Another long day

Ah, the rest week. Although up until today, aside from the day off on Tuesday, it hasn't necessarily felt like one. First, I am one of those people who is typically sore for several days after a race, so I've been dealing with that. Even a little 5K, my legs are sore. Tuesday's rest certainly helped that aspect, even though two days after the race is typically the worst for soreness, but Wednesday's activities didn't really help. My father asked me if I wanted to go skiing with him on Wednesday. I enjoy skiing, but I haven't been able to do it a whole lot the past few years because it gets in the way of training. The only way I will go is if I can manage to fit it in around the training, and of course if the conditions are worth it. Well, 33" of new snow over the past few days, predictions of no wind, clear skies and temperatures right around 30 told me that it was probably going to be worth the trouble.

So what did I need to do aside from skiing? I had to swim first. 4900 yards. If I were Michael Phelps I'd be able to knock that out in probably 50 minutes, but since I am me, I knew it would take about 90 minutes. Ski area opens at 9. Have to drive to my parents lake house which takes an hour, then to Cannon Mountain from there takes maybe 40 minutes. Gym opens at 5, although they do tend to let you in a tad before, so I was there when the doors opened and in the water at 5, 6-lane pool all to myself to get my workout done. The good thing is that the sense of urgency, knowing you have to get somewhere as early as possible tends to make you swim a bit faster than you otherwise might. I finished up the longest swim workout I've done in about 8 months by 6:30, had to skip my post-swim sauna, showered, dried off and was in the car on my way at about 6:45. Made it to the lake by 7:45 with just enough time to eat something and get in the car with my father and my aunt to head north to Franconia.

The day did not disappoint. It was as clear as I've ever seen it and there was no wind, which anyone who skis at Cannon will tell you is a rarity in and of itself. I wish I knew what mountains I was looking at off in the distance, but I was told we could see Jay Peak in Vermont. We skied for a good three hours and I only occasionally thought I might fall asleep on the chairlift, only to be reawakened on the way down. When I ski with Dad we almost never ski past noon, which is why I figured I'd be able to get through everything in one day. We packed up and got some lunch on the way home. At that point all I wanted to do was lie down and take a nap. But I still had some work to do. I set up my bike trainer and pedaled for an hour. Luckily just an hour, otherwise I might not have been able to stand it. Oddly, I didn't sweat much, which is weird because I honestly can lose like 3 pounds of sweat in an hour on the trainer, and that includes drinking water.

That was when I really, really wanted to lie down. But nope, not done yet. I put on some outdoor clothes and headed out for a little run. Luckily a mere 35 minutes, but honestly, if it was possible to fall asleep while running - Dean Karnazes claims he has, but I am skeptical - I probably would've. The first half mile was brutally slow and shuffling, and then the middle part felt a little better, and the last half mile reminded me that I had had a very long day. But hey, at 4:30pm, 12 hours after I had gotten up, I was finally finished. That's how I get through things a lot of the time, I just tell myself that by the end of the day, I'll be done and I can relax. I was thankful that at that house there is a seat in the shower and I might not have ever come out if I wasn't so hungry and tired. I somehow made it through dinner out with Dad and was extraordinarily happy to be in bed at about 7, even if I didn't go to sleep until 8. It was definitely one of those nights where I had no recollection of being awake at any point during the night.

After all of that, I had a whole lot less physical exertion on tap for yesterday, but that almost made it harder to get through. I did it anyway, and today and tomorrow involve a 1500-yard easy swim and a 30-minute easy bike ride. If that doesn't leave me recovered, then nothing will.

On a totally unrelated note, I have come across a fun web site: thisiswhyyourefat.com It is several pages of ridiculously indulgent food, most of which you can't believe that anyone really eats. The major theme seems to be that people love to wrap things in bacon. Given that I have never been a fan of bacon, I certainly don't find those particular items appealing. However, if someone put in front of me a peanut butter-covered brownie that has been battered in cookie dough and fried, I might just have to try a bite. Luckily, I can't imagine a circumstance in which I'd actually come across such a thing.