Slogging through
I've started this post a dozen times over the past week, with what I considered a decent nugget of an idea, and then discarded every one. It seems to mirror how my fitness is going lately. I'm just beat up, and can't seem to finish anything. It's "that time" of year again. By "that time", I mean February, when the ski racing season is in high gear and my body starts to break down.
Instead of coaching with the Alyeska Masters, this year I'm coaching the team my 6 year old daughter joined. It's a small program at a hill on an Air Force Base, which is comprised of kids that have never skied before to kids that really should be at a bigger hill. Some kids race, some don't. It's been a pretty great experience skiing with my daughter. I don't expect her to be a great racer one day, and in fact I kinda hope she never gets super serious about it. I just want her to be outside and active when most kids are hibernating at home, glued to the TV. If I can introduce her to a sport that she will enjoy for the rest of her life, I will be happy. I'm the last one that wants to push her. That kind of motivation needs to come from within as far as I'm concerned.
The downside to moving from the Alyeska Masters to this program is that I'm the only coach with a recent racing background, much less any race coaching certifications. The other coaches are all volunteers, and there are more than a few differing opinions of how skiing should be taught. As the new guy on the block, I've been mostly quiet when I see something I don't agree with, spending more time repairing equipment and setting courses- the grunt work that I know I can do better without hurting any feelings. Now that I think about it, that's pretty much what I did at Alyeska. I must be soft in the head. I figure that I have to build a little credibility before I start questioning the methods of the senior coaches. Maybe I can learn something in the process. You never know.
Between the kids program, my own intramural program, and riding the trainer 6 days a week, my body has started to protest a little bit. Janice added a few more days of recovery after I cracked on a workout I should have cruised through. I was riding along on a fitness high, and then suddenly I just didn't have the legs anymore. I never saw it coming. Thanks to Janice's quick thinking, I have bounced back most of the way, but I'm watching and waiting for the next crack. It's out there somewhere, and maybe I'll see it first and dodge the bullet this time.
On the positive side, I've lost 8 pounds since the New Year, and I'm hoping that trend continues. I'm pushing for 7 more by mid-April, when race season starts. I'm looking forward to carrying 15 fewer pounds up the hills around here, while producing a higher average wattage than ever before. I'll never be a great climber, but hopefully I can minimize my time losses and continue to improve.
Hopefully.
Instead of coaching with the Alyeska Masters, this year I'm coaching the team my 6 year old daughter joined. It's a small program at a hill on an Air Force Base, which is comprised of kids that have never skied before to kids that really should be at a bigger hill. Some kids race, some don't. It's been a pretty great experience skiing with my daughter. I don't expect her to be a great racer one day, and in fact I kinda hope she never gets super serious about it. I just want her to be outside and active when most kids are hibernating at home, glued to the TV. If I can introduce her to a sport that she will enjoy for the rest of her life, I will be happy. I'm the last one that wants to push her. That kind of motivation needs to come from within as far as I'm concerned.
The downside to moving from the Alyeska Masters to this program is that I'm the only coach with a recent racing background, much less any race coaching certifications. The other coaches are all volunteers, and there are more than a few differing opinions of how skiing should be taught. As the new guy on the block, I've been mostly quiet when I see something I don't agree with, spending more time repairing equipment and setting courses- the grunt work that I know I can do better without hurting any feelings. Now that I think about it, that's pretty much what I did at Alyeska. I must be soft in the head. I figure that I have to build a little credibility before I start questioning the methods of the senior coaches. Maybe I can learn something in the process. You never know.
Between the kids program, my own intramural program, and riding the trainer 6 days a week, my body has started to protest a little bit. Janice added a few more days of recovery after I cracked on a workout I should have cruised through. I was riding along on a fitness high, and then suddenly I just didn't have the legs anymore. I never saw it coming. Thanks to Janice's quick thinking, I have bounced back most of the way, but I'm watching and waiting for the next crack. It's out there somewhere, and maybe I'll see it first and dodge the bullet this time.
On the positive side, I've lost 8 pounds since the New Year, and I'm hoping that trend continues. I'm pushing for 7 more by mid-April, when race season starts. I'm looking forward to carrying 15 fewer pounds up the hills around here, while producing a higher average wattage than ever before. I'll never be a great climber, but hopefully I can minimize my time losses and continue to improve.
Hopefully.
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