Saturday 7th of October

AM to PM

- RACE-

1K sprint race (3 or 4x 1K depending on how well one does)

*35 min warm up with strides (20 min warm down).


*The most fun race I've ever taken part of. Modelled after sprint skiing. We were 15 runners, 5 out of the 10 best middle distance runners in Finland were taking part of this. It was +8 and raining.
*Start was on the gravel, in the beginning of the far straight above Paavo Nurmi stadium - down that straight, into the bend - fighting to get the concrete parts of the stadium under feet, instead of the gravel, then slight uphill, behind the stadium, and down a concreate ramp that runs above the the 400 m start (&finish) very sharp, left, in through the marathon gate and one lap on the stadium track = 1000 m.

*First, before running, one randomly picks a number - the one who gets 1 starts, 2 second, etc.

*First run is with everyone starting with 15 second intervals, i.e; number 1 goes first, 15 seconds later number 2 goes, etc. The goal is to get a qualifying time without spending too much energy. I was eight at 2:48. Best was 2:42. Then follows a 20 - 25 min break.
*Depending on qualifying time one gets picked for different heats, i'm not quite sure how this was done (in my heat we were only 3 runners, 4 in the other heats): My heat was the first to go with the guy who had run 2:42 (the fastest qualifying time) and then me (the 8th fastest), and the 9th fastest. It turned out to be a fight from the start: the first 150 meters we fought for best running surfaces, going full speed, then slowing down in the bend, wathing each other closely behind the stadium and then I tried to sprint to be the innermost guy in the 180 degree left turn, i failed, I was second there and then both boys got away from me when we came into the stadium and I could not follow: 2:50 was my finishing time (the guys I raced against were good: the one who won (the 2:42 guy) was later second in the A-final, and the guy who was second, won B-final).
*Out of the four heats the first and second out of each heat were picked for semifinal heat 1 & 2. The rest got into the scrap heat. Firsts and seconds out of semifinal heats 1 & 2 got into the A final, thirds and fourhts (?! - the word?) got into B final along with the winner from scarp heat - the rest joined the crowd.
*I was in scrap heat and got second, at 2:41, a time which I'm happy with. I lost my lead in the 180 degree turn and 10 meter more in the downhill before the marathon gate (because i lost all my momentum), but i did a good lap on the stadium and took in, perhaps, 5 meters on the winner.
*Tommy won the A final in 2:29. Second was about 2:31 - so the standard was quite good, considering that this was the boys 4th 1000 m within 1½ hours.

*This was the most vital thing to happen to Finnish middle & long distance running in my career. Fun, social, tactical, you had to fight for your place, and got a minimum of 3x high speed 1K:s.