Birken - how, what, where, when?

Somewhere in the fjells.

Kuten lupasin ja pyydettiin, tässä hieman Birkeniin liittyviä "ulkourheilullisia" seikkoja. Lukijoiden joukossa tiedän olevan monta, jotka ovat miettineet kyseiseen tapahtumaan osallistumista, enkä todella kuvittele olevani ekspertti asiassa yhden hiihdon jälkeen, mutta ainakin muutamia huomioita ehdin matkan varrella tehdä, jotka saattavat ensikertalaisen ja matkaa suunnittelevan reissua helpottaa.

Travelling 

Muutamat suomalaiset matkanjärjestäjät tekevät yhteisreissuja muiden isojen hiihtotapahtumien ohella myös Birkeniin. Jos laivamatka Tukholmaan ja sen jälkeen 8h bussimatka istumisineen ei hirvitä, on varmasti hauska ja helppo lähteä isommalla porukalla reissun jo aiemminkin kokeneiden mukana matkaan. Itsekin käytin mattimyöhäisenä tänä vuonna erään matkanjärjestäjän palveluita, koska en jaksanut/halunnut/ehtinyt etsiä majoitusta ja säätää sen kanssa, mutta matkustin Norjaan lentämällä ihan omia hermojani ja istumalihaksiani säästääkseni.

Lensin luonnollisesti Osloon, josta suuntasin junalla eteenpäin. Gardermoenin kentältä pääsee erittäin näppärästi junalla Lillehammerin suuntaan eikä junamatkustaminen ole Norjan hintatasosta poiketen kovinkaan kallista esim. Suomi-hintoihin verrattuna. Junaan pääsee hyppäämään lentoasemalta suoraan ja liputkin voi ostaa vaikkapa netistä etukäteen ja vain lunastaa asemalla olevasta lippuautomaatista koodilla. Kätevää.

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Some finnish travel agencies (and undoubtedly travel agencies in other countries as well) are selling trips to Birken. Mostly, if travelling from Finland, those trips include to boat trip to Stockholm plus the 8+ hours of sitting in a bus up to Lillehammer region. If that doesn't sound like too much of sitting and getting bored, those trips are an easy way to get there and also have the last minute tips from people who've been there and done that before. I also used some travel agency services this year, because I decided to go so late that it would have been quite hard to find the accomodation and all that by myself.

How ever, I travelled to Norway on a plane to save my nerves and to not have to sit and travel for hour after hour. I flew to Oslo and took a train from there. It's really easy to take the train from Gardermoen towards Lillehammer and if something's not expensive in Norway I'd say it's the train tickets, at least compared to the ticket prices in Finland. The train leaves directly from the airport and it's all quite convenient.

Sunny plane window view up in the air above Oslo.

Accomodation

Birken hiihdetään Renasta Lillehammeriin, siis 54km paikasta toiseen. Majoitusta on tarjolla esim. patjoilla lähtöpaikan läheisyydessä ja järjestäjien puolesta on tarjolla (maksullinen) bussikuljetus lähimmiltä isohkoilta paikkakunnilta kisa-aamuna lähtöpaikalle. Koska en itse tiennyt tapahtuman järjestelyistä juuri mitään, otin sokkona vastaan matkanjärjestäjän tarjoaman majoituksen Hamarista, joka on yksi niistä paikkakunnista, joista bussikuljetus lähtee kisapaikalle aamulla ja palaa takaisin iltapäivällä Lillehammerista tunnin välein. 

Hamar oli majoituspaikkana ihan ok. Itse kaupunkihan on ihan hirveä, suorastaan aavekaupunki, jossa ei todella tapahtunut yhtään mitään. Järven rannassa oli ihan nättiä ja aurinkokin paistoi, sekä hotellini oli oikein mukava. Sijaintina Hamar oli varsin hyvä. Renaan matkattiin bussilla vajaa tunti, Lillehammerista takaisin reilu tunti. Lisäksi kun turistina kävin toisena päivänä Lillehammerissa, pääsin sinne näpsäkästi junalla vajaassa tunnissa. Sama tunti meni junalla myös Oslo - Hamar välillä. Ensi vuonna en tosin aio majoittua Hamarissa, vaan suunnitelmissa ja ajatuksena on todennäköisesti vuokrata mökki Sjusjoeniltä jonkinlaisella porukalla. 

Majoitusta varattaessa ja jos käytössä ei ole autoa (ja hyviä hermoja autoruuhkassa istumiseen) suosittelen katsomaan järjestäjän sivuilta bussiliikenteen tietoja ja valikoimaan paikan, josta pääsee järjestän bussikyydillä lähtöpaikalle. Ei ehkä optimaalista valmistautumista kovimmille kisamenijöille, mutta eipä busseilu ainakaan allekirjoittaneen menoon vaikuttanut millään tavoin. Pikemminkin päin vastoin, oli hauskaa vaihtaa kuulumisia vieraiden ihmisten kanssa, jotka kuitenkin olivat kaikki saman harrastuksen parissa. Heinihän majoittui patjamajoituksessa Renassa, eikä sekään tainnut varsinaisesti olla huono vaihtoehto. 

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Birken goes from Rena to Lillehammer, so 54km from one place to another. The organizers offer accomodation on mattresses close to the start and there are also buses (paid) organized to pick up skiers from the nearby towns on the race morning and bring them to Rena. Those buses also take skiers back to those towns from Lillehammer after the race. As I didn't know anything about the race, I had the accomodation recommended by the travel agency in Hamar, one of the towns where the bus transportation was organized in.

Hamar was an ok place to stay. The town itself was quite horrible, a bit like a ghost town. Nothing was happening there and it wasn't exactly the most beautiful town I've visited, but it was sunny and the hotel was really nice. Hamar is also quite conveniently located as the bus trip from there to Rena took a little less than an hour and the bus trip back from Lillehammer a little more than an hour. Just for comparison, from Lillehammer to Rena it is a 2-hour bus ride. Also the travelling with train part was perfect with Hamar as a place to stay as it was a 1 hour train tip to both Oslo and Lillehammer from there. Next year though, I'm not going to Hamar again, but we are planning on renting a cottage up in Sjusjoen with some kind of a squad.

If you're going next year and don't have a car to use (or don't want to sit in the rush the race morning), I'd recommend checking out the bus transport from the organizers website and looking for accomodation in those towns where the transportation is organized. Not the best possible race morning for someone racing for real, but if you're one, you're probably not booking your own accomodation or reading tips from here. For me travelling with the bus worked quite well and instead of causing more stress, it was quite relaxing to just sit there in the bus, chatting with strangers who share the same hobby. My friend Heini was staying in the mattress accomodation in Rena, which was obviously ok too. 

Lakeside views from a morning run in Hamar. 

Race day fuss

Kuten edellä totesin, matkasin kisa-aamuna Renaan Hamarista järjestäjän organisoimalla bussikuljetuksella. Tähän kuljetukseen tuli ostaa liput etukäteen ja kannatti myös olla ajoissa paikalla, jopa Fredagsbirkenin aamuna, sillä mattimyöhäiset eivät mahtuneet edes 6.00 lähteneen bussin kyytiin. Voin vain kuvitella tilanteen lauantaiaamuna, kun osallistujia on ollut liikenteessä vähintään kymmenkertainen määrä perjantaihin verrattuna.

Renassa haettiin ensin numerot ja muut tarpeet "Birkenhallista". Numeron oli saanut tilata noudettavaksi joko Lillehammerista tai Renasta ja kuten hiihtoseuralaiseni sai kantapään kautta huomata, kannattaa olla tarkkana kumpaan paikkaan sen tilaa. Niin, ja kannattaa ihan oikeasti printata "lähtölupa", kuten ohjeissa neuvotaan, että saat numerolappusi :) Numerojen haun jälkeen lähdetään Birkenhallenista vielä toisella bussilla (maksuton kilpailijoille) varsinaiselle lähtöpaikalle Tingstadjordetille. 

Lähtöpaikalla tavarat pakattiin jättimäisiin numeroituihin jätesäkkeihin, jotka jätettiin rekkoihin. Rekkojen kyydissä tavarat lähtivät Lillehammeriin odottamaan maaliintulijoita. Fredagsbirkenissä ei lähtöjärjestelyissä ollut hirveää säätöä, kun hiihtäjiä oli kohtuullisen vähän ja ainakin ykkösstarttiryhmä, jossa olin asettautui paikoilleen varsin nätisti. Heinin kanssa valittiin paikat suhteellisen edestä, mutta sen verran itsetuntemusta meillä sentään oli ettei menty eturiviin kisakireiden miesten keskelle. 

Hiihdon jälkeen maalissa sai vähän eväitä ja repusta pystyi kaivamaan pakollisina varusteina mukana olleita vaatteita lämmikkeeksi päälle. Maalista hiihtostadionilta kilpailijat vietiin (ilmaisella) bussilla parin kilometrin päähän Håkons Hallille, johon tavarat oli tuotu ja lunastettavissa numerolappua vastaan. Hallilla olivat myös suihkut, ruokailumahdollisuus, palkintojenjaot sekä tietysti "markkinat" eli paikallisen urheilukaupan ja eri merkkien tarjontaa näin alan ammattilaisenkin silmin varsin edullisin hinnoin myynnissä. Itselläni shoppailu saattoi lähteä hieman käsistä, varoituksen sanana vaan kaikille.

Bussi takaisin Hamariin (ja muihin kaupunkeihin) lähti aivan Håkons Hallin edestä. Tämäkin siis iitä kuljetuksia, joihin tuli ostaa lippu jo ennakkoon. Lillehammerin keskustasta, vajaan parin kilometrin kävelymatkan päästä olisi päässyt takaisin myös junakyydillä esimerkiksi Hamariin, joten kisan jälkeen pois matkustaminen on huomattavasti kätevämpää ja helpompaa kuin lähtöpaikalle saapuminen tuhansien muiden kanssa. Yhden kerran kokemuksella en suosittele ainakaan lähtöpaikalle saapumista tai maalista jonkun hakemista omalla autolla, ellet satu olemaan jonkinlaisen vip-kohtelun piirissä.

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As said, I travelled to Rena from Hamar with the Birken bus. I must note that the tickets should be paid and ordered in advance and I'd recommed to be at the bus stop in time in order to get into the ride. It was quite crowded already on the morning of the Fredagsbirken so I can only imagine what it was like on saturday morning. Once in Rena, one must pick up the bib and other stuff from the "Birkenhallen" and after that go with another bus (free for everyone racing) to the starting area at Tingstadjordet. As Heini experienced, it's good to be careful when selecting whether you want to pick up the bib in Lillehammer or Rena. And you really need to print out that startcard as adviced in order to get your bib :)

At Tingstadjordet, you pack your bag and other stuff in a huge plastic bag with your race number on it and leave in the trucks that will take it to Lillehammer. At Fredagsbirken the start and getting a good spot on the starting line happened quite easily and with a relaxed flow at least in the first starting group we were starting in. We chose places quite in the front of the group, maybe in the fifth row, just behind all the boys in the racing suits.

After crossing the finish line, I was happy to have the clothes in my backpack, as there is still one more bus ride (also free for everyone racing) to do before getting to the showers and nice dry clothes. You get some refreshments at the finish and the go a few kilometers down to Håkons Hall where you get your bag, can shower, eat and also shop at the "marked". Just be careful, at least I found a lot of stuff I really "need". The need grew even bigger as even for someone working in the industry, the prices really were good.

From Lillehammer, I travelled back to Hamar with the Birken bus transport. The buses leave just in front of the Håkons Hall and the tickets must be once again be ordered and paid in advance. It's also possible and easy to travel from Lillehammer with train and the station's located a few kms away from the Håkons Hall. With my one time experience, I don't recommed going to the starting area or trying to pick up someone from the finish with your own car, but using the buses - if your not a vip of some kind.

Touristy view down to Lillehammer from the ski jumping hills. 

Birken - the race report

I really don't know where to begin. As you all know, I decided about a month ago that I'll go and do the Birkebeinerrennet already this year. I hadn't done any of the seeding races, so I opted for the Fredagsbirken, which is a sort of "open tracks" kind of event going on the same tracks, over the same distance and with the same 3,5kg backpacks but just one day before the main event. And well, it is also a seeding race for next years Birken.

Before the start I had two goals and one worry. I was quite worried about the skis. I knew I had a good pair for the conditions, so glide was supposedly nothing to worry about. But the grip was. I have by no means such a strong upper body that I could do the Birken route (or any other routes for that matter) with a poor grip and as I was on the road on my own, I just had to hope that the skis would be at least ok. The main goal for the Fredagsbirken was to enjoy - the views and the fact that I was finally at THE event I had wanted to do for so many years, but never had the time, resources or guts to do it. The second goal was to do a time that would secure me a good starting row for next years Birken, but not at the cost of enjoying the trip too.

First half: Tingstadjordet, Rena - Kvarstad

So I guess I could say, that before the gun went off at 8.30 on friday morning at the Tingstadjordet in Rena, my plan was to go as fast enough, but to do it as easy as possible. The plan worked quite well right from the start and my biggest worry turned out to be unnecessary. I had a decent grip up the first hill and had to tell myself at least once every two minutes not to go out too fast. The tracks were really nice, a bit crusty at points as the temperatures were a few degrees below at the time of the start.

I knew there would be a long uphill to start with and I have watched Birkens from previous years several times on tv, but nothing had really prepared me for what kind of a hill it was. I remember being at about 3km point of the race and thinking how it can be possible for someone to double pole the whole route. And little did I know at that point what was ahead... Anyway, I arrived to the first feeding station at Skramstadsetra after 9km of only uphill. I took my time, drinking, eating my first gel, chatting a bit with a someone and then looked at my watch telling me I had spent over 45 minutes to get there. I had prepared myself mentally that the beginning would be slow, but that slow..?

In Skramstadsetra and from there I had some company along the way from all the pro teams testing skis and preparing for the real race on saturday. Usually I would have been fascinated by what they do and how it all looks so effortless, but now I was more annoyed as I was trying to go forward in the headwind by some means and they just kind of floated ahead next to me so easily.. But the cheering I received from quite a few was nice. Best part was a comment given to the group of guys I was dragging behind me in the wind at that point. They were told to "man up and help the girl in front". Needless to say, I didn't get any help but luckily could also drop those guys before we had climbed up the Dølfjellet at 13km from the start.

Cruising ahead somewhere up the fjells. 

Dropping the drafters.

After Dølfjellet there's the first real downhill to Dambua, where the second feeding station was also located at about 15km point. I really don't remember anything from that point of the race. After Dambua we had the quite steep (for a flatland girl like me) climb up the Raudfjellet ahead and once up there, we had reached the 20km point. I was a bit knackered up there and started to fear the climb up the highest point of the race a bit. And also the remaining 34km that I would still have to go. 

But from Raudfjellet, all the way down to Kvarstad at the halfway point of the race I started to feel better again. A certain pro team service had been skiing "with" me almost all the way from Skramstadsetra up to Raudfjellet and now down to Kvarstad. I was quite happy to notice that I had a relatively good glide in my skis as I was able to follow their speed in the downhills and not even drafting in the same tracks, but doing just my own thing. At the third feeding station in Kvarstad I continued with the same "feeding strategy" as I had in all of the five stations: one gel, one cup of sports drink, one cup of water. At this point, I had used 2hrs 9minutes to the first 27km.

Second half: Kvarstad - Birkebeineren Skistadion, Lillehammer

Once having passed Kvarstad it was time for the second (or third?) climb of the day as the route went up to its highest point at Midtfjellet at 33km. I didn't have much of the grip left at that point and had to go up the steepest parts herringboning - like a tourist (that I honestly was). Otherwise I didn't find the 5km climb so hard compared to climbing up Raudfjellet earlier. It might have helped too that I knew that once I reach the top of Midtfjellet it will be all flat and downhill to Lillehammer from there for the last 20km of the race. Up in Midtfjellet we also had the fourth feeding station.

The following 10km from Midtfjellet to Sjusjøen was relatively flat. On this part I started to catch a few men who had obviously started out too fast and I was feeling better and stronger all the time. It's quite rare to me to be feeling strong on the flat parts so I really enjoyed it, smiling idiotically to everyone I saw during those kms.  On this part also the amount of spectators and cheering at least tripled from what it had been before. I can't even imagine what it has been on saturday, if it was like that on friday. But hopefully I get to experience that next year.

The last feeding station was at Sjusjøen with 14km to go. Might sound like a long way without feeding stations for us tourists, but as it's basically only downhill to the finishline from there, it's not. First 5km down from Sjusjøen were really fast. There was a quite technical downhill (again for a flatland girl), but as I arrived to it amongst the 80 first skiers on that day and the tracks were still in a perfect shape it was so much fun to just let go and enjoy the speed. The fun ended with about 7km to go as the sun was up and I think it was about +5 in Lillehammer at that time of the day. 

All of the sudden the tracks and the snow turned slushy, a bit dirty and all the glide was gone. As I hadn't had any grip left after Midtfjellet (talk about perfect timing) I had no other option than to try to get forward with double poling and felt at times I wasn't moving anywhere. With that, my old friend cramping came to visit first my abs, then my arms and with a few kms to go, also my toes. In spite of all that I managed to pass 4 of the 5 men I saw during the last couple of kms and arrived to the finish line in the Birkebeineren Skistadion in Lillehammer with a time of 3.49 as the 4th lady of the day. 

The tourist herringboning (read: walking) up Midtfjellet.

Final few meters on the Birkebeineren Skistadion. With my cramping toes.

Conclusions

As I said, I had two goals for the race. First one was to enjoy and the second one was to do a time good enough to get to a good starting row for the real Birken next year. Both goals were achieved and I can honestly say, that these were probably the greatest 4hrs I've ever spent on my skis. I was feeling strong all the way and for once the feeding "strategy" worked well and I had good energy levels throughout the whole 54km race. I'm usually the worst at eating and drinking both in training and especially when racing, but I wanted my first Birken to be as good experience as possible and forced myself to eat enough. 

The biggest worry about the skis, was as said unnecessary. I had a decent grip up to Raudfjellet and could still ski quite nicely up to Midfjellet too. After that I didn't do much else than double pole for two reasons: there was no need to with all the downhills and if there would have been a need, I didn't have any grip left. The glide was really good all the way until the last 7km where the skis completely died. 

Another, a lot smaller worry was the 3,5kg backpack. After asking for advice, stressing over a lot of stuff and finally deciding to go with 2 ankle weights 1kg each as extra weights, I managed to pack the backpack so neatly that it sat really nicely on my back. For the first two or three kilometers the backpack felt really heavy, annoying and like it was chocking me. After that I didn't even remember I had one with me - until the next morning when I noticed the bruises down on my spine and on my collarbones as well as a totally stiff upperbody.

One of the best parts of the day was to share it with a friend. I urged Heini to come to Fredagsbirken with me the same day I had decided to go myself. She took up the challenge and that made it a whole lot easier to go through all the pre-race excitement and fuss. We stood next to each other on the starting line and both did well in the race too as Heini was the third girl to finish the Fredagsbirken with a time of 3.40. That being said, we'll be back together next year. Oh and the results can be found here.

I have a lot to say about the travelling, accomodation, raceday transportation and all that, but to save you for that now, I will write another post on those subjects. But if you're considering doing Birken someday, GO FOR IT!

Training update

Jos joku on miettinyt miten täysmatkatreenit ovat edistyneet nyt kun aikaa h-hetkeen on enää alle 5 kuukautta, alla pientä nappausta treenipäiväkirjasta eli Garmin Connectista, josta voi kurkkia moista. Viime viikkoina olen lähinnä pitänyt hauskaa ja nauttinut ihanista hiihtokeleistä, joka on tarkoittanut hyvin vähäistä pyöräilyä, hyvin vähäistä uimista ja kuten läpi syksyn ja talven rasitusmurtuman jälkimainingeissa myös erittäin vähäistä juoksemista.

Itseasiassa, pienet epäilykset alkavat heräillä jalan kunnon suhteen, kun kuitenkin sillä pitäisi kyetä juoksemaan maraton elokuun alussa (3,8km uinnin ja 180km pyöräilyn jälkeen). Kantapää ei varsinaisesti enää satu, mutta sen kanssa pitää olla yhä todella varovainen ja vuoden alusta juoksukilometrejä onkin kertynyt surkeat 143km pienissä 10-30min palasissa. Ei ehkä paras lähtökohta täysmatkalle, luulisin. Muutoin kunto tuntuu hyvältä, oikeastaan paremmalta kuin vuosiin ja tasainen, järkevä ja muuhun elämään eli töihin suhteutettu treeni alkaa tuottaa toivottua tulosta.

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In case someone's wondering how the ironmantraining is going with less than 5 months to go, here's how. For the past few weeks the focus has been on having fun and enjoying the good skiing conditions meaning almost no cycling, almost no swimming and as it has been since the injury (stress fracture) last summer almost no running as well. 

In fact, I'm starting to get some doubts regarding the state of my foot and running a marathon in the beginning of august (after 3,8km of swimming and 180km of cycling). There's no real pain in the heel anymore, but I still have to be very cautious and since the beginning of this year I've only ran 143km in short 10-30min bits. Not the best situation, I guess. Other than that, my form feels good, actually better than in years. It seems than consistency and for once being sensible with training in relation to other things in life (read: work) is paying off.

Enjoying the rare view at this region: Enough natural snow for skiing & sun up in the bright blue sky. Not the worst weather for a summer holiday, I think.

Stupidly happy this morning. So nice to be an early bird, catching the grooming machine and having the tracks almost for myself.

Soaking up the sun. Perfect timing for the holidays, I'd say.

Week 7 (15-21.2.), total 11h28min

Monday: 
Skiing, classic 22km / 1h39min 

Tuesday:
Skiing, skating 21km / 1h29min

Wednesday: 
Weights 59min

Thursday:
am: Skiing, skating 42km / 2h54min (a lot of wet, new snow during the last 1h30min)
pm: Easy evening run 5km / 29min

Friday: 
Rest

Saturday:
Easy morning jog 4km / 27min (very tired after staying up too late at a 50-year's party on friday)

Sunday: 
am: Skiing, skating 46km / 3h10min (incl. 1h30min tempo increasing the pace towards the end of the training, wet and new snow - poor, poor glide)
pm: core exercises 20min

Week 8 (22-28.2), total 11h45min

Monday:
Weights 59min

Tuesday:
Swimming 2500m / 47min (drills + 2*500m + 1*1000m easy)

Wednesday:
Easy evening jog 5km / 30min

Thursday:
Cycling 37km / 1h19min (indoor track) + Skiing, classic 25km / 1h54min (a lot of new snow, poor glide)

Friday:
Skiing, classic 45km / 3h29min (nice sunshine and bit better glide than in the past week)

Saturday:
Easy morning jog 4,5km / 27min + core exercises 15min

Sunday:
am: Skiing, classic 14km / 1h7min
pm: Weights 59min

Week 9 (29.2-6.3), total 11h7min

Monday: Swimming 1800m / 42min (drills + 6*200m easy)

Tuesday: Skiing, classic 20km / 1h25min (incl. 30min tempo)

Wednesday: Weights 57min

Thursday: Running 7,5km / 42min

Friday:
am: Skiing, classic 38km / 2h49min (easy skiing with my dad, very good feeling)
pm: easy evening jog 4,5km / 26min + core exercises 23min

Saturday:
Skiing, skating 44km / 3h15min (First 1h30min with a friend, the next 1h30min tempo with increasing pace. Completely beat up after the training, cramping arms and no energy left).

Sunday:
Easy morning jog 4,5km / 28min (super tired)

Week 10 (7-13.3), total 10h4min

Monday:
Weights 55min (testing a new kind of weight training routine, hard and hurting)

Tuesday:
Easy evening jog 4,5km / 27min + core exercises 31min

Wednesday:
Skiing, skating 17km / 1h3min (incl. bit of a fartlek, still tired and arms hurting)

Thursday:
Weights 58min (same as monday)

Friday:
Skiing, skating 29km / 1h36min (easy, very good glide)

Saturday:
am: Easy morning jog 5km / 31min
pm: Skiing, classic 23km / 1h49min (easy skiing)

Sunday:
Skiing, classic 30km / 2h14min (incl. 30min fast tempo, with a 4kg backpack, first time since last saturday feeling fresh and good)

Holidaymood

Kesäloma 2015, osa kolme, on alkanut! Työskentelin läpi viime kesän, koska halusin säästää lomat talvikaudelle päästäkseni ensinnäkin karkuun syksyn pimeyttä ja toiseksi nauttiakseni talvella aurinkoisista suksituristin päivistä. Kesällä saattoi harmittaa vähän, nyt talvella ei yhtään.

Ekan osan kesälomistani käytin pariviikkoiseen reissuun Sveitsin alpeille ja Engadinin laaksoon syyskuussa. Linkit kyseisestä reissusta kertoviin postauksiin löydät alta. Toisen kesälomaosioni vietin samassa laaksossa tammikuussa, jolloin pääsin nauttimaan täydellisistä hiihtoladuista, auringosta ja haistelemaan myös Visma Ski Classicsien menoa, turistina tietystä. Myös tästä reissusta kertovaan postaukseen on linkki alla.

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It's time for the part three of last summer's summer holidays! I worked through the whole summer as I wanted to save the holidays for the winter season to escape the autumn darkness and to enjoy some sunny (?) days as a ski tourist. During the summer I might have been a bit annoyed with my own decision at times, but now in the winter - not one bit.

First part of the summer holidays, the first two weeks, were well spent in the Swiss alps and Engadin valley in September. Read the blogposts of that trip here, here and here (in Finnish). Second part of the summer holidays I spent in the same valley in January, enjoying the perfect ski tracks, sun and also some Visma Ski Classics action. Read the blogpost of that trip here (also in English). 

Summer holidays part one: Enjoying snowy Engadine mountaintops and sun in September.

Summer holidays part two: Enjoying the same valley as in September, this time with more snow but as much sun in January.

Summer holidays part two: Swiss style ski tracks in January.

Nyt, kesälomani kolmannessa osiossa, tieni vie Norjaan. Muutama viikko sitten päätin, että osallistun Birkebeinerrennetiin - tai no, Fredagsbirkeniin, jos tarkkoja ollaan. Ja tällä kertaa en ole edes muuttanut suunnitelmiani, kuten joskus tapana on tällä impulsiivisella luonteella :)

Birkenin ottaminen lomasuunnitelmiin on tarkoittanut muutamia pitkähköjä hiihtolenkkejä. Onnekkaana tyttönä tänne Tampereen seudulle saapui talvi oikeastaan samalla hetkellä, kun ilmoittauduin Birkeniin. Joten olosuhteista ei nyt ole jäänyt kiinni, vaan olen saanut hiihdellä pitkiä lenkkejä omilla suosikkiladuillani huippuolosuhteissa viimeiset kolme viikkoa.

Birken-valmistautuminen on sisältänyt myös pientä repputestailua. Historiaan pohjautuva sääntö (ks. linkki alla) nimittäin on, että jokaisen osallistujan on kannettava mukanaan 3,5 kiloista reppua koko 54km matkan ajan (reppu punnitaan maalissa) ja koska otan myös omaa juomaa matkaa, joudun käytännössä lähtemään matkaan yli 4-kiloisen repun kanssa. Reppuvaihtoehtoinani ovat olleet Salomonin S-lab juomaliivini 5l tavaratilalla sekä 7-litrainen Haglöfsin Gram -reppu. Haluaisin niin lähteä supermukavalla Salomonin liivilläni matkaan, mutta koska pakollisia varusteita eli vaatteita pitää ottaa sen verran mukaan, on Haglöfsin kanssa helpompi lähteä matkaan. Alla näkyvässä kuvassa on yksi, melko luova, tapa pakata kyseinen reppu lähes nelikiloiseksi - ehkei se suositeltavin "kisaa" ajatellen.

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So now, on this third part of my summer holidays I'm heading to Norway. I decided a few weeks ago that I'll do the Birkebeinerrennet, or Fredgasbirken to be precise and this time I haven't changed my plans as I sometimes tend to do with my impulsive nature :)

Having Birken on my holiday agenda has meant quite a few longish trainings on the skis. Lucky I have been, the good skiing conditions arrived the same week I decided to go to Birken. So I've had the possibility to just put on my skis and go enjoy my favorite ski tracks in perfect condition for the past three weeks. 

I've also tried and tested a few different backpacks to take with me to Birken. The rule is, for historical reason, that everyone has to carry a 3,5kg backpack for the whole 54kms (will be weighed at the finish) and as I will be having something to drink with me too, I'll have a bit over 4kgs to carry at the beginning of the "race". I have a Salomon S-lab running vest (5l) and a Haglöfs Gram 7l backpack as options. I would love to go with my Salomon vest, but as one has to have for example a spare jacket in the backpack, it will be a lot easier to go with the Haglöfs backpack. Belov you can see one example of how to get it weigh almost 4kgs - not recommended for the "race" though.

Birkentrening at its best.

With a bit of creativity, this is one example of what to put in the Birken backpack in training to reach the 3,5kgs.