K: Tell us who you are. What’s your profession? Where do you live? Why do you run?

A: I am a behavioral psychologist working many hours in and around Memphis, TN. I grew up in Bay City, MI and finished school near Detroit, MI before moving here. I work with little ones and adults with behavioral problems and mental health issues. I’m a board certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA and Psychology masters), so I run to relieve stress!

I have been running since high school track and have always loved it. I now run to: strive towards my time goals in the marathon, travel and see friends over the country, and one day run a marathon in each state. I am also active in the techno music scene from my days back in the raves in Detroit. I grew up on techno nightlife of DJs and still love underground techno!

K: When did you become competitive in running?

A: Ah, competitive?! I have always been very competitive in running as with everything in my life. I used to compete in horse trials and eventing competitions. The first time I thought I could really DO something with running/racing was in college and at my first marathon in 2002. I ran one on a whim just for the experience and loved it. I think my time was a 4:04.

K: How long have you been running?

A: I have been running marathons for over 10 years now. One of my favorite memories is running the Boston Marathon way back in 2003.  Three years ago I joined in the Marathon Maniacs and started meeting many wonderful runners all over the US. As I ran more races, my times continued to drop and I began winning more. I then decided to restructure my goals to become the best that I could be in the marathon and strive for quality times at races, rather than quantity.

K: Where did you hear about Karhu?

A: My Karhu love started five years ago with my first pair. It was like love at first sight… or run. About a year ago I went online, found the Karhu site, told my running story and the rest has been a lovely history. They are the only shoes I race in and support. I have great pre-race and post-race connections and the support from the brand has been phenomenal! I am very proud to represent Karhu as an athlete. One day I would like to travel to Finland and run the marathon there. Perhaps the summer of 2014!

K: What is your proudest running accomplishment?

A: Running is part of my morning every day. I am happy to be healthy and to be able to run and chase my dreams. Being a part of our running community lends me support. I feel that each race I run is an accomplishment and a way to get me close to my goals. To date, I have completed 83 marathons in 38 states. On an individual basis, Boston is my proudest race thus far. But, the San Francisco Marathon was one of the toughest because I hiked up and down Haight Street the day before which made the hills even more challenging. Running across the Golden Gate Bridge was also a huge thrill. I also ran the 2003 Negril Reggae Marathon and took first in my age group off little preparation and little sleep.

K: What do you want to achieve through running? What dream are you chasing? If it’s not specifically a running goal, how does running help get you closer to your dream?

A: I want to become more involved in the community and raise social awareness of different causes through the connections I have made. My long term goal is to qualify for the US Olympic Trials in 2016 by running a 2:43 marathon. My short term goal is to achieve a 3:05 marathon time by the end of 2013. I am working on this goal with my new coach, Justin Gillette of gilletterunning.blogspot.com.

I have a new interest in the NE Distance Project out in Rhode Island. I hope to contribute to part of their community project based running team. A team that focuses on giving back through helping others and working with teenagers and youth while building bridges through the sport is truly a great organization.

K: Any special plan or goal for this Spring/Summer?

A: In April, I traveled to the east coast for the Gansett Marathon in Rhode Island. I met up with a few new Rhode Island and Massachusetts friends. I am targeting some larger marathons later this year with a race in Wyoming in June and one in Utah at the end of July. I am capping off my summer season with the Berlin Marathon at the end of September. Traveling to new states and countries is incredibly special when you get to enjoy a new culture and share running stories.

K: Any final words?

A: I cannot wait to meet and make many more friends through running this year around the world. Being able to race competitively and in Karhu will help me achieve my goals. I love how Karhu embodies the underground with an efficient and quality product. It’s such a cool brand!

Alicia stopping by Karhu booth at race expo in Austin

The small Nordic country of Finland, where the legendary Karhu brand is from, has a culture which holds resilience, grit and fortitude in particular reverence. They even have a special term for it, ‘sisu’, which you might have heard. Sisu does not have a direct translation in any language, but is often described with words that relate to perseverance, bravery and stamina. It is said to be essential for understanding Finnish culture, and yet the concept still seems somewhat elusive. Finland’s epic success in endurance running over the past century is one of the reasons why sisu often rings a bell with avid runners all over the world. Indeed, Finland won every 10K gold (except one) in the modern Olympics before WWII, and runners such as Paavo Nurmi and Lasse Virén are well remembered for their incredible achievements at the tarmacs of the world.

The Running Times magazine reporter Adam W. Chase recently traveled to Finland in search of the true meaning of sisu (link). He came back feeling somewhat disappointed: ”I didn´t feel I’d acquired a solid grasp of sisu. But with time and distance for perspective, it grew on me.” This sounds like a classic encounter with sisu. Even we Finns often feel like that. However, Einstein once said: “If you can´t explain it simply, you don´t understand it well enough.”

The origins of sisu go way back into the country´s harsh history. The late Dr. Richard Stites explained how Finnish history “includes lots of wars, invasions and foreign occupations. Finns are not merely the victims of severe weather. They have not been treated well by next-door neighbors Sweden and Russia, either. Sisu has sustained Finns through all of their long struggles.” Being a Finn myself, I have grown up hearing the stories that reiterated the numerous faces of sisu. When I began a closer inspection, however, I realized that very little empirical research had been done to unlock its deep essence. I decided to do something about this. During my current program at UPenn (where I am studying things such as achievement and character strengths), I decided to focus on sisu in order to find out what the heck it is all about. I had a hunch I might discover something which would benefit all of us. I did, and Karhu was excited to have me write about it. The study has attracted nearly 2000 responses by now and I´m about to start working on the thesis paper.

In the following posts, you will get to take a front row seat on my journey into this fascinating psychological strength. Finland may have the first dibs on sisu as a cultural construct, but it is a universal capacity and potential which exists within all individuals. As Ludwig Wittgenstein once said, “The limits of our language mean the limits of our world.” Only through having the words and constructs to describe the world and the phenomena around us can we strive to describe it, and therefore, understand more and be more. This is what my main prerogative with sisu is. To expand our language and thinking, and through this to transform the ways in which we perceive our opportunities.

I have planned to structure my posts so that each describes one element of sisu. It will be a combination of psychology (since that´s my passion), sisu (that’s what I study) and how all this relates to our training and daily life (since that´s what makes it worthwhile).

Enjoy the (st)ride!

Your fellow runner,
Emilia Lahti

Ps. The instructor of this study Dr. Angela Duckworth´s new TEDtalk is out today, May 7th. She is an acclaimed researcher of ´grit´.
http://www.ted.com/promos/TEDTalksEducation

Sisu FB site: https://www.facebook.com/InspireSisu
Blog: http://emiliaelisabethblog.wordpress.com/
Kotisivu: http://www.positiivinenpsykologia.fi (Finnish)

Photo Credit: Saad Alayyoubi

K: Tell us who you are. What’s your profession? Where do you live? Why do you run?

D: Currently residing in Portland, OR I use the beautiful trails and visages of the Pacific Northwest to help inspire me in my occupation as a writer. Coupling my writing with speaking opportunities and I have to say I thoroughly enjoy my life. As for why do I run, well, I have written a 400 page book that tries to answer that question and I am not even sure it did. Basically, I run because I can. If anyone can ever come up with one reason I cannot refute as to why I should not run, I will stop immediately. Hasn’t happened yet.

K: When did you become competitive in running?

D: Competitive is a relative term, is it not? I’d have to say half of my races are not even competitive ones in the terms most would use and even the ones that are usually couple my competitiveness with the clock only. I am not blessed with enough speed to reasonably be considered a threat to win any particular race (even though I have lucked out and been the first to break the tape in a small number of races) but when I toe the line with intent to run hard, I know I will give all I have.

K: What is your proudest running accomplishment?

D: One of them is wisely DNFing at mile 87 of a 100 mile race while I was still in the hunt for the overall lead. I suffered some serious dehydration setbacks and continuing on would have been foolhardy. I know of no race which is so important that I will risk my long-term health just to complete it.

K: What do you want to achieve through running? What dream are you chasing? If it’s not specifically a running goal, how does running help get you closer to your dream?

D: I always wish to strive to find things that I think I may not be able to achieve. Once I had done so I want to move on. Through my writing, my speeches and now my non-profit organization, I am hoping to inspire others to do the same.

K: Any special plan or goal for this Spring/Summer?

D: Recovering from running the entire coast of Oregon last Spring and then a subsequent bike crash, I am now looking forward to finally getting back into shape. With a full schedule of travel, running events, triathlons and sundry excursions, I am always planning.

K: Any final words?

D: Punch impossible in the face.

Dane Rauschenberg interviewed by Karhu.com.

Dane's favorite running shoe, Karhu Flow³ Trainer

K: Tell us who you are. What’s your profession? Where do you live? Why do you run?

J: I am a freelance writer (kind of) and running store employee. I exist on the fringes of the elite runner community. Currently, I live in Minneapolis, MN. I run because my abilities lie in physical endurance and less in…anything else.

Joe and Jyrki during Karhu Tour 2012

K: When did you become competitive in running?

J: I started running when I was young after watching my parents run local road races. I wanted to play American Football, but I weighed 75 pounds when I started junior high. I already enjoyed the sport and started to take it seriously once I realized other sports were out of the question. This means I was an awkward skinny kid, but I gather this is a pretty common occurrence for runners.

Joe winning the races during the Karhu Tour 2012

K: What is your proudest running accomplishment?

J: Thus far, I ran for Team USA in international cross country races twice this winter. The first was in Scotland and the other in Jamaica. I was at the end of a long season of racing and burning out, but I was raced well to help our team win both races, despite not being the favorites. I am very motivated to perform well when racing in a team competition. Well, that and having the hopes and dreams of 300 million Americans expecting me to race well on the world stage.

K: What do you want to achieve through running? What dream are you chasing? If it’s not specifically a running goal, how does running help get you closer to your dream?

J: I want to achieve everything my body and psyche can be pushed to while I’m still competitive. I want to make more international teams, more Olympic trials. Winning is a lot of fun, and I want to win a lot of races, but I suppose my dream is to be satisfied with what I get out of myself when racing.

"Fargo Marathon turns to be one of the craziest to date" -wday.com

Article URL: http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/63853/

K: Any special plan or goal for this Spring/Summer?

J: I want to place in the top 10 at the USA 25k (Fifth Third River Bank Run) and/or the US Half Marathon Championships in Duluth in order to qualify for the Road Racing Championship race in the fall. I also want to achieve a better 10k PR and run under 29 minutes.

K: Any final words?

J: The comment about Americans’ hopes and dreams was a joke. Sometimes we (runners) take ourselves too seriously and I always have to remember to keep it lighthearted when it comes to putting one foot in front of the other.

Joe Moore interviewed by Karhu.com.
Header image credit Mike Scott’s Track &… http://miscottrunningphoto.shutterfly.com/.
 

Joe's favorite running shoe, Karhu Flow Light

View more at: http://www.runnersworld.com/running-shoes/karhu-flow3-trainer

K: Tell us who you are. What’s your profession? Where do you live? Why do you run?

B: I am a 27 year old living and training in Addison, NY. I work at World Kitchen in Corning, NY which is one of the only glass making plants in the world capable of making the quality of products we manufacture. I run because I love the feeling of winning and collecting accomplishments along the way. When I lose, I always want to change things and return to win. No matter if I win or lose, there are always areas I can work on and learn from.

K: When did you become competitive in running?

B: I started running when I was 11 years old and since then I have never looked back. I have always had the drive to be competitive in the sport.

K: What is your proudest running accomplishment?

B: Winning my first marathon in my second ever try and PR’ing by nearly 4 minutes in 2:23:58.

Bryan Morseman

K: What do you want to achieve through running? What dream are you chasing?

B: I want nothing more to then to be an Olympian… or at least make the Olympic Trials. It would be an awesome achievement considering only so many individuals can say they qualified for the USA Olympic Trials. Having it be the marathon is extra special!

K: Any special plan or goal for this Spring/Summer?

B: My goal this year is just to get mentally and physically fit to run my fastest marathon to this date and qualify for the 2016 USA Olympic trials as soon as I can.

K: Any final words?

B: Yes, I would like to thank everyone who has supported me to this point in my running career. Karhu and Craft have been gracious in providing the shoes and clothes for my training and racing. You’re the ones that make me still put one foot in front of the other. Thank you all so much!

Bryan Morseman interviewed by Karhu.com.

Bryan's favorite running shoe, Karhu Flow Light

- Seongtaek, Web Manager

Paavo Arhinmäki and Jari Litmanen in famous TV program Arto Nyberg Show

Mr. Paavo Arhinmäki rocking in Karhu Originals Tee

Finland's Minister, Mr. Paavo Arhinmäki in Karhu Fulcrum Star

Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland and later as the eighth and longest-serving President of Finland.

“Karhun omistaa nykyään hollantilainen Huub Valkenburg, joka on pitkän linjan Suomi-fani. Hän tutustui Karhuun 1980-luvulla lenkkarikaupassa työskennellessään ja oli 1986 kyseisen ketjun “vuoden Karhu-myyjä”. 2000-luvun alussa hän alkoi maahantuomaan Craftia ja Karhua Jenkkilään ja 2008 tarjoutui mahdollisuus ostaa tuotemerkki. Eli kuten esim. Artek, pääomistajuus on ulkomailla, mutta merkki tulee aina olemaan suomalainen. Suomessa edelleen tuotekehitys tehdään Jyväskylän yliopiston kanssa, Kiteellä suksitehdas sorvaa kasaan suksia ja pesisräpylöitä ommellaan Porvoon liepeillä Monninkylässä. Ja tällä lifestyle-puolella pääkallopaikat ovat Helsinki ja nyt myös Turku Eli täältä käsin tehdään markkinointi-, mallisto-, tuotekehityspäätökset.”

Lue lisää: Täältä

About Book in Finnish
Haaveissa maraton tai ennätyksen rikkominen? Tavoitteena Cooperjuoksutestin tuloksen parantaminen? Huippuosaajien kattavassa juoksukirjassa yhdistyvät tiede, kokemus ja tavoitteellisuus. Harrastaja haastetaan avarakatseisuuteen ja valmiuteen oppia ja kokeilla uutta. Kirjan opeilla käsityksesi juoksusta nousee aivan uudelle tasolle.

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About Anni Mattila
“Norah Jones and Janelle Monáe went to Finnish sauna.”

Anni represents the fresh nordic spirit combined with cosmopolitan attitude. Her warm, elastic voice invites listeners on a fun and exciting yet deep and insightful journey. The peculiar style of songwriting combines old school jazz and hip hop with urban storytelling.

Anni’s curious attitude towards everyday life is the engine of her inspiration. Her songs are tiny stories about shoes, coffee, cell phones and paintings, opening up to a whole new level once you listen more carefully.

Anni’s FB Fan page: Click here