3 hours of skiing

I went skiing for 3 hours at Wachusett today. I didn’t stay longer because I wasn’t well rested, and started to feel tired by noon. Probably would have been better not to go ice skating the day before.

I started around 9 am with Ralph’s Run, a blue trail. At first everything went perfectly! I was carving some beautiful turns and the trail felt great. Then I noticed it began to get a little bit icy. Not solid ice, but there were sections where the powder was wearing thin.

So I went over to the green trails, Indian Summer and Sundowner (my photo was taken at the top of Sundowner). Sundowner has hills which make it a little tough to practice turns, so I mostly went down Indian Summer. The only problem with this area is that the lift is slow. It’s a nice ride though, and gives you time to rest. The snow conditions were better here, but the trail is pretty short, unfortunately.

I also took a few trips down Conifer, another blue trail. This has some sections which are slightly steeper than Ralph’s Run, and in addition it had more scrape-y icy spots. I wound up on my butt more than once!

For my last run I went down Challenger, and somehow managed to invade a “NASTAR” training race. Oops! I wasn’t the only one who was confused, so I didn’t feel too bad. This area was getting icy too so I decided enough was enough, and turned in early.

Nice thing about Wachusett, if you leave before 12:30 you are refunded $10. It seemed wise to leave and get the discount, since my form was getting progressively worse as I got more tired and the conditions were clearly not getting any better.

I think my skiing technique has continued to improve. Lito Tejada-Flores' video is a really big help, especially if I watch it the night before a ski trip. Also, it feels like my ice skating work has helped my skiing technique – the pumping motion is similar, and my balance is better.

I need more practice. I also think I need to get more specific advice about how to deal with icy conditions, since I encounter them too often.

See more progress on: learn how to downhill ski better

progress ice skating

I’ve been taking lessons once a week, almost every week, since November.

There’s definitely a big improvement. But I need more time practicing. I’ve managed to get to the rink only a couple of extra times during the week for practice, so far.

I tried another practice session this evening. I do believe that Friday is the worst possible day to go. There were about 3 adults on the ice, and 50 kids. The kids were even more hyper and erratic than usual, flying around as if propelled by the paddles in a pinball machine, and I nearly got tipped over twice. I am never skating on Friday night again!

See more progress on: learn to ice skate

200K+!

I just finished the Concept2 Holiday Challenge, w00t!

at the gym

at the gym
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I went for another climb today!

I started out on the wall which slants out a little more than vertical. This is still pretty tough for me, I can't even make it halfway up yet.

That soon got me tired out, and I switched to a wall that was completely vertical. Here I was able to do a 5.8! It was a bit weird, since I could do one of the 5.8s but not the other one. And I couldn't complete a 5.7 either.

When I started to get too tired for that, I switched to a wall that was a little less than vertical, which makes things easier. There I did a 5.5, 5.6, and 5.7.

As usual, it was incredibly fun! I'm glad I finally started up doing this again.

my pm3 is dead, slain by a bad battery

I haven't used my indoor rower since June, at which point the monitor was working fine. Yesterday, I decided it was time to start preparing for the Concept2 Holiday Challenge. When I started to row, the monitor didn't turn on automatically, like it usually does. I figured, "dead batteries" and opened the monitor to pop them out. Much to my chagrin, I found one of the batteries had "exploded" and leaked all over the circuit board.

I was tempted to pour some Dr Pepper over the thing, but I didn't have any in the house. Instead I tried scrubbing on some baking soda with a toothbrush. That removed some of the corrosion but not all (the photo above shows the end result, still with plenty of gunk). I had to flush a little water over the area to remove the baking soda and detritus... I let it dry overnight, and tried it out this morning. It still doesn't work, no surprise.

I could continue to row without the monitor, of course, but then I wouldn't be able to record my meters, and couldn't participate in challenges, which is something I really enjoy.

So I've ordered a PM3 retrofit kit from Concept2 for the horrifying price of $160 (I guess I'm lucky that they still sell the things). Reminder to all: remove the batteries from expensive items when you aren't going to be using them for a while.

skating rink

skating rink
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I took my first ice skating lesson today. I only fell once! My sketchy rollerblading skills came back to me after about 10 minutes on the ice.

signed up for ice-skating lessons

That’s step 1 complete!

See more progress on: learn to ice skate

at the gym

I went for a climb today! w00t!

rock climbing

I’ve been rock climbing just a few times, mostly outdoors. I’d like to become competent with the knots and techniques, and eventually be able to lead. I tend to like going on my own so I’ll probably get into bouldering as well. I don’t know why I put this off so long; it’s another one of those things I always thought I’d enjoy doing “some day.”

I signed up for a class next week (indoor wall), good start!

See more progress on: Learn Rock Climbing

health issue

I've been diagnosed with "frozen shoulder" aka adhesive capsulitis. Since it's so far off-topic for this blog, I decided to start a new blog describing my experiences. So, go there if you want to track what's happening in that part of my life.

I wish I could share some information about how to prevent the condition. However, it seems to be poorly understood, and I wonder if there is anything that can be done to prevent it. "Just don't fall" seems to be the best advice, although it's practically impossible to follow. Maybe I need to learn better falling techniques.

200K!

I finished the 200K on Monday, not a moment too soon. I promptly came down with a cold on Tuesday. Now I’m just going to take it easy until my cold is over.

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge

140K

I’m nearing the end of the Holiday Challenge... just 60K to go!

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge

the wall

the wall
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I've only been rock climbing a few times, a long time ago. Then I went rock climbing a few weeks ago, and remembered how much fun it was, and wondered why I wasn't doing it more often.

So I immediately ran out and bought a pair of shoes and a harness. Yesterday I did a short indoor climbing session, for about an hour.

It was fun, although I didn't find it as much fun as outdoor climbing. The climbing wall was weirdly plastic-smooth, unlike the outdoor climbs I've done where the rock was very ragged, with a lot more places to grab on without slipping.

Despite that, it's the only economical way to practice on a regular basis, so I think I will join a club. My immediate goal is to learn how to belay, which I've done before, but I've totally forgotten how to do by now. Longer term, I'd really like to learn lead climbing. Actually I'd probably be quite happy to do bouldering, too!

3/30

This week I walked to work, for the first time this year in fact. The weather has been unseasonably warm.

My socks were a bit thin, and I got a small blister. Oops!

See more progress on: walk to work more often

Fringe

I've been watching Fringe during my workouts lately. When the show premiered, I gave it a try, because I've enjoyed some other stuff from J.J. Abrams. However, I couldn't even make it through the first episode.

When I ran out of anything remotely interesting to watch during the Holiday Challenge, I tried Fringe a few more times. It has improved. I found the acting and the characters kind of stiff in the first few episodes. I'm getting kind of hooked, although it's still not the same quality as later episodes of the X-Files.

getting started?

I have a fear that I’m going to break my neck, or suffer from some other really bad injury if I attempt a headstand. This is why I’ve delayed attempting this goal. However, that fear may be irrational. So I’m going to take a stab at this, and go very slowly.

I also want to be able to do a handstand, which seems easier than a headstand to me. I found a website that recommended working your way from a headstand into a handstand, so perhaps the latter is more difficult. In any case, they suggested to get started by placing your hands on the ground next to a wall and stepping up the wall with your feet.

This evening, I did this with my face to the wall, and got to about a 45 degree angle. Then I rested there for about 30 seconds, and came back down.

I’ll try doing this on a daily basis. The idea is to get my nervous system to adjust to balancing in this way, and to test my upper body strength. I lift weights for strength training, but I don’t lift anywhere near my bodyweight over my head. I also have had some minor shoulder injuries. I don’t want to make those flare up, so I will proceed cautiously.

See more progress on: Do an unassisted headstand - elegantly

over 220K

I did over 220K meters for the Holiday Challenge this year, amounting to just over $7 for Conservation International. I sputtered out today, since I went to a friend's house for dinner, which left me no time for rowing.

It was very motivating that my meters went towards a contribution to a charity. Usually I stop at exactly 200K and collapse in a weak puddle of sweat for a few days. If I have time I'll do a few more km in the morning...

200K and done!

I just completed the Concept2 Holiday Challenge! Easier than expected, no flus or colds to mess me up.

This year, Concept2 is donating some small change to a few charities for each 1K rowed beyond 100K. There are three charities to pick from. I chose Conservation International. So far, I earned $6 for them! Concept2 is donating up to $50K, and they're only at $18K as of today, so I'll keep rowing as much as I can until the deadline, to direct more money towards CI. Not that the other organizations aren't worthy, but CI is my favorite.

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge

100K!

I’m just slightly behind schedule.

My left shoulder started bothering me after rowing about 2K yesterday, so I had to take it really slowly. Today it seems much better. Hopefully, the rest of the Challenge will go smoothly.

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge

55K

as of yesterday. Feeling confident!

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge