Author: davecriswell

No swimming, biking or running this weekend but got out skiing for the first time this season on both Saturday and Sunday. My Dad is involved with the Adaptive Sports program at Bretton Woods and for every day he volunteers he receives a free ski pass. He volunteers enough that we haven’t paid to ski there for several trips, a nice perk.

The program is a pretty incredible one, which is also in the process of raising money through the BA Blast, a major fundraising event for the organization that I’ll be taking part in with my family.

The weekend was great. It was brutally cold on Saturday (which kept the crowds away) but sunny and the snow conditions were excellent. Sunday was warmer (which brought the clouds back) and the conditions were still excellent. We got a good four hours of skiing in on both days and it was really cool to see how my son picked up right where he left off last year. He looked at my wife and I at one point while we were stopped mid-trail and said “this is awesome”. There was a genuiness and expression in his voice that was awesome to hear.

We’ll be back up in two weeks for the BA Blast Fundraiser. Hopefully we’ll still have great conditions and a little spring skiing weather!

Yes, part of that post title is wishful thinking. And yes the air temp at 9 degrees on this morning’s run (pre-windchill) feels nothing like spring. However, what brings me some hope is normally when I get back from a morning run at 6 – 6:15, it is pitch black and I still need my headlamp to see where I’m going. This morning, I got back a few minutes after 6 and I could actually see the beginnings of a sunrise starting to take shape.

Sidenote product idea – one of the negative thoughts I get that sometimes is enough to keep me in bed in the morning is the thought of putting on my cold plastic heart rate monitor after getting out of my nice warm bed. What would be great is a device that kept the plastic on the monitor warm. Or, maybe I’ll start sleeping with my heart rate monitor on 😉

Today I got outside for a 70 minute run. It started to snow just before I left. I’ve always enjoyed running in the snow and rain. There is something that motivates me by getting out when most other people would hang up their shoes and call the training off for the day.

I didn’t get out until the afternoon. I wasn’t able to eat beforehand so I shot a shot of hammer gel before I headed out. One mistake I made was not to have water afterwards. My stomach didn’t feel all that great for the first 30 minutes or so and I had to run through some cramps. But after a while they subsides and I was able to finish strong.

I had to share this article from Bicycling Magazine titled Who Do You Love? An uncomfortable quiz for all of us who have ever heard : “I sweart you love that bike more than me!”

I’m not sure if the graphic will show up OK so I’ve re-typed it below:

To find out something troubling about yourself, answer these 20 questions as honestly as you can. For each question, simply fill in the oval next to Bike or Spouse. If both apply, mark both. If neither applies, move on to the next question. If you’re not married, for Spouse substitute Girlfriend or Boyfriend or Etc. At the end, calculate which entity receives more of your affection, then hide these pages from everyone in your life – except your biking buddies.

1. I’ll never forget the first time I saw you.
2. I wanted you instantly
3. I often find myself daydreaming about you
4. There’s more than one photo of us together on my desk
5. I love showing you off to my friends
6. My friends often remark how attractive you are
7. In a typical week, we spend five or more hours of quality time together
8. When you’re around, I often look at you with admiration and longing
9. In the last three month, I’ve spent more than $250 on you
10. I desperately want to take you to Italy
11. Our last ride lasted more than an hour
12. It’s thrilling how you respond beneath me
13. I would never let anyone else ride you
14. You make my heart beat faster
15. You make me feel young
16. You have taken me places and shown me things I never thought I would see
17. When I’m along with you, I’m at peace with the world
18 You were made for me
19. I can’t live without you
20. I will never upgrade to a newer model

My trip to NYC got the best of me on Thursday. After being up at three on Monday morning, going into the city on Tuesday night and a flight back on Wednesday, I opted to sleep in Thursday morning rather than get a workout in.

I got back on track Friday morning with a 45 minute session on the trainer. Netflix has been a savior for my motivation to hit the trainer. Even though I probably could do it, having something to watch makes it a whole lot easier!

The roads are pretty slick from the snow and sleet yesterday so I’ll probably be on the trainer again today and tomorrow. I really need to join a gym again so I can do some treadmill and weight sessions.