Tuesday, September 22, 2009

DRASTIC CHANGES

Tap… tap…

Is this thing on?

Long time no blog.

It’s been over a week and I’ve made drastic changes to my training. I figured when thoughts of my upcoming marathon didn’t get me excited, but thoughts of The Birkie did, then it was time to do something about it. So I went ahead and purchased a pair of these;

For those of you not familiar with snow, they’re called roller skis and they’re designed to mimic the feel of being on snow. I’ve been on them twice a week for the last three weeks. And I’ve even incorporated some bike rides into my training.

I’m not sure if it’s the cross-training, the hint of fall in the air, or the fact that I’ve removed all the pressure of trying to run fast at Whistlestop, but I’ve been feeling pretty good lately. I am looking forward to running the race and then being able to add in even more roller skiing.

I just re-read last year’s race report and what I wrote is still true;

"The Birkie makes me want to be a better athlete. The Birkie makes me want to work on my core strength. The Birkie makes me want to eat my fruits and vegatables. The Birkie is enough to make winter my new favorite season. The Birkie is an event I can see planning my entire season around. And maybe the best compliment of all; I can't see not doing this race in the future."

Quote of the Day;

10 comments:

LaFrenz said...

OH YEAH BABY! 42k of quality running then it's time to hit the trails and start prayin for snow. BRING IT OLE MAN WINTER!

Jean said...

I've seen a few people in my neighborhood cruising around on roller skis. I figure that has to be a sign of fall!

Best wishes to you in your final preparations for Whistlestop.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to see you've gone over to the dark side.

Beth said...

What a coincidence! I got roller skis for Christmas last year and plan on using them for the first time any day now. I was just telling a friend that I want to learn to skate ski this year so I can try the Birkie next year. If you have any roller skiing tips, please share. I'm excited but nervous about trying them. Have fun!

Adam said...

Congratulations! Quality time on those roller skis will make a huge difference for you this year.

AZ said...

Maybe something like that would allow me to enjoy instead of dread MN winters.

carly said...

Congrats on your first pair of rollerskis! Good timing on your purchase, high volume fall training = fast races in February!

Chad said...

@anon, it's not like I'm doing tris.

@Beth, I'll reply on your blog.

@Carly, these are actually my 2nd pair of roller skis. I never used my first pair so I sold them. That lead to a new rule; "never sell your gear". Maybe we can ski together this winter. I skied with the Taylors last year and they said you might be joining us. But I think it was right around Winter Carnival and you were training hard for that.

carly said...

Ha - that's funny that this is your second pair, hopefully they actually get used this time! I look forward to a ski with you and the Taylor's this winter!

trailblazer777 said...

nice pic at top of blog