think that is one of the most important things to do besides working out. It keeps you from straining yourself and by that getting injured. It would suck to have to cut down on sports just because of not stretching enough or poor recovery. As said, your muscles/body really gets the progress from the rest after a workout. Said that, my other goal for the week is to really enhance my sleeping schedule. Now that I don't have those late night onramp sessions anymore, its easier to go to bed earlier and prevent the total exhaustion in the morning caused by just a few hours of sleeping. Maybe I could even cut down on my coffee consumption, which to be honest has kind of escalated because of the free coffee at our office..

Done and ready for more

Yesterday we finished our three week OnRamp course. During the nine practices I learned so much, but of course I have plenty to learn still. But I feel like I have really got the hang on what crossfit is about; and I am really liking it. Also, all those late nights watching the sun set and biking back home with awesome music on and barely no people around; thats what I call quality time just by myself.

Three weeks ago, we did a WOD which I managed to finish with time 7:19 and now on our last session of course we had to do it again. Before starting, I was feeling the nerves in my stomach as there was no way for me to do worse than the first time but I was afraid I would. After a steady start, I felt pretty good so kept up the pace and finished in 6:36! I am so happy!! Could have gone better and even faster, I was not totally exhausted finishing but oh well..

WOD 22.5.2014: 6:36
300m row
15-12-9
squat
ring pull-up(not sure about that name?)
KBS 12kg
300m row

Now its time to hit the actual classes and see where this journey takes me. I really need to work on my upper body strength, as noticed today I couldn't even do a full pull-up..

I wanted to start off strong, so already today we headed over to the gym for a nice friday night workout. And not just any workout, but one of the toughest I have ever probably done. We didn't even need to do it full-on but I was exhausted even after the first round. Somehow I couldn't get myself going 150% at the end and that really showed in the outcome, but I accept that however this was my fifth working out day in a row. I can't wait to see some result, especially with those goddamn burbees... Killing me each and every time. Today I made 60 of them so hopefully next time it won't be so bad.

WOD 23.5.2014: 3 rounds and 400m run
30min AMRAP
400m run with med.ball(6kg)
20 box jumps(50cm)
20 burbee
20 med.ball(6kg) clean

My week 20 in workouts

Better late than never I guess, so here comes the summary of how my last week pretty much looked like all-in-all. I was feeling pretty tired from all the late nights and early mornings, but gladly I managed to get some sleep in during the weekend. Even though I missed a wedding after party just because of my sleepy eyes and a too comfy sofa... :( As my weekend passed by pretty much just sleeping, eating chocolate and lounging on our backyard terrace, I was not feeling the most energetic and fit on Sunday evening; very bloated and still low in energy. 

Monday: 1h30min CrossFit
Tuesday: 1h "easy" orienteering...
Wednesday: 1h30min CrossFit + biking back and forth
Thursday: 1h30min CrossFit + biking
Friday: rest
Saturday: Easy range session with daddy
Sunday: Full round of golf, with my new carry bag

For the next week my mission is to once again lift my energy levels and include one or more runs to my excerising calendar; running always makes me happy and super energetic even though extremely exhausted at the same time. I mean, who wants to run slow and near when you can go fast and far, right!?

Not all those who wander are lost, but I sure was

Today, an hour of my afternoon was spent wandering around the forest trying to find my way to the finish line, an hour full of both physical and mental struggling. So I went orienteering.

When orienteering you really need to trust yourself and your skills, or actually first you need to know how to do it and then trust yourself. But don't trust too much. No matter how good you or how "easy" the route is you still might find yourself feeling pretty lost and alone in that silent, misty forest. This happens to me quite often; I really trust myself and just keep on running until I have no idea where I am at because the place I was supposed to end up at is nowhere near the place I actually ended up being. And all I can see around me is a pile of rocks, trees and some more trees, maybe even a pit. Still somehow every tuesday I find myself queuing to pay 6€ for a map to be able to wander, get lost and get very angry for whoever came up with the route trough all those thick bushes and very wet swamps. The most rewarding part is when you see that white-and-orange flag with the right number on it and you are back on track. At that point you just forget that for the last 20 minutes you had no idea where you were at and just keep on running pointlessly ahead.

And also, it seems that peat is very good for your skin, so its a free pedicure every tuesday! Or a free map, 6€ pedicure and a pari of extremely smelly shoes; however you want to see it.

Obviously it wasn't a huge success for anyone else either as I ended up being 7th out of 24 and only 13 minutes behind

My week 19 in workouts

For this week I was pretty active, and I can feel that. I have had a lot more energy and I feel more upbeat for sure. My new hobby also excites me so every training session ahead I am really looking forward to, and that is only a positive thing! Sometimes it is really hard to motivate yourself but when you find the right sport and environment to train in, it should not be a challenge for a bit. Also, I started to use HeiaHeia again for tracking down my workouts. There you can really see the overview quite nice I think. For runs I really like the Nike+ iPod app. You can see your distance, time and average paste easy if you just remember to take your iPod with you and actually start the program(I would not trust the calory calculator at all though..)

Monday: 1h30min CrossFit
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 1h30min CrossFit + 2x40min biking
Thursday: 1h30min CrossFit
Friday: rest
Saturday: 2h golf training, 30min/5km run
Sunday: 40min/7,5km run

Long time no see

I feel so exhausted yet extremely happy right now.

For a nice while I have been kind of feeling down and not completely myself. I have always been an outgoing person, happy and social even though I do loove to spend an hour or two at home just lounging on the sofa. I guess my everyday life has just been lacking some positive energy and something exciting to do. So, already months back, I signed up on a course for which I was completely and utterly scared of. This whole social media scene including Instagram, blogs, Youtube etc. had shown me some parts of this new sport I am about to conquer.

My first official wod, lets see how the numbers look like in three weeks

Just four hours ago my body was shaking and cold and my thoughts were going from right to left and doing cartwheels in the middle; what if I can't do it, what if no one talks to me and everyone knows so much already and I just suck. I can get kind of competitive and that either makes me try 150% or just give up. Today I decided to be brave, to face my fear and head to that gym. And I could not be happier I did. And I even made some new friends! For the first time in a while, I really feel alive. There is this nice and tingly feeling in my every muscle that I will(not be able to walk tomorrow..) be spending some nice moments at the Reebok CrossFit 33100 gym. I am so excited and ready to reach my limits and go a little beyond.