Outside in Mi

2011-12-17T11:02:00.001-05:00

2011-12-17T10:36:00.001-05:00

Skiing finally

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North Country Trail 50 mile Race

2011-08-28T11:48:00.006-04:00

Pic one - race start about 1/4 mile in, just entering the trail.
Pic two - picking up my age group award.
Pic three - after the race looking real dirty from falling down 6 times.

Pic four - my age group award

Pic five - my cheering section (nephew)

Pic six - self explanatory

At the finish line I said "Why do people run these 50 mile and 100 mile races, it's stupid!!!!! People are not made to run this far!!" Well, that's how i felt, but now i think i maybe planning another after 24 hours of rest. Here's a brief run down.

Start - got there a bit late, didnt have my water bottle filled, went to fill it and almost missed the gun! Started off in 17-20th place or so and just cruised the first 4 miles to the aid station. Sweated a lot so i took my shirt off and then felt much better. At the aid station i got only water because i was using my own Gu. Every 30 minutes for the entire race i had a Gu or Gel Block. Nothing else seemed to sound good and required too much chewing.

Miles 5-10 I made the mistake of following the 3rd place woman and going too fast. It seemed to be a pace that was easy and relaxed but in hindsight 9:20 miles were too much for a 50 mile race. This part of the course had no mile markers so I was a bit uneasy about where we were in the race. When we hit 11 miles I thought it was going to be 13 miles which was a bit demoralizing.

Mile 10-13 i had a bit of an upset stomach and knew that i was going to have to make a quick trip to the bushes. After a quick stop to lighten my load i felt much better.

Mile 15 had a huge long hill which was actually nice because i just slowly walked it. Nice downhill after then about 3 miles of flat single track for easy cruising, still feeling good.

Miles 18-24 were non-stop hills. Now, I've run a lot of marathons and a lot of races in my day but never have I experienced hills like this. It was brutal. Walk up breathing hard, slam your thighs (ugh) going down. All i could think was "This is killing my thighs."

Mile 24-25 flat and easy into the halfway point and my wife and the race start/finish area. At the half point my wife had two bottles of GuBrew ready and helped me get my iPod shuffle too. She refilled my Gu supply and I was off in 3 minutes. I also dumped some water on me and towelled off.

First half summary - a little tired, but not too bad. what's odd is i had at least 4 falls in this first half. I RARELY fall when running on trails so can't explain why it happened. I was right on top of hydration and Gu/food.

Miles 25-30 - I was totally alone for this hour. Weird and demoralizing. Had two guys in front of me but I let them go. At this point I was still in about 18-19th place.

Miles 30-35 I caught a guy in red shorts and stayed about 30 yards behind him, just pacing off him and relaxing. Being alone in an ultra is a little disconcerting because you never know when you could make a wrong turn!! (foreshadowing) It was good to just follow and listen to music.

Mile 35-38 Still feeling ok and now doing a bit more walking here and there on smaller hills. Hit the aid station at mile 38 that that had my drop bag. Gathered up all my Gu with CAFFEINE and 2xCaffeine (thanks nick!!!!!)

Mile 40 was that big long hill from mile 15 again, just walked it and hung with two guys right in front of me. I eventually caught them and was now in 17-18th place for sure as someone was counting off for us. One of the guys was definitely 40+ so i wanted to stay near them. As I passed them on a downhill they said "nice job!"

Mile 41 - BAD NEWS. Tuned into my music and all alone and tired I made a wrong turn. Actually, I didnt make a turn. The flags on the RIGHT meant turn right to do the last 10 mile loope, i didnt make the turn and kept running straight. The trail was nice and flat and I was feelign good and moving along thinking I would catch some more people. Suddenly i came to some more flagging which was coming out of a trail on the right (where i should have come out at mile 49!!!) and eventually I saw cars and people cheering. All I could think was "Holy crap i'm at the finish." I glanced at my watch and saw 7:12 - there's no way i just finished in 7 hours 12 minutes i thought. I began to turn around and head back to where I missed the turn and then some lady yelled "come on come on, the finish is up here." I wanted to go up and finish!!! It took about 10 minutes (a mile) to get back to the right spot and get back on course. In the meant time four runners past me and I lost 19 minutes total. I was demoralized, had missed 20 minutes of hydration and food and felt like crap. When i finally got back on course a serious calf muscle cramp set in. I knew it was probably lack of salt. I wish I had some salt packets with me (live and learn). I hobbled downhills as that's when it seemed to be the worst. The section from 43-49 miles is never ending hills. up and down and up and down. Now, if you are a runner from the mountains these probably wouldnt seem like much, but if you are 7.5 hours into a run they KILL you. Walking up was no problem, actually maybe enjoyable. Running down kills you. Slamming those thighs that have nothing left.

Aid station 43 - "Do you have any salt?" was my first question. "yes, right here" the lady said. I opened two salt packets, dumped them in my mouth and washed it down with a few swigs of water. The salt tasted like some sort of drug (maybe a crystal meth addict can chime in?) and within 30 seconds, literally, my calf cramp subsided. Whew. I walked out of the aid station to drink some more water and have another caffeinated Gu with the salt. From here to the finish it was just more hills and more walking. I seriously thought someone (or two or three) would catch me but nobody did. I guess at this point everyone is just going slow (12 minute - 13 minute miles).

At the finish I felt relatively good, hydrated and fueled. No horror stories. The only real negative was the nausea after the race. For a good two hours I felt very sick to my stomach and couldnt eat or drink any more until this morning.

Numbers First 25 miles 4:10 (exaclty 10 min/mile) Second 25 miles 4:53 (11:40 per mile) Wrong turn 19 minutes (crap!) for a 9:22 finish time total. 3rd in age group (45-49) and 22nd of 143 overall. I was seriously hoping for a time of 8:30 or so, but for a first 50 mile i am happy i guess.

Had my wife there which was very nice and a very big moral boost at halfway then my sister and her family came for the finish too. My wife has babied me now for the last 24 hours and she's great!!

Why a 50 mile? I've always been intrigued with a distance longer than a marathon for a couple reason. In high school one of my dad's friends ran Western States 100 and I just could not imagine running that far after racing 5k's. Then Nick Lewis, one of my former high school runners did Leadville and placed 2nd. This motivated me to think more seriously about it and after signing up last year and getting sick this year worked out. Thanks for motivating me to do it Nick!

North Country Trail 50

2011-08-07T18:47:00.003-04:00

the countdown is on .... 3 weeks (20 days actually) until the NCT 50 miler. gulp. I've been training specifically for this race for .... well, my whole life. I had my fill of 5k's in high school. Moved up to 10k's in college and 20's. Hit a few half marathons here and there. Switched almost exclusively to ski (nordic) racing marathons (30-40-50k) in my late 20's and 30's. Now its time for a 50 miler RUNNING race.

I've had long runs of 18, 18, 24, 32, 18, and 18 miles. I wish I could have gone as high as 35-38 miles, but it just didnt work out. Oh well. Too much running makes running not fun for me, so I will just have to see what happens.

I HOPE to hit the first 25 miles in just a bit under 4 hours. 3:45 is exactly 9 minutes per mile and that might be a bit fast for the first half. I may try 9 minutes per mile running pace and just walk the hills, walk while eating, walk while drinking, etc. This will bump my 3:45 up to 3:55 probably... then the second half we'll just see what happens.

http://www.northcountryrun.com/

Grand Island Trail Marathon 2011

2011-07-31T14:19:00.004-04:00

Well, its in the books, the 7th edition of the Grand Island trail marathon. I've done them all now and this was my 13th official marathon (or marathon+) distance. My time of 3:59 was not stellar, but let me put it in perspective. In the past I've taper and focused on my best performance possible at this race (finishing with a personal best of 3:20 and 11th place overall) For the 2011 version though I am focusing on an August ultra (NCT 50 miler) so I took a different attitude at GITM. FIrst, i arrived at the island early and went out on a 45-50 minute warmup run of 5.5 miles. Then I pace myself as close as possible to 9 minute miles (the pace i hoped to run at the NCT 50). Both worked well to give me a 4:50 minute run on a beautiful island while still maintaining my streak of not missing the GITM race. Today I feel great, not sore in the least, and in fact I just did a nice easy 40 minute run the day after the race. My coaching rival Eric Houghton won the race in a super fast 2:49 - Congrats Eric!!!!

Here are a few pics of the Munising area I took on a camping/hiking trip the week before the race...

2011-04-20T10:54:00.001-04:00

April 20

2011-03-13T09:52:00.001-04:00

8 inches of fresh white stuff. Great. #spring #hatewinter

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2011-03-06T13:03:00.001-05:00

Ski time

2011-02-26T12:42:00.001-05:00

LAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZZZY

2011-02-06T11:41:00.003-05:00

Yes, I've been a lazy poster. Last summer's marathon training for Grand Island was well documented, but then after that it is high school XC season and the coaching keeps me very very very busy and leaves me with little enthusiasm for my own running and/or blogging about the lack of working out.

I took it pretty easy all fall, didnt do much of anything specific and entered 2011 with the intention of keeping my running going all winter. I usually STOP running entirely from November through March, but this year I've mixed xc skiing (both classic and skate) with some running. Right now I'm only doing 4-5 hours training per week, but hope to up that some gradually as I transition to ALL running by March.

A few goals for 2011.

A. North Country trail 50 mile in a respectable time/finish place.
B. A complete end to end run of Pictured Rocks (or at least from Miners Castle to Grand Marais ranger station.)
C. A skate marathon - hopefully the Great Bear, never done it before and I still have 5-6 weeks to do some longer skate sessions on the xc skis.

That's really about it for 2011. I seem to put so much energy and time into Grand Island's trail marathon every year that when its over i'm bonked. I can't make myself train any more to do a fall ULTRA. This year 100% focus on the 50 miler - August 27th here I come. 8:30-9 minute miles should put me in the top 5, which would be awesome, but I have respect for that distance and I know anything can happen in those last 10-15 miles.

Funny pic has nothing to do with goals, but a student snapped it during a chemistry demo i did one day and I thought it was pretty cool. ;)

2011-01-28T17:01:00.001-05:00

Ski time

2011-01-21T19:11:00.001-05:00

Icebeard

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2011-01-08T14:35:00.001-05:00

Homemade sled hill works great

2010-12-28T12:52:00.001-05:00

Extreme sledding

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2010-12-26T15:23:00.001-05:00

Winter holiday beardsicle!

2010-12-16T16:56:00.001-05:00

Homemade sled hill.

2010-12-05T12:28:00.001-05:00

Sled time

2010-11-26T15:36:00.001-05:00

Yoopers

18 miles at 7:30 per

2010-10-17T12:38:00.001-04:00

18 miles at 7:30 per mile was a religious experience. #sunday

2010-10-14T16:42:00.001-04:00

Sturgeon river Oct.14

Fall colors 60 deg of

2010-10-14T07:01:00.001-04:00

Fall colors 60 deg of full sun and a 2 hr canoe float down Sturgeon #river

12.5 miles at 7:40 per

2010-09-05T14:55:00.001-04:00

12.5 miles at 7:40 per mile in 50 deg temps with no rain. #lifeisgood #run

Marquette 50k ultramarathon

2010-08-24T22:33:00.006-04:00

Well, I did it again. Second year of the race, second finish for me. Here's a brief report for the Marquette 50k

Miles 1-10 - Great start in the dark, took off through town nice and slow in the lead pack of 8-12 runners. Hit the Noquemanon trail out of town over the railroad tracks and onto the single track at about mile 5-6. The single track climbs up and up and up and up (although you don't really realize it) over rocks and roots and more rocks and roots. Finally a bit of two track running through the dump and sand pit. Here I was in about 10-11th place and feeling ok, knowing i was running very conservatively and easy. Hit some more single track, through a river (overflowing culvert that is usually not there), and onto the North Country trail. Steep ups and downs with some slippery boardwalk. stopped in the brush for a bit to drop about 1.5 pounds of extra weight (will spare the details) and got caught by one runner. Hit the road and the aid station at Sugarloaf. The following pic is the view from the top of Sugarloaf, misty - half rain and kinda dark.

Miles 10-20 Going up Sugarloaf i caught two runners even though i was really being conservative which was a nice mental boost. On the downside i took it very easy and when the trail flattened out on the other side near Wetmore landing I saw another runner, so i picked it up a bit and caught him. While slowing to hang with him a bit I took a Gu and a drink and coughed a bit on the water. The guy heard me behind him and immediately sped up. I slowly reeled him in over the next mile and when he heard me he sped up again. Same thing, slowly reeled him in and past him and never saw him again. Hit the 15 mile aid station feeling good and picking up the pace a bit hoping to catch another runner, but didnt see anyone for 4 miles. coming off the RR grade the trail goes onto a nice wide path so i pulled out anothe Gu and water with the good footing not needing my focus. Hammered it down and picked up the pace a bit... until i realized i saw NO course markers any more.... ran another minute or so before turning around and backtracking (lost a total of FOUR + minutes due to wrong turn). Stayed calm and patient and lost only one place that i regained in the next two miles. hit he 18 mile aid station feeling good.

Top of the world - Hit this nice hilly 3+ mile loop and walked some of the steeper sections. I dont really remember this portion of the trail last year but definitely enjoyed the downhill sections after the climbs. Nice memorial for someone at the top. Anyone know the story?

20-27 miles - gotta say i hate this portion of the race. Long 2 mile climb to forestville, then boring ski trails and a sandy road. The only good section is the 1.5 miles of the north country trail leading to the aid station at Forestville. Did catch one guy here too though.

27-32 - Brutal downhills with rocks and then back onto the same trail you came in on. It looks NOTHING like running it from the other direction and it seems very very difficult because you just ran 27 miles!!! Easier going up than coming back. The flat sections in the last two miles are hard too because you're outta gas.

Overall this year i felt much better than last year, probably due to running slower, bu it was also tougher conditions this year (warmer and more humid). My overall 5th place in 5:38 would have been a 4th place without the wrong turn, but hey that's what you get in ultra's when you don't pay attention. Also got a nice award as first master. Good stuff, gotta love marquette.

and to top it off my FAVORITE ALL TIME AWARD I EVER WON. SWEET AWARD JOE JAMESON!! THANKS.

2010-08-23T16:41:00.001-04:00

Marquette 50k in the books. 5th overall 1st Master. Pretty slow time but very humid. 15-20 min slower than last year.

2010-08-21T13:26:00.001-04:00

Nick Lewis sets new 50 mile course record by over an hour

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2010-08-20T16:49:00.001-04:00

On the road to #Mqt50 - 50k of yooper trail fun!

2010-08-18T18:53:00.001-04:00

Lovin munising

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2010-08-16T16:01:00.001-04:00

Girls win first challenge!! off on r run now.

2010 Grand Island

2010-08-04T22:32:00.003-04:00

What a weird race this year on grand island. Humidity and warmer temps than usual seems to have slowed everyone down a bit. Plus some heavy rains made for some big mud holes to contend with. Either way I had my slowest time ever, but actually a pretty good place (18th out of 300). Started just fine with some 7:45-7:50 miles for the first 5 or so, then the long climb into the thumb got me with a 9:50 and some walking just to save the legs. Hovered around 20-23rd place for miles 5-9 and the beach crossing was fine, no waves this year to contend with. After the beach I walked the next hill again and lost another place or two. From here some long gradual climbs slowed us down again but i maintained my place after stopping to "lighten the load" a bit. One more beach crossing at 15 and then another hill to walk. kept trading spots with jeff gaft of running fit TC and we continued this trend until he passed me for good at mile 24. Some guy went FLYING past me at mile 22 and then at mile 25.5 I saw him again and nearly caught him after he lost his legs. Anyway, pretty good end to a 3:46ish marathon on the island after a TOUGH training spring with a bad hip and a maximum of 39 miles per week. Oh well, next year i hit the 45-49 age group and hopefully can rip it up.

grand island 2010

2010-07-04T07:47:00.003-04:00

Aspen park provides a backdrop for many hours of my training (life.) CC practice there every wednesday all summer, skiing in the winter, and long runs in the summer. Its shaded, cool, and has a perfect 6 mile single track trail with twists, turns, and some nice little hills. A couple days ago i hit it for a nice 3x6 mile loop run with times of 53, 52, and 51 minutes. At my best its 50-49-48, but this spring and summer has been a challenge with injuries (hip) and lots of family commitments. With 27 days to Grand Island trail marathon i hope to get in one more long run then some speed.

back to my own life... GRAND ISLAND

2010-06-28T17:28:00.002-04:00

WHEW !!!!!! After a long, tiring year of teaching, coaching and life in general the summer is here. I've been slowly ramping up mileage (40 last week) in hopes of finishing grand island respectably and just finished teaching a summer Limno class - see two posts below.

Its nice to have the Grand Island trail marathon as a summer goal - it keeps me motivated to train and run some longer distances.

Hopefully I'll be back to posting some more boring stuff soon!

camping time

2010-06-28T17:26:00.001-04:00

summer school done, running back on track (40 miles last week!!) and the camper cleaned up and ready to roll. MUNISING here we come!!!!! Say YA to the UP!!

Summer limno day 4 and 5

2010-06-18T19:41:00.004-04:00

Spotted Knapweed removal, Oden Fish Hatchery, brown trout, rainbow trout, overnight camping at Sturgeon River, fly fishing, and an amazing, difficult, stressful, sweet, up and down canoe trip on some FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST river water!!

Smart Training

2010-04-10T19:51:00.003-04:00

So, when you get old and wise you begin to train smarter. After a ski season of ZERO running from November through February you start slow and easy. A 4 miler here a 4 miler there, a couple days off then a 5 miler, then a day off then 4 and so on. 20 miles per week for a few, then 25, then 25, then 30, then 35, slow and easy build ups. This is how you prevent injuries. Running is HARD on your body, it beats you up and breaks you down. So after a hard 12 miler two weeks ago I went for an easy 6 then took a day off. The following day I went for a super easy 9 miler and got a funny little twinge in my right hip. Finished the last 4 miles of the run just feeling weird. The next day it was painful a bit but i pushed through a 6 miler that had a hard 2 mile tempo run in the middle. Well, that did it - a combination of hip bursitis and tendinitis has taken its toll. One run in the last 12 days. Broke down and got on my mtn bike today just to get outside. Doc has me on steroids and vitamin I. Feels good today after 3 days of the meds. Hope to get on track by May 1 !!! 117 days to the 6th annual Grand Island Trail Marathon.

Aspen Park

2010-03-27T17:06:00.003-04:00

Well a month ahead of schedule Aspen Park is clear and in great shape for running. Two loops today, one in 49:30, next in 48:45. Good stuff for twisty turny hilly single track.

SUN SUN SUN SUN SUN

2010-03-23T14:31:00.003-04:00

Its been the sunniest, warmest, nicest weather spring in the history of northern Michigan. I quit skiing early, started running early and have logged about 250 miles so far in training for the Grand Island Trail Marathon.

Last weekend I hit the trails for the fist time, only a few small patches of ice here and there in the low spots out of the sun, but Aspen Park is pretty clear overall. I managed a 50:30 loop and a 49:30 loop for 12 miles of twisty, hilly goodness. I'd say this about a month ahead of my usual schedule.

First test will be the Bayshore Half Marathon - Hopefully I can hold 7 minute miles like I did 3-4 years ago. We'll see. Time for track practice, gotta run.

Sun, Run, and Spring. Yes!!

2010-03-03T16:24:00.002-05:00

Longer days, an especially sunny start to March, little or no precipitation and a great time out running have made for a nice transition from skiing to running this spring. I actually started running a bit back in February and have continued off and on since. March 1st marked the "150 days until the Grand Island Marathon" and I started it off with a nice easy 7 miler. I am hoping to hit 30 miles this week and hold there for a few weeks until I bump up to 40. Back in the good old days (when i was in the 20's) I could stop skiing one day and hit a 5 minute mile and crank out 40 mile weeks without any transition whatsoever. Now days I have to be a bit more away of my old, creaky body to ensure I don't get injured. Gradual mileage increases and plenty of easy running.

BUT, a big key to keeping fairly competitive (and winning my age group at Grand Island) will be a focus on SPEED. Speedwork used to be 4x1 mile at 5:10, or a 16:00 5k race. This spring its 3x1 mile at 6:00 or so, or a 5k in 19:20ish. That's the reality of being 44. Can't wait for next year though - that 45-49 age group is going to have a bunch of OLD guys in it!! hahahahaha.

Gaylord Intermediate School ski day

2010-02-09T20:01:00.002-05:00

Three times per winter the GIS kids get out and ski. New skis, new poles, new boots all from a grant the school received. Trails freshly groomed by the city groomer. I was lucky enough to join them today! Here is my daughter, neice and their friend. Good stuff.

running in Feb?

2010-02-05T09:26:00.002-05:00

I'm getting the running bug a bit early this year. Its only Feb 5th and i've thought about getting a new pair of shoes and hitting the pavement. Yesterday while skiing I just felt kinda blah, no excitement, no snap. The waxing and the driving to ski trails and the lack of kick or too much kick and ... on and on make me appreciate the simplicity of running. Put on your shoes and clothes, out the door and get a great workout in an hour or less. Skiing is a 15 minute drive, wax, ski, 15 minute drive, dress, undress. THat's a good 1:30 or 1:45 for an hour ski. I usually dont bother to ski if i can't at least get an hour in. Just not worth it to me. 30 minute run? great recovery day and still a good workout and done quick!

Noquemanon race report 2010

2010-01-31T19:16:00.004-05:00

Well, its in the books, Noquemanon 2010. At age 44 I have arrived at the "middle of the pack" skier times. My 83rd place out of 166 male classic marathoners was right in the middle. Four years ago i wax 39th with a solid 3:08, this year 3:30 in slightly slower conditions. Why the drop in performance? Little speedwork and no racing in two years. What's the quote? Speed kills (those who dont have it). Oh well, it was a great day to be outsideinmi so onwards and upwards.

Friday - arrive, head straight to the dome to pick up our race packets some new socks and Gu. Check in to hotel and head to Vango's to eat.

Saturday 645am wake up, at the race by 8am, check skis and decide which to use. My klister skis were not gripping at all and an attempt at adding Rex Power grip to them didnt work. So, i went with my green/VR40 skis and they were great. Lined up in about row 8 and the gun went off. First 400 meters was a relaxed start with a sharp turn and big downhill. I tucked and got moving fast then noticed a huge pileup of 4-5 skiers at the bottom of the hill, i had no chance to avoide them and couldnt stop so i just braced for crashing into them. Suddenly a gap opened and I shot past them all unscathed!! Lucky. The same thing happened again on the next hill and I felt even luckier. Pretty uneventful race from there on out. Lost my wax pretty much at the high point of the course and enjoyed some serious double poling to the finish. Saturday night we went to the awards and it was great to see all the old NMU crowd and MI Cup skiers hanging out.

Sunday - a quick breakfast at Coachlight and home!

Pics are the Noque Finish and the inside of the Superior Dome.

Noquemanon ready

2010-01-24T09:18:00.003-05:00

well, yesterday was my last big long ski - 45k in about 3:10 or so. good fast conditions at Hanson Hills with solid tracks and 29-32 degrees. It was a bit icy in some spots and then fine powder in others, no worries though when you've got VR65 on your side. It provides monster kick no matter what. It will be interesting to see how i stack up this year at the race. Last time i went in 2006 i was four years younger and had two races under my belt. This year I've had about the same training with no races and more age. so, we'll see.

2010-01-20T11:03:00.001-05:00

Testing testing 1-2-3

Sturgeon River winter rafting

2010-01-14T21:31:00.003-05:00

Well today it was back to the good old Sturgeon River. Took 21 high school students of mine out for some fun. I've done 15+ canoe trips down this section but this is only my 3rd winter raft trip. Kids had fun - they need to do more stuff like this in high school to make it fun. 35 degrees helped keep everyone comfy. Good stuff. (plus got in a good 1 hour xc ski after!!)

Be the change...

2010-01-04T22:16:00.005-05:00

as i was ironing in some wax i glanced at my grandfathers handmade wooden skis and then set my fischer race skis up next to them to cool. the times have changed. pine tar and wood to plastic, carbon fiber and fluorocarbons.

this bottom pic is just me after my ski at 0 degrees F !!! ice beard.

zero degrees, cold ski

2010-01-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

and the groomer came by when i was out!

Upper Peninsula snowshoe

2009-12-30T22:36:00.002-05:00

quick snowshoe trip on Lake Gogebic with my 7 year old Harrison. North end of lake, just east of my parents house is the remains of my grandfathers old saw mill and dock pilings sticking out of the lake ice. cool spot.

Kick Wax Removal - Klister and hard

2009-12-30T22:29:00.003-05:00

How do you remove the pesky kick wax that's built up on your skis? Are you as cheap as me and want to save money on wax remover? (plus its kind of a nasty chemical that i want to limit my usage of). Here's my trick.

1. Get 2-3 pieces of paper towel and cut or rip in half.
2. Pat down over kick wax on skis.
3. Lightly iron over top of paper towel so wax melts into it.
4. Use an old scraper to scrape wax/towel mixture off.
5. Clean off remaining kick wax with ski wax remover as usual.

this method cuts my chemical wax remover usage in half, if not more.

good week

2009-12-19T22:34:00.003-05:00

been a good week of skiing and snow conditions. perfect blue extra skiing mid week right here in town (Gaylord) and even a day of skiing with the kids on friday after school (see pics) One great thing about skiing vs running is the diversity. with running its legs legs legs. Go hard and long one day with running and you have dead legs the next. Today i classic skied and did like 90% of it double poling, great upper body workout. I went pretty hard too - good stuff. Tomorrow i'll skate the hilly terrain of hanson hills for a leg workout - on FRESH legs. Two good hard workouts in a row, working different parts of the body. This is why skiing beats running. (watch for my july post about why runnig beats skiing).

Pics of me and kids.

ski ski ski

2009-12-14T13:38:00.003-05:00

after a fall of little working out, the snow has arrived and i'm back at it 2 hour skate Friday, 2 hour classic saturday, 2:20 skate sunday. good stuff.

picture has nothing to do with skiing (its on the appalachian trail in Tn) but it does show snow.

SNOW - yes we have snow in northern Michigan

2009-12-07T22:26:00.002-05:00

FINALLY, its here, skiable snow. YES!!

Funny how easily skiing comes to you. first run of the season? pure pain, soreness, out of breath, sweating.

first ski of the season, laughing, sprinting, exhilarating, pure fun.

Nov. 28th at Pictured Rocks???

2009-11-28T23:15:00.002-05:00

WILD WEIRD WARM WEATHER in Michigan so why not a 10 mile hike at Pictured Rocks? Light dusting of snow here and there but a beautiful hike. Chapel Falls gorgeous, some new views without leaves to cover them up. Grand Portal always a treat. 4 hours, 10 miles with Andrew and Alex. Good stuff.

North Country Trail - Michigan's UP.

2009-11-24T10:35:00.004-05:00

Did a bit of day hiking on the North Country trail in the UP of Michigan this last weekend. November 21st was about 56 degrees, sunny and no wind. WEIRD. Usually this time of the year in the UP is wind, rain, snow mix or last year 12 inches of snow in a snowstorm. Took the family, wife, kids to Cascade Falls. Beautiful 1 mile hike along the "Valley Trail" into the Falls. On the way back andrew, harrison and I took the "Bluff Trail." What a treat - huge views of the Trap Hills to the west and the access road (forest 400) coming in. You don't realize how big some of these UP hills are until you are standing on top of them with a sheer rock face at your feet dropping off 100 feet straight down or so.

Noquemanon

2009-11-15T20:26:00.003-05:00

Today was my first SKI workout - easy 5-6 miles running with poles. Time to start thinking Noquemanon. I've registered already and it will probably be my only ski race of the year. I used to race EVERY weekend. Not so any more. Just lotsa skiing and a trip to Marquette for the Noque. Nice course, great area, beauty 'eh. Plus, going up with Jerry is a treat.

I've got rougly 2 months to prep - hopefully we get snow early and I can get my Hanson Hills pass and ski ski ski.

Why working out is so good.

2009-11-14T22:50:00.002-05:00

After a great XC season (my boys placed 6th in the state and girls 17th) its time for ME. I put so much into my coaching that i have little testosterone left for myself from september through october. But, now that it's mid November i'm back at it. 4 miles yesterday, 6 today, maybe 8 tomorrow, then gradually work into skiing.

It is simply amazing how quickly the body de-trains itself. Little training leads to lapses in dietary regimens (called junk food binging) and its a downward spiral. Get back on the fitness train and you eat healthy and think good thoughts. the whole word needs to get on this idea.

Off and runnin'.

time time time

2009-09-27T17:20:00.002-04:00

Well, CC season is in full swing at GHS. This means no time to train for me and severe competitive burnout. Seems i put all my competitive juices into the fire up speeches and kids races that there's nothing left for me. Oh well, its over on Nov. 8th and then i'm back at it - this time on skis!

crap

2009-09-14T12:40:00.001-04:00

after my last long run i got sick, 9 days of no running means no trail 50 miler. crap.

18+17 North Country Trail 50 prep

2009-09-06T14:23:00.002-04:00

I've had a pretty good summer of running and I'm ready to take the plunge - the North Country Trail 50 miler is on my calendar. The Grand Island Trail marathon was my first prep, followed by the Marquette 50k, and now an 18 mile and 17 mile run the last two days. After this its time to taper and just relax, the work is done. Been getting some coaching from Nick after his Leadville 100 2nd place ( http://ultrarunnerdude.blogspot.com/ ) and coach Dean Hebert ( http://coachdeanhebert.wordpress.com/ ).

Marquette 50 mile and 50k

2009-08-23T22:40:00.004-04:00

Brutal! That was my only word I shouted as i crossed the finish line. The low key Marquette 50k was brutal. Hilly (4000+ feet of elevation gain), rocky (granite outcroppings galore with lots of talus), rooty (thick nasty roots to twist your ankle on), and beautiful (along the shore of Lake Superior up Sugarloaf, Top of the World, through Forestville, and lots of the North Country Trail.) Joe Jameson worked his tail off to mark the full course VERY well (I'll admit i was a bit skeptical of getting lost) and had a great inaugural event. I'll post more pics tomorrow and a link to results - I'm still a bit tired!!

Miles 1-10 Easy start, followed by some gnarly rock areas, then nice trail, then hills, then road crossing then Sugarloaf. First Aid station, water, Gu, etc. About 1:32 for me.

Miles 10-20 amazing trail along Lake Superior out to Little Presque and beach, back across road through Harlow Lake area. Another 1:34.

Miles 20-25 BRUTALLY tough this took me about an HOUR !!

Miles 25-30 BRUTALLY rocky rough terrain after easy Forestville roads along the North Country Trail.

Miles 30-32 Easy finish, smoother trail, under the bridge and done.

TOO TIRED

2009-08-15T14:41:00.002-04:00

4 days of fun in the UP, waterfalls, hiking, running, beaches, great food, late nights, early mornings.

check my "other blog" and you'll see why. http://gaylordxc.blogspot.com/

Grand Island Trail Marathon 2009 & Memorial Falls

2009-07-27T21:32:00.003-04:00

Picture of Grand Island trying to rise out of the mist on Friday before the race.

Well, its in the books, Grand Island Trail Marathon 2009. My training was up and down all summer/spring but I think I had a good race overall considering my lack of miles, being sick all spring, and doing little speedwork.

Here is the rundown. Arrived in Munising via Bergland (visit with parents) on Thursday to rain and mist and 65 degrees. Friday, more of the same. Slept in the van (wife and kids in camper) so I could get a good nights rest and not wake them up at my 5am wake up call. One cup of coffee, one gatorade, one banana, one powerbar for breakfast. Hit the ferry to the island at 6am. 50 foot walk to the start line and chip timer on ankle. Vaseline and more vaseline. Porta john. Talk with Eric (the eventual winner!! good job man) about the outlook for the race. 7am start and off we go.

Miles 1-6 i felt absolutely horrible. Maybe it has something to do with not running the past 7 days?? Oh well. Gradually I felt better and moved up from 40th to about 30th from miles 7-15. At mile 15 you hit a big hill after a sand beach run. I walk it all the way up and drink water and hit the Gu. At the top you go downhill and I fly and catch all the people that caught me. Its more downhill then some flat for a bit. Then at mile 20 or so another steep, short climb that I walk. Then same plan, fly down and catch the people that are falling off their pace. Picked up 6-7-8 more people here. Caught at guy at mile 23 and couldnt go any more. I sat on him and ran 8:20 miles to the finish, nothing left in the tank and 23rd overall. Not bad considering the MUDFEST that was the trail!! Gotta love Grand Island and Munising in the summer.

So far I've done all five and I'll continue to do this marathon until the old legs won't carry me any more.

We also found a GREAT new waterfall on this trip. Memorial Falls is the BEST waterfall in the Munising area. Park at the corner where H-58 splits from Sand Point road on the hill and the falls is on the south side of the road with a tiny small set of stairs. Amazing hike and waterfall.

Memorial Falls - this picture doesnt even come close to doing it justice.

Alpenfest 4 mile

2009-07-18T21:00:00.002-04:00

15th overall, 27 minutes or so. Not bad, good prep for Grand Island Trail Marathon next weekend.

Autrain Falls and Munising and Pictured Rocks

2009-07-09T20:56:00.005-04:00

4 days camping in the UP, ranging from 46 degrees and 30mph winds with rain to 78 degrees calm and sunny. Beauty 'eh.

Also found a new waterfall and sweet river @ Autrain. Autrain falls is sweet! Water cascading over limestone shelves. Be sure to park at the last parking spot by the gate, walk down the hill over the bridge. then, continue down past the power plant on a trail along the river to the end where the two streams merge. wonder if its good fishing? we'll find out next trip!

This pic is "Lovers Leap" just east of Mosquito River.

And here is Anna traversing the lower Autrain Falls.

Finally, here is the far east end of Miner's beach. I bet i have 100 of these pictures, you just can't stop taking them. Of course, that's Finnegan the exploring Shih-Tzu.

18

2009-07-04T15:51:00.003-04:00

last big run before the Grand Island Trail Marathon today. I felt real tired the last week or so and took a couple days off and cut my runs real short. Then this week i did some speedwork, a short run and my big 18 mile prep run. The 6 mile loop at Aspen is hilly, twisty, turny, root infested and 100% shaded. Perfect for a long run that's easy on the legs. I went 49-49-49 minutes and felt fine at the end. Hit the beach after and laid in the sun. Nice 4th of July!

1568

2009-07-01T22:05:00.001-04:00

I just drove 1568 miles around the state of Michigan in 8 days. Gaylord to Marquette to Ironwood to Bergland to Gaylord to Grand Rapids to Detroit to Gaylord. More later.

Rollerskiing in Michigan

2009-06-17T08:36:00.002-04:00

when the summer temps top out at 80 degrees the chip seal pavement gets soft, the breeze cools you as you fly down a country road and the heat isn't a big deal - all reasons to get out and rollerski! Had a great one hour roll today on the back roads here. I love digging those new ferrules into that soft chip seal tar for a great upper body workout, plus it gives the running legs a break. good stuff.

Racoon with a drinking problem

2009-06-11T20:58:00.004-04:00

mr. racoon hopped onto our back deck outside our bedroom at 2am and we discovered he has a drinking problem. (mountain dew) This is life in northern Michigan.

Outside in Muncie, Indiana

2009-06-02T21:45:00.003-04:00

Well, i'm here in muncie indiana. Flat, farmland, with few trees and lotsa roads. Not really an outdoor mecca. So today after class (I'm learning how to become an AP Chem teacher) I went for a run. Planned a 30 minute easy jaunt out and back on a main road. But then I turned right and found some nice country roads, then suddenly I found a RAILS TO TRAILS deal just like in Gaylord. I hopped on and found some trees, some birds, a couple rabbits, and nature! No matter how overdeveloped your town, city or area is.... try to find a bit of nature to enjoy. It sure makes life good. Like, life is good. I should make a shirt or something with that saying.

ANd, it was a nice diversion from what was going to be a boring run. Unfortunately, or fortunately??, I got a bit lost on the trail, not sure where it was going to come out and my 30 minute run turned into a 1:40 long 14 mile run!! hahahaha. that's running. could be worse I coulda been lost in rocky mountain national park for 2 hours while my wife planned my funeral or lost in the woods of the UP near Bergland for 3 hours on a mtn bike. (did both of those too)

Canoeing the Sturgeon River in Michigan

2009-05-25T20:16:00.002-04:00

GREAT canoe trip today with my son Andrew. We've been doing some dad/son stuff in the last couples years (Pictured Rocks area mainly) and decided to branch out a bit with a local canoe trip down the Sturgeon from Trowbridge Road to North White Road near Indian River. Big Bear Adventures in Indian River set us up with a canoe a quick shuttle upstream with our boat.

Hit the river at Trowbridge Road just south of where the river goes under I-75 at 11:30am, 65 degrees and sunny. Pretty easy trip down to Wolverine where the west branch merges in with the main branch and we stopped for lunch quick. It was about an hour to here.

From here down it was fast and furious with some nice rapids I'd not been on before. Pretty fun. We'd been on the river about 4 hours 15 minutes when we FLIPPED about 200 yards from the van!!!! DANG!! That water is COLD. Oh well, when a trip goes perfectly smooth there's not much to remember. We'll remember this one. Great day.

Bayshore half marathon

2009-05-23T19:46:00.002-04:00

Well, just home from the Bayshore half marathon in Traverse City. I did my usual routine, sleep in the van in the parking lot, board the bus, and take it easy the first couple miles. Hit the mile in 7:22 and pretty much stayed there the whole way. Given the spring I've had I'll take that result. While there waiting for the race to start I saw some of the old running crowd from my serious racing days. Mark Doherty was one of them - we used to road race and ski race against each other. And, we both agreed we've transitioned from serious racing to serious participator. This, however, didnt prevent him from sprint past me in the last 800m of the race. hahahaha Also saw my old high school buddy Max. He did the 10k and then afterward we had a nice chat. Bryan Burns is the race director of the whole deal and got to talk to him too - we'll be both running Grand Island in July. Time to get serious about training now that school's almost over and i'll have more time.

Outside in Michigan on the Sturgeon River

2009-05-14T18:23:00.002-04:00

Hit the Sturgeon River the other day for a quick 2 hour canoe trip with my high school limnology class. 65 degrees and sunny, perfect. We had about 50 kids in 23 canoes and I'd guess 7 of them tipped over. They thought it was funny until they hit the 47 degree F water. Ouch. BRRRRRRRRRRRRR. One group of gals flipped near a logjam, had their canoe sucked under the jam and couldnt get it out. I had to wade in chest deep and pull it out. I was in the water about 5-7 minutes and I think 5-7 more and I would have been hypothermic. Dang, that's cold. I was gasping for air and panicked a bit when I almost got washed downstream. Once I got out and changed clothes though I was good to go. fun stuff.

slugfest

2009-05-10T11:29:00.002-04:00

I remember doing a post last summer called HAMMERFEST. This is slugfest. Back in February I decided to start my running season a bit early. I'd not been skiing much and felt like running so off i went. I wanted an early jump on the run season so i could kick some serious butt in the Grand Island Trail marathon again. I had a good time last summer and I hoped to crack into the top 10 before i got too old (43 this year !!!!). Well as usual track season (I'm our high school coach) interfered, but that's not a big deal - I can usually sneak in a couple good weekday runs with the kids and have most weekends free. But, the kicker this spring has been sickness. I've had a lingering case of some viral thing that has seriously kicked my butt. Sore throat off an on, runny nose, etc etc - I'll spare you the details. A grand total of 12 runs in 6 weeks is not a good way to start your marathon prep.

Anyway, I am going to try a good decent 10 miler today to prep for my half marathon in two weeks. You really shouldnt run a 13.1 mile race on 20 miles per week training. Oh well, I've crossed the line from COMPETITOR and WINNER to PARTICIPATOR and ENJOYER. It was a difficult transition to make, but if you can do it you enjoy a differnt side of silent sports.

Good news though too. My 13 year old is expressing some serious interest in silent sports. We've got a canoe trip down the sturgeon or pigeon river planned (100 miles of canoeing and camping along the way) and our annual pictured rocks trip backpack. Should be a great summer.

going going gone ...

2009-04-25T19:11:00.003-04:00

that's it, winter is over, the final snow pile in my front yard is only worth about 5 snowballs. let the sun shine !!

Going, going, but NOT gone.

2009-04-18T15:10:00.002-04:00

April 18th and my yard STILL has some piles of snow left. wild.

Cades Cove drive loop

2009-04-10T13:53:00.001-04:00

video looking up at the peaks from Cades Cove loop. the highest peak, I think, is where Russell Field Shelter is located on the Appalachian Trail at about 4600 feet elevation.

Clingman's Dome April 2009 with 14 inches of snow

2009-04-10T13:31:00.001-04:00

Clingman's Dome April 8, 2009

2009-04-10T13:14:00.002-04:00

Snow, wind, ice, 14 inches of snow and a temperature of 35 degrees at 11am. That's Clingman's dome in April. It could be 70 degrees and sunny or it could be a bit rough. After driving to the summit today I gained a new respect for anyone who attempts the Appalachian Trail. AT hikers must brave about 180 or so mile to get to this point and anyone who can make it this far is one tough person. The entire trail is a whopping 2100+ miles - only a few hundred make that every year and that has to be one amazingly difficult trip. Today there would be a handful of 15 or so hikers who would come out onto this area, hitch-hike down to Gatlinburg for a much needed rest and refuel, then back at it. Ur amazing you AT'ers, my hats off to you.

Appalachian Trail April 7, 2009

2009-04-10T13:01:00.002-04:00

After reading Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" my son and I became infatuated with the AT (short for Appalachian Trail). Since we were trying to save some $$ and stay closer to home this spring break we thought we'd do a quick trip to Tennessee to check out the trail as it winds through the Smokies. I packed and double checked the weather. Average early April temps in Gatlinburg are about 65-70 degrees and about 10 degrees colder up in the mountains. Everything looked great. Both Andrew and I were sick though so we had to postpone out trip until Tuesday, arriving late at night in a dark Gatlinburg. We awoke to some splendid sunshine though, made a quick stop at Kroger for last minute supplies, then headed up to the visitor center for a map. Amazingly, the lady at the counter told me the road leading into the park was closed due to ice and snow -- they had a huge snowstorm up top and received well over 10 inches of snow !!! Amazing. We did a quick side trip around the south side to Cades Cove and put on our packs. We were going to head up anyway. The pictures down below show the gradual change from wet trail to snowy trail to SNOW trail and finally the AT at the top right next to Russel Field Shelter - elevation about 4600 feet. We had climbed up about 3600 vertical feet in 5 miles, taking 3 hours to do it. Great views all the way up.

Outside in Mi (and outside my door)

2009-03-31T21:46:00.003-04:00

The title of my blog is Outside in Mi. This is a pic outside my door today. Its March 31st, just 2 hours 15 minutes to April 1st. What sort of April Fools Joke is 5 feet of snow outside my door ??????????? COME ON !!!!!!!!! The snow seems to be sticking around much longer than usual this year. (Might have something to do with over 180 inches of it accumulating.)

Ice cave

2009-03-19T17:44:00.002-04:00

Munising's Grand Island Ice Caves.

Munising Falls in WINTER

2009-03-15T20:53:00.002-04:00

This waterfall is always the first stop for the GHS XC team camp every summer and I havent been here in a while so Andrew and I headed up for a quick 24 hour trip to check it out. Other pics are some SWEET ice formations out on GRAND ISLAND.

Grand Island icicles and caves

2009-03-15T20:46:00.004-04:00

So ... Andrew and I decided, very spontaneously, to drive to Munising and check out some ICE formations. The Pictured Rocks cliffs ooze water all winter, it freezes and creates HUGE ice formations hanging from them. The easiest access is from Sand Point, walk across the lake (SUPERIOR) directly to them. It was 32 degrees when we left and after 3 hours of exploring it was nearing 45 degrees in bright sun. Perfect day.

165

2009-03-09T20:57:00.003-04:00

yes, its true, Gaylord Michigan snow total for the 2008-2009 winter is at 165 inches as of March 8th. I thought we were losing snow and headed to spring then last night we got a solid 10 inches of heavy snow. time to snowblow. Bear got out the sled with boden and the girls and did some serious sledding in the yard. He was also impressed that he could actually touch the roof with his sled. that's a lotta snow.

Jerry Weiss

2009-03-08T15:36:00.002-04:00

Want to have a good time or hear a good story? Hang out with Jerry Weiss for a morning or afternoon. Good race at Boyne Highlands today Jerry - 21st overall, awesome performance especially on this tight downhill turn.

Heaven?

2009-02-24T21:37:00.002-05:00

I wonder if this is what heaven looks like? Perfectly groomed tracks and 27 degrees with MONSTER kick and MONDO glide.

XC SPEED

2009-02-23T11:16:00.002-05:00

downhill at Aspen Park at 9am this morning, 13 degrees F, BRIGHT sunshine and perfect kick and glide. Fuzzy video, but you get the idea ... it's fun.

Double Pole

2009-02-18T06:41:00.000-05:00

Cross country skiing classic style today involves LOTS of double poling. How far can you go just double poling not using your legs? One Vasaloppet skier (Jan Ottoson) had a bad knee and did the ENTIRE 90k (54 miles) JUST double poling. Imagine that. How fast can you go? In this video we're just trucking along at a nice 6:30 minutes per mile pace. Pretty fast pace!!

Why do I cross country ski?

2009-02-17T18:25:00.003-05:00

Many people ask me why I ski. When my students ask what I'm doing after school, I always seem to answer "I'm going skiing!!!!" They reply "Downhill? where?" I say, NO!!! CROSS COUNTRY SKIING !!! They think it's boring, they think its for old grandma's and grandpa's shuffling along enjoying the scenery. They're right, older folk do like it. But, so do youngsters and 43 year olds... BECAUSE ITS ALSO VERY FAST and EXCITING WHEN YOU DO IT RIGHT !!!!!

Check out the video WHY I like XC skiing.

Skating - Nordic Style - Skate Skiing

2009-02-16T18:03:00.003-05:00

When you mention "skating" to a non-XC skier, they get confused. Ice skating? Do you play hockey? No, cross country ski skating. 99.6% of the population of the USA doesnt know about skating or what it is I think.

I love classic skiing. On the best possible classic day its blue extra and hard track and great glide. But, on the best skating day its ground up ice crystals. See the pic below. We just had 4-5 days of very warm temps (40+ degrees F) followed by 2 inches of snow. Our local ski area ground up the ice a bit and mixed the two, making for rocket fast conditions. Today it was about 10 miles in an hour easily. Heartrate didnt get above 140. Its easy, fast, fun skiing and I think a day like today beats the best classic day. FAST.

Take a look at the pic below. You can see the LONG gliding ski on the right and a long gliding ski on the left. The tracks are only for the classic skiers, or a "skater" who just wants to double pole.

HAMMER FEST

2009-02-11T17:34:00.003-05:00

Hammer fest today. In light of the 41 degrees, lack of snow, bare spots everywhere and no trail grooming, I'm still running. Today I cruised over to GIS (our intermediate school) to run with the 5-6-7-8-9th graders. I saw them up ahead and the "fast" group was about a 100 yards ahead of me. I put the hammer down, caught them, passed them, and showed my toughness. Then i had to take a short cut, stop and catch my breath, and recover. Man, being 43 and slightly out of running shape is tough. hahahahaha. Oh well, give me a couple months and i'll stick with these youngsters. Overall it was a faster 48 minutes of slush run with multiple puddles.

run run run, not snow snow snow

2009-02-08T19:38:00.002-05:00

funny what a difference a few days makes. we've gone from the icebox to SUN in just a few short days. I laced up the running shoes to enjoy some BALMY 35 degree temps today!! Had a leisurely 6 miler after my 4 miler yesterday. First runs since October... only 3.5 months to my half marathon and 5.5 months til the marathon.

Its truly amazing how warm 40 degrees feels after you've been used to a high temp of single digits. Lovely warm, delightful. Teamed up with some serious iTunes by my man Gnarls, i was good to go.

snow snow snow snow

2009-02-03T19:28:00.004-05:00

Well, the last week or so hasn't been bad for snow, but what does 140 inches of snow look like? Well, here it is. I pile it up next to the basketball hoop on the side of the driveway and I had the Bear stand next to it for a size comparison. He's exactly 4 feet tall, I'd wager the snow is 8 feet tall. Dang. That's the most snow we've had since we've been here on Hummingbird Court. Wow. It came on Nov 20th and only had ONE melt day over 32 degrees with rain. Every other day has been accumulation. We should see ground by June I hope.

Bear and Anna

2009-02-01T18:36:00.005-05:00

Out for a ski at Aspen Park. Perfect weather for young skiers - 31 degrees and sunny. We hammered out the one mile loop in a record 23 minutes. Good stuff. Anna really seems to be getting the kick glide, kick glide, down well and the Bear only fell down 12 times !!!

BRRRRRRRR COLD !!!

2009-01-26T21:37:00.004-05:00

Hi temp of only 14deg F again today... not above 20 for a week again. BRRRRRR. 138 inches of snow to date and only 2 days above freezing since December 18th. That's cold. Well, at least we have good skiing snow - for classic that is. Pretty solid tracks and easy kicking.

Noquemanon last weekend. Got a nice trip report from Dell, Denny and Jerry. I'm in next year. Going to get in a couple races next year and train a bit more seriously for skiing next summer - its called rollerskiing. I've got to get ready for the 45 year old age bracket in 2 years - Noque, Vasa, and Birkie time !!

Keep the ice off your beard and happy skiing. (pic above is the 60km mark of the Swedish Vasaloppet in 2006, cold day, nice kick !!)

skate vs classic skiing

2009-01-11T21:07:00.004-05:00

Saturday was 2 hours of classic, Sunday was 2 hours of skate. Which is better? From a pure aerobic, burning calories standpoint I think the skating is better. For me, its easier to go hard hard hard and keep the tempo up in skating. With classic you spend a lot of time double poling and its just not as complete of a workout. Saturday I also had a slight lack of kick, not due to the wax temp but my laziness in refusing to stop and rewax a bit longer. With skating you can get moving VERY fast ... my best 50k skate race is around 2 hours flat - do the math on that you runners, that's FOUR minutes per mile average (15 miles per hour !) With classic its all about getting in a groove and feeling the rythm. Anyway, both days were awesome. Great snow, perfect conditions, groomed exquisitely.

Wax Bench

2009-01-03T20:20:00.003-05:00

What's your wax area look like? Home made wax bench here, two 2x4's nailed together with supports along the length of the ski, wooden home-made clamp. Shelving above and below for wax, iron, etc. More shelving on either side for other assorted man stuff. Motivational bibs on the wall from cool old races back the day.

Hanson Hills

2009-01-03T19:59:00.004-05:00

Man, is this place great or what? I had a great hour classic, followed by 1.5 hours of skating. 100% perfect grooming and great, solid tracks. Love it. Cheap season pass, Butch (and ?? who else?) grooming, lots of familiar faces on the trails.

ALL OUT SLEDDING !!

2009-01-02T16:49:00.003-05:00

Harrison, age 6 is an all-out, full on hardcore sledder.

skiing random thoughts

2008-12-31T09:29:00.002-05:00

man, skiing is so much better than running. today i went out for a 1 hour 25 minute ski. And, this was after about a month of very little training of any kind and eating like an absolute pig over the holidays. I took about 30 minutes nice and easy then found a perfectly groomed little 600 meter section and hammered it. Felt good, skied back to start then hammered it again and again and again. Its so fun to go fast, tuck around corners, glide down a slight hill, hammer another corner, then skate in to the finish. so fast, so free, so non-jarring (like running). Of course, skiing takes time - waxing skis, driving to a groomed area, getting the right clothes on, rewaxing, blah blah. running is nice because you put on shoes and go right out your door. But, on the best day, skiing beats running hands down. You can be totally out of shape and go out and cruise to a great ski for 2 hours. good stuff.

New Years Resolution

2008-12-29T20:03:00.003-05:00

I'm in the same boat i was in last year at this point. A wimpy fall (coaching just takes my competitive testosterone away), too much holiday spirit (great food !!), too little time (school, work, kids, Bball games, etc.), and low motivation ... but, January 1, 2009 (wow, weird) is just around the corner. I'm motivated already just thinking about it. My general plan, as it was last year, is to hit it hard at the new year, eat right, drop about 10 pounds, do some short races, end the ski season at the Black Mtn 30k classic race then run my butt off. The spring will end with the Bayshore Half Marathon like last year, then some long runs, speed tuning in June and July and the Grand Island Trail Marathon.

groove on

2008-12-20T15:23:00.003-05:00

great snow, christmas break, groomed classic tracks and 18 degrees. could you ask for more? some pics of todays 18k ski.