xc classic skiing 1:15:24 [3]
ahr:142 max:168
long endurance....
elm creek 1K loop.....didnt time laps, wanted to keep effort mild and focused on form and balance....not speed. Tried to ski smooth and easy. got passed alot but resisted the effort to speed up. Managed to keep HR reasonable but still higher than a typical easy endurance session (perhaps 8-10 high)
xc skate skiing 30:14 [3]
Gotta skate ski more this year...planning to do the 21K Loppet skate....its been awhile.
its a start to get my balance down but not bad for a first 30 minutes.....my leg strength is way....lactic builds up quickly even in a normal effort....that has to get better....I will try to train this to improvement.
testing knee in skate and I think it will tolerate classic and skate....knee pain is about a 3 to 3.5....there are moments when it spikes but its doable at this level. Its not perfect. I feel it all the time and I think I protect it in subtle ways...I cant always ski with abandon which is what you need to ski to your potential. But getting the most from endurance sports has never been about perfection.....its about doing the best I can wiith what I got in this moment.
Note
My little brother was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia with a concerning prognosis just 4 weeks ago...out of nowhere his bone marrow stopped functioning. Intensive chemo was not working to the degree it needed to for a bone marrow transplant (all 3 of us brothers where tested during an emergency trip to Duke University Hospital in N.C)....
Now he has a fungal infection that he cant fight due to the chemo. He is in ICU...it will likely end his life in the near future barring a miracle
When all 4 of us were together it was like old times....like it has always been for us 4 Bullard Boys....I was able to talk and be with him knowing this might very well be the last time.....I insisted on the photo on Facebook (jokingly called "Our album cover photo" knowing it might be the last one we ever take. We removed our hospital masks and latex gloves for the photo in the corridor of the hospital.
He has kept the seriousness of his illness private....nothing on Facebook to shield his kids and business customers.
He has a wife, a 16 year old daughter and a son that's a freshman in college...the damage this illness will do to his family is significant....
He occupies my thoughts, but glad to have a final talk with him. We both told each other how proud we were to have each for a brother....and that we loved each other....even if it would have gone without saying.
I now wait......