Skiers are made in the summer.
Yeah, it’s true. But now it’s autumn. So whattayado? We do what we can!
Also: I hear ya if you’re finding it tough to get outside and exercise at this rainy, cold, gloomy, DARK time of year. Sure, the sun pops out now’n’then but how often when it’s your outside time?
Daylight savings time hasn’t yet kicked in or turned off or whatever it does. It’s just getting dark early and it’s darker longer in the morning and when they change things it’s gonna be PITCH BLACK when we get home. Is that how it works? I can’t ever remember. It’s just something else to adapt to.
I confess! I’ve been slow off the ground for ski training.
Guess what happens if you’re not ready when the first good snow flies and sticks around for a week? Answer: after a few days of excited skiing, YOU GET TIRED! So don’t screw up and miss any of the already scarce ski days we get. Be prepared to hit it good and strong for all the snow we get!
I’m in the middle of a silly cyclocross season! CX is only fun when you’re chasing your friends and everyone around here has quit. I just haven’t yet done enough of it to even work up a sweat. I have been going out every week though. Just to do SOMETHING. I tried my first CX race last weekend and got pasted.
(Hey, while I’m typing this, the sun just came out! I better get out there. Darn it!)
It’s been cold and rainy the last few days. Now, that’s supposed to be “good” CX weather — and I agree — but I just haven’t been biking to work nor have I been getting back out there again afterward before it got dark. So I’m behind! That’s the fact, Jack!
So what to do? Well, first —> Do something, anything! And that’s what I’m going to do today.
(Oh, also, I took a vacation for a week not long ago. That also threw me off, even though I was biking up a steep hill every day. But that was only 5-10 miles a day of action. And I regained the 5 lbs I lost this summer!)
I’m also feeling the seasonal pull of warmth and cozy. It’ll be fireplace and woodstove time, too. …Which means I should be sawing and splitting wood! Yeah, I have wood ready from last year which will be nicely seasoned. But I gotta make more — yeah what I split now won’t be good til next year but it’s THAT TIME OF YEAR. There’s a whole new season’s program to GET WITH. So move it!
Oh, and there’s SKI TRAILS TO GET READY! I have over a mile of trail to tidy up! Yikes. That’s a buncha work to do before snow flies.
How to start? Calisthenics are great for CX and also for XC and tele. So I’m going to do a bunch of those. I’ll pull on my stout elastics that I have 2 sets of: one hung up in a tree to pull down on, and one set tied down low on a tree to pull UP on. This will work a bunch of good stuff. I’ll only do a minute for each routine. I do single and double poling and I also do chop-downs and chop-ups. Plus lift-ups.
Then I’ll go do some basic weight circuits for arms and legs. Also some crunches. Dips. And I’ll do a minute of tele jumps.
Then I’ll do a half mile yard-trail jog. After a few days of those I’ll be able to do a fast half-mile trail SPRINT.
Yeah, and as per my article photo, maybe I’ll start dragging that tire around oneathesedays.
The main thing is that I don’t do any part of my routine for very long. I don’t want the actitivities themselves to be a burden. Right now it’s just the GETTING OUT THERE that is the hurdle!
Will I even set up my CX barriers this year? Hmmm, we’ll see. My RIGHT KNEE has been giving me a lot of stiffness and pain this season. What’s up with that? …Maybe it WANTS some weight training! I’ll do extensions and deep knee bends, how bout.
Then I might do a lap of CAT Skiing, using my special offroad rollerskis. Maybe I’ll ride a few laps on my CX bike.
But at least I will have started! THAT IS THE MAIN THING RIGHT NOW!
