Week 16 - slow down for Christmas!

I'm tireeeeed.... Just trying to keep my eyes open! There's a good reason for this: I've just eaten my first Christmas meal, our company offered us the buffet. There's carols in my head and my eyelids weight a ton. I want to crawl under this desk and sleep there until tomorrow. I don't want coffee, I don't want to cheer up, I want to have a nap!

We went ice skating yesterday. It felt weird! Well first of all it wasn't like "I can skate with quads, I can definitely skate with ice skates too". Nope. I stepped on the ice with my skates and immediately lost balance and almost fell. The point of gravity is totally different when ice skating. We had a free skate session, I practiced turning, a little jumping, cross overs and just skating. It was fun! But we had even more fun at our on skates practice where we again had our new fresh meat with us, the new girls are great! So nice to have more people at practice :).

It turned out my gym is closing already on Sunday (I was prepared for a afternoon spent in there) and it seems I am to take it real easy for some days. Don't really care! At the moment I can only think of sleeping. Of course there is our last practice of the year in the evening and I don't know what to think of it! I'm gonna miss it a lot. I will also rest and do other stuff like hopefully get back on the pole again.

Monday
Bodypump 60

Tuesday
PRD off skate practice: ice skating 45
PRD on skate practice 60

Wednesday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours (LAST ONE OF THIS YEAR!!)

Thursday
day off!

Friday
run 30
RVP 30

Saturday
day off

Sunday
some of these
RVP at home
bench press
biceps
triceps
lower & upper back
pole dancing

Week 15 review

Last week was wrapped up with a great Sunday practice. I have missed two practices during the last two weeks and other practices have been cancelled, so I had a two week break from skating. I was afraid it would slow me down... but no! It was so great yesterday, I loved every second and could have kept on for couple hours more. And despite my sick leaves and all my attendance is still 80,5%. Maybe this Christmas holiday is also coming at a right time, two more effective practices tomorrow and on Wednesday and then almost three weeks without our practice. I'm going to miss it badly, but it will be for the good for sure. I'm convinced now to have a brake from this blog too so I don't create pressure for myself.

I'm quite happy with last weeks workouts, I'm so happy to be OK again! I really kicked that flus ass!

Monday
sick :(

Tuesday
sick :(

Wednesday
day off

Thursday
Bodypump 30

Friday
Run 30

Saturday
day off

Sunday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours

Hopes up!

Feeling as bright as it would be the beginning of spring! Well it isn't, but yesterday I felt quite good and decided to go and take a chance on bodypump express. I promised to take it easy and stop immediately if it would feel bad... but it didn't! The ½ hour workout was just what I needed after the fever and having this flu. It was just the right amount of exercise, you should have seen my smile doing those squats. I also realized that despite all my complaints of not having the time or fit to do as much as I would like to I still do quite a lot. I skate, run, do yoga, workout in bodypump and other muscle toning classes and dance too. I even remember to do little exercises during the day, since sitting the whole 8 hour in the office is bad , I stretch my hands and other muscles too. I don't need to worry about skipping a week, really. Phew.

Today I wanted to do another test exercise, this time more aerobic one. After workday I went to the gym to run and for the first 10 minutes my breathing was hard because of my blocked nose but after that it was awesome. I got high on exercise. I'm officially turned out to be a sports junkie. Some of my friends have maybe noticed this earlier than I have, I've been receiving such comments lately and maybe haven't thought of them earlier. Why is it that we are often so blind to our own habits, skills, faults and looks? I for myself regret not saying the truth to my friends, who are awesome, beautiful and keep me up when I'm about to fall. None of them would be my friends if they wouldn't be the perfect match for me, and they are! I love meeting new people but I don't make friends easy, even though I'd love to be able. I need something to bond me with my friends, something deeper we share. Luckily those girls in our team are the best: crazy enough, relaxed, fun, a great bunch to skate with.

It's Friday and I'm making Karelian hot pot with mashed potatoes and carrots. Our cats are sleeping, I'm home alone and radio is playing night club hits. After I finish this I'll dance in the kitchen till I'm bored and grab a book so I can disappear under a blanket.

We made it yesterday!

Week 15 - nothing to report

We drove to our practice hall yesterday and found around 50 cars parked in the yard and streets near it. Suspicious... And so it seemed there was some Christmas related party going on that someone had forgotten to inform us about. Well, no skating yesterday either! All the carbohydrates I ate were of no use. Some of us decided to have nice warm drinks and at least the time was well spent in good discussions. All the rest is also useful to me although I feel I need some good exercise. My doctor said that if I usually exercise a lot it could actually help me loosen up some phlegm (what a nice thing to tell you all about). I feel slimy and filled with germs. I wash my hands constantly and am really sorry every time I cough or sneeze. Also I'm red in the face, especially around my nose. They suggested I could be our offices Saint Lucy and have a crown of candles since it's the Saint Lucy's day but I nominate myself as our offices Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. He's way cuter too.

Lovely!

Nope, not me

I'm not even going to plan this week. I have no idea how is this flu going to evolve and there's definitely NO hard workout for me this week. Blah blah blah, why has this autumn been so full of setbacks, really? At least it's Christmas time so I've got plenty of other stuff to do. Like gingerbread houses today! I've never made ones before but I've got the best people to help me.

Sneeze! (And week 14 review)

I'm feeling better, almost normal. Just some sneezing. Don't wan't to overwhelm myself this week, well last week was quite lousy too, maybe that's the reason I became sick. I feel bad not being able to do serious workouts. And for not skating yesterday, I wanted to be sure I'm OK for it. I shouldn't feel bad but I do. Maybe it's more annoying me 'cause I've got good motivation going on and would love to put it into use! I hope it'll stay with me over the holidays, just next week and we have a Christmas break. Sad! Not a single skating hour last week, already missed one this week and only 4 times before the break. Skate! But yay, next week our ex figure-skater is taking us to the ice. It's gonna be fun! And maybe it will help me go ice skating on the break. OR then I won't think about roller derby AT ALL the whole break. I will shut this blog for the time and be free of all expectations. Sounds alluring! Then I can say bye bye for this autumn full of setbacks and start fresh again. Ah, new year!

Last week... Whoohooo, well at least I did something! Well done me!

Monday
run 30

Tuesday
day off

Wednesday
Yoga 60
Bodypump 60

Thursday
RVP at home
walk 30

Friday
indoor cycling 35
RVP
run 30

Saturday
day off
(triple header in Kallio)

Sunday
day off
(mini triple header in Pasila)

My cat with PRD bag

Weekend full of RD

A triple header yesterday took 5 hours and these three mini bouts today took four hours. So no wonder I got a fever! Darn, really, why did I get sick in the middle of my mini vacation? This really ruins my mood! I've had such an amazing time during this weekend. There was great bouts yesterday that Kallio (B & A -teams) played against Gothenburg Roller Derby A and Crime City Rollers B. The last bout was something quite different we've seen in Finland so far: the first Nordic men's roller derby bout! The Sons Of Peaches (FIN) vs The Peaches (SWE/DEN) was a bout played by our referees and you could really see it too. Quite different when they show their own penalties, jump over each other, don't actually "fall small" and hit like hell. It was also the final of the three so the audience was a bit drunk already and cheering mixed with laughter. It was entertaining and they had some cool tricks and sets too.

I would have had time to go to the gym since we got to Porvoo earlier but now I have to lie my fever away.

Friday that feels like Sunday

I've been doing everything I love these couple of days. On Wednesday I went to the gym, yoga and bodypump were both awesome classes. There was a surprise too that I didn't remember, there was a new bodypump program! It was so different from the old one, almost every song had a new technique. Some actually felt easier first, but yesterday proved me wrong. I was having sore muscles and new kind of soreness too, I really loved it. Can't wait to get again on the class next week!

After those workouts I made gingerbread dough, enjoyed the scent it brought to our kitchen, loved out cats every once in a while and drank beer. You should really try out mixing gingerbread dough with beer, now that I think of it... I need to mix them now! Afterwards I left to a friends place to hang out. Then we ended up to Soho and some of our team members found a trophy they had been playing for in the summer, when I was on a honeymoon. There was only one option so we took it to good use and drank a delicious (deceptive) cocktail from it.

Such a cool gingerbread house our friend made for us

I was able to host our traditional Independence Day glogg party yesterday anyway but skipped my workouts. Holidays, I said, what the heck. We had our first guest at one o'clock and last one left something to nine. A success! So many friends, laughs, tiredness and just plain happiness. Couldn't have been better. It wasn't even the end of it since after nine we left to Askola for some time with kittens. Little super cute furry kittens! They were all around our feet, slept on my belly and ran around. We warmed the sauna up and I  rested on benches thinking how happy I was at 12 pm, having spent the day with my dearest friends and now enjoying the moment with my dearest man.

These are the kittens!!

We went for a walk in Askola and then took leave to Porvoo. I bought us flights to Tenerife (!!!), we are going to spent a week in there with one of the dearest friends I've got. Her mom actually lives there and I've been then once already, but that place is great and her mom is the best, you just get hooked on to it! Oh January, you bring warmth and joy. All these good things are overwhelming me today and that's so cool too. Let me on the loose!

I also went to the gym today, did warmup, 30 minutes indoor cycle and RVP. My thighs were still sore from the new bodypump so I thought cycling would be better than running. I was right, it opened up those muscles. RVP was also great after a pause but I still had quite tight feeling in my buttocks, I wonder if they are ever to ease. Anyway, great workout, great feeling!

FIVE DAYS OFF

HAPPY WHOOP YEA HEHAHEHA! I'll leave for some yoga and bodypump now. Then I'll hit our local S-Market for some cider, food and raisins! And... Tonight I'm making gingerbread dough, oh this is such a happy day!

Delicious hot chocolate from Paahtimo

Week 14 - Shortys short week

I have no idea how this week is going to turn out! There's some open plans which I'd like to keep that way, it's my mini vacation and I only want to do what I feel like doing. So here's only my certainties marked.

Yesterday I had a meeting with our lovely charity leos, so I skipped bodypump and yoga, which have been my favorites on Monday for some time. I was actually quite proud of myself actually going to the gym for a run after the meeting. The day had been tiring, dark and cold. Yet the weather was calm and nice, but I just wanted to hide under a blanket. Instead I dug energy (from delicious coconut balls Musta Hurma made us for the meeting) and went to have a run. At home I also tried a short rep of pecs with 17 kilos. The bar we have at home itself weights 7 kilos and there was two 5 kg discs. I did twenty and felt it, maybe a couple more and I'd be hurting today.

Monday
run 30

Tuesday
day off

Wednesday
Yoga 60
Bodypump 60

Thursday
RVP at home
walk 30

Friday
RVP
run 30

Saturday
day off
(triple header in Kallio)

Sunday
day off
(mini triple header in Pasila)

Little bunnies in Porvoo old town

Week 13 - review

Snow is here! No more cycling for me, I found my feet walking. Today it was a nice walk, the weather was clear and -12 degrees didn't hurt because wind didn't blow me away. I don't hate winter today.

So there was some hassle last week with my workouts... I didn't make it to skating practice on Tuesday and skipped RVP on Saturday. I had a great jog though, 40 minutes run 10 km/h. I've not run that speed in a long time, I've been somehow stuck on endurance runs with lower heart rate. Now I was giving it all inspired by the bodycombat class on Tuesday. One jog like that every once in a while, like twice a month, would be good for improving. Lower heart rate exercises are important so you stay in good condition and your body gets rest and has time to recover, but every once in a while it would be good to have some killer workouts. Maybe that's why I had a pretty hard time yesterday doing the 4 hours skating practice, I've already had two killer workouts this week. I've been wondering how our coach has been able to do it for many weeks now on Sundays, crazy!


Monday
Bodypump 60
Yoga 60

Tuesday
PRD off skate practice: bodycombat 60
PRD on skate practice 60

Wednesday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours

Thursday
day off

Friday
day off

Saturday
running 40
RVP 30

Sunday
PRD FTP on skate practice 2 hours
PRD on skate practice 2 hours

Porvoo old town on Saturday night

Coconutty

Good morning folks!

I just ate a huge breakfast: banana-strawberry coconut flake milkshake, homemade bread roll with ham, cheese and egg and of course loads of coffee. I'm already feeling the coffee kickin' in. So today I was planning on running for 30 minutes and then going to RVP (thighs, abs and buttocks) but I'm gonna have to skip RVP. In a couple of hours I'll be babysitting my little bro, we he's turning two in a week, so actually he's no baby anymore :). After that I'll see if I manage to do some RVP at home, maybe with that off skate program I planned earlier in the autumn.

Some people hate coconut but I love it! I like it raw, with chocolate, as flakes mixed to smoothies, coconut cream in a soup... Mmm I need some chicken soup with coconut cream!