Halfway home

I took off from Helsinki last night about 11.45PM, I have just landed at Hong Kong and headed straight to the Qantas Club, I can sit down and relac, have a coffee, even have managed to read todays Daily Telegraph, I will have a shower later before gtting back on the plane which leavs at 8pm local time (10pm Sydney time) arriving in Sydney about 7.15AM tomorrow morning. Somebodt ahd comment that I probably need to loose some finnish Kilos, when I went out to the Finnish Restaraunt Wednesday night, it was the first time I had worn the only pair of pants I had taken with me since the Final Aussie Athletes dinner on the last Sunday night which had been 17 days, I actually found that the pants didn't fit as tight, even though I invoked the 20 day rule (ask me when I get back what this rule is) after the athetics, my morning runs and all the daily walking helped keep the weight at bay. See you all in Aus

Helsinki for a couple days

It was good to get back to Helsinki, it has been my home away from home, this was my third time here while I have been away. I couldn't get into the previous hotel that I was in previous, I had to stay in the Holiday Inn which was also close to the main railway station. On tuesday morning I went to a cafe/bakery that I had read about on Tripadvisor for having a great breakfast buffet for 9.50 Euro, it was fantastic, it included Breads, cereals, fruit juice, coffee, everything so fresh, I was very impressed, it saved me having lunch. Then in the afternoon I went to visit Helsinki's Olympic stadium used in 1952, I had visited there back in 1992 when I was here for one day. First up I had a look at the Finnish National Sports Museum (which is in the same complex), which had displays from the 1952 Olympics and other Olympics that Finland had competed at, plus all their National sports heros from different sports, like Ice Hockey, Car racing, skiing, atheltics etc. Then I went up the Olympic Tower which overlooks the main stadium, I am guessing that the Caldron was on the top this with the Flame. I took some good shots on the stadium plus quite a few of the views of the City. Yesterday (wednesday) I walked around the lovely Helsinki Harbour, it is one the best Harbours that has been integrated with the city, it blends in so well, it really makes the city. Last night I went to a Restaraunt that was also listed as excellent in Tripadvisor, it offered a buffet for 18 Euro (about $25) of Finnish food, it included Reindeer meat, Moose meat balls, Lamb, Salmon, I was very full at the end, I highly recommend this place for anybody that comes to Helsinki. Today I am checking out of my hotel at midday and then I fly out of Helsinki about Midnight and then head to Sydney via a 4 hour stopover in Hong Kong and should land in Sydney about 7.30am and then a Bus back to Canberra. I have been trying to upload some pictures for this Blog and do spell check, for some reason it is not working, I will try later to fix that.

Back where it all started

The ferry got into Helsinki on time, even a few minurtes early, hand it to the Fins they are like clockwork , rarely late, I am glad that I had marked a few points in the City Centre on my Garmin, because the harbour we had pulled up at was very foreign to me, but I was less than 2 kms from the city, so I decided to wheel my case in and carry my backpack, because it was only 6-7 degrees it was a very nice walk.

I checked into my new Hotel the Holiday Inn Central, the previous one I had stayed in Helsinki was booked, or they were still recovering from me eating their breakfast buffets. With my new place there was no breakfast included, so in the afternoon I thought I would scout breakfast and dinner places. I had a look at Tripadvisor and they had recommended a place that did a 18 Euro buffet that was excellent Finnish food, so I went and found that place and marked it on my Garmin to find later one night. Then I went and found a bakery place for a Buffet breakfast for 9.50 Euro, you know how I hate Bakeries, growing up a Bakers son, you get to appreciate what fresh bread, buns, pastries and other items are like, not the chewy stuff we sometimes get. I found that place as well, it was great to have  good walk around the city area.

On the Internet I found that there was an Aussie bar, I was going to see if they are showing the Collingwood / Essendon game on TV tomorrow on Anzac day, so far I haven't found any Anzac day things on in Helsinki, because the main Australian Embassy in this region is in Stockholm, that is where a ceremony is being held.

I just came back from my morning run around parts of the Helsinki Harbour, I better have my shower and then off to my Breakfast buffet.

Back to Helsinki again

Today I am catching a Ferry from Tallin back to Helsinki, leaving 11am and will arrive at 1pm back in Helsinki.

A beautiful spring day in Tallin

This morning woke up to wonderful blue sky, I tried a different path for my running today, I ran along the paths next to road until it went out past the Harbour to a walking path next to the water, I ran out about 5kms, then came back along the same path and then went on a road that was closer to the harbour on the way back, got up to 11.5kms, i think my longest single run since the half 2 weeks ago.

After brekky I just wandered around the city, I went back to the athletics track that was being used for a couple of joggers, plus the centre part was being used for 5 a side soccer. While i was walking along a road, i heard a whistle and found a soccer match being played on artificial turf, i think it was u18-20 guys match.

One of things I have tried when I have been here, the supermarkets are quite good and you can buy the make up of your dinner for about 4-5 Euros ($6-7), I have bought pork or chicken (hot0, salad, cakes for sweats (yes I know that is bad for me, I am employing the 20 day rule after the champs) 

Here is a few pics of my travels today.

The rain has gone

After rain for the past 2 days and a bit yesterday morning it had cleared by lunchtime, I decided to go to the Estonian Occupation Museum, I thought I had been to the same type in Vilnius and Riga, so I thought that it would be good to get the Estonian perspective on everything, as with the other 2, Russia occupied them 40-41 and then Germany from 41-44, then Russia onwards to 91.
  It was interesting to read that during Russia's occupation that there came periods during the 50's and 60's when freedom seem to be improving and the chances of Independence were increasing, in each case Russia had to flex its muscle, it invaded Hungary in 1956 and then  Czechoslovakia 1968.
    It seemed the invasions were to serve 2 purposes, to suppress the Country it was invading but to show all the countries that it was occupying that hey we are still in control, so don't even think about freedom. But once the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the ball started rolling that nobody was going to stop. The invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was the same, but this time the Russians took a bit hit, it was all part of the Ball rolling. In the basement of the museum they had a collection of statutes and busts of Russians that were obviously collected up after Independence, also there was a collection of old cars made during the 50's & 60's, quality Russian made vehicles.

Here are a couple of the cars in the Museum.

The busts in the basement of the Museum, the white one in the back looks like Lenin.

A quiet and wet day in Tallinn

Yesterday after my run, I had to drag myself out of the hotel, it was raining outside and seem to be set in for the day, I decided to rug up and wander the cobble stone streets, I am becoming an expert on cobble stones, the Architecture is very similar to what I saw in Riga, narrow streets, buildings built next to each other, I bought a ticket for the Ferry back to Helsinki Monday, it leaves at 11am, the ferry's are nearly as big as cruise liners, I also then walked down to the Port which was about 1 1/2 kms from the hotel just to check where I have to go Monday, I noticed heaps of people buying alcohol & cigs from the supermarkets close to the Port, because Estonia doesn't tax it as much as Finland, people catch the Ferry over (2 hour ride) and buy up big, they bring back up to 100 litres of Wine and beer and about 20 litres of spirits, 20-20 cartons of cigs. Interesting enough, the prices here are a lot more expensive than in Latvia.

I ran this morning, even though it had rained overnite, it held off this morning, I went over to the athletics track I found yesterday, but it was all locked up, I found a couple of hilly streets, so I did a few hill runs (no sprints) instead.

I forgot to mention that Michael Buble is in town tonite.

Here is my Hotel in Tallinn.

Running around an Athletics track in Tallinn

Despite the rain here in Tallinn, I decided to do my morning run before breakfast, I had scouted a few paths when I first got here, I started to head out around the Old town wall out thru a few parks that had a couple of small lakes, then I found a smaller athletics track that opened when I was running past, it was about 275metres around with 4 lanes, I did about 3-4kms running laps, I did a few intervals, having the whole track to myself was a first, I think I will head back there other mornings..

Arrived in Tallinn

After a 4 hour bus trip from Riga, arrived in Tallinn, the 2 bus trips that I have taken, have been with the Bus company - Simple Express, they have been fine, I thought that I would have been booked on Eurolines, but Simple express is what my Travel agent booked me on, I would interested in comparing the prices, I would be happy to use them again, the driving was fine, didn't feel unsafe.

I got met at the Bus station by my driver, just a rep that my Travel agent had booked for me, to get me to the hotel, I think with such a short trip, it is worth paying the extra to get from A to B, all my accommodation was pre-booked, I have had no complaints so far. I am staying at the Savoy Boutique, just on the edge of the old town.

Reflections on Latvia and Riga

I know it would be a narrow view of Latvians from just visiting Riga, it would be like critiquing Australians from just visiting Sydney.

 Found that a lot less of people in Riga understood English from what I found in Vilnius, whereas there every person I came across spoke English, but in Riga I was very surprised, considering it is the main city of Latvia, I can understand the level being lower in the country but not the capital, I am just wondering if that is the Russian influence, there were a few Russian TV channels at the hotel, plus a version of Masterchef or something like that. Riga didn't seem to have the young population that was in Vilnius, I get the feeling that Lithuania is progressing more in the modern world than Lithuania, but Riga did have quite a few flash shops and a startling Mall, I noticed everywhere the car dealerships including Audi, BMW, Mercedes, so there is plenty of money here.

Smoking, it is just terrible in the Baltic area, cheap cigs, everywhere you go, I would love to know the Lung cancer rate in the Baltic region, all of the East would be a good start.

I would recommend going thru the Baltic region anytime, a good value for money trip.

Here are some more pics of Riga.

Last day in Riga, off to Tallinn

I must admit I have been a bit slack about visiting all the 'places; to see in Riga, I was more than
happy to just look at the outside places, like the markets, the squares, a bit of people watching (not what you think).

Yesterday I did go to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, describing the brutal invasions by the Russians and the Germans, what a choice, the bad or the ugly. I thought the Latvians might have had it easier from the Russians compared to the Lithuanians, but no I think they had it worse, the deportations, the executions, the murders, I would be hoping that this sort of thing would not happen again. Looking at the displays, it looks like Gorbachev still wanted to keep his toy countries but the election of Boris Yeltsin, who everybody considered a idiot &r a drunk, actually helped them get over the line, and ensured there freedom as new countries.

Inside the Museum.

Later in the afternoon I did some more wandering around the city, is very pretty with river close by, the cobbled streets (I know I go on), but you will feel how special it is to be here, there is nothing like this in Australia. I went down to markets again, I always find them fascinating to look at.

Another thing I wanted t say, they are doing repairs to the Riga cathedral which is less than 100 metres from where I am staying, there are guys 40=50 metres off the ground day in and day tapping away at repairing it, I can hear their tapping from the morning to the evening, it looks like a very big job.

Here is my local square, tried to get a full scan of it, got probably 180 degrees.

I am off to Tallinn, Estonia by bus, I still want to write a few reflections of Latvia, I will do that when I get to Tallinn.

I am sorry if there are spelling errors, spell check sometimes doesn't work, if somebody could explain why.

A visit to the Baltic sea and beach

I kept seeing a place called Jurmala in the guide books and maps, so I googled it and it was like Rigas Bondi, its the coastal area by the Baltic sea (20kms from Riga), I caught a train there, took me a little while at the station to work it which train, but soon had my ticket(.75 Lat which is about $1.40), there are about 1 Lat to 2 Aussie dollars.

When I got there it wasn't exactly beach weather, a bit cool, I walked about 600 metres down to the Beach from the Train, I did my token walk along the beach, just touched the water a little, it was freezing, the area definitely is not Surfers but I can see how busy it would get in mid Summer.
I wandered around the town area, had a look at a few shops, I stopped off for a coffee, the Lattes were about a dollar, I asked lady if she bigger cups, I don't think she understood me, so I just bought 2 and then hopped back on that train and went back to Riga.

Here is the biggest high rise Hotel in the area, it looks like it has seen better days and the Baltic sea and beach..

After the Train ride I went to Riga market, it was selling mainly clothes and food - vegies and fruit, meats, breads, cakes and cheese, you wouldn't starve there.

Here is a photo of the vegies for sale, Bob you will be happy, plus a pic of a Latvian Seagull at the markets, they obviously feed him well or he is on steroids, see the size against the pigeons.

A wet day in Riga

Luckily the hotel is close to the main River Daugava that flows thru Riga, I managed to get a 11km run in before the rain came and pretty well has been raining all day.

After having breakfast at the hotel (all included) I went and have a look at the Latvian War Museum, I was mainly interested in seeing the displays for the occupation of Latvia by the Russians from 1945 to 1991. What I found interesting in that I think there were quite a few local Latvians that were happy to be taken over. Plus the Russians seem to settle quite a few of their own into Latvia. That might explain the higher percentage of Russians about 20% in Latvia as opposed to Lithuania which has about 6% Russian, in Lithuania they have a more alliance to Poland than Russia. There was also a good display of the Latvian soldiers stationed in Afghanistan.

In the afternoon I went and had a look at one the new flash Shopping Malls in the City, they actually put most of Australian omes to shame. I scouted out the local cinema that I would go back and watch a Bruce Willis movie at 5.45PM which I did, it was set in Spain with the CIA and Massad going head to head.

After the movie I went and ate at a local Latvian Cuisine Restaurant, I had creme pea and bacon soup and a pork stew with a dark beer to wash it all down, I was the only one  there, very quiet on Mondays when it is raining.

Here is the Latvian Restaurant -:

Bus to Riga, Latvia

I caught a Bus from Vilnius to Riga, it took about 4 hours, the highway was great, but i think because of bus restrictions or trying to save fuel we were only sitting on 90ks an hour, it felt really slow, the speed limit for cars was 110, so buses might have a 90 limit. I got picked up at the Riga Bus station by my driver and taken to my hotel (Gutenbergs), which is in the old part of town, so far it looks great, cobbled streets all around, I am now off to get money and get some supplies from supermarket.

Reflections of Vilnius and Lithuania

I thought I would give you a few thoughts on Vilnius/Lithuania, it was more modern here that I expected, it is only 20 years since they were rid of the Russians, I was wondering if the Russians every offered an apology, they maintained a brutal regime over the Lithuanians for at least 10 years after WWII, thousands were tortured & executed, hundreds of thousands were imprisoned or deported to far inhospitable parts of the USSR, was anybody tried for war crimes.

Lithuanians seem to be a very happy and proud people, they tried a pride in their appearance and how their neighbourhoods look, I think they will improve their economy from the generation that has been born since the early 90’s. The Lithuanian women are very attractive, I think of starting my own business – Lithuanian brides, there are some great lookers here.

Lithuania has only 3 million people but it has one of the top 5 International Basketball teams in the world, they love their 3 B’s Basketball, Beer & Bible.

I would love to come back here in some part of the May to September time, it was ok now, but a lot of the tours/places were not running.   

Here is the hotel I stayed at in Vilnius

Day trip to Kaunas

Yesterday I caught a bus to Kaunas (Lith 2nd biggest city), ist 105kms away, took about one hour and a half alonga 2 lane highway that wasn't in bad nic, I am told that the road system has had a good lot of money put by the ECU.

Kaunas wasn't that exciting, I suppose if I knew where to look I would find the attractions, I did find the new big shopping mall and I bought a new bum bag for $6 after the $30 one I bought in canberra the week before the zipper broke, I couldn't belive that, I have a old crappy bum bad that its zips are still fine after 6-7 years, nothing lasts now.

I did stumble onto a wedding party near the main Cathedral, where the local bikie chapter was invited because there was the bride getting ridden around the square on a harley, very interesting, thats Kaunas.

After the bus trip back and I was walking back to the hotel, I this time stumbled onto a small but peaceful protest of some sort, the interesting part was the giant green dragon or animal of some sort (about 10 metres long) that was at the protest, it looked like it was built so that it could be driven like one of those floats.

I am catching a bus to Riga, latvia at 10am (5pm Aus time), it should take about 4 1/2 hours to get there.

The bride I think.

The green monster at the protest rally.

A day in Vilnius

Today I thought I would tackle a few of Vilnius Museums, first up was the Museum of Genocide Victims (KGB museum), it is housed in the old KGB building. It was one of the most in your face museums that I have ever been to.
There was a lot of history about the invasion of Lithuania during WW 2, first it was taken over by the Russians in 40, then Germans came in for 3 years from 41 to 44, then back again to the Russians. From the middle of the war the Lithuanian Resistance started, what I didn't realise that this Resistance lasted into the mid 50's.

Two of the displays.

 

The Russians were brutal to the Lithuanians, whole families were deported to all parts of Russia, families were broken up for years, the soldiers in the liberation movement who were caught were jailed and in some cases executed. In the basement of the building they showed all the old cells, even one was  padded for torture so the screams could not be heard. They even had the execution room, in it they had a video showing what the executions were like, the film was very real (they had plenty of blood and showed them cleaning up), in one of the other rooms, they had photos showing the bodies of some of the Resistance fighters that had been shot and then laid out in town squares, streets to be a deterrent to others. This museum is a must for visitors to Vilnius.

In the afternoon I had a look at the main Cathedral in Vilnius, it was very impressive inside, quite spectacular, below is picture inside.

Then I went and had a look at the Lithuanian National Museum (below), this was focused more on the 1300's to 1800's, they have a very long history, sometimes you think of Lithuania only existing since 1992, whereas they were just temporary out of action for 50-60 years.

Then tonight I had Dinner at one of the authentic Finnish resteraunt, I had the mushroom soup in a Bread roll and then the Potato pancakes with meat, it was very filling.

A day trip to Trakai and more of Vilnius

Give me a city by a river and you can usually find running paths, luckily in Vilnius this is the case, my hotel is about a k from the main river thru Vilnius - Neris, it has quite deep sides so there are paths along next to the river and the paths by the roads that are probably 50 metres above the river, if you can understand that, if I had taken a picture then you would, I will do for the next Blog. I did about 8kms yesterday morning by the river and 10kms this morning.

After breakfast which as usual at all the hotels I have stayed at has been a big feast, I won't starve, I can usually then not have to eat to well in the afternoon. I decide to take a tour out to Trakai which is about 30-40kms from Vilnius it is one of the old capitals, it is only a small town, it is home to 2 of the ethnic minorities in Lithuania, the Karaims and another (the name escapes me, will add later). Our tor guide took us over to the main tourist attraction, the huge castle on the island, it dates back to the 1300's, and it has been home to a number of armies over the years, it was mainly built to protect them from the Polish renegades many moons ago. Over the years it has been slowly destroyed, by the 1900's there was less than half of the castle left, so over 4-5 attempts it was slowly rebuilt and finished in the 1990's, it was rebuilt with red bricks which you can see from my pic, I would have thought a lighter coloured brick would have not stood out as red does.

The front of the Castle

After I got back I did some more walking around Vilnius, I found one of the information centres, I was trying to find out if there was any Basketball games on while I was here, no luck, the Vilnius team is playing away both Friday and Saturday night, but I did find one of the local Lithuanian Restaurants that I will try for the local cuisine.

Interesting info on Lithuania, it has gone from 3.4 million to 3 million people in the last 10 years, no ski resorts here, its highest land point is just under 300 metres, its highest building is 340 metres.

It probably makes some of the best Linen in the world that nobody has heard of, the Vilnius area was occupied by the Polish between first and second world wars.

Arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania

I checked out of the Hotel in Helsinki at midday, wandered around the city for an hour or so, I then took the 2pm Finnair bus out to the Airport which took 30 minutes. I was catching a 4.15pm plane to Vilnius Lithuania, I walked into the terminal and checked in straight away, the one thing with the Fins, everything is on time and well organised, all the trains & bus's ran on time. I then went thru security, sat down at the gate, after praising them, we were a bit late getting on the Finnair plane, then we had to wait for baggage from another plane.

I landed in Vilnius around 5.45pm about 15 minutes late, it didn't take long to get my suitcase, I was met after got thru security by a driver who was taking me to the hotel, he also gave me Bus tickets for my trip from Vilnius to Riga and then Riga to Tallinn. The driver didn't speak any English, so it was a quite trip in,, the driver took me into the old town where my hotel is, the buildings were old but well maintained, the hotel look great from the outside.

My room is up on the 4th floor, it is quite big compared to my Helsinki one, I have gone from a single bed to a King size one, there is even 3 single lounge chairs with a coffee table, plenty of room here.

After getting some money from an ATM, I went down to the local supermarket and got a couple of supplies, juice, bananas etc, the local currency is a Litas, approx 3 to the Aussie dollar 4 to the Euro.

Another day in Heksinki

Yesterday I did a wander around the city, I went up and have a look at the Church in the rock, I saw this nearly 20 years ago when I was on a Contiki trip, the church has been formed around a rock wall, it is quite incredible to see, I have included a panorama picture of it, but it doesn't do it justice.

After that when I walked down to the harbour I ran into Bill & Heather Carr (they were in Jyvaskyla for the Indoors) they were in Helsinki for another day as well before they fly off to Norway, which is a country that I still on my list to visit.

After seeing them I caught a ferry (15 minute ride) out to the Island Suomenlinna, which was a sea fortress protecting Helsinki, it has soldiers based from the 1800's to 1973, now it is a historical park as well people live there, it is really 2-3 islands linked by bridges, it takes you about an hour and a half to wander over the whole Island, it looks a place better to visit over the summer period when more of the Galleries and shops are open.

This morning I did a 7k run around the harbour, it hasn't been as cold but the wind has picked up and made the wind chill a bit nippy.

Today I get a Finnair flight to Vilnius.

Here is the inside of the Church.

Back In Helsinki

After arriving in Helsinki at around 2pm, checked into the Seurahuone Hotel which across from the railway station, very central to the everything, quite a few people had flights during the day, so wandered around, had coffee before they took off in the Finnair bus back to the Airport, had a nice dinner near the hotel at a Czech restaurant, there were a group of Australians at another table, it is hard to miss the accent. I a very nice roast lamb, the Finns do know how too cook their meat, I am even enjoying the smoked bacon for breakfast. Not sure what I am going to do today, I did a 8km run this morning, my first run after the half and I am still feeling a bit sore.

Goodbye Jyvaskyla, hello Helsinki then the Baltic

I am catching the train to Helsinki today around 10am, it has been a great week, I have really enjoyed it here, I wish more ACT Vets would come along to the Indoors, it is a great atmosphere, a very friendly event.

My faith is restored

I did the Half marathon today (final day Sunday)which was one of the outside running events as part of the World Masters Indoors here in Finland, the race started at 12.30, a morning start would be just too cold, I still think it was around zero when we took off. I wore a long sleeve under my Australian singlet, bike shorts and a cap, most people were long tights/top, gloves & beanies, I saw a couple of runners in only shorts & single, they would have been cold, I found that I was ok except my chest seem to stay cool.
  
Down to the run, I did it in 1.42.31, I was really happy to get under 1.45, I went thru the first 10kms in 49 1/2 and got thru the next 10 in close to 48, so I had a really strong 2nd half, I passed quite a few people, but I still was only 40th out of 51 in my age group.

After the run I went back to the track to watch the relays, we had a W60 that got silver and W45 team that took bronze, the 2 mens teams M60 & M55 were unplaced.

Tonight we have our farewell Dinner at the Old brick Inn English pub here in Jyaskyla, I am looking forward to that, its been a great time here and now looking forward to my next 2-3 weeks of travel  tomorrow I catch a train back to Helsinki where I will 2 days there and take it very easy, then on Wednesday I fly to Vilnius in Lithuania.

Here is me after the half.

Here is a video of the Lake before the half, they do call it the Harbour here, it may connect to the see thru the river system.

Even worse day at the track for me

Just when I thought I could run as as yesterday, today was worse, I did 6.07 for the 1500, I just felt awful, my legs were gone half way thru, but i just stuck it out, I think I will do things a lot different in 2 years time for the next Indoors, I think I have learnt a few lessons, tomorrow is the half, if I can get around in about 5 minute pace, I will be happy with that, but I will just glad to finish.

Today we some good result on the track, field and out at the walks down by the lake. Marie Kay W50 picked up Gold in the hurdles, silver in the shot and bronze in the High jump, we had 2 Gold in the women's 10km walk, 2 silvers for the men's individual, but came away with the Team Gold. Then we Gold to Wilma Perkins in the W60 Long jump, Conrad Burge bronze in the M60 hurdles.

Tomorrow we finish with the 400 & 1500 finals and the 4 X 200 relays which we have 2 men's M60 & M55 and 2 women's W60 & W45 I think.

Today was a really nice day, got away with no beany and gloves today for the first time, I got a pair of Gortex Gloves for $40, I think they will keep my hands warm for the Winter bike riding.

Ordinay day on the track for me.

This morning I felt ok going into the 3km on the track, 15 laps, I had a good buffet breakfast at the hotel, you cannot complain about the spread they put on, plus it is like United nations around the place, I saw a Lithuanian thrower at breakfast, that would easily be 150 - 175 kgs, he was huge, I heard that a couple of the Russian throwers were eating whole loafs of bread, huge plates of bacon, which might explain the lack of bacon today.

I went to the track around 12.15, my race is at 4.30pm, I watched a few of the earlier 3km races, Peter Sandery from SA got the Silver in the M70, also Marie Kay got pipped for the Gold in the M50 long jump on the last jump by 3ms, that would have been her third, she has 4 races/throws to go, up to last night Australia was 6th on the Medal tally.

My 3k race, I end up doing 12.24 ish, I went thru the 1km in about 3.58, but I knew I was in trouble by then, I was hoping for sub 12 minutes, but it wasn't to be, I just felt very ordinary out there, so then I thought lets just get under 12.30 which I achieved. I need to get back on the horse for the 1500 tomorrow, during the race I could hear somebody in a stand that was close to the top of the straight yelling out my name, I thought it had to be by USA mate Noel, who I did the Pentathlon against in Kamloops in 2010, he recognised on the Monday before the comp, it was good to catch up with him. He already invited me over for the USA Masters Summer nationals in his home town in August 2014, he will be meet director, I did forget to ask him where he lives in the US, small details,

2014 is already going to be a big year for my first year as M55, Oceania champs in Bendigo in Jan, World Indoors in Budapest in late March then get home in time for the Easter nationals in Tassie for late April (that could be cold).

Here is the Hotel I am staying at.

Here is me with my USA mate Noel, I am standing in a hole.

A great day on the Track yesterday

Its Friday morning here, I have my 3km on the track at 4.30pm (11.30pm Aus time), I have had 2 days off, which has been hard to wait around and watch everybody else. Yesterday morning I did a 7km run on another part of the half marathon course, just do that I know what the tracks are like, they should be fine Sunday.

Yesterday on the Track, we won 2 Gold and a Silver in the Mens walk, I meant to say that 2 women won Gold in the walks the other morning, Lyn Ventris broke her own World record. Also yesterday we won 4 from 4 runners in the 200 metres, Noreen Parish W70, Kathy Heagney W60, Marie Kay W50 and Peter Combie M65. We might be a small team, we have very good quality.

We did have some more snow yesterday afternoon and a bit of sleet over night, but I am told that it should be clear for the next 3 days, I am not sure what I am going to run in for the half on Sunday, it is suppose to be sunny around zero degrees, that sounds cold but it should be fine, not sure if I will run with a short or long sleeve under my singlet, I might wear light gloves that I can take off when I get too hot, I don't want to over dress.

I will go out to the track around midday to watch a couple of races and events before mine, I hope everybody is well.

Here is a video of the Track.

I thought it was bloody cold, Results from the Track.

An update from my wednesday morning run, I thought it was cold, when I went to the track, I was told that at Jyvaskyla Airport it was -11 at 9.10am, I finished my run at 8.50am, so I am putting down a -10 run for this morning, a new world cold running record for me, the roads and paths are starting to melt.

An update from the track today in the 800's and 60's Kathryn Heagney had silver in both for W60, she had the same time as the winner in hundreths of a second but was beaten by 3 one thousands of a second. Marie Kay won the gold in W50 60, Noreen Parish won the gold in W70 60 metres, Peter Crombie after a terrible start in the M66 60, came motoring home for a silver.

Maria O please note that your time of about 2.45 in the 800 a few weeks ago would have won the Gold medal here, quite a few other ladies from Vets would not had been out of place, if Kathy Southgate had run then Maria would have got Silver.

A morning run and chewing the fat

Because I don't race now until Friday afternoon and I decided to try and run parts of the half marathon course this morning, I made my way down to the lake from the hotel (less than a K away), i can remember seeing the brochures about these champs showing the beautiful lake that we will run the half past, except at the moment, it is completely frozen over, covered in snow and ice, people are actually walking across it. I did about 10ks along the path, I had to be really careful with the ice on the paths, I didn't want to fall arse over t.., I wore a beany, gloves, long tights and 2 shirts (short over long), it was probably around -8, the coldest run I have ever done, my chin was numb for the first 2ks, I didn't really warm up at all, I ran in my older marathon shoes but the tread is wearing out, for the half on Sunday I am hoping that the tracks will be more worn down then and a lot less ice, it is being run at 12.30, so if the Sun is out the conditions should be ok, but I still might have to wear my track shoes which have more grip on them.

Yesterday on the way back to the Hotel, I stopped at the sports store and bought a new Gortex Jacket for 99 Euro (about $125) which was reduced down from 350 Euro (about $450), it feels really nice, I also bought a pair of walking shoes that are Gortex for 60 Euro, that I will use to walk around town and to the Track, I have been worried about slipping on the icy paths and falling over, these shoes have great tread and should be great to wear out and about.

The Scandic Hotel I am staying at, is fantastic, there would be people from about 20 odd countries staying here, the Russians, Germans, Spanish, Americans, British, French, better than the UN, the breakfast in the morning is recommended, after my run this morning I am now well stocked up.

Also I do find it amusing that people are cycling around on really basic bikes in the snow, the Scandic actually has bikes you can borrow, you couldn't pay me to ride one at the moment.

My first Indoor event in Finland - 800 metres

    Today was the day of reckoning, my first Indoor event (800 metres) here in Finland, it started early got up at 6am, shower and then breakfast at 6.30am, coffee, juice, a couple of boiled snags, scrambled eggs and finished off with Fruit Salad and Yogurt.

    My race was at about 11am, I headed out to the track at about 9ish, at the Hall where the Indoor track is, I did a few warm up runs in an under ground indoor soccer pitch. I went to the Call room where all the Athletes assemble before the race, There is up to 8 per heat in 4 lanes, I was in Heat 3 Lane 1 Inside, all up there was 23 in 3 heats. Talk about intimidating, they all look very fit and thin, I was at least 10 kilos heavier than the next runner, I was feeling nervous.

    I end up running the 800 in 2.40.34, my best time for a couple of years, I went thru 400 in 1.17.5, died a bit in the 2nd half, I was trying to hang on for sub a 2.40, but I can't complain about my time, I was really focused on my race and didn't worry that I was way behind the last runner, I am looking forward to the 3km Friday and the 1500 on Saturday, I can now plan those races based on how I ran the 800.

 Just to let you know there was plenty of snow overnight, it is very white here now, I then watched Peter Sandery from SA win the M70 8km xcountry in very icy and snow conditions.

Opening Ceremony - It is really snowing

Tonight was our Opening ceremony, it is has been snowing all afternoon, there is probably 5-10 cms of snow on the footpath, it was hard to tell where the paths finished and the roads started, we had a walk along the pedestrian mall, it was a bit slushy, 5 of us were following our flag/sign bearer Doreen, we then marched into one of the Hotels for a few speeches, I listened to a couple then left, I am running in the morning, I need to have a good nights rest, even walking back to the hotel was tricky, I have also a shot of what it look outside my Hotel window, I am glad that I have not entered the Xcountry, it should be clear before the half on Sunday.

Made it to Jyvaskyla - a balmy -2

Its Monday afternoon here, the snow is settling in for the day, it started mid morning and it turned all the place white, have to be careful walking along the footpaths. Yesterday I registered at the Indoor centre and then had a run around the indoor track, there is 8 in the 800 race, so there will be 2 in each lane for the first 50 metres, which could get crowded, the top lane will be a bit scary being about 50-60 cms off the ground, I wouldn't want to run wide on the bend, you will run out of track. Here is me standing on one of the bends

 Last night my roomy Steve from NT arrived around 10pm, he is nursing a very sore Knee, with him doing the 60m sprint and hurdles, he is looking doubtful for both races, he has already pulled out of the Pentathlon. Today he went and registered at the main Hall, I followed along to do another run around the track. We then caught the bus back to the Hotel, here is me standing by the Bus Stop with Steve (middle) and another Aussie John, tonight we have the opening ceremony.

First night in Helsinki and then off north

After wandering around Helsinki until 2pm, then checked into my Hotel which was very central point of the city, across from the railway station, closer to where the bus goes back to the Airport, it is where I will stay 3 times in Helsinki, I come back here after my Athletics comp for 2 days and then for 3 days at the end of my trip. I did a 10km run in the afternoon following the paths close to the Harbour, stays away from crossing the roads. then I did the pasta buffet with salad for about 10 euros, for dinner, that filled a spot. I hit the sack around 7.30pm, I couldn't stay awake any longer, I then managed to get a 10 hour sleep, broken up a few times. I got up around 6.30am just before sunrise and did a 7km run following the other part of the harbour i didn't do yesterday. Then had the nice buffet breakfast put on by the hotel, I will have to keep the exercise up or will undo some of my good work in the past 2 months.

 I then checked out of my hotel this morning, off to Jyvaskyla by train, it takes a bit over 3 hours, looking forward to today's min there of -12 rising to a balmy 1, it should be warmer tomorrow of -9 to zero. I am hoping to get a light run on the warm up track this afternoon and tomorrow before my 800m on Tuesday afternoon.

I am surprised the amount of snow that is around the houses, fields and lakes as I travel along in the train, I will have to like the colour white.