Abuse and Personal Records

I’ve been blessed with a body that responds very well to abuse inflicted, by me, on it. It might be due to the fact that this has been going on since I moved to the Keweenaw in 2006. I think, after consistent abuse, the body learns to quickly repair itself and add a little oomph in the process. Maybe it’s just my body. Maybe I’m destined to be a superhero and none of us are wise to that, yet.

The inspiration for all of this jibber jabber is today’s skate skiing workout. I spent a little time at work, then a little time at school, and I wanted to spend a lot more time in my comfortable bed. Bed happens to be one of my favorite places, these days. Even though I wanted to not put forth any great physical effort, I chose to go, anyway. The expanding waistline was the inspiration for that little bit of motivation.

It is worth noting that, while my weight is holding steadily at ten pounds above my race weight, my waistline has shrunk enough to allow me to comfortably breathe in my jeans. This is pretty obvious foreshadowing for the outcome of today’s workout and evidence to how my body responds to abuse.

The Thursday before last, I ventured out on the Nara trails for the very first time. I also attempted my first two black (expert) loops: Skidder and Hemlock. I was feeling pretty gutsy, so I also did all of the green (novice) loops at the top of the hill by the main trailhead. For easy reference, I did Hemlock and Skidder, all of the green trails, and all of the Nara trails except Tanglewood and Homestead. That turned out to be a 120-minute workout covering 14.9 kilometers (9.25 miles). That’s pretty sweet, especially considering that I’ve never done a workout with that degree of difficulty, before.

Recall my state of mind, today: I would have rather been in bed than on the ski trail, in short. I headed to the Nara trailhead, put on my newly-waxed skis, and began what seemed like a rather slow skate. I followed the usual course (this is the third time I’ve done it, so it’s becoming the new usual). The you’ve got to be kidding me hills were no longer a joke, but just a regular part of the trail. I began the long climb up Skidder and Hemlock with much resting – that breathing thing. It was very difficult. I felt like my heart was trying for a jail break, it was pounding so hard. When I finally reached the top – Core Loop – I decided to attempt all of the green trails, just like I did a couple of Thursdays ago. I wouldn’t allow myself to head back down the hill, just yet, because only 40 minutes had surpassed since I began my skate. Forty minutes!!! Holy wah! No wonder my heart felt like it was trying to break through my chest wall! This was five minutes faster than that first Nara skate…on a climb!

By now, you have probably figured out that today’s climb to the top was done in [personal] record time. That is one heck of an improvement over an eleven-day period.

Still feeling like doo-doo because I had yet to reach that 50-minute mark, I moved around Core Loop and its green branches (the green loops shooting off of it) in an effort to reach that endorphin rush of no pain and lots of happiness. I worked on my technique and slowly began to realize that the imperfections of the trail beneath me no longer affected my skiing. I was [kind of] gracefully moving around the green loops like I was actually a good skier.

Upon completion of the easy stuff, it was time to head back to Hemlock and ride the hill down. Let me tell you, it was FUN! I did what I did that first time: I skied down the trails with speed and ease. I reached the point where my thoughts shifted between, “Woohoo!” and “This is really going to hurt if I fall, but I don’t care…” I even let out a couple of laughs that were a combination of great satisfaction, excitement, and joy.

I eventually reached the Ridge Trail (Nara) and skated onto the Tanglewood Loop. I was feeling great. I was also starting to realize that I was feeling a little tired and water was the only savior I sought. I kept skiing, anyway. As I hit the end of Tanglewood and merged back onto the Ridge Trail, I was in the midst of giving myself permission not to do Homestead (the last in the series of Nara blue loops) when I approached it and skated onto it like a magnet being drawn to a refrigerator door. “This is fun going down, but it’s going to suck coming back up,” I thought to myself. “Oh well.”

I completed all of the green loops, Hemlock, Skidder, and all of the Nara trails in 120 minutes. Think about it for a minute: I did it in the same time as I did eleven days ago, but I did two additional loops. It was at this point that I realized why my heart was making its presence so known during the climb. I skated 17.1 kilometers (10.62 miles).

Let’s compare:
* February 5: 14.9 kilometers (9.25 miles)
* February 16: 17.1 kilometers (10.62 miles)

Both of these were done in 120 minutes. Today, I improved my two-hour skate by 2.2 kilometers (1.37 miles). That is one heck of an improvement!

Tomorrow, I think I will head to the main trailhead to do two laps of the green trails. It isn’t a very exciting workout, especially since I’ve been skating these very trails for four winters, now, but I figure an active rest day is just what I need after achieving such an incredible personal record.