What a great weekend!

The weather this weekend has been fantastic!!  WHAT??  Most people are asking, is this guy nuts!!  It has been cold and wet and just not super conducive to doing much outside.  Well, all those signs point to fall, which in turn points to winter.  And that rocks!
As people who have been on my blog for a while know, I LOVE skiing!  It has been, is, and will continue to be my number one sport to participate in.  Ultimately, all activities that I do, wether it is directly intended to be or not started to get into better shape for ski season!  So, all you non winter people, to bad about your luck.  It is only a month or two from that time when most Canadians forget that winter comes every year and it is going to snow! When you wake up in the morning and it is freezing cold and the tires on your car feel square as you drive away.   When, for 3-4 months, almost each day you will bitch about the weather.  IT ROCKS!~  Buy some skis, send me an email for a lesson and get over it, the winter is a beautiful time and isn't going away in our lifetime.

This winter I am going to also feed this crazy IRONMAN drug that I seem to be particularly fond of.  I am going to take my love for snow and use it further to my advantage.  I downhill ski every weekend from the time the snow is here until spring arrives, and then I will often chase the snow gods.  While I am waiting for the weekends I swim and run and do bike trainer stuff to feed the addiction.  This winter I have challenged a couple of friends to some alternate snow activities after skiing.  The first is a 10k circuit at the ski hill that involved running uphill and around the resort through trails.  I figure that is a good 'run' circuit to get the blood moving and build some new muscle and better endurance.  I will use that as a short run/hill training alternative some weeks to keep the training exciting.

The second self imposed challenge is cross country skiing.  I have read and heard that it is one of the best all round forms of cross training for triathletes.  It gives a full body workout without the impact and constant pounding of running.  Luckily my chalet is 12k from the mountain with a great ski trail along the entire way.  So, for fun I will put on my woolies and ski home at the end of the day!  It will be a great adventure!!  Throw on a head lamp and push through the snow to get home rather than driving or running.  The run is not a bad journey, however most days it is dark and I have to run along the highway.  Running along the highway at 6pm in ski country is not advisable, as much as the drinking and driving laws are tough,  quite a few pops are shared amongst friends before the drive home. It is also right along the bay and therefore the wind is usually screaming in my face.  The ski home is on a sheltered forest trail perfect to be out of the wind.  One thing that I kind of like doing as well is being out in nasty storms!

A beautiful thing about this winter as well!  Due to the warm summer it appears that it is going to be a colder and snowier winter than normal!  So, get your boots ready, put your mitts by the door and get used to it!  Like the past 100000 years, its coming again!
FYI:  if you want to get out for a ski at any time, let me know!  regardless of your skill level i am up and qualified to teach!  Love doing it and any excuse to get out is a good one!
See, how bad is winter!  With a little imagination and a lift ticket it can be a pretty cool thing to do!