Haha.  My skivacation is filling me with fear, but some excitement too.  I should stop thinking about injuries that might happen to me or caused by me hurtling out of control into hoards of people and taking them all out.  I only learnt to ski last year so am a bit of a punter, but hoping to improve that over the two weeks...the turtle moves and I will be having a couple of private lessons which may help too.  I want to try some XC skiing if we can, there is some in the area we're staying...sounds a good way to get tired out.

Fingers crossed your appointment in March gives you the clearance to get out and run again.  Really looking forward to meeting you, any running will be a bonus.  I'm still not sure on plans, but probably the Sunday would work well for me (conference finishes that morning, normally I fly home in the afternoon, but could hang around for an extra night or just until late that night depending on flights), or maybe the Wednesday before (although I'd be flying in that day and due in central Philadelphia the following lunchtime)

Last semi-real workout before the half this weekend.  4 x mile repeats (@5:30 pace) with 1/2 mile recover (@7:30 pace).  Effort felt relaxed and controlled.  Only if I could string 13 of those in row on race day...

Got a participant alert message yesterday warning of a cold front moving through the area this weekend.  Could be rainy on Saturday with temps "dipping" to the low-60's.  They're asking everyone to plan appropriately.  Heh, that seems like a heat wave to me.  Of course, it doesn't take much to be better than the 0° (-10 to -15° wind chill) temps out there this morning.

MTA --> spelling...must be cold fingers from the weather.

 

Heh, a bimbling, punter ski bunny...what does turtle moves think of that?

 

If you do it right, the downhill skiing could really work the quads and glutes.  Throw in some XC skiing towards the end, then that'll make for some good cross training.  I haven't gone downhill skiing for years.  In college, we used to make an annual trip to the UP and hit the XC ski trails.  Good times.

I haven't been for a while but I used to spend the first half of a ski day snowshoeing.  Then move over to the slopes and get a half-day ticket and downhill ski (actually I used a snowboard).  Now that is good X training and fun.  Gotta try to get back up there at least once this winter.

"Last semi-real workout before the half this weekend.  4 x mile repeats (@5:30 pace) with 1/2 mile recover (@7:30 pace).  Effort felt relaxed and controlled.  Only if I could string 13 of those in row on race day..."

It always amazes me how, in training, you can string together some intervals and wonder how in the heck you'll be able to run that pace with NO rest intervals at the race.  Yet, come race day, the training works!  Good luck on the half.

Last semi-real workout before the half this weekend.  4 x mile repeats (@5:30 pace) with 1/2 mile recover (@7:30 pace).  Effort felt relaxed and controlled.  

One word => ready

I've never been snowshoeing either, that sounds tempting.  I think the turtle might throw a grump if I did that before a day on the slopes (I've already been banned from running before skiing).  Definitely expecting a few muscles to get more use than usual when out there, I seem to remember aching a fair bit after the first 2 days last year.  I'd like to get something in that felt more like running-style activity though, and snowshoeing and XC seem to gfit better with that in my head (although I know downhill can be quad burning hell in its own right as I discovered when I wasn't being a total punter last year).

Heh, a bimbling, punter ski bunny...what does turtle moves think of that?
 
Apparently that I should man the @$%* up and commit to more speed.  He saysI can ski parallel and in control, but I just focus too much on what could go wrong and then make it harder for myself.  Blah blah blah.   Something about more confidence.  Blah blah.

The really nice thing about snowshoeing is that hardly anyone does it.  I go to Lake Tahoe area resorts (day trips) and while the DH slopes are mobbed you can head over to the snowshoe and XC area which is completely separate and have the trails almost completely to yourselves.  Very peaceful.  My wife loves the morning snowshoe / afternoon skiing thing so that's a big plus.

If you go do not forget your celebratory brew.  Sierra Nevada Pale Ale here.  This was out of Bear Valley up into Yosemite's Olmstead Point.  My buddy and me photographed by my wife.  Those two guys in the background (who were the only other people we saw on that trip) wished they hadn't forgotten their beers!