Muscle Conspiracy

It seems I’m a trail runner.  After the misstep of 40 minutes on the road, I returned to the Whiskeage trail. I had a fabulous run of about 48 minutes, during which the hip felt muscle sore, not injury sore. After a day off, I hit the trail again for 25 minutes, with increased soreness, most likely because I pushed too hard in the earlier run (I couldn’t help myself; it felt so good to feel good while running!). I continue to learn a lot about my body, from experimenting with cross training and running strategies to understanding the anatomy behind the pain. The physical therapists at Riverview, in addition to using deep tissue massage to work out the kinks in my hip and leg, have shown me how the psoas and piriformis muscles, and recently the IT band, are conspiring against my quick recovery. Chris and Carrie have given me a range of exercises for my gluts and hamstrings, which should help my body support increased mileage. Since trail running is prescribed into the distant future, I need recommendations. If you know of good trails in the Portland/Brunswick/Bath area, please comment. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to my next race, the 3^rd Annual Portland Brewer’s Holiday Dash 5K, which takes place tomorrow. It’s sponsored in part by Portland Trails and includes an after party and brunch at RiRa Irish Pub and a Toys for Tots collection (I picked up a Playmobil horse and corral, which I hope will be a hit). I’ll be gearing up for cold weather, as snow is in the forecast: Nike leggings, a long sleeve technical shirt, and my favorite gear discovery of last year, Icebreaker gloves. They’re light and keep my fingers toasty and not sweaty.

Skiing Makes Me Cry

It’s time to get the X-C skis out of the garage and the boots out of the basement! I loved racing as a teenager (1983 KUA pic above), and I regret that I let it go during college and after. I was on 3 varsity teams in high school, and after graduation I changed gears, focusing on my growing interest in painting (among other distractions…). I skied occasionally over the years, until my Fischer Racing Cross gear was completely trashed. In 2010, I was reunited with skiing. That winter, a friend loaned me some Madshu racing skis before I hit the road for a faculty meeting in Montpelier. On route to work, I stopped at Bretton Woods Nordic Center and spent a few ecstatic hours on the trails (yup, I was sore for a few days!). When it was time to scoot to VT for my meeting, I packed up my gear, hopped into the car, and promptly started crying. I’d forgotten how much I love to X-C ski; how happy it makes every cell in my body. I’ve been skiing regularly since then, and last year I found a used pair of my dream skis, Fischer RCS carbon tip classics. Meetings are scheduled for this week, snow is in the forecast, and the skis are coming along for the trip!