I survived, it's Friday!

First thing I did after getting home:

Selected some stickers for my helmet. Now there's my number and my name, yeah!

What's up guys?

I see you! I see people from Finland, USA and Sweden, someone from Peru, Belgium, Mexico, Germany, Malta, GB, even France and Spain. Some have probably got lost in the internet and I'm quite certain of persons Miss Peru, Miss Belgium and Mr Mexico (loads of love to you guys). And of course at least one Finnish dude who happens to be my very best husband. But you Finns! Here you are! What's up anonymous friends? How do you do? Are you enjoying this day? Do you play roller derby and rock at it? Share some love with me, just for once? You can even throw an idea or two for me to figure out, if you'd like to. Or a smile, grin, middle finger, hint how to relax. Everything goes, even whispering.

Here's my new friend Mouse, he has a friend too (on my other hand)

Hush please

It's been renovation at the factory all day. It's a okay BUT that freaking diamond drill gets on my nerves. IIIIÄÄÄÄÖÖRQQIIIIRRIIIIIIÄÄÄÄQQI! That's how it sounds like.

So, there are something I did yesterday and some I didn't. Ha haa, someone forgot that her bike is at work. I got a ride home from mom and did not realize to ask for a ride to the practice and only woke to that fact when I got downstairs and started looking for it. My first thought was it has been stolen, the second that it might be an invisible batmobile and the third was the fact it is waiting for me at work. All rides from the center had already left, I was running a little late too. Phew. Where's my brain at, didn't I just write about skating like hell this week? When I got back upstairs I also noticed I didn't have my mouthguard with me. Had to have a laugh and then I finally did something I've been disgusted to do, cleaned my bearings and wheels. Hair and dust emerged with an oily touch. Note: do not wipe your dirty hands on your trousers, it will not wash off.

Dirt from one skate

We had an off skate practice earlier at the gym: bodycombat! I always remember it's fun and effective but every time it's even better than I remember. Too bad they have it only once a week just before our off skate sessions. My shoulder blades are aching from it and I was sweating so much I slipped my hand when doing push-ups!

Week 13 - skate skate skate!

I just realized there will be no skating for me next week, week 14. That is so depressing! We're heading to Helsinki on Tuesday to celebrate a dear friends birthday, so no off & on skates for me. Then on Wednesday we have no practice space in Tolkkinen and on Sunday PRD is going to Pasila and I'm gonna be a non skating official for the first time. So time for some long jogs next week? Hopefully it won't snow before it, running on a treadmill is OK but quite boring after 40 minutes. Now some people will hate me for sure, everyone is hoping to have snow soon, yeah I know: it will bring light and joy, Christmas feeling an what else. But it just completely stops me from cycling to work which sucks, I save a lot minutes by cycling.

This week I don't think I'm able to go bodypump express, which has really done some speed up in improving. I've done two weeks with one normal bodypump (60 minutes) and short (30 minutes) and yesterdays class was awesome, it has to got something to do with that twice a week workout. A couple of weeks I've been really out of breathe, tired and shaking after last reps but yesterday there was pain but no noisy breathing or much grimace either! So really too bad I'm not able to attend another class this week to try out some new weights... And next week I'm only able to go on Wednesday, 'cause we have a meeting on Monday. I don't know why I'm waffling about next week! What! Let's take this week first:

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 30
RVP 30

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

Have you done any sleeping lately?

Yeah. To take my own words back again, just letting you all know I can relax too. Or can I? Yes I can. I'm gonna show it to you next week! I CAN MANAGE WITHOUT SKATING FOR ONE WEEK! I can! And I can relax! Yes! And I will quietly transfer my serious workouts to bodypump next week and try some outrageous weights... Ain't that relaxing? Just kidding! I will relax, I promise. And sleep. I will also go to work only on Mon-Wed and will only post short reviews about this week, plan a little week 14 and post pictures of me relaxing, unless I don't feel like it, isn't relaxing something like you only do what you want, living the moment? Well that's quite much what I do anyway. So why am I trying so much? See, now I'm TRYING to relax really badly. Planning on relaxing. I am hopeless people. Thank you and I'm sorry.

Week 12 review

It's a new week, eeek! I'm running a little slow as always on Monday, so it's fine to take a review of last week. My attendance percentage is 82,85%, nice to be back in over 80%. It felt weird to skate only 2 hours yesterday after I went to FTP and our own practice on week 11. My feelings yesterday at practice were otherwise weird too: we had a work Christmas party on Saturday and I took it really easy, just drank a little wine with the dinner. There was a little twist at the party... Only a week and a half before to actual party there was suddenly a group searching for bands from all over the factories and departments. So I went along with my mom and one other colleague to be ZZ Top! It was a competition between these six bands performing at the party, well unfortunately we didn't win, but had so much fun anyway. We went to the venue already at noon to have lunch and for make-up. After dressing up and some manly make-up this is what become of me:

Quite a new look

We three looked great, my mom had similar beard and clothing as I did, but she's only about 164 cm tall, so we were quite a couple walking together. The third member, our drummer had a similar costume but without a beard and a hat. Instead he had a nice blonde wig to play with. We were the first band to perform and as ZZ Top has quite minimalist stage performance we kept it quite simple too, just relaxed. Some of the other bands were there to really win, AC/DC and KISS were really hard to compete with!

Maybe that party or my private after party with my teammate Musta Hurma made me tired, since quite many asked at the locker room if I had just woken up or if I slept ill. There was no drinking involved, but we had so interesting and amusing topics to talk about that suddenly the clock was 4 am. Now I wish I could sleep five days in a row and wake up to weekend.

Last week went well, just as planned. Only a little longer jog on Friday. After having a couple weeks break from running it was tough for the first 15 minutes and then it got easier, I could have been running for more too. It would be great to run twice a week to keep up the ability, in case I will get excited about some running event next year. It should get easier at some point when my body fully gets used to skating. I still warm-up to skating really slowly and some of my muscles just don't yet understand what's going on. On my way there, it took quite a while to become a runner, so it's probably gonna take some time to become a skater too. I'm actually not improving as fast it might sometimes feel or look, I just wish I am and am confident about getting there, as every beginner should too. It helps motivating yourself and even a small progress is progress!

Last week my friends:

Monday
Bodypump 60
Yoga 60

Tuesday
PRD off skate practice: climbing/jogging 60
PRD on skate practice 60

Wednesday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours

Thursday
Day off

Friday
Running 40
Bodypump exp 30

Saturday
Day off

Sunday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours

A bearded kiss to you all!

Weeeeeeeee!kend

My excited weekend mode is on! I'll hit the gym for a short run before a short bodypump. This just might be the perfect moment to finally upgrade weights on squats. It's a short class, only 30 minutes, so even if I would feel like dying I wont have to bear 50 more minutes. And this shorter class does not include one feet squats so the pain comes only once.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Taking it easy

The darker this autumn turns and the closer to winter we get the more tired I feel. Healthy food does not inspire me anymore, I want more hot hearty food. In spring, summer and autumn I crave for salads, quark, fruits and all light foods. When I become more tired and it gets colder it's like I naturally start gathering something to keep me warm. I gain a couple of kilos during winter and then loose them when spring arrives. Fine by me! But there is one thing that I need to remember: still have the daily fruits and vegetables to keep me on track.

Some souvenirs from yesterdays practice

Wednesday practices are tough, usually I've been working out from Sunday to Wednesday. Today it's time to have a day off and enjoy it. Sometimes enjoying a day off is hard, it feels like I'd rather enjoy some serious workout. But it's not worth it, I will once again repeat that I don't want to end up injured again, that sucked. You can never talk too much about resting, that will build our bodies stronger too. REST PEOPLE! We are soon arriving to the darkest time of the year.

Shaman & Vincent

The darkest time of the year is only a month away (shortest day 21.12.2012) and we need to stack up some energy to prepare for Christmas. All that work to relax a couple of days. It's totally worth it and I love surprising with thoughtful presents, even though it has never been my strong point. It's time to cuddle in bed with your pets and light up a candle every chance you get. I'm planning on taking a candle to work so I can enjoy it during black mornings.

Week 12 - waddup bodypump?

Let's talk about bodypump! Let's encourage me to go nearer the maximum pain level! Yeah, you can help me! (This is me convincing myself I'm up for some real improvements.)

I've always thought bodypump is just muscle toning, that's all. Quite famous description is somewhat "it shapes your body" as it does too, but not in the same way that workout at the gym would. It shapes gently and will not give the maximum size to your muscles: that's why it's usually recommended to women. Only workout at the gym will pump up the size, bodypump improves muscle endurance: the sets you do per muscle are much longer than you'd do with higher weights at the gym. Of course depending on your starting point it can increase size to some point, but shaping is more what it is.

Good endurance is important for RD especially considering our thighs (oh really!) and that you can workout in bodypump classes. However, the explosive power I've been looking for might lurk at the gym, in those higher weights. I'm really near to need some personal assisting in this, I feel my own knowledge combined with internet is not enough. Too much endurance workout on my lower body muscles, thighs and buttocks mainly, have resulted in injuries, so I need to give something up. I might not be able to do this all by myself.

Anyway, I was not going to roll around the fact I need help and advice, but to tell about falling in love with bodypump once again. The first time ever I went to bodypump was in August 2011. I got some free coupons to LadyLine and on that specific evening it was the only class I had time to go. So I went without having no idea what's it all about... and started with 1 kg a head on the bar. Really, 1 kg! Now it makes me laugh. Seeing all those ladies putting up huge weights made me want to improve too. Also it was somehow really fun with all the energetic music and fast tempo. That was when I decided to be a member too.

At times I feel I ain't going anywhere, I can't lift weights or I have to skip classes because injuries. Finally I've got every angle covered: my injuries are healed and my motivation is up again. Also I've finally got time to attend also the express class, 30 minutes. So maybe I'll be getting those weights up again soon!

Here's somewhat I've thought for this week:


Monday
Bodypump 60
Yoga 60

Tuesday
PRD off skate practice: climbing/jogging 60
PRD on skate practice 60

Wednesday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours

Thursday
Day off

Friday
Running 30
Bodypump exp 30

Saturday
Day off

Sunday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours

Week 11 review

My uppermost feeling at the moment is happiness! Porvoo Roller Derby came to my life somewhere in March, only a couple weeks after some of my friends and other people who had caught the RD-flu set up PRD. For a while I listened that never ending derby-talk my friends went through, wondered what they're up to, even got some encouragement to join this phenomenon. Now all those awesome "other people" are my friends as well, make me laugh and relax, as well as try harder. This league has given me something I've never had: a team. Teamwork!



We had a league Christmas gala on Friday and it was such a great party, so much fun all around, great speeches, singing, hugging, piling up on the floor, just enjoying the freedom to talk all the derby in the world, freeing ourselves to come even closer to each other. So much fun indeed! I was part of our lovely party organizing group and we had prepared titles for everyone from suggestions we got from teammates. I myself got the title seen in picture above: Year 2012 famösa cookies!

I have a surprise for you! Last weeks workouts were awesome, I'm really pleased:

Monday
BODYPUMP 60

Tuesday
PRD off skates practice: improvised contact exercise and/or power yoga 60
PRD on skates practice 60

Wednesday
yoga 60
PRD off skate practice: feedback sessions & bout watching 2 hours

Thursday
running 30
BODYPUMP exp 30
korsetti (core exercise) 30
cross trainer 20
bodybalance 60

Friday
RVP 30

Saturday
stretching 30

Sunday
on skate practices FTP 2 hours
on skate practices 2 hours

Even though I couldn't make it to RVP on Friday and was too hung-over to go stretching, I'm happy! On Thursday I was about to run in between classes at LadyLine, but couldn't: both treadmills were taken. And on Friday I was quite busy organizing some surprises for the evening and trying to create a party look. Putting on make-up and doing my hair has never been something I like particularly. Here's a picture of two eager party organizers who weren't supposed to drink at all... And did the opposite and had a great time!

Coach Kewtrikaze and me

On Saturday I went to eat some leftover marshmallows to Katris&Aliisas place and quite soon after that we left to see the double header in Helsinki. KRR, Kallio Rolling Rainbows really kicked some ass: both b-team and a-team won. We ate bread rolls, drank coffee and were restless, tired and happy. Oh joys!

KRR A team vs Harbor Girls Hamburg

Balance loves RD

Yesterday's workout was so awesome! Too bad I've had some setbacks today and I still feel bloated like a balloon despite really trying. Maybe, just maybe, I'm once again trying too hard.

I went to bodypump 30, korsetti (core muscles workout), took it easy on a cross trainer for 20 minutes and then attended bodybalance 60 class. Like one of my teammates said, it would be awesome to be unemployed for a month and just focus on workouts. I was also inspired to do this workout marathon because of my other teammate, so imagine how motivating our league is, really, the most awesome people in Porvoo! My muscles are not even close to the soreness after Mondays bodypump (yes I finally stopped writing it with upper case, points!) and of course partly it's due to shorter class. Still I had the same weights in squats and did those really precisely. This also gave me some confidence again: even though I didn't feel as powerful as I have felt earlier I found out I still have abs after many weeks not participating any class. 

Skating is awesome for deep muscles, which brings me to bodybalance. The last time I attended a bodybalance class was sometime in the spring and I remember to have struggled with balancing, like I struggled in balance positions in yoga too. Well there's no struggling anymore! Even though it was the first time after more than ½ a year I managed to do everything, even the balancing parts. Not perfectly of course, but managed. And it was after 2 hours of exercise. The class also has reviving touch which did me good. I learned again new exercises for opening my hips. Skating has really taken my balance to a whole new level, like my buttocks too! One thought has been on my mind for a while now and Friday is the best day to announce it: I love running, but skating shapes the best booties!

Feel good & fruity food

I ain't surprising anyone writing about healthy food after a goodie marathon. I am pleased that my work offers free fruits every day till 5th December. I've tried to keep a rough food diary for a couple of weeks mainly to see if I can reach some of the basic nutrition instructions. I'm happy to notice there's at least one fruit a day and greens almost every day. That is pretty much covered, I will only take it to the next level and take two fruits a day and greens (some raw salad / tomatoes / cucumber / carrot / capsicum / etc.) every day. I also take vitamins and calcium as food supplement every morning, magnesium only when I workout really hard. The other basic thing about nutrition that I keep in mind is protein. Only two things on my mind and still I'm lacking on both. On veggies side it's pretty OK now, I just need to bring a little more in. But protein is on a low level. Some days I've taken care of it really well: chicken, protein milkshake, cheese. Some days meals have barely any protein in them: only a little yogurt and cheese which both have low protein level.

I kinda hate talking about nutrition and especially protein: it makes me feel all manly or fitness life style -stuff. But there's a reason why people suddenly start talking about those things. It's a fact our bodies as well as our muscles need protein. Also I wrote about my stomach pains(go there!) earlier in the autumn and that's another reason for trying to keep it healthy. To be honest I'm such a loser in that point of view. Many days I reward myself with pie, ice cream, liquorice, chocolate. I just try not to eat too much of it, I could never totally give my treats up. Once a day a little doesn't hurt if you exercise enough, but too much for many days in a row makes me hurt. I'm there once again! And trying to save myself with fruits and protein.

Task of the week: get my protein level up, have at least two fruits a day and salad every day. How hard can it be?

Todays lunch: avocado pasta, capsicum, carrot and a pear

Week 11 - tone up time!

Week 11 seems like a hopeful return to a more active week, hello practices and workouts!

Monday
BODYPUMP 60

Tuesday
PRD off skates practice: improvised contact exercise and/or power yoga 60
PRD on skates practice 60

Wednesday
yoga 60
PRD off skate practice: feedback sessions & bout watching 2 hours

Thursday
running 30
korsetti (core exercise) 30

Friday
RVP 30

Saturday
stretching 30

Sunday
on skate practices 2 hours

That's somewhat my schedule of the week but I'm pretty sure something will change. I feel energetic and overenthusiastic so either I exhaust myself down right in the beginning of this week or come through as a winner with even more workouts. Krhm, I bet ya'll know which one I'm aiming for! I also feel bloated after many days of delicacies: unit party on Friday included so much food and wine, pyjamas party on Saturday was a firework of sugar, on Sunday a Father's Day buffet and leftovers from Saturday and finally yesterday late Father's Day dinner at my dads, mmm liquorice and ice cream. Combine 4 days of eating nice and rich with BODYPUMP and you'll end up even more bloated. Even running on Sunday did not dave me from this. Today I need aerobic exercise for sure.

Now that I mentioned BODYPUMP I can tell you how much I hurt. Really, two weeks I missed out the class and yesterday I started where I left. Hello pecs, nice to feel you! Hello thighs and buttocks and every single muscle that worked yesterday, I think every one of them are on lactic acid. I need to shake it off before practice today and tomorrows reviving exercise (yoga). I'm still trying to figure out if the off skate lesson is enough or if I should do bodycombat or a slow reviving run. It's a beautiful weather and dry too, so I might tilt over running even though the sun is setting as I write.

Week 10 review

The worst is over if I dare say. This week is already so much easier, I've actually got time, hours, workouts to do! Today I'll rush to BODYPUMP after two weeks break and then head to my fathers afterwards, we are having a late fathers day tonight. I'm already excited about spending some relaxed time at my dads after returning to BODYPUMP. Getting back to class is always painful, that is why I really shouldn't have breaks. Sometimes you just have to, I'm so glad to have my buttocks quite alright after ~6 weeks of pain. Really, I need to start upgrading my workouts a little slower than I did earlier in the autumn.

Let's go to last weeks review. + 5 minutes running on Monday (accidentally, I almost ran late from the meeting), otherwise just as planned. Week 10:

Monday

Running 45

Tuesday

PRD off skate practice: hip exercise ~45

PRD on skate practice 60

Wednesday

PRD on skate practice 2 hours

PRD goes Seurahovi PARTYYYY

Thursday

day off

Friday

day off

Saturday

day off

Sunday

running 45

Running yesterday was so awesome, it was dark, wet and after eating at a buffet I was full of energy. I did a longer run than on Monday in a same time, I could feel my feet flying and I was even hungry for more afterwards. It must be the three day offs that loaded me with energy. Of course a run did not fully cover the on skate practice I missed because of the diamond anniversary. It was so nice to see all his relatives the first time after our wedding, everyone on the same table eating and talking, it was really relaxing too. His grandparents are so wit and cute at the same time, I really enjoy their company.

Practice attitude

We had endurance practice yesterday and since I had to skip practice on Sunday this was the first touch at the track after the game on Friday. I was thrilled! This time we did couple of endurance drills and my favourite was mixing skating and muscle toning, we did abs, back, squats and push-ups. It really got my pulse rate up because before that we had done drills about 30 minutes so we just got warmed-up. After warming up I have quite often a rush of energy and power, it's like your feet wake up to conquer the track. Those are the best feelings to have at the practice. Yesterday it was so strong, somehow it took me back to those moment at the game again (yes, game talk is not gonna be over yet!) when you're jamming and skating the track as fast as you can and finally starting to get out of breath after three to four passes. You're just thinking to yourself: I'm just starting, I never want to quit. You take deeper breathes and don't care if you feel like stopping, the more you try, the more powerful you'll feel despite the tiring breathe. That's a winning attitude, right? Not giving up when you feel like you should. Always push a little more.

Well maybe I got carried away: I need to remind myself to have low pulse rate workouts too. Together those will do some goody good for my muscles.

I love getting out of breath! I want to smile and breathe hard!

"Yes" just came out of my mouth

I am so fed up with these busy weeks I can't stand it. I don't have enough time to do proper workouts, my abs scream for some, my buttocks could already take RVP and I have to skip BODYPUMP 'cause I hurt my hand in screammage. This sucks, every day of this week is taken for something, well yes skating practices too, but I miss muscle toning and free Saturday mornings to spend at the gym.

It was either the first or second jam I skated as a jammer when I fell from a check. My arm hit the floor (falling small, huh?) and somehow got in between my body and the floor. All this in a couple of seconds and I only noticed my hand wobbling and hurting like hell and then finally realized my shoulder was partially dislocated. YIKES! Well couldn't stop there but kept on skating and somehow unconsciously hammered my arm back where it belong. Quite freaky feeling to have your arm somewhere it doesn't belong, my first thought was to immediately get it back, it was too weird to have it that way. I'm still not sure what happened, I bet if it had been really dislocated I should have needed a doctor, but since I got it back and could move it around and play, it was nothing too serious. Still it keeps me from doing triceps, biceps and pecs.

This weeks excuses are plenty, hooray...

• So yesterday I had to skip both BODYPUMP and yoga, one for the arm issue and another for we had a Leo Club meeting that overlapped yoga class. I was brave and went running in the rain just before our meeting, sorry for being all sweaty and for having a hair like a wet dog. 
• I'll have a long day on Wednesday so I do not dare to do other workouts than our practices. I'll go to Seurahovi to host the party straight from our practice, again sweaty and lovely, till 2 am. 
• Then on Thursday we have a charity work, the two of us lovely leos are putting up a cafeteria at the music training centre, I'm going straight from work and staying till 8 pm and probably too tired after the party on Wednesday to do anything after that. 
• Wait there's more! Waking up earlier than normal on Friday to get to work at 7 am. Then we'll leave for Tampere and stay there till Saturday 11 am. 
• I'll be home around 2 pm and at 4 pm we're having a PRD chirstmas party team meeting... And then after two hours we're relaxing together with PRD teammates at our place in our pyjamas, doing absolutely nothing. That, my dear ones, is what I'm desperately waiting forward to! 
• Yet again on the next day, Sunday, we are heading to celebrate my hubbys grandparents diamond anniversary, 60 years together is definitely something to cheer for.

As said in Finnish: kootut selitykset! Joo, that was pretty much this week! Loads of funfunfun and a little less workouts. Don't be surprised if this is the last post I'm doing this week.

So here's the pathetic amount I might be able to go through this week, just wait for the better times folks!

Monday
Running 40

Tuesday
PRD off skate practice: hip exercise ~45
PRD on skate practice 60

Wednesday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours
PRD goes Seurahovi PARTYYYY

Thursday
day off

Friday
day off

Saturday
day off

Sunday
running 45

Week 10 - pretending to be all cool after the greatest start in games

Whoah dawg that was awesome! The Rolling dead WON by 221-126, but all in all everyone of us rocked that track. The excitement before the game was almost unbearable and at the warm-up everyone seemed quite shy and silent before we took a breathe and rolled together trying out whips, jumping, rolling low with sticky wheels. Something really clicked with our team somewhere in the first period, we played together like we've always known each other, talked tactics with our line-up before getting on the track, smiled together. Without a doubt the best feeling was to be a lead jammer in power jam and keep on going something like 7 times through the pack, smiling wide and loving your teammates. The next best thing was to cheer and hug everyone after the second period was off and to get to hug our own PRD teammates in the opposing team. I also fell down in the middle of the track while I skated outside the pack jamming, just stumbled with my own feet, I just had to laugh while getting up, it was something I had been waiting to happen to me.

I headed to the game as a blocker but ended up jamming most of my playing time. I don't know if it was the official sized track or the pressure of the first game, but my mind and feet really adjusted to the real sized track and I loved it.

Thanks Rose, Pia Vanhalakka from Lahti Roller Derby, for the photos, I've had such a joy to get back to Fridays feelings through them!

It seems after I lowered my expectations I managed to achieve my goal for the workouts last week. It was a quiet week on purpose and so will this week be: again working during the weekend. Here's my last weeks workouts:
Monday
Running 40
Yoga 60

Tuesday
PRD off skates practice 60 (pick a rule discussion)
PRD on skate practice 60

Wednesday
PRD on skate practice 2 hours

Thursday
stretching 30

Friday
SCREAMmage! scrimmage

Saturday
day off

Sunday
day off

GAME DAY!

DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT'S UP TONIGHT? 

BESIDES CAPS LOCK?

This is game day! First mixed scrimmage ever, well first scrimmage whatsoever, that is how my excitement shows too. I feel bats flying in my stomach, unicorns cheering and poking around. Plate flying after lunch, me trying to save it with bad juggling, overwhelmed-crazy-person -smile changes to fear and cry from time to time. Bad spelling and incapability to write anything that makes sense.

Keep your fingers crossed for the Rolling Dead and Shorty H #42!