Well, the time has come and I’ve hung up my skis for the remainder of the year. I have moved back to Dartmouth, and I am currently out in Arizona for some warm weather running. Switching between the two sports has been something I’ve had to deal with ever since high school and have learned from experience that these transitions need to be done with caution. Running is hard on the body and joints, and it takes awhile for your bone density to increase, the bursa sacks in your knees and hips to expand, and for your overall body to get use to the pounding and jarring of the sport.

The way I usually work the transition is to start during the tail end of my ski season, slowly adding recovery runs before and after races. These jogs are there for two reasons –mainly to prepare myself for the upcoming track season, but also for recovery, as I usually end my season with big races. Light jogs are a great shakeout method to clear lactic acid built up by racing as well as to loosen up the tired and sore muscles. After the ski season ends, I gradually increase my running over the course of several weeks. This particular year I took three days off after returning from Italy, allowing my body to fully recover before taking a single running step. Running just over 30 miles for that first week (of four days), my body was able to get the hang of the abuse I was throwing at it in small doses. I made sure to keep the pace slow and steady, making sure to not over work the muscles and I am very strict about stretching afterwards. After a few days of this, my body had already rapidly made the change over. The following week is one of mileage in the high 50s with one easy up-tempo session to add a bit of speed, as well as one day of rest. After that, if everything is feeling good, the third week back to the sport will be up to 70 miles with three up-tempo workouts, and well, by the fourth week I will be fully transformed from skier to runner.

While if everything goes right, I will be back to full running strength in four weeks, my racing season won’t start for another month, and hard interval sessions won’t be for two or so more weeks. The delay of these events is to make sure not to put unnecessary strain on the body so early in the season. Extra time stretching and sitting in the ice bath are preventative ways to help reduce the risk of injury in this highly-sensitive time, and cross training is used in addition to the running to make sure my overall fitness stays high.

Transitioning from one sport to another, whether from skiing to running, or from football to NASCAR, needs to be done with caution and care, closely listening to your own body and making sure you are not pushing yourself too hard, too early. Just remember the race season is long, and your body will come around in time, just be patient and believe in the plan.

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