Bust A Skin

So I’m kind of stuck in the JH valley waiting for work to say “Sure, now you can drive the middle of nowhere for 8 days when last time your car blew up. You rock, we love you.” Well, I might get all but the last bit. So with the exception of fixing the odd bug that trickles in from the beta testers, I’m kind of in a holding pattern. But at least I get to get outside for some nice runs or hikes. Right? I mean what’s the best way to kill time? Skiing the corn! We got our first couple of days of 60+ degrees and it’s nice to walk around in shorts again. After three weeks of running, crust skiing, and hiking again I’m starting to feel like I can run for 90 minutes without my legs getting all pissed of and saying the exact opposite of “You rock.”

So lately I’ve just been trying to get out between stints at work on the computer and at least get a run in. I’ve found that it’s actually really nice to do a run or crust ski in the morning for an hour or more, then get out again for a run or chill, fun roller ski in the afternoon. As long as you keep it mellow and are doing something that seems fun, who cares if you’re getting over two hours a day! This is what awesome is all about if you ask me! It’s like what Richie Havens said about learning an instrument:

“”"In most of the songs we like, there are very few chords being played. So, you could and should only start with songs you love… that’s the fastest way to learn to play you will ever find.”"”

This routine ought to hold at least for another day or two when I can get on the road again.

The above shot is a fantastic example of a confused skier in a tuck. If you learn to tuck as an alpine skier you’ll get super low with your hands out front to break the wind at 80mph. If you learn to tuck as a nordic skier (except Colin Rogers, who keeps his skis warm throughout a sprint :), you’ll stand up more to breath and get some rest. If you’re like me, you do both and without poles, and also when you aren’t moving. Let’s just call this “the sun burn stance,” or The “Irish Roast”.

Bust a Ski

So OK, I’ve got to throw this out there about the rollerskiing thing since I’m rollerskiing in April, and I tend get a lot of #*$$ from people. Having only r.skied for a couple of years at age 28 and having never been on a team and roller skied till my butt falls off, I like roller skiing. And you know what, I have friends that like it two! Erich Wilbrect here in Jackson is in his mid fourties and has seen an Olympics and even *he* likes roller skiing. I think it’s all about the timing and the setting. Cruising the bike path in the evening sun is the best, and tacking on a little double pole to catch the post-work workout rush with all those ladies on the bike path while getting your upper body workout is quite invigorating. I mean, don’t do it every day, and for goodness sake don’t do it all summer, but do it when you want with your heart rate down and enjoy it!

Still awesome