Gettin' my ski on!

So my running has been limited to little flurries of 3 minutes running followed by 3 minutes walking.  Repeat.  Do this every now and then.  This does not a blog post make, even considering I'm trying to ice (hah!) and stretch (Hah! Hah!) around the run.  And do 1/2 hour of PT every other day.  Suffice is to say, Yay ME! I can run for 3 whole minutes and it's easy!  There was a time, not so long ago, where running for 3 minutes (in a row!) was beyond my scope, so I'm being happy with 3 minutes.  Plus, my knee has NOT hurt at all, I have not had to brace it to get through my 12 hour shifts, it does not "feel funny".  More things to be pleased about, if an uninteresting procession of events.  

So, not much on the running front.  I'm a lazy ol' gal, prone to bed suck, couch potato-ness, and spending lots of time watching reality TV, web surfing and reading mindless novels.  Have I been passing the winter doing all of the above?  Yes!!  Is that all I've been doing?  Surprisingly (hey, I have a medical condition!!) , the answer is NO!!

Why?

Because I live here:

That, in the distance, is Lake Tahoe, and there is just sooo much stuff to do around here.  Downhill skiing I take for granted, and don't even blog about because, Tahoe, duh! and I can actually muster up some little skill at the task, so I can't even really make fun of myself.  Well, I suppose I could, but SOMETHING's got to remain sacred, and I guess for this blog it's the downhill.  Unless I do something ridiculously ridiculous, and really it's only a matter of time for that, but as a day-to-day thing, just assume I ski often.  I do.  (Tonight Tom and I are almost certainly going night-skiing, which I haven't done since I was learning how to ski, back in New England, back 15 years ago and OMG I'm getting old!)

Then there's yoga.  I'm kinda failing a little at my 2-classes-a-week minimum! goal, having a number of 1-class weeks.  Assume I try to go as often as possible.  Assume I fail.  Assume, when I DO go, I'm the one falling over.  Still.  My PT guy laughs at me, very nicely and very appropriately,  but laughs at me and my inability to stand on one leg.  I also find this quite humorous.

So, my latest and greatest obsession these days is skate skiing.  I'm starting to get up to 10-15 mile weeks, which probably isn't all that different than what I would be running at this time of year.  This milage WILL be increasing.  I know you all wanted a video of my attempts and I was all set to comply, but you know what?  This is so weird for me to say, but I'm actually starting to get the hang of it and I think the window for laughing at my ineptness might have closed!  For reals!  I mean, I'm still a waaay beginner and my technique has much MUCH room for improvement, but the hilarity of watching me fall from a standing, not-moving position for no apparent reason might just have to be saved for every-day life (yes, it happens, I also fall UP the stairs -- and into boxes - I'm looking at YOU, funderson!) ) instead of with skis on my feet.  I'm no gazelle (as IF), but I'm learning the glide balance glide balance glide don't forget the arms! thing, and feel as though I'm making huge improvements every time I go out. Eventually, time-wise, I can even picture myself making it into the below-average rankings (as opposed to, Did she come skiing today? Have YOU seen her?).  I'm even going to do the Great Ski Race in March, which is a notorious 30K (and lots of elevation change) race from Tahoe City to just about my back yard.  30K seems a long, loong way for me right now, but I figure Hey! It's like 2 months away and that's an eternity and why not?  I'm sure I'll have PLENTY of reasons why not when the race is a week away, but for now I'm all, I'm signing up, why not you? and being all ballsy and badass about something I'm just learning how to do.  Humble pie will be a dish served later.

I did get a taste of it yesterday, though, as Tom and Debbie and I did 10 freaking miles yesterday! And our "moving time"? 1:33:52, which is a 9:33 pace and that's waaay faster than I can ever run, so I'm feeling like a rockstar!  I'm sure if I compared times with other skateskiers I'd probably feel more like a high school band member than a rockstar, but I'll be the one to chose the comparison, thankyouverymch, and a 9:33 pace!  Wow!

The humble part?  It was wicked hard, and required lots of rest stops, especially at the tops of the little hills mountains we climbed.  And at every hut we came across.

Here's me and Debbie, who's also just learning, and OMG she's at my pace! which is something that never ever happens and makes me feel righteous!  I think, in this photo, that's a boob grab that's happening, and well, that's all there is about that.

Here's Tom (and Debbie, very fondly referred to as his other girlfriend), who's also just learning, and could wipe both me and Deb off the fking map with the speeds he's already putting down.  Studly bastard.  Hate!!

ps Have I told you what an awesome boyfriend I have?  Last night he pampered me to the nth degree, and this morning took me out for breakfast.  For no special reason.  Love!!!


PPS.  Yeti!  I did not know you read this thing!  HI!  When are you coming back??  I have a plate of golumpki with your name on it (tho by now you might actually be tired of golumpki, in which case, Burgers! Meatloaf!  Some kind of tasteless American food!  Frozen lettuce!  Whatever you want!)!