Austin Marathon

Finished the Austin Marathon with Team In Training.  We brought in $485,000 on this event. 
I was slow of course and finished with all the Team In Training coaches encouraging me.  I really must start picking up the pace instead of always being the last TNT finisher.  A lot of the Team In Training runners did the half marathon, so at least I did the full.  I was tired and I think the time difference was slowing me down.  I had a hard time sleeping the night before so I don't think my attitude was at its best.  But I was still very happy to finish, especially because I know how important this cause is. 

Hillside Trails

I went cross country skiing with my friend Diane on the Hillside Trails in Anchorage.  Lots and lots of hills along that route. It was quite a workout getting up some of those hills. But it was a nice day and not quite as cold as it has been earlier this week. We only covered 2 actual miles, but it felt like a lot longer!

6 Miles on Skis

The fog here in the valley was so thick that you couldn't see a thing.   But I suspected it would be pretty easy to climb out of it.  So I drove up to Archangel Valley and skied for a few hours.  It was nice and warm and the two inches of new snow made the conditions even more magical. It was cloudy at first but soon even the clouds lifted and I was in bright sunshine.  It was a great workout.

Alyeska Skiing

I spent the day downhill skiing at Alyeska today.  My legs are tired and even though it was all downhill, it was still a great leg workout. The snow was perfect, hard pack and very fast.  Plus it was so beautiful up there!

Archangel Valley

I decided to hit the Archangel Valley Trail again today with the skate skies.  I was definitely struggling but did make it all the way to the Reed Lakes Trail Head.  Some other skiers told me that there are skate ski classes at Government Hill on Saturday mornings.  So I plan to be there on Saturday.  I was starting to get the hang of it after a while.  I'm very slow uphill but when it is slightly downhill I am able to actually skate.  But my skies need to be waxed.  It's quite a workout but I know once I master it, I will really like it.  I think skate skiing will be a good alternative to trying to run in deep snow for marathon training. 

I'm sure loving these beautiful sunny cold days.  I think I'll head to Alyeska for some downhill skiing tomorrow for a change.

Eklutna Lake

I knew it would be cold up there at Eklutna Lake but I felt like I wanted a change of scene from Hatcher Pass.  As usual it was totally in the shade.  I was dressed considerably warmer than last time so it was not too cold.  I went out about 4 miles then noticed that my feet were starting to get numb.  It was also getting a little late. It was good that I turned around because I was really cold by the time I got back to the car.

But what a gorgeous day it was! I got some very beautiful photos along the way.

Archangel Valley

It was horribly windy again today so I thought I would try the Government Hill area.  It was blowing so hard there that I quickly turned around.  It had been calm up at Hatcher Pass all week so I figured I couldn't go wrong up there.  But today at the Archangel Valley Parking Lot I thought I would get blown away.  I decided to go ahead and give it a try anyway.  The first mile was terrible and at times I thought I would get blown right off my feet.  But after that, it was much better.  It was really quite beautiful and rather pleasant except for occasional annoying gusts. I stuck with the classic skis again because I wanted to log some mileage instead of simply struggling for a mile or two. I turned around at the Reed Lakes trail head because it was starting to get kind of late and I was losing the daylight. 

Independence Mine

Today was a wonderful workout and another beautiful day up at Hatcher Pass.  I followed the road to the top then instead of turning around and skiing back down the steep hill I had just climbed, I followed a groomed trail heading to the right.  I had no idea where it went or if it would ever get me back to the parking lot.  But it was a beautiful route.  It was narrower then the road route and had some steep downhill parts that I took very slowly.  I've never seen this route groomed, so it was quite a treat.  The temperature was nice and the 50 mph wind was staying down in Palmer.  It was totally calm up there. I used my classic skis in stead of struggling again with the skate skies.