Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Just Another Snowy & Cold Week!

Well, winter is still here in full force. It seems like last year at this time I was getting in more mileage, but I think that we didn’t have this much snow at this time last year. So right now I am keeping track of my mileage for the week, but it isn’t just running, and there isn’t much I can do about that. Temperatures were sub-zero for most of this past week – I think the worst was about -12 degrees F one morning. And there is still excellent snow up here on our hill; the snowmobile club has groomed a nice loop and I have gotten in some skate-skiing. Now my form in skate-skiing usually isn’t pretty and I really have to concentrate on what I’m doing and if I let my eyes or brain wander – SPLAT! – I hit the ground. Actually, I have hit the ground a lot this week. Sometimes it’s during the skate-skiing, but mostly it has been on this 1+ mile downhill section where I just get going too fast, lose my balance – or in the last case where the snow was so frozen my skis were going too fast and my body just couldn’t keep up – and SPLAT! My ass was dragged about 30 feet by my continuing moving skis. What a hoot!

And I have started doing yoga. Let me just say that if anyone thinks that yoga is easy or isn’t a workout, they are dead wrong! I haven’t gotten to the point where I enjoy doing yoga, but I can see by the time I am done that I have gained some flexibility (which I find is usually gone by the next time I do it again!).

So here is what I have been up to this week. Not exactly where I would like to be in terms of long runs, but I know I will get my chance. I have been running vicariously and getting psyched-up in the 100-mile running scene through watching DVDs of the Massanutten Mountain 100 and the Tahoe Rim Trail 100. Get ready, Lorrie . . . we will have a 100-mile movie night before VT100! And, of course, there has been some excellent rugby to watch; my Munster and London Wasps teams seem to be struggling some but I know they will come around.

Monday 1/12: XC ski 5.5 miles.
Tuesday 1/13: Snowshoed the now-defunct historic Hector Snowshoe Race course – 7.5 miles. Extremely cold day with blustery winds, but the snowmobilers groomed a great course.
Wednesday 1/14: RAN 5 miles! Temps below 10 degrees F!
Thursday 1/15: RAN 6.2 miles!
Friday 1/16: 0 miles – did Yoga. It was just way too cold to go outside.
Saturday 1/17: XC ski 5.5 miles with Joe & Becky. Fell down like a thousand times!
Sunday 1/18: RAN 5 miles with Joe. Ran from home to Mom’s. We had quite a bit of snow and it was cold. Running on the packed cold snow made for some extra muscle workout!

TOTAL mileage: 34.7 miles of running and skiing + yoga (which I think should give me a whole lot of bonus points based on difficulty!)

Nothing too exciting to report. It looks like the first “race” of the season will be the Big Flats Valentine’s Day run on 2/15. The distance is unknown . . . usually between 3-5 miles, so this could serve as a “speed workout”. The goal: win the “sweetheart division” by running/finishing with Joe.

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