Off to the races!

I have meant to log this entry in for days, but like many people out there, I have caught that horrible cold that is going around. I was in LA for business last week and caught it while I was there. I was hoping that I would feel halfway decent on Saturday, b/c that was our ski day.

Well I woke up feeling pretty good, but after my carpool picked me up and we were halfway there, I felt horrible. Sitting in a car for 3+ hours while not feeling 100% is a horrible experience and I don't recommend it to anyone!

Once we got to Bear Valley I realized that this trip was not going to be anything like the last trip. This trip the coaches meant business. There were 4 breakout stations for groups to go to, each session lasted 30 minutes. I am in group yellow and our first station was to go to Coach Dave's area to learn to go down hills and stop, to turn while doing down hill etc. That was easy enough for all of us. The second station was with Coach Larry and we had to ski in a figure eight. Basically we were using what we had learned at Dave's station. After doing that for awhile we had to go down yet another hill and turn while going down hill and not fall. Then it was time to go to Jen's station. Her station was to do a timed 2.5K. That was the hardest thing, b/c we were going for form and speed in this one. This station is when we realized that none of us were as prepared as we thought we were. I logged in at a miserable 22 minutes. (which I was told wasn't that bad, but I felt it was.) Our final station was to go to Coach George and to Mary to have our form looked at. We had to ski a 1.5K two times and the whole time they were both watching us, throwing out comments on what needed to be worked on. They gave great suggestions, but man was I tired at this point.

After having completed all the stations it was lunch time....and boy were we ready for lunch. Saturday was a lot colder then the previous ski days and we were all just trying to stay warm while we ate.

Once we finished lunch, Coach Scott (our lead coach) announced that we needed to do an 8K. They shouted out the trails that we were to go on and that they would see us around 2:30 or 3pm, maybe later depending on how long it took us to complete it. Off we went!

I was following a lot of the faster people, thinking their knew where there were going, well I was wrong. They must have taken a wrong turn b/c we found ourselves on a trail that we weren't supposed to be on. So one of the ladies and I turned around and found a trail that looked familiar. Then I got separated from her. Luckily one of the guys that I met several weeks prior came up a long side of me. He was lost too. We finally made it back to the starting point, but in all honesty we did way more then the 8k that we were supposed too.

I later calculated the distance that I went that day to have been just under 15K. If I can do a 15k while sick then I can do the minimum distance at the race of 25K.

The countdown begins for the amount of ski practices we have left...the pressure is on all of us. What is hard is that more then half the team is sick and can't practice like we want too, which is going to throw us behind in our training. I have taken it easy on myself this week because of being under the weather. Sunday I was in so much pain from my cold and having completed 15K the day prior that I was laid up all day on the couch. This week I have gradually felt better but don't want to push myself to where I might relapse. So I figure that I will take it easy for another day or so and then pick the pace back up again. The season is starting to fly by and I am getting a bit concerned that we don't have enough ski days. I have decided that even though I am going home for Christmas I am taking my cousin up to the mountains and we are going to be Xcounty skiing on Friday. I need to get as many days in as possible at this point.

Until next time! Have a great Christmas!

More Aches and Pains!

Saturday, November 10th, some of us decided to drive up to the Royal Gorge in Tahoe to get another day of skiing under our belts. It was so hard getting up that morning. All day Friday was a holiday fest b/c of Christmas parties. I didn't get home on Friday night until well after 10pm. Rolling out of bed on Saturday morning to meet up with my mentor for the drive to Tahoe was not easy. We both were a bit rough around the edges at first.

We made the drive with no problem, we even arrived early! I soon found out that no other beginners were showing up. I was surrounded by people that have been cross country skiing from anywhere from 6 to 30 years. Talk about being slightly intimidated! Oh who am I kidding, I was petrified!

The trail started on a hill....great! I knew that I was in for a hard day when I got less then halfway down and fell hard. Luckily my mentor and my coach were both there and they taught me how to turn around. Which when you think about it, doesn't seem that hard, but when you are in skis it is a lot harder then you think. I sort of got the hang of it when I decided that I would try the hill again. I fell a few more times, but I have mastered the graceful fall, if you believe that exists!

My mentor and I decided to take the easy loop, and it proved to be more challenging then I thought. Mainly b/c it was downhill. That is when I decided that I needed to know how to snowplow (a way to stop) immediately. After doing the small loop we decided to stay in the track area for me to get my ski legs. The track is pretty flat. After doing that several times we decided to go on a longer loop. By this time another one of the more experienced people decided to go with us. So the group of 3 took off.

I noticed that when I didn't think too much about snowplowing I was able to do it pretty well (though there is definite room for improvement). But when I started thinking too much about it I would biff it immediately. I need to learn to not be so nervous on the skis. We are pretty flexible on the skis so I need to learn to trust myself. Once I can do that then I think I will be better off.

In the 2 hours that we were skiing I had 2 major falls and several (oh who am I kidding, hundreds) of minor falls. One of the big falls I landed on my bruise from last week and I knew immediately that bruise was just doubled in size. The second major fall was when I was trying to snowplow and I leaned to far over my skis and I face planted. Talk about embarrassing. That was the fall that I thought I wouldn't be able to get up. My bad knee felt strange as I was going down and I immediately thought that I was going to dislocate it again. Luckily that didn't happen and I was able to get up and continue going.

Overall I had a great day on the snow. I had great people that were there helping correct my form and push me along! I felt great afterwards. Ask me how I feel today and I can't say that I feel as great as I did after I finished. I am sore like I have never been sore before.

Ask me if I enjoy what I am doing and the answer is a heartfelt YES. I love this new sport. I love the fact that our team is so big and we are all doing this for a good cause. This is definitely a great experience. I know that I have more aches and pains to come, but I am okay with that. I am welcoming them with open arms. :)

Determined and Improving!

This week all the San Francisco people meet up for our typical Tuesday night practice. Prior to the official practice started our coach was holding 30 minutes of Tai Chi (we did this a few weeks ago as well). I was the only one, besides the coach, to show up. I don't think that my other teammates know what they are missing! This is a great workout for balance...which as I am sure I have previously mentioned is needed in cross country skiing.

After the warm up of Tai Chi, we started our practice. And that was the night that the time trials started for us. Keeping a consistant steady pace in an endurance event is very important. So on Tuesday night they had us timing ourselves around the track. Because I have a prior knee and back condition, I can't run. So I had to speed walk around the track. I actually improved my time with each lap. I think that is b/c I am a pretty competitive person and with each lap came my determination to beat my previous time. The ultimate goal now is to improve the time and keep it as consistant as possible.

This Saturday some of us are heading to Tahoe for another ski workout! Will fill you in on how it goes. Until next time.......

First day in the snow!

Saturday, Dec. 3rd was our first day in the snow. We all pretty much started our day around 4:20am, so that we could get in the car for the lovely 3 hour drive to Bear Valley. My carpool buddy, Andrea, and I made it in good time. We were there about 40 minutes early. Plenty of time to rent our equipment and get to the meeting spot. After getting to our team meeting spot we decided it was a good idea to get into our skis and practice a bit before practice actually started. As soon as I thought that I realized that I had absolutely no idea how to get into the skis, let alone go without falling down. After getting a quick tutorial from an experienced cross country skier I decided to get my feet wet with being on the skis. That is when I realized that I had my work cut out for me the next 4 months. I work out a lot, but nothing that I do could have fully prepared me for being on the snow in the skis!

After our team went through the welcoming announcements we were broke off into groups according to our experience. I was put into the intermediate group b/c I have been in the snow and I have snowboarded. Our team leader had us walking in our skis, with no poles; he taught us to fall and how to get back up; he then wanted us to walk for two counts then glide on one leg for 3 counts, all to learn to balance on one leg; then we had to run in our skis. Yes I know that sounds impossible. It nearly is! After some time he had us grab our poles and we learned to stride with our poles. That is the motion to alternate our arms and legs and walk, or glide, over the snow. We then moved on to a pulling technique that looks easy but it taxes out your muscles fast. Basically, you keep your skis parallel and then pull continuously with your arms; reaching the poles to your toes and then pulling yourself forward. When doing so you are contracting your abs and in essence performing a constant ab crunch. That is my favorite motion, though it is hard. When I start to tire out I would default to this technique.

Our coach then had us go on this other trail that would take us to a huge hill, not huge like a downhill slope, but big enough that it was daunting for all of us. I got up the hill by dragging my booty up b/c I fell halfway up it! After we got to the top we had to go down the hill. I was trying to be confident and my coach was giving me a pep talk b/c he knew that I was stressed out about it. After getting his words of wisdom I decided that I could do it. Well I didn't....I biffed it harder then I have ever biffed it before. I not only landed on my backside, but I landed on my backside on top of one of my skis. After hearing my coach say, "OH...that must of hurt!" I got up and got to the trail that we needed to go on before lunch. I biffed it yet again on another, much smaller, hill. I was starting to worry at this point!

Once on the trail I did pretty good. I was actually enjoying myself! Once I was done with the trail I had to turn back towards that devil of a hill to get to our lunch spot. I was thinking in my head that I was going to have to go back down that thing....crap!

Lunch happened and then it was time to ski back to the lodge to return my equipment. My leg/booty area were starting to hurt much more from my earlier fall.....so I thought it was perfect timing to call it a day. I tried to get back down that hill, and fell again. This time I knew that I pysched myself out.....I'll do it next time! I did however make it down the next small hill....which was a great accomplishment for me.

Before we all dispersed we were going to take a team photo, with all 50 of us! My team leader was running to get into the picture and fall so hard that everyone gasped and then the nervous laughter followed, along with questions to make sure he was okay. He was, but the air was knocked out of him and he was a bit slow to move afterwards. I have to say that all of us that day fell! I didn't feel so alone anymore! Misery enjoys company.

I know that I have a hard 4 months ahead of me, but I am ready for it. I am a bit more scared now then I was before our ski day. But I am a bit more realistic as to what will be in store for me in about a week and a half when we go back to Bear Valley.

Until next time......