My First Uphill Ski "Race"

That's me in the blue and black at the start of my first ever uphill ski experience. Photo by Andrew Drummond

Not a very eventful week overall, but I did get to try my first uphill ski experience at the Racing to the Moon Uphill Series at Shawnee Peak on Thursday. I also got my running mileage up into the 30s!! Yay! I've been good about picking it back up slowly since this tendon stuff is probably going to be around for awhile. What I've read from so many people's different experiences is that it could be anything from just scar tissue to an avulsion. Symptoms seem to present themselves so differently than everyone. But whatever, I'm just going to continue to run and build slowly.

This was the 4th week back running. Here's a list of total mileage for the 4 weeks:

Week 1: 15.1 miles over 3 days
Week 2: 23.4 miles over 5 days
Week 3: 29 miiles over 5 days
Week 4: 36.3 over 5 days

So I'm actually getting close to my goal mileage of 50 by the first week of February. Plan for the coming week is running every day and 40-45 miles. Then hopefully 45-50 after that. If all goes well, I'll probably stick around 50 mpw for most of February. If I'm feeling ok to bump it up to 60 in March, I will, but we'll see. 50 mpw always seems to be the mileage where I'm still seeing some fitness but I'm not hurting. This will all depend on how I feel.

It looks like I will be racing less than planned since the 4th Season Trail Race Series in Rhode Island appears to be a bust for 2019. I'm sad about it since I like doing those races, but it is probably better for me in the long run.

Mid-January has come and gone.

I do have races on the calendar, but definitely much less than the last 4 winters for sure. Races have always been my go-to for speedwork so I'm a little nervous to be doing less, but I think what I have on the schedule will be sufficient. It's hard to go from racing every weekend (and often doubles!) to hardly anything, but I think my body will be happier with this change this winter. Plus, I've added in the uphill ski thing anyway so that will at least help build my uphill fitness for the mountain/trail stuff starting in the Spring.

Speaking of the uphill ski thing, Andrew Drummond and Hilary McCloy, local running buddies, started an uphill ski series at Black Mt last year. I wanted to try it out but never did. Friday nights just didn't work out well. Plus, I was a little apprehensive about getting into a sport that involves gear I definitely can't afford. I had a feeling I would like it and then not be able to get into it.

Fast forward to this year when they decided to expand the uphill series concept to three days of the week. Shawnee Peak's Racing to the Moon Series was put on a Thursday night which is perfect for me! It's exactly the same distance from my house as Black Mt and a much smaller crowd. So I bit the bullet to rent the equipment the first week to try it out. The fee for the race is only $10 which made it an even easier decision.

When I got there, Andrew had the equipment for me, and this guy, Alex, taught me how to use it. Crazy how many steps there are to these skis and boots! Different settings for uphill and downhill, obviously. It's actually simple enough that I know I'll pick up on it quickly, but this first time took a lot of thought and some help of the other people. It's funny because I was really excited about this uphill stuff. Like I seriously couldn't wait! BUT...there was one thing I hadn't given much thought...I had to ski back down! Aaaahhhh! I hadn't downhill skied since last March. I didn't know this mountain or how the skis would feel. So I was super nervous about that part. I'm just not a good downhill skier. I really wanted to have the option of taking the lift DOWN. Hahaha.

It actually took awhile to get situated with the equipment, but once it was on, and I was set, I realized what I've been missing all these years. Really nice ski equipment. The boots were the most comfortable boots I have ever been in; could have even walked around in them. The skis and poles were super nice. I don't think I've worn a pair of downhill skis newer than 15 years old. Haha.

Me by the tent with everything on and ready to go

I decided to carry a pack with me in case I need to add layers at the top for the ski down. I had on very minimal clothing for the ski up. Light pants, thin long sleeve shirt and light jacket. It turned out to be perfect for the way up. I was POURING in sweat so I needed the minimal stuff. The course only went midway this week so the ski down wasn't long so I never got cold.

Group shot before the start. You can see me in the way back looking off into space

22 people showed up this week which was perfect. I lined up in the back since I didn't know what I was doing yet. It honestly only took about 100 yards to feel pretty comfortable. I'm not in that great of uphill shape so I stayed in the back at first, but as we climbed up first incline, I found myself move to the middle of the pack. I pushed myself as hard as I could just to see how long I could maintain it. It felt so good and, honestly, way more fun than running up a mountain. No tendon pain at all and actually a better workout. I ended up passing a few people to stay mid-pack. Got to the top on the first loop in 19:13. Rick Chalmers was there changing over for downhill when I got there so he helped me out a bit with that. My transition was a bit slow at over 5 minutes. Some people had caught up by the time I left for the dreaded downhill.

This downhill was NOT fun. I have never skied on such fast skis and was not prepared for that. So I took it super slow and got passed by every single person. Hahaha. I was relieved to make to the base alive and excited to change back over for lap 2. Much to my surprise, most people quit after one lap. I don't even know how many people actually continued on for the second since most were far ahead, but of all of us in the middle/rear of the pack on the first climb, only 3 of us continued. I assumed everyone would be doing 2 laps. Haha.

Andrew had mentioned that the second lap would feel easier and more fun. He was right! It felt much easier; so much easier, in fact, that I thought I must be moving way slower than the first lap. When I got to the top, I was surprised to find it only just over a minute slower than the first lap in 20:25. I was expecting at least 3 minutes just basing it on feel. Rick had skinned up with me and once again helped me with the changeover before he skied on down. Surprisingly, the downhill felt really easy this time. I guess I just needed to get my ski legs back. I would end up finishing dead last again. Hahaha. If I just didn't have to do the downhill part! haha! My watch had 1:05:01 for total time and 1,687ft of elevation gain. Race Results (add 24 min to all the times)

Deer in headlights shot when I finished. My helmet is so dorky...but it was free!

So I seriously love it! The uphill! The downhill is just a way to get back down. Maybe I will love it more later. Now, I wish I did have my own gear so that I could go to Black and do their uphill-only pass anytime, but that's not happening anytime soon. I'm glad I had the chance to experience it, though, since it was so great. Highly recommend it!

Stayed after at the bar for drinks while we waited for them to sweep the course. Had no idea what anyone looked like without ski gear on so this other guy and I thought everyone else had left. So we were at the bar. When it was time for the raffle, a huge crowd walked over which was funny. Just like I was dead last in both laps, I was also dead last in the raffle. Haha. I still got a Clif Bar and Shot Blocks. I was happy I still got something.

It was a late night, but that's just how this rolls, and I don't mind it since it's way better than watching TV at home. On the way home, I encountered Conway Village snow removal that took me 15 minutes to go a mile. Haha. By the time I got home I was STARVING. This was actually my 3rd workout of the day so I was hungry.

Unfortunately, my larger body isn't ready for the this starving thing yet because I'm doing nothing but gaining weight. Ever since I started back running and getting more hikes/walks in, I've actually put ON weight. Yes, my diet isn't awesome, but it's not any different than before. I'm still doing the 5 weekly Insanity workouts as usual (except one day this week) in addition to the running. I think a lot of it is water weight and some muscle and just the fact that I ALWAYS gain weight in the winter no matter what. So I'm trying not to worry about it. As I pick up the weekly mileage, it should start to even out...I hope. The ass, though. It's seriously gotten a little too big. Haha. All of my pants are too tight around my ass! My hips are a little hefty, too, I'll admit, but the butt is the biggest culprit. Guess I may need to size up...or just wear sweats and leggings. Haha. I'll admit that I've mostly been wearing tights lately. Considering picking up a few pairs of these. Whatdya think?

Even though I didn't run on Monday and Wednesday, I still got up and did a workout before work. On Monday, I got on the spin bike before work for 30 minutes to one of the usual CycleOps videos. I really do enjoy the bike still but just found the Insanity workouts more fun and better for building power and strength. On Wednesday, I did the usual Insanity Max 30: Max Out Power. I also continued the week with the Insanity workouts on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. And 3 days of Booty Core.

We had a decent amount of snow fall on Wednesday while I was at work. It got really warm, too, so it was melting at the same time...but then overnight, the temp dropped making it all freeze into ice. So the next morning, I had to scrape my car which was basically just ice chunks. It wasn't difficult or anything, but just needed a little more force. I was almost finished with the whole car. Just one section left. I didn't do abnormal movements or anything, but all of a sudden, I pinched that nerve in my neck AGAIN! Omg. The searing pain almost knocked me to the ground. Holy crap. Definitely took my breath away. I couldn't believe this was happening again, although I have been having so much neck pain since the last pinched nerve in November. I'm pretty sure it's the pillows I'm using at work. It's been excruciating, though, but the pinched nerve. Nothing like it except maybe when my gluteal tendon tore during the VT50. Same searing pain.

Needless to say there was no way I was going to do my Insanity workout that day. I couldn't! After I got home from work/my run, though, I got on my acupuncture mat for about 45 minutes. The mat didn't fix it, but it loosened up the muscles enough so that I was able to dig my fingers in there and work it out. It took about 15 minutes, but it freed the nerve. 4 hours vs 2 weeks (last time) that I had to deal with the pinched nerve just from having the acupuncture mat. My neck has still been in agony, though. The muscles are still SO tight most of the time, and every now and then if I sit down for too long and slouch, I feel the nerve being pinched and the pain radiating into my shoulder. Fortunately, just getting up or changing positions relieves the nerve. But, man, wow. I ordered a new pillow, but it's on backorder, unfortunately. I'm probably going to go to a local place that does chair massage for $1/minute since I can actually afford that next paycheck. I don't need the full body (ok, I do, but I can't). I just need someone to workout the neck, shoulders and upper back. 15-20 minutes should be enough time.

I have been using the acupuncture pillow some nights just to get sleep. It really does help. And I didn't buy that fancy schmancy expensive mat either. Prosource Acupressure Mat and Pillow from Amazon for less than $20. I was skeptical, but this thing has helped me quite a bit. It even relaxes me to the point of falling asleep within minutes of lying on it. Unfortunately the pain and tightness in my neck only see temporary relief after lying on the mat, but it definitely helps!

Running for the Week

Tuesday, 1/8- Another snowy Tuesday and another cancelled day of school for John so I just got on the treadmill after my Insanity Max 30 Cardio workout. 7 miles in 50:30. 7:13 avg pace. Avg HR was 162 which I consider a bit too high. 5 miles at 1% grade and 2 miles total (1/2 mile intervals) at 2% grade. Don't let my fast treadmill runs fool you. I can run much faster on a treadmill than I can on the road, especially since the climate of my basement is ideal for running. Haha.

Like keeping track of my splits now. Obviously, the mileage is off.

Thursday, 1/10- Like I said, I pinched a nerve in my neck so I was nervous about running with it. I went right from work to the Hemlock Ln trailhead to run on Corridor 19 with microspikes. It took me forever to change clothes and put on my shoes just because of the neck and shoulder. Ugh. Fortunately, like at Lil' Rhody the last time I pinched that nerve, running made it feel better.

Ran the snowmobile trail out and back. Conditions weren't awesome. It was definitely runnable, but also very chewed up and rough. So it was a slow run. With those conditions, though, it didn't feel slow. And it felt so good to be back running in the woods. 6.2 miles in 1:04:56. 561ft of elevation gain. Avg HR 155.

Friday, 1/11- Super cold morning made it hard to get motivated, but I finally got myself out to run and out-and-back on West Side Rd. Wicked boring run, but we're limited on clear roads up here this time of year. West Side is usually a good go-to. The temp was around 4 degrees so it took 1.5 miles to feel warmed up and 2 miles to feel my toes again. Most of the run wasn't that bad since the wind was blocked by the trees and terrain. Only the 1st mile was horrible since it started on ice-covered sidewalks and then went through an open area with a strong cold wind. Struggled for an 8:14 for the first mile. Haha. In order to skip the icy sidewalks on the way back, I ran out to mile 4.2 so that I could stop at 8 miles and just walk the sidewalk back to the car. Worked out well and most of the run was fine. 8 miles in 1:01:13. 7:35 avg pace. 146ft elevation gain which is why this run is so boring. Avg HR 158.

Saturday, 1/12- Another cold but really beautiful day and my longest run since October. Woohoo! Haha. 10 miles total mostly on snowmobile trails in Madison and Conway. Had to run 1.5 each way to get to and from the snowmobile trail, but the other 7 miles were all on the trails. Mostly decent conditions, but since I got a late start and snowmobile traffic had picked up, the trails were on the soft side. Still runnable and a good choice for the day. 10 miles in 1:38:26. 9:47 avg pace. 1,047ft of elevation gain. Avg HR 152.

My head was soaked in sweat under my hat.

Sunday, 1/13- I was done running in frigid temps by Sunday so I decided to do a workout on the treadmill. I almost didn't run at all. Got my mail from Saturday out of the mailbox on the way back from the dump this morning to find my house payment went up $146/month (due to them underestimating my escrow from 2018). It depressed me so much that I could barely get myself downstairs to run. I knew it would make me feel better, though, so I just did it. And I was right. I felt better. 5 miles total in 36:42. 7:20 avg pace. Warm-up, 10x1min on/1min off, cool down. Felt good to get some speed in. Definitely boosted my spirits.

Walks/Hikes for the Week

Monday, 1/7- 30 minute walk around the ambulance bay at work. (Plus 30 minutes of Booty Core)

Tuesday, 1/8- Had to shovel the driveway after my treadmill run. Fortunately, it was all powder so it took me much less time than usual. 1:34:37. Keeping track to see how much of my life I waste dealing with snow this winter.

Smiling because today was an easy snowshoveling day

There was really no reason for John's school to be cancelled, but it was so I got him and the dogs out for a walk in the fresh powder along the railroad tracks/snowmobile trail from Hemlock Ln to Pudding Pond. I didn't feel like wearing snowshoes, so we stayed off the biking/hiking trail so that we didn't leave boot prints. It was actually really slow going through the snow. 2 miles in 1:13:47.

Thursday, 1/10- Wanted to take care of the dogs in between my run and the uphill ski race so I took them to the mountain bike trails off Hemlock. I noticed no one had broken the trail on Swamp that morning so my plan was to do a loop on snowshoes breaking trail on Swamp and Rattlesnake. The snow was frozen so it was pretty hard work. 3.3 mile loop in 1:52:31. 381ft of gain. I was a bit beat when I was done and hoped I didn't mess up the skiing. Turned out to be fine. Funny, a week later, and my snowshoe prints were still the only ones on that trail. I'm not sure why more people aren't getting out there. So few people that it's nice.

Icy Redstone Quarry

Spot's sign

Friday, 1/11- Due to so little free time, I tend to beat myself up on Thursdays and Fridays while trying to get as much in as possible. So after my Insanity workout and the 8 mile run  on West Side, I decided to hike with the dogs up Hurricane Mt Rd. Haha. I checked to see if I would need snowshoes or spikes and was excited to see a snowmobile had gone through so spikes it was! Such a beautiful day. The hike up was great. I was way to warm and sweating to death. After a mile in, I realized that spikes were not the best choice from here to the height of the land. About 2in of fresh snow had fallen. Ugh! I didn't want to mess up the trail with my boots so I walked all the way to the edge of the snowmobile's track to leave the middle free for skiers. This meant walking in really soft, deeper snow. So it was slow going. Made it to the top. I wanted to go on up Black Cap, but I didn't have the time before picking up John from Cranmore so I turned around. And omg. It was SO cold! I felt dressed appropriately, but I was still cold and moved as fast as I could back down. 3.6 miles total. 983ft of elevation gain. 1:41:14.

Got to Cranmore, but my car hadn't warmed up yet and couldn't with the temps so low outside. Plus, I was craving french fries so I decided to drive to Circle K since I had about 15 minutes to kill. Got some waffle fries and a pizza slice for John. Haha.

Saturday, 1/12- After my workout and run, I took John and the dogs to the Conway Rec Path. Once we got there, though, I decided to walk my old daily walk from the lot to Bryan's parents' house. I used to walk this every day with the dogs in 2003-2004 before moving back to Mass. And then when John and I moved back in 2007 while Bryan was in Iraq, I carried him on this same walk every day. When we moved back to NH in 2011, we lived in their house temporarily, and I walked and ran this many days/week. I hadn't walked it in years now.

Although the snowmobile trail was pretty busy, it wasn't a big deal. We just moved to the side and let them pass. We walked over the railroad road bridge and down the tracks toward Bryan's parents' house. I still remember when they built the wooden platform on the bridge in October or November of 2003. It wasn't there and then maybe a week later, it was. Haha. Now it looks old. So weird. This walk was way too cold. John was fine of course. Haha. Just 2 miles total out and back in just over an hour.

I had hoped to hear back from a friend on where to meet the group I'd been invited to go out with. I had hoped the timing would coincide with us already being in town, but the message never came. Instead I got to see photos on Instagram and Facebook of them having fun. I pouted the rest of the night. This is why I give up on people. Not sure why I was invited in the first place. I'd rather just be left out from the beginning. By the time we got home, I was so cold and shivering still that I got in a hot bath and pouted in there. Certainly didn't help to get that surprise house payment increase the next morning. Fortunately, I still had a good weekend with John.

Sunday, 1/13- Took John and the dogs on the same walk as Tuesday to Pudding Pond. This time, the snowmobiles had gone through so the walk was much easier. And the weather was much less gloomy. 2.1 miles in 1:18:01.

Random Stuff from the Week

Got an unexpected email. I didn't know I had a guaranteed entry into Mt Washington for placing in the top 3 of my age group. I was planning to go through the lottery and then the White Mountain Milers as a last resort. It actually kind of sucks because of the date it's due. I wasn't planning on having to pay for that so early. Ugh. I'm not sure if I can, actually. But I hope to make it work. Although, I'm getting a tax refund, I have no idea when that will happen (due to the idiot Trump shutdown), and it's never before Feb 15th anyway so it will be pinching pennies to get signed up before the midnight on 2/9. If I knew I had my refund coming not too long after that, I wouldn't be worried about it, but it's unknown still. If I can't use it before that, then I'll enter the lottery or use the White Mountain Milers entry. I plan to run, but the timing just sucks a little.

Other random photos from the week. While looking for a photo from our '03 AT thru-hike, I came across this in one of the albums that I had totally forgotten about. I still miss my Coy dog a lot even though she's been gone over 7 years now.

Sweet Coy. Lump in my throat right now just thinking about her.

Petting Chill

I can't tell if Chill likes this or not. Haha. John loves Chill, though.

Made a fire Friday night

Pretty sure Phoenix is NOT enjoying this. Haha.

Since I know someone will wonder. My name is on that cord because I used to bring it to work. You have to label everything or else it gets taken.

Couldn't find Phoenix anywhere. That blue blanket sure does look different than how I left it.

Couch snuggles!

Happy Monday! Showed up to find Chummy, the wheelchair van driver had run into the garage door. Running into things with vehicles seems to be commonplace in the ambulance service.

John had to make a work plan at school for his snow day. I died laughing. In case you can't read his writing, which he really needs immense improvement on by the way, here's what it says, "Wake up at twelve. Cry for an hour. Do nothing. Do everything at the last second." Haha. He HATES homework, but if he only knew how little he has compared to most other kids, he wouldn't hate it as much. Funny, though, even though I always wrote my papers at midnight the night before they were due, I was a really good student. Top ten of the class. Honor roll. Graduated cum laude from college. I appeared to be set up for success, but it just set me up to fail, and fail is what I did. The kids in my class who were like John are all very successful, happy people. So I will never push him academically like I was pushed. If he wants to do his work at the last second, then that works for me. 

Sorry. I kind of lost my mojo with this blog post so it's a week late. I actually wrote half of it last week but never came back to it. I just didn't want to sit at my computer at home. I know I had some other things I wanted to write about, but lucky you, I forgot them! I'm sure I'll remember them in the next one. Haha. Hopefully, I'll get that one done on Wednesday.