Spinning and Snowboard in Frigid November

Unseasonably cold fall weather makes spinning a necessity for cardiovascular fitness and provides an opportunity for early season snowboarding.

Thanksgiving week means calories consumed, and without the YMCA spin classes, it is unlikely I would have burned them off. Dan has lead us in spin for three years now, and improves his class each year. I always wait as long as possible to take the cycling indoors, but this year the teens came too soon to go it outdoors in November. The good thing about spin is you can dial in any workout you want. In the past I pretty much designed my own workout while Dan lead the rest of the class. This year he is taking us on routes I have done (West Mountain, Ruppert Mountain, etc.). So, the workout I dial is the same one he describes to the class, and the same as I remember and visualize as we do it. The heart rate monitor makes the effort known, so there is no fooling yourself.

Chute before it comes together with Mouse Trap

Wednesday morning I did Dan's spin and then had another A.R.T. session which focused on the neck, since the shoulders continue to improve. After dinners on Thursday at home and Friday up in the North Country, Donna and I went into the Saturday spin. I followed that one with another A.R.T. session, this time focused back on the shoulders, while Donna hung out at Borders. We then got some coffee and bagels at Uncommon Grounds -- nice for us to just hang out in Saratoga for awhile with no schedule to keep.

Sunday I took another trip to Killington. The conditions have improved with another four inches of natural snow, and nearly continuous snow-making all week. I decided early conditions would be best, so got up at the crack of dawn and arrived at 7:30. By 8:05 I was riding the lift over perfectly groomed cruising! The conditions were ideal and my Malalo board with its newly sharpened edges and waxed surface was letting me get in good carved turns.

Chute just before it comes together with Mouse Trap

After two solid hours of great boarding on Rime, East Fall, Chute and others, the conditions started to deteriorate some on top. But even on the hard ice the board allowed me to edge with confidence, unlike last week when it let me down several times. It warmed up a little around 11 am and I moved over to go top to bottom on Chute about a dozen times. I gained confidence with each run. After 4 1/2 hours I was ready to call it a VERY good day!

This week I travel to western NY from Tuesday - Thursday, so will try to get a spin or swim in before I leave. I will intensify the shoulder exercises this week. All the body parts are in good working order for a good week of training ahead.

Snowboarding 07-08 Starts With More Flexibility and a Loss of Edge

A lack-luster week of cycling ends with a new beginning for snow riding. Weekend warrior is NOT what I want to be, but this week did not allow for any training. However, by Sunday things were feeling better.

The Italians were touring farms Wednesday through Friday, leaving no time for riding during the week. I have been watching the Killington Trail reports of mounting man-made snow and even some (4") natural stuff. On Saturday I had a A.R.T. shoulder session in the morning and Donna and I took care of errands all day. After taking an early PM nap, I managed to get out on the Lemond for a 5-Hill ride. Only problem, it was so cold and I was so "full" from eating too much and burning too few calories during the week, that I cut out after the 4th hill.

Not to worry, Sunday was reserved to make the first trip to Killington to snowboard this season! I packed up early and made it to the K-1 Base before 9:00 am. By 9:15 I was riding the Snowdon Triple ready to head down Chute and Bunny Buster. Conditions were perfect! The sky cloudless and blue, the wind silent, the temperature comfortable in the 20's. The snow was deep and crunchy with man-made packed powder on top of ice. The crowds were thin except for Bunny Buster, which was a choke point as all the trails dumped into it before getting down to the lifts. First run was ok, the legs were quick to remember what they had to do. By the second run, all was right with the world!

First run of the season! One shot and then battery was gone.

As the day progressed I felt very good. It dawned on me early in the day, I did not struggle to get upright after getting my boot in the bindings like I usually did. I soon realized the shoulder work Dr. Kieth Donato has done paid dividends -- I now have much greater range of motion with my neck and shoulders, which now allows me to push my body upright from the sitting position with both feet bound to the board without any pain or effort. This is a new, improved and more FLEXIBLE body for snowboarding!

After heading up the K-1 to ride East Fall and Rime off the Canyon Lift, the snow conditions worsened. As more people moved the loose packed powder around, the ice beneath became exposed. Additionally, my board's edge was becoming more dull with each run. My edging lost its edge and my nerves became on-edge. Without being able to trust that I could carve in the snow and ice, the conditions became treacherous. Coming down towards the end of East Fall I lost my heal-side edge completely while going fast. As a result, I hit my ass and head hard -- first ass, then head. It happened so fast I did not have time to strain my neck and the helmet took the full effect of the whiplash. I had to sit there awhile to let the cobwebs clear.

Last run after getting fresh battery.

After that, I headed down to the bottom. Getting through Bunny Buster proved to be much more of a challenge now! Finally I got to the car and got a fresh battery for the camera. One more run from the K-1 peak to bottom to take pictures. My edge, both mental and physical, was shot, so it was a slow and careful ride down.

The start was a success and fun. I will get the board sharpened tomorrow and hopefully we will get some natural snow to cover the ice.

Warm October Riding Turns Frigid in November

Donna and I continue to get great rides in as the summer-like weather persists into October. The CycloCross bike gets into gear when the temperature dips into the 20's. Art's annual Lake Desolation mountain bike trek provides a great birthday present.

Despite being out in Minneapolis for two weeks, October riding was again record-setting. For the third straight month I have set combined mileage records for all bikes, this time at 350 miles. Mostly road riding, but now that the weather has turned in November I have tuned-up the Lemond Propad and will work my 21-mile, 5-Hill, 30% dirt circuit ride as a way to stay in descent shape. The "5-Hill" ride never takes me more than 5 miles from home and provides at least 6 or 7 opportunities to get the heart rate above 150 bpm. Being that close to home gives me the confidence to go out in nasty weather - I could bale at any time and get home in a hurry.

The ride is a challenge to get done in less than 1:20. I start up Louse Hill, then down to 74, turnaround and go back up the other side of Louse Hill. That gets the heart started after a 10 minute warm-up. Then a pretty long cruise on pavement down Hogsback. I always head to the Battenkill damn at the Paper Plant and then turn around and go back up Hogsback. Down the dirt cork-screw called Old Schylerville Road, and turn around and go back up. I then head for the Fairgrounds for off-road soft grass riding which gets the heart rate up using different, non-climbing muscles. Three of the 5 hills are on dirt; the last hill is up the river past Booth's farm and then across Hand's flat field -- and head for home.

I was hoping that Art G would lead a ride on the trails around Lake Desolation again this year. Last year we did the ride in late November and it was a killer. We had some real hammerheads pushing the pace the whole time and I was totally exhausted by the time we finished. When I got the email notice, I was relieved to see that "no hammer sh#t this year" in the ride description. I tried to get Donna to go, but she had a hockey game that evening and did not want to waste her legs before hand. The best part was the ride was on my birthday! As I packed up to leave I looked at the temperature and it was 18 degrees! This ride is notorious for its deep, mud infested, ATV-made water holes. No matter how cautious you are, you WILL get wet. So, I packed the SealSkin waterproof socks and headed out the door.

Seven riders showed up at the Stewart's in Middle Grove. We parked at the cemetery to gear up and headed off to run into ATV-powered hunters within the first mile. No problems, but it was a reminder why we did not wear any white clothing. My all-white Epic bike hopefully would not draw any rifle fire. This ride has lots of long climbs with baby-head and larger rocks - also long descents with the same obstacles. The leaves are all down, hiding the dangers below, but allowing you take chances you probably would not ordinarily make.

The first stop after a heart-pounding series of climbs is an old abandoned graphite mine. The office building now only is a skeleton of formed concrete with trees growing out at all angles. Art gave us some of the history of the mine and some local that invented the bomb site for the first A-bomb. This RPI person perished in an off-road accident that his buddy survived but was trapped for 48 hours. We continued negotiating the rocks and mud holes for the next 3 hours. On the way out Art located the mine shaft and we were able to enter the mouth. The shaft goes flat into the side of a hill for over 1500 feet, but we only were able to get in a few feet before the water inside was too deep.

Finally we came back to rest at the cars parked by the cemetery. As the picture indicates "rest for the weary!"

A good start to winter riding season. Today Mount Snow had its earliest opening day ever with top to bottom skiing and riding. Killington will open next week. We have had some snow at higher elevations, but plenty of cold weather for snow making. Maybe the next post will include the first snowboard session of the season.