Skiing Success: I Found My Mojo!

Joy here...Since returning from our holiday in the tropics, when we ate, ate, and ate some more, I've been having a really hard time getting into any sort of fitness regime.  I've committed to doing my barefoot runs in Canada with my New Balance Minimus shoes rather than my trusty Vibram five-fingered ones that just don't work in this climate, and I've set great goals for myself to run a good 1/2 marathon in May and my first-ever full marathon in October, but I've still struggled with the onslaught of winter and how it has kicked my motivation to the curb, and then stomped on it for good measure.

snow, snow, and more snow

But with the Trainer's encouragement and chastisement ringing truthfully and honestly in my mind, telling me to get off my butt and take control of my life, my mood, and my potential, The Man and I headed out for our first, true cross country ski lesson.

Last Sunday we had an aborted mission, but this Friday, things were set to be very different.

First things first:  We bought ourselves cross country ski pants and full balaclavas to protect our faces from the weather.  We also waxed our skis before leaving the house, rather than doing it in the frigid parking lot.  We wore under-layer gloves under our mitts, so if we needed to take off our mitts, our fingers wouldn't freeze instantly.  And then we headed out to the park where we spend our summers riding our bikes to meet our new instructor.

And she was great!

groomed cross country ski trails in the park

She was no-nonsense.  She had us clip in and move forward so that she could assess our level (really, really rudimentary).  Then she had us take off one ski and put our poles to the side.  Our first drill was to ski for about 400m on one ski alone so that we could really get the feel of the truism about cross country skiing that you are only ever to have your weight on one foot at a time.  So we propelled ourselves forward, skateboard style with one ski on, and it was fun.

Yes, I just said that about something to do with winter:  IT WAS FUN!

What a revelation!

We spent an hour with this instructor, and I didn't even feel the cold.  She had us doing all sorts of drills:  with poles, without poles, one foot and then the other, using our abs only, using our arms only, driving our feet forward...  I found myself surprised when the hour was over.  What?  It's been an hour already?  I found myself thinking.  How could that be possible?  I don't think I've ever spent an ENJOYABLE hour outside in -20C temperatures since I was a little kid making snow forts in my backyard with my brother and sister.  It's probably been 25 years since I actually liked winter.

more groomed trails

When I felt those skis glide beneath my feet, I got the sensation of FUN.  Can you believe it?  Fun and winter have never gone together for me.  While I've done lots of things to help me deal with winter (like spinning classes, strength training, signing up for races to force me to run in the winter, riding indoors in the trainer, or trying rock climbing), I've never actually done a sport that is dependent on winter.  And now I got the smallest of glimpses of something that just might help me to make friends with winter.

It's not about the sport itself.

It's about being outside in the beauty of winter's landscape and not feeling the cold.

It's about getting an endorphin rush and a dose of vitamin D which makes me think that the world is a happy place after all.

It's about feeling like I don't have to run and hide from this season.

Finally, for the first time in my memory, I feel like someone has opened a window and showed me a whole new world where I just might be able to enjoy winter.  It's like glimpsing the very edge of a secret world that has been locked and hidden from me my whole life.

I can't wait to go skiing again!!!

Over and out,
Joy (the skier-in-training!!!)