skiing at Crystal Mountain

Nice! First day on the board this winter and although the snow was not great I had a blast. I went up with Tony Callen, Mike Deilke and Shelley and we hit quite a few runs at Crystal Mountain. Good times.

Except I forgot one thing... I originally herniated a disk in my back skiing and I got a tiny bit too agro today which caused it flare back up big time. Sigh.

I tried to numb it with beers and nachos at the Snorting Elk to no avail.

So I tried again at Hudson on the way home. That didn't work either.

Technorati Tags: Crystal Mountain,Snorting Elk

core | bike commute

My core workouts seems to be getting few and far between. :( At least I checked the box today.

Today was another day of rushing home after training and hitting the books! I have not crammed like this in ages.

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight	6:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	core - water commute - water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	core - 5:30 AM
Workout Type
Weather	mid 60s, mostly sunny, dry, light breeze
Course	on the ball leg lifts 2 x 60 twisters 50 each side - 15 lb. leg extensions 100 back extensions 3 x 40 hip raisers 3 x 20 each leg fire hydrants 60 each side side leg lifts 60 each side clam knee lifts 80 each side roman chair knee lifts 50 push-ups 20/16/12 wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results
Time	core - 45 min
Distance
Pace
Equipment	Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing

North Cascade Heli Skiing

Holy shit.

I have waited 50 years to do this and it was worth every penny.

Many months ago my friend Tony Callen was asked if he wanted to do this. And that he could invite his friends. Long story short, I jumped at the opportunity.

Tony, Kurt Widmann and I drove up to Mazama where North Cascade Heli is located.

On the way we hit up Owens Meats in Cle Elum which is amazing! I heartily recommend the Landjager and the beef jerky. And not being guys that quit so easily, we also had lunch (and beers) at the Caboose. And then we had dinner (and more beers) at the Old Schoolhouse Brewery. Once in Mazama we stayed at the Freestone Inn which is the epitome of huge winter lodge. Lots of logs, a gargantuan stone fireplace and outdoor hot tub. After getting settled in we had some beers. I know, ouch...

The original plan was to drive up Tuesday, ski Wednesday and then decompress and drive back Thursday while possibly hitting up Stevens Pass on the way home. Except you can't count on Mother Nature.

Wednesday turned into the big wait. The helicopter took off with the first load of customers... and then it returned about 15 minutes later. Visibility was too low to land, drat. The rest of the day was spent eating, drinking, playing cards, shooting the shit with a bunch of ski industry reps and hoping the weather would break.

Nothing left to do but head back to the Old Schoolhouse Brewery for good and beers. But only after playing about a dozen games of pool (and drinking some beer) at Three Fingered Jack's Saloon. Because it was the only place open! This town totally shuts down in the winter. We saw signs that read, "Open every other Saturday" and, "Closed for the season". Sheesh.

The weather forecast for Thursday was much better and it had snowed most of the night so we showed up bright and early full with anticipation. Yesterday we had participated in the avalanche beacon training and the helicopter orientation so today it was just go time.

Leaving NCHS for the first time.

We were teamed up with Paul (one of the owners) and John (our guide) and it was the total dream team. We skied and skied and skied until the pilot couldn't fly anymore. Then we went back and started planning for next year. It was that amazing.

My camera was actually up to the task but believe you me when I say it's hard to take pictures and ski at the same time. I had to make a conscious effort to keep pulling it out and not just shoot down the mountain. It's no freaking wonder all these HD hands-free cameras are so popular.

This was my first time on real powder skis - holy crap! They really are that wide. And you know what? They really work well in these conditions. I'd be lying if I said it didn't take me a couple of runs to get used to them but what a blast once I did. Hell. Yes.

We only missed the very top landing site and our pilot tried for it. As soon as we were about to touch down an incredibly thick cloud blew in and the rotor wash created a whiteout. I think the skids actually touched down for a second but then suddenly we were tipping back into the abyss and banked out of there. Something to come back for without a doubt.

I was dressed perfectly except while eating lunch my hands (and mittens) got really, really cold and I didn't recover for two runs. At least I did recover. Stupid circulation.

It was so. Incredibly. Quiet. Even while we were skiing! I love that.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	9:00 AM
Workout Type
Weather	mid 20s, some wind up top, mixed sun and snow and clouds
Course
Results
Time	5 hours total time?
Distance	9 top-to-bottom runs, perhaps 20+ thousand vertical feet?
Pace
Equipment	Insane powder skis, this was my first time on them ever. They work.
Clothing

Technorati Tags: NCHS,North Cascade Heli Skiing,heliskiing,helicopter skiing,powder skiing,North Cascades,Freestone Inn

core | Lake Union lunch run | CityLeague ski racing

Finally, a real core workout. And it was hard... I need to get back in the (core) game.

I thought the weather forecast was for crap so I took the bus to work and was getting mentally all geared up for a lunch treadmill run when boom! A sunny, dry, warm afternoon to the rescue. So instead I ran out side and was absolutely comfy in just shorts and a short sleeve shirt. It was 50 degrees! Awesome when that happens. I felt super slow during my run but the stats indicate I did okay so nice surprise. I just kept it steady and managed to finish a tad faster than I started. Before my knee injury I was able to easily cruise at 7:30 all damn day, now that pace is a struggle and I cruise at 8:00. But I'm running! Speed will come when I train for it.

As I was running north on Westlake I got a shout out from Trisha Steidl. Uli Steidl was there too. It was nice to be recognized.

After work Shelley and I headed up to The Summit at Snoqualmie. She skied and I raced. I have been getting a little faster each week and this night I was up against a 'real' opponent. I got late in turn four and that was all she wrote, he schooled me and won by about one second. In the second run I paid attention, stayed focused and beat him by .5 seconds. Whew. This stuff is fun. It was relatively warm and the snow was fun so I lapped the race hill for a bit and then zoomed back over to the summit to pick up Shelley after my second run. Good times.

There was a noticeable wind today and you can see it in my pace. I was slower going south and faster than going north. :)

My week of 'clean living' is going great! No alcohol, lots of water, no garbage food and my weight is already down a couple of pounds and I feel MUCH better. Go figure, right?

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight	6:15 AM - 182 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	core - water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	core - 5:30 AM run - 11:30 AM skiing - 6:30 PM
Workout Type	endurance
Weather	run - 50 degrees, sunny, some wind, dry
Course	plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lift each side twisters 50 each side - 15 lb. leg extensions 80/20 back extensions 3 x 40 hip raisers 60 fire hydrants 60 each side side leg lifts 50/30 each side clam knee lifts 80 each side roman chair knee lifts 30 push-ups 14/14/12
Results
Time	run - 59:43
Distance	run - 7.9 miles
Pace	run - 7:33 min/mile
Equipment	run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing	run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

Technorati Tags: CityLeague,ski racing

core | City League ski racing

Core in the AM and then work got in the way of a lunch workout, Oh well.

Up at Alpental where our CityLeague team races it was incredibly cold. "BRUTALLY" cold as my friend Tony Callen likes to say. The thermometer read 8 degrees as we pulled into the parking lot and the wind was howling on the chair. When we left the thermometer read 5. As you skied down the wind was blowing snow so hard the drifting snow sometimes obscured your skis. Kind of cool in an objective way, being there was tough.

The snow was primo! Super firm but not icy and incredibly grippy. Phenomenal for racing. It was a blast to ski but I could only last four runs and then I had to head inside, take my boots off and stick them under the hand dryer in the bathroom to warm them up. Yikes. After my last run I almost could not take my boots off when I got to the car, they were that stiff.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	core - 5:30 AM skiing - 7:00 PM
Workout Type
Weather	skiing - 5 degrees with a stiff wind
Course	plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lifts each side twisters 50 each side - 15 lb. leg extensions 70/30 back extensions 3 x 40 hip raisers 60 fire hydrants 60 each side side leg lifts 40/20 each side clam knee lifts 60 each side roman chair leg lifts 30 push-ups 14/14/10 wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results
Time	core - 45 min skiing - maybe one hour of actual skiing, two hours total
Distance
Pace
Equipment
Clothing

Technorati Tags: CityLeague,ski racing

core | Expresso exercise bike | City League ski racing

Finally, core. About time. Then at lunch I went to the IMA and hopped on an Expresso exercise bike. Good times. I'm actually serious, these trainers are about as much fun as you can have indoors.

After work I headed up to Alpental for my first night ever of CityLeague ski racing. Last week I qualified and today was the beginning of the season. It was FUN. And the snow was soft. We had to slip constantly in an effort to keep the ruts down.

After racing I had much too much beer and got home way too late.

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight	7:00 AM - 186 lb. 12:30 PM - 187 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	core - 5:30 AM trainer - 12:30 PM skiing - 7:00 PM
Workout Type
Weather
Course	plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lifts each side twisters 50 each side - 15 lb. leg extensions 80/20 back extensions 3 x 40 hip raisers 60 fire hydrants 60 each side side leg lifts 40/20 each side clam knee lifts 60 each side roman chair leg lifts 30 push-ups 14/14/10 wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results	CityLeague
Time	core - 45 min trainer - 38:29 skiing - 2 hours
Distance	trainer - 12.2 miles
Pace
Equipment	trainer - Expresso exercise bike
Clothing

Technorati Tags: Expresso Exercise Bicycle,Expresso Fitness,Vindicator,CityLeague,ski racing

core | skiing at Crystal Mt

Hit the gym and then hit the slopes for my first day of fast skiing with my good friend Tony Callen.

Core was okay and skiing was GREAT. The weather was bizarre-o, we are experiencing an inversion so it was chilly in town (just above freezing) and 40+ and sunny up on the mountain. Needless to say I was over dressed but that's not such a bad way to be.

I'm in new boots and I love them.

But hitting the ground running like this fatigued my feet really quickly so I had to stop for a couple of minutes after just four runs to rub my feet out. But then it was back at and I lasted the rest of the day.

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight	7:00 AM - 185 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	core - water skiing - 2 Omnibars, Hammer Bar, water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	core - 5:30 AM skiing - 10:00 AM
Workout Type
Weather
Course	plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lift each side twisters 50 each side - 15 lb. leg extensions 85/15 back extensions 3 x 40 hip raisers 60 fire hydrants 60 each side side leg lifts 40/20 each side clam knee lifts 60 each side roman chair leg lifts 30 push-ups 14/12/10 wobble disk 2 min each side
Results
Time	core - 45 min skiing - 3:30
Distance
Pace
Equipment
Clothing

Technorati Tags: Crystal Mountain,Lange RS 130

Howe Street stairs | skiing

Shoot. I was hoping to get in a solid hour on the stairs today but it seems my run last night was just enough to make my left knee get a little angry so I had to pull the plug after 30 minutes.

After breakfast and a shower Shelley and I headed up to Crystal Mountain for a day in the SUN. Man was the weather and the views outstanding. Too bad it was just a tad warm and there STILL ISN'T ANY SNOW PACK IN THE CASCADES. I was dodging rocks but had fun regardless. And hey, short lift lines...

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	6:10 AM
Workout Type
Weather	upper 30s, calm, dry
Course	Howe Street
Results
Time	33:36
Distance	1.5 miles (9 flights)
Pace	3:44/flight (walking two at a time)
Equipment	Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing	Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, long sleeve Polypropylene shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt, SmartWool hat, Polypropylene gloves

Technorati Tags: Howe Street,Howe Street stairs,Crystal Mountain

Howe Street stairs | alpine skiing

Let's get this out of the way, stairs sucked, I had to pull the plug for the first time in quite a while.

Jim Kodjababian and I had agreed to hit Howe Street today instead of tomorrow since we had missed last week. I shoed up early as usual to do my warm up flights and the first two felt okay but then they started to get worse. When Jim arrived I was still able to maintain a reasonable pace going up but each time we walked down I was going slower and slower and in more and more pain. It was actually Jim that finally said, "Martin, don't be a hero. You are going slower each time, take a break and get better." Thanks Jim.

I guess running yesterday was what did me in.

On the up side Shelley and I went alpine/downhill skiing for the first time in years! We are both super excited to get out in the snow more so it's a bit of a bummer that this winter has been so pitiful in terms of coverage. Still, we went to Crystal Mountain (mostly because it was open) and in spite of the fact that it was raining lightly all day we had a good time.

I felt like a total n00b all day but turns came a little easier by the end of the day. I got in about three solid hours of turns and it was great that we got a discount with our Snoqualmie seasons pass. And my knee tolerated skiing which was a concern of mine. Bonus.

One funny story - I was riding up the chair and this guy looks over at my ancient Rossignol Bandit XX skis and said, "On your rock skis today?" I wish.

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	stairs - 5:40 AM skiing - 10:00 AM
Workout Type
Weather	stairs - low 40s, overcast, calm skiing - mid 30s, drizzle, calm
Course	stairs - Howe Street
Results
Time	skiing - 3 hours
Distance
Pace
Equipment	stairs - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing	stairs - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt

Technorati Tags: Howe Street stairs,Howe Street