Transitioning into Skimo Training

Mostly recovered from the St. George Marathon, I transitioned into skimo training this week.  There isn't any snow, so I started out by trying to classic roller ski.  I can't classic roller ski in a straight line, so I skated on classic skis, kind of.  When I got home, I went on to YouTube to see if it really is possible to classic ski on roller skis.  Apparently it is.  Apparently I need a lesson and lots of practice.

I think the best dryland training for skimo at this time of the year is hill walking.  One of the best hills around is Grandeur Peak.  It's a big bang for your buck in that it gives you 3400 vertical.  I went up Grandeur 3 times this week:

Mon:  52 minutes to the top; 1:16 car to car at a subthreshold pace, edging into threshold the last 10-15 minutes on the uphill.  Controlled running down until last 1/2 mile, and then crazy arms and crazy legs.

Wed: 54? minutes to the top with JD and Tom D; 1:20 car to car at an endurance to subthreshold pace.  Controlled running on the DH.

Fri: 48:50 to the top: 1:12 car to car at threshold pace.  Controlled running until the last mile.  Ran into JD and Andy on the way up, but only stopped for a few seconds to tell them that I wasn't going to stop.

In addition to the above, I worked in a 6 mile flat run on Tues. I barely made it home due to calf tightness from the marathon.  On Friday, with the kids out of school, my family went to Snowbird, rode the Tram up, and spontaneously decided to walk down.  3000 vert. and 3 hrs later, we made it back to our car.  It turns out that Ergo Baby carries 7 yr old girls, 3 yr old boys, and 1 yr old boys in a pinch (separately of course).

On Saturday, I had a fun outing with my brothers Aaron and Sam, Uncle Roman, and the Dorais bros.  We climbed the West Slabs, traversed to the North Summit of Olympus, and exited at the Wasatch TH.  Other than the celebration that included popping and sharing a single Rockstar (diet) followed by a topless flex-off on Olympus' Summit, the highlight was the charge down the mountain.  We went controlled for the first mile and a half.  Then, competition overcame us and before we knew it we were charging down Olympus.  Let's just say that there was lots of free riding and straight-lining going on.  

In sum, I got in about 15k vert (18k down if you count the Snowbird hike) and about 11 hrs of training in.

This photo will keep me smiling for awhile.
Jason ( who obviously practices that pose), Andrew John, me, Aaron, Sam, and Uncle Roman on the top of Olympus.  Photo by Jason's camera.