Weekends

I thought I would take you on a little trip with this post, a little because I have been making the same short excursion for the past four weekends, and a little because on the drive I started thinking about weekends.......how we cherish them, how we wait for them to come, and how we use them. So this is a story of what I did this weekend........a few people might care, some might not, but either way there are a couple of nice pictures....enjoy.

I usually start the weekends with a later wake up time than my normal 6 am, then take it nice and easy with a great cup of coffee and a read of the weekend paper. This weekend was not much different, its quiet in the mornings and  I am usually alone for the first couple of hours, I settle into my comfy chair and look out the window thinking about the day. Thinking, do I want to do what I planned or is there something else on my mind that feels better, feels right, feels like it should happen today. Nope...the plan stays as is, a short trip up to the Callaghan Valley and some skate skiing.....my chosen choice for exercise on the weekends now.

Today is going to be sunny and clear and I cant wait to see how beautiful it is up in the mountains........preparing for skate skiing is much easier than downhill skiing. The most significant difference is the weight of all of the equipment! Doesn't sound like much of a revelation but believe me when you are lugging all of the stuff through snow while generously overheating it makes a big difference!

So its a quick trip downstairs into the car and we are off to our destination.........the Callaghan valley, home of the Whistler Olympic Park and some best Nordic terrain in BC. Check it out.........http://www.whistlerolympicpark.com/           

The trip will take about a hour and a half and the drive is beautiful...............

As we transition from the city and the greenery of the North Shore mountains we start seeing more and more snow, its truly a wonderful experience, to watch the natural beauty of BC move from one season to another, it never gets boring, never.

So what do you do when you get there, well after a quick stop at the day lodge its off to the warm up/practice area. Practice area you say? Why would you want to do that........? Well I have come to realize that this new sport is much more difficult when you are not warmed up, and its ALL technique, well maybe not ALL but mostly...because I have muscled my way through many a sport and survived, albeit barely with some. But this one, wow.....you get it for a few slides and then its gone. You go from the iconic image of the skier gliding from side to side with ease to a cross between a dog scampering up a frozen cliff and a old man walking with a cane to go up stairs..........and it all happens in an instant!

But each time I go out I get a little better, and it happens a little more often so I guess there is hope. I have been out every weekend for the past four weeks and must admit that I really do enjoy it. I think there is a trait I have that is helping a little, you see I inherited a stubborn streak. One that has proved to be a good thing to have given the athletic choices I have made, and one that has contributed to more than a few injuries! That being said, this time around I am trying to use it for good......to push me to continue to try my best but not "push" through pain....yeah , yeah, sounds simple I know...but it has taken me two Ironman's and a ton of advice from a great coach to realize it! Thanks Mike...........

So lets talk a little about why I have to be so stubborn to learn this sport....one of the first times I did this I was dumbfounded by the amount of balance that you need. I do various types yoga three times a week and had thought that my center of gravity was rather well known to me. Not the case, its a little different when you are sliding forward at the same time you are trying to stand still! Then as you are gliding you point your ski out to the side and push off, like skating, kind of. You see when you skate you have a short, and sharp, edge to use. In this sport there is no sharp edge and the skis are twenty times longer, allowing for many of opportunities to cross them, flip them, and other physical mishaps to occur. So how many mishaps did I have, well I can say proudly only one.....which was two less than my counterpart on the same day! 

Mishaps and all , its a fantastic exercise! Your heart rate gets so high you think you are going to pass out, but when you crest the hill and look back you feel so fantastic about where you have come its overwhelming. My arms, specifically my triceps were so sore the first time we went out even sleeping was hurting them, not to mention my yoga class the next day when I went to an arm balance and collapsed onto my face, yes it was as graceful as it sounds! Then there is that little muscle that I used to watch contract on the professional triathletes as the ran or cycled by, you know the one, high on the hip, (I know it sounds a little perverted but I point it out only for descriptive purposes) its likely used  to make them fast which is evident by me not having one........or at least I didn't think I did. Turns out I do, but it doesn't work!

When you go downhill with these skis you are taught to snowplow to slow yourself down, and even stop. The difference that I want to point out again is that these skis do not have any metal edges, just a little plastic lip, one that requires what feels like an Herculean amount of force to be applied to slow down even just a little. And yes, you guessed it, that little muscle high up on your hip is the one that engages when do this. And mine started screaming, not in the "hey I am that muscle that's going to get a little work now" no, no, its more like "I am the muscle you didn't think existed and if you don't stop doing this right now I am going spasm so bad you will never walk again". So needless to say the communication was one way, drawing on that stubborn streak of mine I ignored the chatter and kept going.

With the tenacity of a cat on catnip I continued and it's paid off, I now can say honestly that I go downhill now with out the need to have odd internal conversations and even rather enjoy the rush of the decent on those skinny little planks.

We wrapped up the day with a light snack at the day lodge and then started home, the beauty of being so close to this wonderful area is that we can do a trip and it really does not take your whole day. The trip back was uneventful however after a few of these excursions I have learned a few things that I thought I would share.

1. Mini Van's are by far the most dangerous vehicle on the roads. 
2. After the age of 40, an hour and a half is a long time to wait to go to the washroom.
3. There are more Audi station wagons on the road with ski racks than I thought there could be. 
4. Police officers driving in the right lane make everyone miserable.
5. Skis should be securlely afixed to one's ski rack. 
6. There must be at least twelve different sports you can do from here to Whistler.
7. Voices on the radio sound the same no matter what station you listen to. 
8. Depending on the song, silence is golden! 

Driving back to the city I thought I would snap a few closing shots of the final approach to our downtown abode. Passing the hottest sport in town right now, then traveling down the avenue to home.......... 

So that's was my weekend, well not all of it of course....what did I leave out? Well an absolutely fantastic dinner at a french restaurant that is participating in the Dine around Town. Wow is all I can say....a wonderful dinner with a wonderful bottle of wine..........a great trail run in Pacific Spirit park, a walk downtown for a little shopping and finished up tonight watching the NFL Pro Bowl where my friends Luke and Kevin are watching in Hawaii (I am so jealous!) and then a little dip in the hot tub downstairs before bed..............All in all , a great weekend.......I certainly can't complain!

Till next time.............