Saturday, January 05, 2013

A Whole Lot of Skiing Going On

The blogworld is quiet these days. And when i start to read a blog and someone is posting about some epic this or that they did I just close it down. Not that others doing 3hour rides or 2 hour runs is bad, not my point at all. But I just have no interest in it right now. Sorta funny how this past winter I have finally gotten outside to ENJOY the winter.

We have had a pretty mild winter. To some it may seem cold, but once you have skiied in 0 or below, when its 9 deg like it was today and the sun is out, its almost called WARM. I also have been a good user of the chemical heat warmers in both my hands and toes. Gloves and boots. Those save the day. And for anyone that has Reynauds as i do, it pays to be a bit sweaty up top because then your digits and toes dont get robbed of heat to heat your core. I hate being clammy when i am done but it pays off during the ski for me to be a bit warmup top!

I sorta feel like i need to write a post on skiing and all that i have learned in the count em 10 times i have skiied. I think i am at the point where i know what i need to work on and i know how bad my technique is. I feel like a swimmer that is going nowhere, has good fitness but still is basically not moving forward as efficiently as i could be. Add in snow and temp changes and waxes that change daily and new skis that have alot of structure ( grooves in the bottom) that like to hang on or grab thesnow, add in less snow than we need, and its all sort of a roulette as to how you feel. Luckily i am in that newbie stage where i cant really tell. I always blame myself, not the snow or the skis:)

One thing i am super excited about is that i taught myself how to V1 Right AND V1 Left. its alot like swimming breathing. You naturally can V1 to one direction better. But that means a bit of overuse or just plain one side works more. So this may be chinese but when you go up a hill V1 Right means i am poling ( both at the same time) the same time i am putting my RIGHT ski down, the LEFT kicks out. V1 Left means i am putting both poles down when i put my Left ski down ( or i am gliding into that left leg) as the Right ski kicks out. Kinda crazy how the poles make things way harder, so there are drills, just like in swimming.

Anyways I am doing a race. I couldnt NOT do a race, even if i get dead last. I am doing a 35K race up on Mora, its the Mora Korteloppet. The VAsoloppet is 58k that is too far for me. Today i skiied about 16 miles which is about 25K so i still have a few more long skis i need to do, and just like in IM I am lucky that my engine gets revved up after about an hour, and i pretty much feel like i can keep going. Not fast, but hopefully steady. I havent figured out how to eat anything yet but my plan for Mora is to just get it done, enjoy it, not get stuck too far behind people but then again I may be one of those PEOPLE.

Other than that things are good. I head to FLA for a week which will cut my ski time of course, but i plan to do some outdoor swims and catchup on some running. And some reading.

My Coach has been gracious to let me flounder in the ski world. I really really like it alot and see that its pulling me in. Long range plan is the Birkie in 2014. I like sports that take some technique and fitness. TEnnis was like that. After 40 years i still recall hours and hours of drills and form work. I seem to thrive on sports where you can improve with technique. After Mora I will try to get back to regular Tri training but i have to say i think i am hooked :)

14 comments:

Melissa said...

I know a bunch of cyclist that skate ski and race in the winter, it's huge here too. Glad you are getting out and enjoying it!!

Steve said...

Good for you Julia. I wish I could XC ski, but I guess we don't get the 200" or so of snow on the Lakeshore of MI anymore.

Have a good weekend... oh and a good trip to FL if you don't blog before then. :)

cheryl said...

After our 'blizzard' of 12inches after Christmas, i bought skis and have skied 7 times! More times than the rest of my life combined. But the snow is slowly melting, and today may have been the last day unless we get more snow later in the month. I have really enjoyed the skiing, even though Im not very good. Ejoy your skiing, and the race!

Anonymous said...

You make me want to live somewhere COLD with snow (my family keeps reminding me how much I loved the snow when I was little)! I bet I would love xc skiing and then I could understand what V1 right and V1 left mean. :) Glad you are embracing a new sport and I hope you're smiling from ear to ear as much as possible!!

Anonymous said...

You make me want to live somewhere COLD with snow (my family keeps reminding me how much I loved the snow when I was little)! I bet I would love xc skiing and then I could understand what V1 right and V1 left mean. :) Glad you are embracing a new sport and I hope you're smiling from ear to ear as much as possible!!

Anonymous said...

hi julia, fun post! i did the MORA vasaloppet back in the 80's! the snow was poor that year so very challenging an slow (lots of mud actually!) - i'll dig up the pic and email it to you for a good laff! oh, and guess i should tell you that i am gearing up this morning to ride my bike in 45 degrees - cold for this texan ;')!!
lets talk soon -susan

Tom said...

Nice job teaching yourself V1 on your left!

Jennifer Harrison said...

I love all the skiing!! We just need some snow down here!

The Miller Family said...

I MISS skiing!!! We are going to try to get out there this winter!!! Glad to hear that you are having fun.

Caroline said...

I love, love, love cross country skiing! I'm terrible at it, but it is so much fun all the same! So awesome you are doing a race! Hope you get more snow. We've had a super mild winter so far here.

Betsy said...

I've been wondering what you've been up to! I think that spending time doing what we want and what seems fun is most important. I signed up for IM Tahoe but I emailed my coach and said I'm doing a half Mary at the end of January. Until that's done I'm following Hal Higedon's program and doing yoga and I'm in such a happy place. There's points in time when the 4, 5, 6 hour rides and 20 mile runs are my happy place but it's not now. Enjoy winter! If Triple Bypass sounds fun again let me know! We will be active members of Evergeen Bicycle Club this year :)

Eclectchick said...

WOO HOOO!! Welcome to the winter lovers club, Julia!

I tell everyone that taking up XC skiing will cure them of the winter blues and blahs. It sure did the trick for me. EXCEPT for last winter - the winter of no snow - of course, which was no winter at all. Ick.

So excited for Mora for you and BIRKIE!!!! W00t! Ski you out on the trails.

ADC said...

Skiing sounds fun. I am glad you are enjoying it.

Trigirlpink said...

you look HAWT on skis sista! The whole V1 V2 just made me feel dumb and klutzy. I just couldn't get it. UGH!.

I do like skate skiing though. No can do this year though. :-(