Elf 100 km Xmas fun run

I haven't finished a 100K in 2013. I just had to do something about that. That's how Elf 100 km Xmas fun run was born out of the blue.

There were no other runners in this event. Most convenient for me was to run a nice and easy 25 km loop around my neighbourhood four times. There would be 200m ascent per loop.

I started to run 8:00AM on Monday, December 23th. It was still dark, but I knew there would be streetlights along the way.

Almost all of the route was on dirt paths in a delightful natural setting. Less than 10% was covered with asphalt. Bicycles were the only traffic to look out for.

The weather was balmy 5˚C with lots of showers. Air humidity was around 80-90%. We haven't seen a snow-free Christmas like this for years.

The sunrise around 10AM was most welcome, but already after 3PM it got dark again. It's the darkest time of the year. Only during loop #2 I was able to enjoy full daylight.

I finished at 00:27AM on Tuesday, December 24th. Total time 16h27min. My loop times were 2:52, 3:17. 3:40 and 3:49. Total running time 13h38min. The breaks at home between loops took me 2h49min. Like a good elf, I made sure to take plenty of time stuffing my face.

After finishing I felt good, but a bit tired. Merry Christmas and happy trails 2014!

Golden Ratio Triathlon

In trying to find the sweet spot between half and full 'Ironman' triathlons, I came up with the idea of Golden Ratio Triathlon (GRT):

• swim 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
• bike 111.2 km (69.1 miles)
• run 26.1 km (16.2 miles).

This new 139.7 km (86.8 miles) distance is more challenging than a half, but not as devastating as a full.

With a goal of finishing in 12 hours, I started the first GRT ever this morning at 7:45AM. I finished 7:45PM - perhaps not surprisingly in exactly 12:00 hours!

The swim was nice and relaxed. I did a couple of extra laps just in case I had miscalculated the distance. As usual, I spent some time in the sauna after the swim.

I did most of the cycling indoors on my Taxc Bushido trainer, so I had the opportunity to watch Ironman Hawaii 2013 on TV. It brought back pleasant memories from my own race in Kona 25 years ago.

My run consisted of one big loop on familiar dirt roads. It was dark but relatively warm, and almost all the snow and ice had melted away. The air was very humid with occasional rainy moments thrown in. Recent storms had caused some damage in the forests, and the streetlights were off in many places. It wasn't a problem, as I had my head torch with me. The run went smoothly, but I only carried two gels, so I was pretty hungry towards the end. 

It was a nice day, and I will probably do another GRT in the future.

Independence Day

I celebrated Finland's Independence Day today by running around Seurasaari island.

Crushed ice on the beach.

It was a balmy +1˚C day with some rain/snow falling from the sky.

The lakes on the island were covered with ice.

I spotted lots of birds, including a swan couple.

The sea and shore is still mostly ice-free.

There were some slippery places with ice, but not too many.

A swan couple feeding themselves in the sea.

I even saw the President passing by in a motorcade towards his nearby home.

The archipelago looks pretty nice even in winter.

My feet were wet when I returned home, but it sure was a nice outdoors training session!

Purple kale rocks!

Please let me introduce you to one of the healthiest vegetables, purple kale.

It's about the same as green kale or other cabbages, only kooler.

How do I cook it? Well I don't really. I just throw it in a blender or salad with other foods.

I bet Jimi would have loved this rock fuel!

RaidLight OverMitts review

My notoriously cold hands can be a big problem, especially in the high mountains during storms. Sometimes my fingers feel like ice sticks. RaidLight OverMitts are the best solution I've discovered so far. They were designed to meet the gear requirements of some ultra trail running races, demanding completely waterproof gloves.

As these über-gloves weigh only 24 grams/pair (0.9 oz) and take very little space in your pocket or backpack, there's no reason to leave home without them. I simply wear whatever comfy old gloves I fancy wearing in good weather, and then quickly add the mitts over them if the weather turns bad. Of course it's also possible to wear the mitts alone without any undergloves in hot weather. The mitts are not warm at all by themselves, so all the warmth has to come from the undergloves and your hands.

You can secure the mitts around your wrist with the attached velcro/elastic band. The band can be also handy when you want to hang the mitts somewhere or attach them to each other.

None of my vast selection of gloves are quite waterproof or warm enough by itself (including RaidLight/SealSkinz Ultra Grips), but together with these OverMitts my hands stay dry and warm. The MP+ Stretchlite membrane (79% polyamide, 17% polyurithane, 4% elasthane) is extremely wind- and waterproof while somewhat elastic and breathable.

With a price tag of about 40€ these mitts aren't exactly a bargain (whopping 1,662.50€/kg!), but in my experience they are worth every penny. I've experimented enough with various el cheapo rubber gloves in the past to know that they just don't make it for me in serious alpine races.

I bought these OverMitts in Chamonix with my own money, and I'm not in any way affiliated with RaidLight. I just happen to like these gloves, that's all. Highly recommended, especially for UTMB and other euro races with superstrict management. Certainly everyone could use a pair of working hands, even when running!