Amazing! Snow in Holland , and lots of it!

Leading into the weekend, we had some snow. Unusual about it: the temps were actually be low freezing, so it remained on the ground.
I started out doing some skating (and much more crahsing) on 4-5cm snow over asphalt, just where it seemed to have piled up a bit due to wind vorteces. This marked the first skiing I did on home soil, actually on the way to work.
Friday we got some more, and I cashed some more, although at times I was skating just fine, albeit carefully to not scrape pavement too often.
Saturday, I took the train to some hilly forrests (Kaapse Bossen) reported to have good XC skiing snow. They didn't, even after additional snow. At least, for the skating I do. Messy trails. Just the wheel chair accessible walking route (as tame as it gets in hilly forrest) offered pretty reliable snow cover, and relatively few crashes from hitting the soil underneith. A bit of a let down, for hours at -8C.

Then, Sunday. Great snow coming down. I only went out the afternoon, to a recreational area I know well from having grown up nearby, and cycling the lame trails there a lot. A hellish half-hour bike ride to get there, this country is just not set up for 8-10" dumps during daylight.
There was TOO MUCH snow for decent skiing. One with forrest side path, where people at times walk over, I got down to being decently skiable after hours, by the time I was too tired to really take advantage and work on my technique.
At night I went out again, a little park near my house. I left the house, DOWNTOWN Rotterdam, ON SKIS. I skied to the park quite easily. Crazy fast side walk conditions. I got the same at the park. The kids having Christmas holiday ensured lots of sleighing action had taken place during daylight. The little (non-Dutch people wouldn't npotice them) hills were in tip-top condition this time. I found myself skating at full power, just like in Austria or Switzerland on the best of groomed trails. A wide cycle path transversing the park lined with street light was great for practicing straight line skiing. Not one crash from suddenly haltin skis this time. Skiing in Holland!
When I could no more, I added about another hour of catching breath and skiing some more. Words do not descibe it.
Monday after work, I went to the park again, again on skis out of the door.
Conditions were slower it seemed, but cover was still good or better. A bit too loose again even, as we had been blessed with a bit more snowfall still. I didn't manage more than 1.5 hours or so, I was just BEAT from the 2 days before. Too beat to get proper sleep even.
Thurday I didn't ski although surely conditions would have been OK. Wednesday markt the start of my 10-day leave, but I'm at home, trying to get rested.

I'm torn between booking a flight for tomorrow to go to the snow, and just getting a break from it. I may have gotten an overload of skiing, and don't want to be put off by it. I also have a week booked for the last week of January.

Gear :
I did most of the skiing on my Atomic Pro Skate skis. Sounds fancy, but really they are the cheapest skate skis Atomic offered in 2007-2008 or so. I got them at an eBay auction for a joke. The matching Pilot bindings cost me the same, to give you an idea.
Slightly wider than the fanicer Atomic I've got, and 190cm for the largest size vs. 192cm. The base is of lower quality, and for the better. Because the first attemps to ski, wrecked the base beyond repair. Yet, the skiing remained acceptable, to my surprise. Only on really nice snow, my Atomic Race Skates seemed to be a tad nicer/faster.
Somehow, the Pro's seem to be really natural feeling. Taking turns feels easy. Or maybe my technique and guts have improved since I last skied earlier this year.
Anyway, I love(d) these skis. They are wrecked, although they still "ski". I think I'm going to try and fine more of them. As I get better at skiing, this pair may still have a purpose for the increasingly stupid skiing I might do.
Perhaps I just got lucky to get a pair of skis perfectly tuned to my (over)weight, but I'm going to try and find more of them. Something about dirt cheap skis that work...

Some good news!

After all the messing with my right ankle (pain when running) I seem to have figured it out 75% or so.
I have flat feet. Huge, I knew that, but apparently my arch can't support my weight anymore (95kg not too long ago). The causes severe pronation, and apparantly I only notice it as ankle pain (it moves a lot inward).

I bought some €80 insoles. Really stiff, high arch support. There are meant for racket sports, very rough surface (need slippery socks), but they seem to fit me well.
All at once, much less ankle pain!!
The next step was to buy some Saucony Stabil-SC shoes, for severe over-pronators. I think they really work, but I have yet to find the perfect insole for them. A thick, huge support insole seem "too much" correction, I get strained shins/calfs. Without a supporting insole, I distinctly feel the arch collaption, like a rope bridge.

Anyway, since a few weeks, I am able to show up for Tuesday and Thursday running practices, distance track team. I don't yet feel comfortable to join the long distance road group, afraid of injury (and boredom).
I can't say my time are improing, but at least I feel pretty OK by the end of a practice, rather than hurtfully impaired before we get to the main program.

I find that I can be surprisingly smooth running near the end of a practice session, even with long escalator intervals (18 metres up from a river tunnel).

Yesterday after 10PM I managed to drag myself outside and do a sort of fartlek run of 25 mins total. There is this bridge 3 mins from my house, 5-6m tall, with grass lawn on the side. there may be some dog activity there, but the grass is short and the lighting sufficient. Next time I'll have to wear my SpeedCross shoes there. Great ankle stability training. And, I can do short hill bounding intervals up the tallest steepest slope. Many little trees littered over the lawn, to make an imaginary winding running course. It's not much, but better than nothing. Hope to go there more often.



I'm looking to get some snow end Jan/early Feb. Hopefully contest the Dutch Nationals this time, the real race. i won the men's non-race this year, behind the first lady...

I don't foresee a wintertri happening this winter (always postponing), but I don't feel bad about it. I am progressing, and hope to include more cycling and skating into my life over this winter.

Return of the slacker : first proper run in 7 months

See my August 21st 2008 entry? I did a similar run yesterday, totaling the same.
Since August, I've been attending some track trainings, but never done long solo runs. Twice a 2x3km to a mate where I'd have a long break, otherwise nothing.

Out, around the island, and back the same route. 10.2km in 50min06s.
I ran both as slow as I can bear, and as fast as I can breath. All landing on the heels, at times focussing to be smooth, which seemed to only cost more energy.

I stopped only for a few traffic lights, and to quickly stretch atop the second bridge.
Usually when I run 10k's (I never did more), I get in trouble on the way home. Only along the water after the island I was strugling (some fat guy overtaking and leaving me), but after the island look I got in a nice rythm, actually aerobically comfortable. I could have run a couple k's longer at that pace, although my left thigh was complaining a bit.

Today: oddly, no soreness. I took it easy though.
Glad I managed a "non-stop" 10km again, and losing only 5min over my ancient PB, without trying to go fast for a second.

On another note : I may have found a couck. Residing across an ocean, but he seems to know his stuff. Hope to confirm a deal soon. I still really want to get in shape, and I need someone to make my schedules to reach that.
There will be lots of (b)logging if I do half the hours I'm hoping for, and reporting on only half of that :-)

Keep believing,

J

Another 52 weeks

Hi all,
Obviously, I didn't make it.
Well, not taking tart in a Winter Traithlon.

I did "win" the Dutch non-championships race on the Ramsau WorldCup course, sans real hills.
In January, I enjoyed 7 days on snow there. February, another 8 days in the Leutasch/Seefeld region.

My total of snow days now stands at 24. I no longer am a pityful rookie that doesn' know how to go from standstill to forward movement, or to keep from sliding down a hill - backwards.

Coming out of Davos, December '07, I didn't quite have the progress I would have wanted. COuld barely climb, and shitted my pants on the slighted sight of a downslope.

Arriving in Ramsau, Austria, I skipped the opening classic lesson (and all the following). Went for some pure XCsperience, checking out some local trails.
Testing my new Salomon Equipe 10 skate skis. I found them to make it easy to make a turn, albeit in my usual V-slide. At least crashing was becoming optional rather than a given.

The skate lessons (part of the VasaSport Dutch Champs program) were good, but I learned most from doing longer tours, and dozens of repeats on too-tough-for-me hills. I still struggled with fast downhills, finding them just way scary. I worked on that though, and made (some) progress.
By the end of the Ramsau week, I had won a medal (being the fastest man (8th) to not take part in the real skate nationals. Of those who took part in anything, that is.
Oh, and a girl beat me actually. A fit one though, reigning European Champ of sorts.



My own fitness was still pityfull though. Running has been scarce.
So, I made it up maybe 10 vertical meters, before needing a breather. Chasing Kazakhstan national team members helped keep the speed up, but didn't nett me more meters per effort.

All in all, Ramsau was a great re-acquaintance with snow. I learned (mostly myself) to get up some of the steeper hills that XC courses can throw in my way. In Davos, I struggled like an elephant on a green soaped waterslide. In Ramsau, I worked to get my steps up a particularly steep WC hill down to 20. The national champ, did it in 14... Number 2 in 16, numkber 3 in 15. NOt sure anyone in the main feature ever took 20, but I had a goal set. Some day, I want to fly up that little bugger in 13 or less steps, without really forcing it.

Arriving in Leutasch, we were treated to lots of snow, and often soft trails. Careful with the poles. I got to improve my feel on the skis, a lot. Lots of hills, and zero lessons, made it about the steepest learning curve I'd had since snow day 1.
Braking and downhills got better and better. Loving the Salomons. Many crashes, resulting in only minor injuries, oddly added to my confidence.

Stepping through turns is still one of my weaker points, but doesn't really cost me a lot of time compared to my climbing or endurance and wax speed.








Join me! Sub-optimal phone cam angle. Care for your neck:


Better recording, not upside down. Head bands work for phones!


Nice downhill:


A few more on YouTube itself. I'm Cloxxki there.

No WorldCup grace, just yet. Well, just blind rage on skis really. But, I'm making it up the hill, in somewhat of a hurry (near max effort really). In Ramsau, I was definately less agile. In Davos, I would have looked for other routes to the summit.

So, progress, yeah!

Still no luck finding a coack. Even the world class wintertriathlete that lead the Ramsau groups didn't know anyone for me. And I really can't even get started by myself. All that can get me off my lazy ass now is a whole lot of snow, and a pair of skis.

My goals are far from being reached, but my progress, especially in speed and technique, hint me that I just may not end up the world's worst skier. It's clear I don't have natural motoric talent for this, but as I hoped and expected, I CAN learn this, with time. One day I WILL be proficient enough, to let my ski speed be a direct reflection of my physical fitness compared to the race winners, not my level of experience.
When I find a coach, and get working towards being the fittest man I ever was, I will not need to be a backmarker in wintertriathlon who loses another half hour on the ski leg.

Next year I hope to be ready to truly contest the Dutch Champs in skating. I did register this year, but back out for 2 reasons.
2- really sore left ankle, likely from bad edging technique (my right ankle was fine, but was my wrrry due to running pains)
1- the downhill after the steep uphill was actually steeper still, and ending in a right turn. I got down it safely 2 attempts in training, and crashed it many more times. After Leutasch, I may have been able to slide through it at semi-decent speed.
15km of non-stop racing though...a very long hour. I just was not that kind of athlete. Twice 7km on a city bike to work each day, and once in a while a running practice. That doesn't make a National XC racer, also not in Holland. Those guys were FIT! Half of the participants actually lived in snow countries.
Will I move to Austria? I just might, if the occasion presents itself to me...