Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Up with Mike (Sarah getting over illness) for some ski touring. A picture-perfect bluebird day. Warm but not hot, not a cloud in the sky. Starting at 10k and going up about 1000 to the edge of the snow; not bad, apparently, for early season.

Going uphill hurt a lot. Good hurt.

We went all the way up the first time, very few people out. Hiked a bit to a view, then turned back around for the ski down. Top couple hundred feet was sketchy and windblown, but below that was pretty perfect. Took a run down, and within 2 minutes I was much more comfortable: good skis make it so much easier. Once down, we took another lap up the good snow, and then a third up and down through the trees.

Perfect morning. Super glad to get up there. Also super glad for oxygen.

In Bldr for the weekend. Pretty chill morning after a long, long week at Mike and Sarah's and a call for the Italy trip. Ski friend had an emergency and couldn't make it, and driving 90 minutes to pay $30 for a 9000 foot strugglefest didn't seem worthwhile.

So instead I went on a trail run, which is a thing you can do in Boulder. Some snow, but almost entirely packed, very little ice, so I made it up Bear Canyon and said eff it, loop over to (but not over) Green. Caught the last rays of sun on Longs Peak which stopped me in my tracks. Wow! A little sketchy down Ranger which is steep, and I know Gregory Canyon is a shitshow in the daylight when it's dry, so I hopped on the road and ran 6:45s downhill. That was all worthwhile! Then over Mesa with a headlamp, a bit of ice, and then down the access road, took the wrong trail to the neighborhood and the long way home, but a great run.

Me to group: everything is going well; I should have all of my elements done by 6 p.m.

Group: Ha, we are going to drag everything out until after midnight!

Group projects. They're a thing. And it turns out that basically all of life is a group project.

(Also, my group is great, but it would have been even better if we'd had our shit together and I wasn't writing passive-aggressive Attackpoint posts at 2:15 a.m.)

NP a little hungover from holiday partying. Probably the best way to wear it off, though. Started well but slowed way down about 20 sections in.

Skied more in the past three days (just shy of 100k) than I've ever skied (well, since beginning to log) before Dec 10. Got some vert going, too. 100km D+ never felt so close (it never has been so close).

Got ahead on my school work enough that when Dublin looked skiable and I didn't have any obligations before this evening, I figured I'd set myself back for the only conceivable day that I can get out and do something like this.

Out the most direct way past Windblown: 5 extra minutes of driving, but 10 fewer miles on much slower roads, so less gas. I'll take it. Only person in the parking lot for a long warm up around and around the trails. Most everything skiable, but firm and fast, a few dirty patches, a couple icy bits, a bare spot up top, and a couple of rocks, but avoidable. Thanks to shovelers this weekend!

Couldn't quite string together the two A climbs because I had to slow down a lot for some ice in between, so I just did fartleks up both of them, each being about 4 minutes. Pretty even splits per strava, although my HRM is dead (hopefully just the battery, and hopefully I can find the replacements I have somewhere) so I was going L3 by feel. Enough skiing to justify the drive, and it was a beautiful day out there!

C • Just missed you. 6

Warm up / down.