I'm jazzed because I get to strap on the boards for the first time in over two years. Long time readers know I like to skate. Before winter training for cycling it's what I did most weekends in the season of short days (in fact I have as many pairs of XC skis as I do bikes). I learned to ski late in life and enjoy coasting down hill now and then but I didn't really get the ski bug until I started skating. In my mind it's the perfect combination of quiet snowy solitude and exercise. You can noodle along and enjoy the evergreens if you're feeling pensive. On the other hand, you can shift it in gear sending your heart rate through the top of your head and searing your legs and lungs while you grind up a hill. Stepping over the top you tuck and run, blasting down the hill and swooping around corners at speeds you're pretty sure aren't safe (kinda like cycling now that you mention it). Over the years the trudge up the hill starts to wear on you and when Little M started school we were stuck in traffic with all the other snow nuts. So I opted for the convenience of triathlon and cycling but I still love to skate and now I can hardly wait.
1 comment:
I am a bit jealous. One of these days I will get back to XC skiing. There was a time when I went out 4-5 times a week during the winter. I got spoiled when I lived within 20 min of 4 ski resorts in Utah where I could start off into the backcounty, and when I could XC ski off my front porch in Arizona. Driving 3-4 hours from here to get to ski country is a deterrent to getting out. Maybe I need to move back closer to the snow :-)
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