SSSS = Spining, Swimming, Snowboarding and Shoulder

Swimming and spinning provide indoor workouts while snow and cold weather continues. Snowboarding four Sundays in a row make this a great start to the winter season. Shoulder work at the chiropractor has paid off.

Heart rate workouts with hill climbing and sprinting intervals are the big benefit of spinning class. Dan is good at getting in the hills; Andrea specializes in high cadence sitting and standing intervals. Both get the heart rate over 150 for extended periods of time. Finding the time to get in the classes has proven to be a challenge with travel out of town Tuesday through Friday the last few weeks. Saturday spins save the week.

Swimming can also be a heart rate workout if done as interval sets. But I have never been fond of getting that out of breath in the water. Instead, I use the swim as a long, low impact aerobic workout that is similar to getting the heart at 135 to 145 on the bike. I once tried to wear the heart rate monitor in the pool - it did not work out well as it always got pushed down to my waist by the water. Also, the cooling effect of the water results in your heart not beating as fast, even though you get the same heart muscle effect. I get into a rhythm of 18 to 20 strokes per pool length (spl, 25 meter pool) and go for 30 to 60 minutes without stopping. The result is a good aerobic workout and improved joint flexibility as the back, legs and arms all stretch out without any pounding.

The shoulder has made great progress with the ART sessions from Dr. Kieth Donato. The swimming works the shoulder in a good way and the weight training exercises and calisthenics he has given me to do all have resulted in vastly improved range of motion and strength. The right shoulder is still very much restricted compared to the left, but it has improved and hopefully will continue to get better with the work yet to do.

Now we are moving to the knees. If I rated the pain associated with the shoulder work at 6 to 7, the knee work is pushing it to 9. We are working IT Band and hamstrings and little muscles around the knee joint. It is too early to tell, but I can say that things are moving in the right direction so far.

Sunday is snowboard day. At least it has been for the last four weeks in a row. Killington has had about 40 inches of snow in the last 7 days! The temperature has rarely gone above freezing in over five weeks, so snow making has gone full tilt. This week was the first week on the natural snow -- and it was great. You could really dig the edges in and get the carved turns that makes snowboarding so much fun. I started out on the double diamonds of Cascade and Double Dipper, then hit East Fall. Getting these steep runs in early in the day when the legs are fresh and the snow is still deep is best. After that I returned to Chute, my favorite cruiser run. Getting off at the top of the lift and then going non-stop all the way to the base, only slowing as you cross Great Northern twice, is a heart-pounding, leg burning blast.

Edges fully dug in! =====>

I have been getting to the mountain before 8, so first tracks are a bonus. By 11:00 my legs started to feel the effects of the Donato work, so I decided to take a trip over to see how Cruise Control and the other Skye Peak trails were. I should have stayed where I was. I got confused with the way the trails were arranged since the Skye Gondola was closed and at the top of Superstar I started to go one way, then looked around for another way, and before I knew it caught an edge and pitched over taking a full blow on my RIGHT SHOULDER!! Immediately I knew it reversed a lot of the work and progress we have made. Hopefully it will heel up and get back to where it was.

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.

Deep Tracks

Two feet-plus snowfall makes for great snowboard ridn! I timed this snowfall pretty well. Leaving Albany airport late in the afternoon, I was on the last plane out of Detroit on my way to Louisville. By the time I returned to Albany on Friday, 2-3 feet of snow was for the most part cleaned off the streets and, thanks to Donna, Alix and Emily, also from the driveway. My flights were not delayed or canceled unlike most people plying the air routes during this period.

On Saturday we did the last spin class at the Old Gick YMCA with Dan. Wednesday I experienced Norm's first spin class at the New Y. Norm drew in the big crowd with about 20 participants. It was a good workout and fun to see Norm in all his glory. But, there was absolutely no ventilation in the new room, so pretty hard to go as hard as I wanted. As it turns out, I went hard enough - getting heart rates in the 155-165 for three 10-12 minute sprints and climbs. Norm is a great spin leader, he always gets you a disciplined workout even when others are trying to distract him.

But the beautiful snowfall is the feature of the week. After the total lack of snowfall so far, the blanket of snow is welcomed news for the ski areas, especially since this week is school vacation week. Since my All East Pass is blacked out on the weekends of the vacation week, Donna and I got up early on Sunday and headed to West Mountain. The conditions were ideal! The early going on well-groomed, deep packed powder provided great leverage to really dig the edges in and carve turns. Later we moved to the north side and played in deep piles of lumpy, bumpy powder. The extra effort needed to make the turns took a toll on leg muscles, so it was a good workout as well as being a blast. By the time our 4-hour tickets were up, the crowds started to get heavy. We had plenty of room to make our way down the trails and had no waits. A great decision to ride early in the morning.

Yesterday I took a vacation day and went to Killington by myself. Donna wanted to get another day of work in and Alix was busy with friends during vacation. I was leery of the crowd potential during President's Week, so drove over to the Starship Base on Rt. 4. The Starship Gondola takes you all the way from Rt. 4 to the top of Skye Mountain - about a 5 mile ride! Conditions were amazing and the crowds nonexistent. The trails I have been doing were now much different. Lots of bumps and loose snow that was not powder, but not heavy either. The Malalo rides on top of the snow without effort. Since I was not chasing a skier this time I really concentrated on making hard, sharp and short turns. Again, the extra effort to make all those turns took a toll on my legs. It was great fun though. I started at 9 am and took a break around 2:30 at Bear Mtn. Lodge. By the time I got started again, the legs were starting to be non-compliant to my demands. I went to the top of Skye Mtn. and rode down Cruise Control, Great Eastern and Home Stretch runs all the way to the Starship Base - which has to be the longest, single, non-stop run I have ever done. When I slid to a stop about 150 feet from my car I was wasted and smiling!

This is the last season of the All East Pass. American Ski Company sold off Pico, Killington and Mt. Snow to different companies. Too bad, as the Pass has been a huge value and has gotten me on two great mountains each less than two hours from home. I will have to wait and see what comes out for next year.

A Day With Dwichael

Killington tours, spinning and ice biking rule! Paltry snow levels and ice cold temperatures predominate early February conditions. Temperatures below 10 with windchills well below -10 have forced the cycling activity inside for the most part.

Donna keeps encouraging me to accompany her to Dan's Saturday spin sessions at the Y. It has been a good way to keep some aerobic fitness and it is fun to listen to the different levels of activity that people deem 'normal.' A break in the temperature, and with conditions at the upper limit for snow depth, on Sunday I got a great workout doing the home trails for 1:20 last Sunday. The 3-5 inches of loose snow on top of frozen 1-2 inches provided tough resistance but doable biking. It was a great high intensity workout - like a long hill, or plowing though sand or mud. So, it was a good weekend of spinning and biking.

The 'bread' to my ridn 'sandwich' during this period was two tours of Killington. I hosted a Dairy Specialist from WI for the week and on Wednesday we spent 5 hours on the best that VT has to offer. It was his best day of skiing ever. We had a guide in Matt S who has skied K since childhood, so I learned some new terrain. We worked our way from Ramshead to Bear Mtn and back. Lots of time was spent riding alongside the obstacles on the Terrain Park. I even did a ride down the giant 1/2 pipe - not exactly looking like a flying tomato!

On Sunday John T came up and spent the night. We got up early hitting the Ramshead Quad at 9am sharp. We did the same tour of the mountains as I did last Wednesday, spending a lot of time on Cruise Control. We even got in a couple of runs on the double diamond under the K-1 Gondola, as John was trying to impress some women that were in the Gondola with us. John kept me entertained all day with his caffeine-induced, animated monologues and longings for female companionship. His divorce becomes final this week and he was just a'twitter. We had a great time reminiscing our days in Washington County. His office mates have dubbed him the clone of two characters in the show "The Office," and I would say they have him well named! We stayed at it all day, without any breaks, until 4 pm closing - the best day of ridn so far this year! I worked hard to keep the speed up so I could stay with John who enjoys high speed and not too many turns. It was good for improving my technique. A new wax layer and sharpened edges helped as well.

I write from Louisville, KY, where I am doing seminars for John Deere. I left Albany yesterday at 4pm and today Donna reports about 20 inches of snow in the driveway, with more coming down! I return on Friday and hope to get some powder riding in!

Spinning Necessity

Winter has finally arrived in full force. Last Saturday's ice biking was followed by another Sunday afternoon snowboard session at Mt. Snow. Followed on Monday with another afternoon ice bike on the home trails. However, spinning at the Y has been needed to keep aerobic conditioning and to work on the 8 pounds I need to lose by the end of March.

The Sunday afternoon-Mt. Snow routine has worked well two weeks in a row. I get there around noon and a jump into an empty parking space right next to the $10 premium spots; get suited up at the tailgate of the Outback, and take the short walk to the lift line. This Sunday the lines were very full. I went to the slow lift and got to the top to take a leak at the summit lodge, then headed off to the Caritina area. Lines were less full. A nice feature of riding solo is that you get in the Single Only line and go right to the front. So, waiting in line was never more than a 5 minute break in the action. I liked the trails in this section of Mt. Snow. They were less crowded and had good loose cover to ride over. Eventually I worked my way back over to the main lodge and alternated from doing the Summit run to the other quad. I was feeling very comfortable going over the bumpy steep sections at high speed towards the end. A very good day.

Monday I worked at home in the office and planned the day around a 2-3 pm start of riding the home trails on the Epic. The conditions were ideal with just a couple of inches of dense snow and ice and weather in the 20's. My anticipation was rewarded. I like these trails best under these conditions. The wet spots are all rock hard and the icy, muddy, rutted areas add some technical difficulty to what is ordinarily either smooth or muddy. I stayed out over 90 minutes and got another great workout, despite my legs being dead from the weekend.

On Wednesday and today I went to the Y and spun with Donna in Dan's class. So, a good week of January-February ridn!

You Cwazzy Mistaw

Five years ago, while training for the Tupper Lake Tinman, a 1/2 ironman-distanced triathlon, I was running early in the morning in Plattsburg, NY. It was May, but it was brutally hot and humid. I was making the return leg back to the hotel on a 6.5 mile out and back route I had done several times while staying in Plattsburg. I was hurting bad, having gone through several days of traveling to work on farms with consultants in the hot, humid conditions. All of a sudden I hear a kid in his driveway getting ready to catch the elementary school bus yell to me, "why are you wunning mistaw?" He replaced his r's with w sounds. I managed to get out some words from my salt-stained lips in between grimaces of pain and said, "because it's fun." The words were reflex, and not even meant to be ironic. He replied before my next heartbeat with, "you cwazzy mistaw!" After I told this story to Donna it has become our catch phrase for when we plan or do something extreme.

This morning Donna asked me if I would join her at Dan's Saturday 8 am spin class at the Y. I said no, that I was planning on joining a group mountain bike ride at Grafton State Park at 1 pm. And, you know what she said. The fact that it was 7 degrees out and snowing lightly had something to do with her response. When she told Dan and other members of the spin class why I was not with them, they came up with other words to describe my intentions.

Ice biking is not a familiar activity to even some avid cyclists. Two winters ago I bought a set of Nokian studded tires for my Epic mountain bike. They have a carbide tipped stud sticking out of every knob, all 296 of them, in each tire. You can bike on glare ice and not spin or slip a wheel. After solving that problem it is just a matter of keeping yourself warm. The only problem I have had with that is keeping my feet warm. It don't have winter mountain biking shoes and my attempts at using Gore Tex socks and neoprene covers with the regular mountain biking shoes, which are vented for crying out loud, have resulted in near frost bite. In addition, the metal clips conduct heat out and also freeze up making clipping in a problem. My solution for this day was to put on the flat, studded Kona pedals that came with my Yeti and wear my GoreTex hiking boats.


There were 10 of us "cwazzies" on hand for the 1 pm take off from the Winter entrance to Grafton. We rode for about 3 hours, a little over 10 miles, on icy hard-packed snow, rocks, roots and puddles. We did a lot of hill climbing which actually helped keep us warm. It was a fantastic day on the bike and despite the sub-20 degree temperature, most of us stayed pretty warm. My foot solution worked very well and I even wore my snowboarding helmet for extra protection, although it was overkill - I could have gone with the regular biking helmet with the hoody underneath. It was just what I needed - 2 hours of hard aerobic effort and probably close to 2000 calories burned off. The woods were beautiful and we even rode out on the frozen lake among the ice fishermen - who looked at us like we were, you guessed it - cwazzy.