We had our first team training on snow at Bear Valley Cross Country Ski Center in the Sierras. We split into groups depending on skiing style (striding or skating) and skill level. I was in the basic striding or “classic” skiing group. I’m wearing the gray coat on the left in the photo (Click to Enlarge).
I am starting to get it – moving side to side as I put one leg forward and then the other in the tracks groomed into the snow like ruts going off into the distance. It takes balance and oxygen!
And hey! Here’s a muscle I didn’t know I had – the Gracilis muscle. It runs along the inside of each thigh. Who knew I had it or that I would use it while stride skiing?
One of my teammates, Ron Lichty does. He remembers learning about this muscle a few years ago too. Apparently about half the people new to stride skiing will experience stiffness in this muscle for the first couple of weeks. I am in week one.
Doing the “butterfly stretch” really works these muscles. That’s where you sit Indian style with the bottoms of your feet pressed together and then use your elbows to press your knees toward the floor. Oh baby! I have to go slow but the muscles start to relax after a couple 20 second stretches.
We got to stay in the loft over the rental office at Bear Valley with a special arrangement for team members for only $25 per night. It was a bit like camping indoors but we had a kitchen and feasted on spaghetti Saturday night.
On Sunday morning I awoke in the loft with both my Gracilis (although I didn’t know what they were called at the time) muscles stiff and achy. Ron suggested I pop a couple Ibuprofen which I did and voila! I skied for several hours on Sunday morning and into the afternoon with no pain.
I retraced the easy trails we took during our lessons and then challenged myself with a couple medium difficulty slopes. The difficulty comes from hills. I’m pretty good at “herringboning” up the hills with my skis pointed out like a “V” and using the edges to move up the hill on leg at a time.
Going down the hills is another matter. If you downhill ski you know how to “snowplow” down the hill by pointing your feet pigeon-toed to make your skis point inward. It’s the same with cross country except the skis are skinny. As I said to Coach Larry, in my opinion cross country skis don’t edge well going downhill. He replied, “In everyone’s opinion cross country skis don’t edge well going downhill.”
Hmm. I guess that explains my propensity for wiping out when heading downhill. It’s something I need to practice. I landed on my shoulder during one of these falls. It still hurts but that’s OK. Ibuprofen is my friend.
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