The kicksled conditions in Helsinki have not been optimal everywhere all the time during this winter. Fortunately, it need not be like this tomorrow.
KEPOSTI |
Number 1 February 2002 |
Kickmail for Ketkupolkka members
The kicksled conditions in Helsinki have not been optimal everywhere all the time during this winter. Fortunately, it need not be like this tomorrow. |
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You don't have to enjoy the chilly sleet and slush in southern sunshine. Anne-Maria testing the new Kickbike XC model (photo Kickbike Worldwide). |
week 47 Great ice conditions this week. Excellent workouts on shiny ice and a tough First Ice Marathon on Lake Lapinjärvi. Preparing the track and the tough interval training cut the best edge from my kick in the race.
Mon 19.11. -4 C 2.35 h kicksled incl 10 x 3.20 min full effort in tailwind.
Tue -5 C 2.35 h kicksled, in the end 13 x (10+10) kicks with max rotation.
Wed -0 C 1.35 h kicksled incl 2 x across the lake (2,4km) in tailwind at record pace 4.47 + 4.42
Thu 1/2 h run + 35 min circuit training, running felt stale + massage
Fri Downcast snowfall 2 cm. Track preparation 2 x 5km kick ploughing + track measurement with KB, total 2 h
Sat National kicksled race season opening on Lapinjärvi First Ice Marathon. The race was held on 5 km lap in fair circumstances.
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Alpo could't kick away from the pack on First Ice Marathon. |
The tempo was hard from the beginning although the weather conditions were not optimal for any records. Alpo's world record held by more than five minutes. The even 150 m sprint ended once again in Hannu's victory before Jan and the race's workhorse Alpo. The whole trio fit within one second. HV 1.35.53, JE +0,5sec, AK +1sec VV +1.14min.
Old champion Hannu began the season triumphantly. |
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Warmup 30 min snow ploughing, had to let the pack go at 35 km between Stor- and Lillholman. Otherwise a great race.
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Slickkedder's track preparations used up his best energy. |
week 48 That was the end of good ice conditions and had to change to xc kicksledding workouts. On Wednesday could still kick on ice when a TV crew came to shoot a short documentary on kicksledding but then snow started falling.
week 49
Mon 40 min run + 30 min circuit
Tue 35 min slow kicksledding on the lake, too much snow + 25 min run
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The fastest kicksledders met on the night of Ketkupolkka . |
Wed Kepo Night in Paloheinä. XC sprint AK 7.25, HV +17sec, JE +21sec, VV +23sec. 13km AK 37.59 JE and VV 38.25, Jan beat me with the smallest perceivable margin, HV 39.04
Slickkedder aimed to keep Alpo in sight while Jan prepared to strike in the end. |
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Thu Recovery kicks in Luukki 1.20 h
Fri 3 h kicksledding on Church Road 55 km, good conditions, in the end 5,5km 14.11, record pace
Sat AM 1.20 h easy kicksledding PM 40 min run
Sun 2.55 h 44km +2 C newly fallen slow snow
week 52 After Christmas an excellent training camp in Osthrobothnia
Thu Travel to Vaasa where I studied a few years ago. PM 50min run with Alpo and Markus sightseeing the old times. We visited the place where I fell into the ice and the student hostel stairs where I used to time my hops. Chilly -18 C
Fri To Pietarsaari ! PM great 8 km xc race near the cottage of Porthin family. Freezing crisp -22 C. The tough 1 km end sprint ended in my favour. Alpo gave a good struggle. Also Tomas Porthin surprised positively despite the small amount of kicksled training as did also Markus Holmlund in his first kicksled race. Jakobstads Tidning reported about the race on its front page.
The sauna warmed up by Olof Porthin helped to melt the frostbitten painful fingers. The sauna was really pleasant and we took several turns to make angels in the snow.
In the evening Jakobstad sightseeing. We could enjoy the well-kept kicksled streets. Almost no sand anywhere. One could have arranged the race downtown merely by redirecting some traffic.
Sat AM time trials in Botnia Hall in Korsholm. 400m KB for me 49,4. Alpo and Tomas were one or two decimals faster. 2 x1000m 2.02,2 + 2.02,4. Tomas was fastest on one kilometer 2.00,0. In the end 15min plyometrics.
PM 2.15 h kicksledding (-22 C) from Vaasa to Sundom and back. We inspected my old training hill in Sundom. Alpo reckoned that it was no hill at all. In spite of that I have made many hard workouts and time trials there during my student times. My record on the 1150 m long gently ascending slope on icy conditions is 3.11, kicked 17.1.1998.
Sun AM 7.30 20 min brisk warmup KB + tough 1 h weight session with Alpo. Leg press, hamstrings and calves. 12 x 6 reps 90 deg knee angle, increasing load, last 300 kg (Alpo 280kg), calves 330kg (Alpo same), hamstrings (40+50+60kg) x 6 + cooldown 20 x 200m KB at full effort. We only had one KB in use so we took turns to kick one 200 m lap. There were some cyclists on an endurance ride and they helped to pace us. Legs felt quite shaky after the workout.
week 1
Mon 31.12. Well earned rest, massage.
Tue 1.1.2002 1.45 h kicksled to Harsböle and back -19 C
Wed -20 C made a commando hood from an old woolen cap. 1.55h kicksled to Kimonkylä and back in slow conditions. The hood shielded well the frostbites from Ostrobothnia.
Thu -9 C AM 35 min run + 30 min circuit. PM 1.50 h kicksledding in Porvoo with local cyclists Björn Stenvall and Casper Högström. One could find nice small kick roads starting almost from downtown. Kicksledding proved not too difficult for beginners.
Fri 50 min run
Sat AM 30 min run, PM 1.05 h xc kicksledding
Sun PM 2.45 h kicksled on Church Road, in the end 2 x 5,5km 15.38 + 15.43 = 47km
week 2 KEPOHEPO marathon
Mon 35 min run + 30min circuit + stairs
Tue 1.25 h easy kicksledding on Church Road 22km. In the end my mobile rang and I gave an interview for a provincial radio station on kicksledding.
Wed 1 h kicksledding 0.22 warmup 5,5km 17.16, slow roads + 20 min cooldown
Thu 1.40 h kicksledding behind the lake
Fri 40 min easy kicksledding
Sun KEPOHEPO Marathon in slightly moist conditions on the Church Road in Liljendal. A record field of 10 kicksledders behind the start line. The initial tempo was hard. I led the pack to the turning point at 5.3 km in 15.15 which promised 2.02 finish time. The return was slightly more steady. Alpo took the lead. Alpo pushed all the uphills so briskly that others began feeling the pace in their limbs. Hannu was the first to give up at 6.5km. Next was my turn at 9 km. At the 10.6 km turning point I was 13 sec behind Alpo and 3 sec behind Jan. The gap increased steadily from thereon. Alpo kicked at a constant tempo although even his lap times started to deteriorate as the road became softer. On the half-marathon there were 5 happy finishers. Old-timer Väiski won the half demonstrating to the newcomers how one ought to kick the sled.
Sun PM 1.30 h skate xc skiing for recovery. A regional newspaper came to shoot some pics of me and my Kickspark in the rain.
week 3 Nice training week despite the moist and dull weather.
Mon 35 min run + 30min circuit
Tue 2.10h KB to Loviisa. Completely bare asphalt, ok with mudguards. Bit tired feeling.
Wed Rest
Thu 1.40 h xc kicksled on wet but icy backcountry roads. Too much water on the lake ice.
Fri 2 h kicksled on the same roads, in the end some sprinting.
Sat AM 2.05 h xc kicksled incl 6 x repeat 4.15, 4.10, 4.13, 4.11, 4.18, 4.08 with return recovery, start interval 11min. PM 35min run + 1 h basketball. A hard day.
Sun 2.15 h kicksledding felt bit tired again.
week 4 Normal training week, searching for ice.
Mon 1.40 h kicksled on Lapinjärvi ice, 40min warmup + 10120 m 24.00 min cooldown, -3 C, uneven and scrubby ice.
Tue Rest
Wed 42 min run + 35min circuit
Thu 1.30 h kicksled repeats in tailwind on the fastest segment of the lake. 10 x 1.45 min sub.max. with return recovery. Patches of snow on the ice.
Fri 1.30 h kicksled on slick icy roads. A pleasant and enthusiastic Finnish Championship organisation meeting. Ice thickness was measured 41 cm.
Sat AM 35 min run + 1.05 h kicksled on ice incl 10 x 45 sek -12 C hard wind PM 1 h floorball
Sun Workout preparing for Siljan Sparket. 3 h kicksled, 11km on Church road and rest on Lake Hopom and nearby minor roads. In the end I found a real REPEAT OASIS in the middle of the lake. Tremendous forces of nature had formed an about 500 m long beautiful strip along an ice fissure which I kicked ten times. -13 C felt cold although the sunshine eased the chill a bit.
week 5 A cast away training week. Tough preparation for 100 km Siljan Sparket which was a survival game and fiasco, although the extreme conditions were actually an educating and interesting experience.
Mon 1 h kicksled on the lake incl 10x 45 sec + 20min circuit PM massage
Tue Rest
Wed 40 min run felt stale, tight hamstrings.
Thu 1.10 h kicksled fartlek on village roads with nice wintry glide.
Fri Rest
Sat Getting acquainted with the race track. It was wet but still suitable for kicking. We bought some dishwasher's gloves, black plastic garbage bags, needles and yarn. We sewed patches of the plastic bags on the anterior side of our sports underwear in order to protect us from the water on the ice.
Sun It was depressing. The ice skating race and whole event was cancelled. As we didn't have normal runners for our Kicksparks with us, we couldn't do a xc race on the small roads. We had to race in the worst circumstances ever. Not even the legendary race in Oulu 1997 was as bad. The snow cover of the lake was melting all the time and 90 % of the 25 km lap was covered with water. The water depth varied between 5 and 15 cm so riding on only one runner was a useful skill. In the interview of Mora Tidning we still held our heads up. However, after a few kilometers our smiles disappeared as our feet started feeling chilly. On the other hand, without the garbage bag patches under our race outfit it would have been still much worse.
I kept a brisk pace from the beginning and could leave the peloton behind. When the trio Alpo, Hannu and Jan catched me again I started to kick seriously and only Alpo could follow. He passed me and continued to lead past the 20 km mark. After that it was continous ride in water. Alpo dropped behind at 22 km. After one 25 km lap the times were clocked and the race finished there. It was not safe to continue. The underlying ice was thick enough but the cold tolerance of our feet was at its limit despite the isolating wetsocks. The tough circumstances reflect also in the recordslow times on ice track 25km VV 1.16.15, AK 1.16.47, JE 1.19.11 and HV 1.25.
This winter I have done some ice pool swimming and snow baths for recovery once or twice a week. I believe that it helped me in this struggle.
week 6 Wet weather continues, shortened race again. Yet some hope for the Finnish Championships.
Mon +4C 1.30 h kicksled behind the lake on really slick backwood roads. great conditions and superb feeling, fartlek incl one repeat 4.04! 4 sec improvement to 19.1. times.
Tue +3C 2.00 h same comments as yesterday. In the end repeats 3.53 + 3.51!!!
Wed 55min run + circuit + stairs = 1.30 h
Thu +2 C 15 min run with Kickspark on my shoulder + 45 min kicksled on Korsmalmin xc ski track incl 10 x relaxed alactic repeats on a gentle downhill + 15 min run back.
Fri 30min easy run felt ok despite small flu.
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Kensu Ice half marathon was kicked in almost wintry scenery in Jyväskylä (photo Väiski). |
Sat Fine race in Jyväskylä. My kick was lost. I could hang in the pack only to the halfway mark. The running turns went miserably. Perhaps the flu slowed me down too. Too much wet feet lately it seems.
Alpo exhausted Hannu well before the finish sprint (photo Ngugi). |
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Alpo was again a phenomenon. Hannu's good form worries me, too. It was nice to follow the fair performances of the two ice-track novices Timo Rinkinen and Markus Holmlund.
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Antti Lehtinen was surprisingly swift in the new Kensu club outfit (photo Ngugi). |
Sun Flegmatic and dismal feeling in the morning. Rain keeps dropping on the roof, the flu still remains and yesterday's race gives no reason to flatter myself.
PM 1 h swim 3,5km. My longest swim workout in one and a half years cheered me up a bit. More cheers when checked the ice conditions on Lapinjärvi. Thickness was 40cm, same as a fortnight ago, in spite of the last 8 days of seasonably warm weather. In spite of the rain the ice surface was almost "dry" and very smooth and beautiful. At places there were small softer patches. The weather forecast promises frost. The total picture looks good !!!
I recall well the first race on Weissensee 1999, when the sun was shining and feeling was good. Of course I wanted to go again, especially as I now live quite close, only 4 hours by car or 5 hours by train. After receiving the ice survey and pictures it also occurred to me that records could be improved. The only problem was that the races were held on weekdays and my project at the office was in such a critical stage that I could not take off more than Friday with 10 km on the programme.
The sprint races on Wednesday (200, 1000 and 2000 m) would have been the most interesting, because I believe that I could make a serious world record attempt just on 2000 m in good ice conditions. However, now I could try the 10 km in top conditions. My previous race on that distance had been by the way already years ago, in Imatra 1997.
My trip started at 3 AM at Munich railway station. In Salzburg I had to change the train and wait for two hours. The passers-by on the platform got something to wonder upon as I took my abrasive papers and started to grind my runners for the race. Fortunately I could still catch an hour or two of sleep in the train.
The Dutchmen picked me up at the station Greifenburg am Weissensee and drove me directly to the lake that was in top shape. There was almost no snow and the ice was thick enough. The sunshine felt as warm as back in 1999. The conditions were almost perfect, only the gentle breeze disturbed a bit. The distance was measured accurately with a measuring wheel and there were about as many people taking times as there were participants in the race. There was no doubt of the validity of the record attempt, so it could begin: five, four, three, two, one, NOW!
The others lagged behing already in the acceleration and thus I could kick alone the entire distance. The race course consisted of a 5 km lap plus a complementary 375 m segment. The intermediate lap time was worryingly slow but the other lap was merciless effort and steam engine puffing. After giving it all I crossed the finish line making my new personal best 21.51 that made me number two in all time top stats, two seconds ahead of Ville's PB.
Tomas Porthin kicked the season's best 10 km time on lake Weissensee in Austria. |
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In my afternoon training session I kicked yet approximately a marathon as one could enjoy the top conditions in the sunshine. In the evening I took the train back and was not at all sorry that I didn't visit the ice water kicks in Sweden. Hopefully next year I can stay longer than one day at Weissensee.
Tomas
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