Today was a stellar day on skate skis. That doesn't happen for me very often, but this year I've actually gotten out more times than I can count on one hand, and I think the coordination is starting to come together.
I wasn't expecting a great day: I had just done a 12 mile long run that turned into a 'cave of pain' tempo run the day before, and was pretty cooked. But, in a fit of forethought, I had taken my skis and rubbed them down with some One Ball Jay snowboard wax.
This turned out to be the killer move of all time. I was gliding extremely well, passing people who looked like they were sticking a bit. I also didn't get as hyperspasmodically tired. I was able to put long climbing sections together without stopping, and when I stopped, I felt rational, not on the edge of passing out.
Skate skiing works well for me because I waddle naturally from side to side. When you put that waddle on skinny skis and long poles, it works pretty well. I don't know how good I look -- I'm willing to bet not as good as I feel -- but I feel like, occasionally, in fits and spurts, that I'm dancing up the slope. Especially today. Again, it's gotta be the wax.
At the same time I can feel a lactic acid bath going on in my legs and lungs. Only focusing on the movement actually gets me up the hill without stopping.
I realized on the 12 mile run that the pain cave is a romantic concept (romantic as in enduro geeks get all dreamy eyed about it), but the reality is, well, painful. The only way I can get up in there and stay there is to stay focused on the movements and not think about the futility of the effort. I'm not sure how other people get through tough efforts. For me, thinking about anything other than right now = slowing down.
Left foot and ankle feel odd. kind of twingy. I'm going to hopefully get my ass out of bed for a recovery run tomorrow, and I'll check it out then. Maybe it'll get pounded out?
I wasn't expecting a great day: I had just done a 12 mile long run that turned into a 'cave of pain' tempo run the day before, and was pretty cooked. But, in a fit of forethought, I had taken my skis and rubbed them down with some One Ball Jay snowboard wax.
This turned out to be the killer move of all time. I was gliding extremely well, passing people who looked like they were sticking a bit. I also didn't get as hyperspasmodically tired. I was able to put long climbing sections together without stopping, and when I stopped, I felt rational, not on the edge of passing out.
Skate skiing works well for me because I waddle naturally from side to side. When you put that waddle on skinny skis and long poles, it works pretty well. I don't know how good I look -- I'm willing to bet not as good as I feel -- but I feel like, occasionally, in fits and spurts, that I'm dancing up the slope. Especially today. Again, it's gotta be the wax.
At the same time I can feel a lactic acid bath going on in my legs and lungs. Only focusing on the movement actually gets me up the hill without stopping.
I realized on the 12 mile run that the pain cave is a romantic concept (romantic as in enduro geeks get all dreamy eyed about it), but the reality is, well, painful. The only way I can get up in there and stay there is to stay focused on the movements and not think about the futility of the effort. I'm not sure how other people get through tough efforts. For me, thinking about anything other than right now = slowing down.
Left foot and ankle feel odd. kind of twingy. I'm going to hopefully get my ass out of bed for a recovery run tomorrow, and I'll check it out then. Maybe it'll get pounded out?
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