Anne Kyllönen’s last season included some good successes in the World Cup, but as she began the new training season, she knew she wanted to ski even better next winter.

“There was a lot of good, but I didn’t quite reach the final peak in my fitness. I didn’t have that top race, so that left me a bit unsatisfied,” she says to Maastohiihto.com.

However, at the start of the new training season, Kyllönen was able to turn her slight disappointment to her advantage, as the desire to ski better next winter has brought additional motivation and a new kind of energy to her training.

“Last season left me hungry, knowing that the basics are in place, but I still need to take it up a notch. That’s why training hasn’t felt so monotonous; my mind has been clear and my motivation strong.”

This season, Kyllönen has done fewer high-intensity workouts compared to previous years, and she currently feels that this has worked well.

“I’ve been motivated to go for runs, and I try to make each training session as good as possible. That way, each individual session pushes me forward and brings a good feeling.”

“When you do a lot of aerobic work in the summer, you can afford to do more intense sessions in the fall.”

New training camp experiences with Vantaa Ski Club

At the beginning of July, Kyllönen joined a training camp in France with Vantaa Ski Club. Both the location and the team were new to her.

“It was nice to be in a new place and with a new group. I got to meet new people and see different club activities. The work at Vantaa Ski Club is really professional.”

Kyllönen decided to join this camp after discussing it with Jasmi Joensuu, who represents Vantaa Ski Club. Together, they concluded that Kyllönen’s participation in the camp would benefit several athletes.

Kyllönen believes that there could be more cooperation between clubs in Finnish cross-country skiing.

“In Finland, all the clubs are relatively small, so such cooperation would bring more benefits from the camps and also provide experience for young athletes. It advances everyone when training with different groups.”

The goal is to ski well throughout the season

Over the past summer, Kyllönen has done more classic roller skiing training compared to previous years. The classic distance is her main event, but she says she has never really focused on it before.

At the Trondheim World Championships, there will be a 10-kilometer classic interval start race. That’s where Kyllönen has set her biggest goals.

Although she has set goals for the World Championships, Kyllönen approaches the upcoming championship season with a relaxed attitude.

“I’ve always valued the overall World Cup a lot, almost as much as championship medals. For some athletes, the championships are the only thing they aim for, but I want to ski consistently well throughout the season.”

“I think it’s quite a challenging goal to aim for one big race in a season and time it perfectly for the championships. Generally, if you can ski well weekend after weekend, it also brings success in the championships.”

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