Tuesday, January 13, 2009

CRUELTY

Cruelty = 4-6” of fresh snow, immediately followed by a cold blast.

Sure I could have re-waxed my ski today, put on every layer of clothing I own, throw in some feet and hand warmers and gone out for a ski. But I didn’t. I guess I’m getting soft when it’s -15 degrees and the wind chill is -25.

I’m sure running would be even worse given the fresh snow.

I guess the good news is that the conditions will “force” me inside where I’ve been trying to run harder workouts on the treadmill. My training plan for the Birkie – and I use the term very loosely – is to focus on technique and distance when I ski. Then I use running workouts, like tempos and marathon paced efforts, for my aerobic conditioning. I figure trying to do harder workouts on skis could lead to poor habits. Also, hopefully running harder workouts will make for a smoother transition back to road racing.

Quote of the Day;

“The key to making a commitment you can keep is to be realistic. It also helps if you ease your way gradually into a program that advances slowly enough to leave you eager for more rather than dreading each workout.” – Alberto Salazar

2 comments:

Adam said...

On the back end of this cold should be some great skiing. This weekend should be back to nice and comfy ski weather (20s). Skiing below zero certainly makes you hardy. Some of the City of Lakes Loppet races have been around zero. That makes for interesting facial ice features!

Chad said...

I "tried" to ski this morning (Wednesday). More on that later in today's post.