Just wanted to take a second and say that I think those of you that are able to Cross Country Ski and/or Skate to work or just to do it as a hobby are lucky!
I’m totally over winter and being cold and running on treadmills and watching the sidewalks fill up with snow (but not the real snow that you can do something with - Indiana snow doesn’t count) and being stuck inside. I would LOVE to be able to get out and do different activities like skiing or skating.
We’ve gotten about 2" of snow this morning and it has completely hosed up the entire city - took 2 hours to go the 17 miles to work. We got a foot last week and the city was all but shut down for 2 days. I envy those who have “real” snow (that you can do something with and functional areas in which to do so) and not so many idiot drivers that can’t function when there are flakes in the air!
aww…sorry winter is getting you down. You live in the mid west?
If it makes you feel any better, northeast here. We’ve had a decent winter for skiing but practically no ice skating at all. I bought my kids new hockey skates, gear , and everything and it’s not going to get used. the ice has been iffy and when it finally froze, there is too much crusty snow on it to shovel. So that is one huge winter activity we got gypped out of.
Hang in there! Watch Run FatBoy Run on your next trainer ride
I’m going for a 1 1/2 hr x-country ski on the local conservation trail at lunch with my dog today. Do this three times a week during the work week and then longer on weekends. You’re darn right that it makes winter a lot more tolerable. Exercising indoors would drive me totally batty.
Well, we have the idiot drivers, but we also have skiing and skating. Why not go for a run outside? Or throw some big knobby tired on the MTB and go for a ride?
I drew the line on running outside around 20 - 25 deg. F a couple of weeks ago. I did a few things wrong when I came inside after a 10.5mi run that led to my body temp getting way low and just being miserable for about 12 hours. That said, I know I could HTFU or just do the things right, but I’d rather just stay safe and healthy for now. Which means boring and treadmills. There’s hope for this weekend though, it’s maybe going to get up close to 50. I know, I’m a schlep.
I don’t currently have a MTB…though desperately want one (and the money to buy it). Trust me that when it gets up around 37-40 or so and clear roads - I’ll be out on the road bike just to get out.
I just think it would be neat to be able to do a “different” sport in the winter. And I suppose it’s good to know I’m not the only one with the idiots.
Curling - ha.ha.ha. You need to like drinking to take up the “sport” of curling. Played for 3 years on natural ice in a little town I lived in. Rye and cokes a plenty!
I find all these comments about winter interesting - my coldest run this year was at -37Celsius - about 10km. My daughter and I skied a 15km trail on day at about -25. As long as it is not too windy - a person can train to tolerate some cold temperatures. Where I live you HTFU and get outside - or go nuts and take up curling.
cross country skiing is my main thing during the winter in Minnesota…years ago I dropped the swimming and biking during the winter and went “all in” with ski skating and classic striding…I usually do 3 to 4 xc ski marathons that I train for…this program keeps me in great shape for summer triathlons and keeps me mentally fresh…I am always looking forward to triathon by the end of the winter and always looking forward to xc skiing by the end of the summer…
I have had two good results in two 25K xc ski races I have done this winter and look forward to the 42K classic marathon this sunday and 54K classic marathon in 3 weeks…no need for weight training to firm up my arms and chest in the "off " season…xc does this very well…
and its so damn fun to glide with speed through a snowy trail in the woods…
I skated/ran to work today - longest skating rink in the world in my city, and I am lucky enough to live at one end, and work at the other end! It was -21C this morning, but I have gone out in much worse. Like someone else said, just dress for it, and your body will get used to it. Fresh air and vitamin D - awesome!
That would be an amazing day to me. I can’t imagine skating to work.
I live in a very overweight, very athletically unfriendly city. We currently have the remnants of a foot (+4in today)of snow all over everything, no one shovels the sidewalks here and running in the road would be like riding a bike at night. There’s a lot of people around here that just don’t get it. But, I wasn’t creating the thread to whine about poor me and the cold/snow - I really did create it because I think those of you that have skiing and skating abilities and conditions are lucky.
I have no problem going out in the cold, I’m sure my body WOULD get used to it, and has responded well when I have gone outside and been careful, I just don’t intend for it to adjust fully. I have fairly weak lungs (asthma) and that doesn’t really do well. It’s an excuse, but boils down to I don’t like the cold. If I had my way I’d live much further south and only visit snow.
“You need to like drinking to take up the “sport” of curling.”
LOL!! How true. That’s why there is a bar at every curling rink.
Sort of like doing a “beer mile” every time you play. Guess the only difference is that with curling the drinking starts after the event, not during it.
Actually, at the Olympic level those players are amazing talents. I consider it a genuine sport at that high a level. The other fun “sport” I used to do in winter was Wednesday night pub league darts. That one is a bit harder to qualify, but the Guiness always went down well.
OK I am seething with envy here. What city? What country???
sigh…I always said/dreamed that during the next Euro deep freeze, if the canals freeze in Amsterdam, we will pull the kids out of school , drop everything, to go and skate there. Well they did, and we can’t. Just can’t justify it in this economy. Hopefully it will happen again before my guys are all grown up…
Aware, here is a trick you might want to try on a cold day. Use those ski warmers. That is a low cost investment. in my case my hands are always the coldest. I use them during runs of 1 hour or more in winter, say under 18 degrees F. I find it make a huge different in my quality of life. All of the energy my body woudl have spent trying to warm my hands, can now be used for overall warmth. (OK, this is not based on science, I’m just saying) . Cost is about a dollar. Much less than a Gore tex jacket, to tide you over if/while you’re getting used to cold weather sports (which i do reccomend).
WeRide - what city/country you ask - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - one of the best tri training cities around!! We have 8kms of frozen canal that is flooded and maintained all winter and tons of awesome groomed ski trails… not to mention amazing cycling in Gatineau park when the snow is gone - wicked hills and gorgeous scenery, with a crystal clear lake for open water swimming. It totally rocks!
Aware - how are you hanging in there? It looked like Indiana really got dumped on yesterday. I am in Chicago and looking forward to the warm-up this weekend. Glad we live on the 5th floor so we don’t have to worry about flooding.
Yesterday, as in the 5th of Feb? It was freezing cold, but we didn’t have any precip. But I’m in Indy, down in the center of the state. If I’m recalling correctly, there was a lot of lake-effect up north, right?
They’re saying it’ll get up to 40 today, 50 tomorrow - which means the almost foot of snow we still have hanging around will all melt and things will get really nasty with a bit more rain over the weekend.
Mentally I’m struggling - weather-wise the sun’s out and it’s getting warmer…good signs!
(Atlanta Georgia doesn’t get anything resembling snow. Just some flurries, a half day of some bits of white on the ground and some bone-chilling cold days, but snow? I agree, it would be pretty cool to get some cross country skiing in exchange for the cold days)
