Skate Skiing

We spent yesterday (Christmas) afternoon at the VTRunner-in-laws, where I had the chance to get in a little exercise. As we've all seen on the blog lately, exercise events have been sparse, so I was glad to finally get out.

Mr. VTR-in-law keeps an amazing skate-skiing track around the field at his place, and I had yet to get in a skate this year. After a big breakfast, light lunch, and mid-day nap, I figured the time was right to hit it. I strapped on the skis and immediately struggled to find a skating rhythm. I felt like a baby moose on a frozen pond -- legs and arms everywhere, long poles flying, totally uncoordinated. Once I got my legs under me I took off (relatively speaking). One lap turned to four, which turned to eight, 12, 15 and finally 20. At each potential stopping point, I stood at the top of the field and couldn't think of a good reason to quit. The sun was setting, and the scene was perfectly quiet and calming. Even better, my lungs and legs felt great. Skate skiing can be a tough sport, both cardiovascularly and technically, but I felt like I could go forever. As demanding as it can be, it's also very rhythmic, like swimming, and can lull you into a meditative zone. At one point, I found myself thinking about the upcoming Burlington marathon. I was chanting something like, "3:15, where do you want to be?" with each stride. 3:15 is my stretch goal time for the Burlington marathon, and it was awesome to feel inspired enough to start visualizing the race. I felt strong, clear-headed and invigorated. At lap 20, I stopped because I knew cocktails and hors-d'oevres were waiting inside, not because I was couldn't go on.

I mention this as a reminder that the work we've put in over the year doesn't just disappear because we're taking a collective break to catch our breath and recharge. Sure, we might have to brush off a bit of rust, but the base of fitness is still there. I was completely surprised and encouraged by my skiing session. I'm looking forward to jumping back into the LDT life.

Hope you all had a merry Christmas. Happy new year!