Thursday, December 27, 2007

LATEST QUANDARY

My latest quandary is trying to figure out how to fit some cross-country skiing into my routine. For me, skiing is a lot like biking; I really enjoy it, but rarely do it. Part of my “problem” is that I can’t convince myself that cross training is as effective (or at least a valuable part of a training program) as running. Plus, I have to drive to the trails, there’s the whole waxing issue, and finally, having snow is important.

I can remember being fired up to ski last year and then we didn’t get any snow until mid-January. By that time I was like, “Screw it, I’ll just keep running through the winter.”

Well this year we have the snow and one of my co-workers waxed my skis for me. So I took advantage of yesterday’s day off and skied for 35 minutes. I would have gone longer but the 4 inches of new snow hadn’t been groomed yet. And when your technique sucks as much as mine, it makes it difficult – especially on hills. Besides, it was my first ski in two years, so I thought I’d ease into it a little.

Of course, that wasn’t enough exercise for the day, so last night I ran a moderate 8 miles on the treadmill.

Not much else to report, so I’ll provide links to Matt’s and Brad’s latest journal entries.

Quote of the day;

“In the long run, you hit only what you aim at. Therefore, though you may fail, you had better aim at something high.” – Henry David Thoreau
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3 comments:

  1. Anonymous12/28/2007 7:33 AM

    I say do it. The best thing about X-C skiing is that it's an intense, no-impact exercise that you can even do on a rest day. I think you could take whatever you are planning to run for a given week and ADD (not replace) some skiing on top of the running. It's also a great alternative workout if you feel your injury risk is elevated and you don't want to run.

    I'd do it too, but the extra time and effort skiing takes versus running weighs too heavily on my schedule these days.

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  2. Chad12/28/2007 1:10 PM

    Brian, adding skiing on top of running is easier said than done - you said it yourself in your last sentence.

    80 mpw already takes up 11 hours per week - over 90 minutes per day, on average. Skiing in the evening would be next to impossible. Skiing in the morning would mean pushing my runs to the evenings, when it's more difficult to get in as many miles. Hence the quandary.

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  3. Anonymous12/28/2007 7:54 PM

    My point was that skiing is a good add-in for times when you weren't planning to run (and therefore not interfering with your normal running schedule). It's a useful high-intensity exercise you can do without impeding your recovery from your running.

    But your schedule is probably like mine where there are other factors that contribute to taking a morning or whole day off (kids, work, late to bed, whatever), making skiing (or some other cross-training) less likely.

    It's still nice to have the option in your back pocket whether you use it extensively or not.

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