Thursday 7 January 2010

Full Moon Madness

or Retail Therapy, you decide....

I hate shopping almost as much as I dislike winter, but since I live in this climate I might as well embrace it.

The past few years I've suffered terribly from SAD (seasonal affective disorder).  There was NO way that it was going to beat me up again this year, so I've been popping Vitamins' C and D since September and trying to get out into the winter weather as much as possible.  What better way than snow shoeing and cross country skiing!!  I've skied before and although I'm slow and had a pretty hard fall a few years ago I had decided to hang up my equipment.  (I actually made a pretty nifty outdoor winter decoration with the old ski's)....but since I've been snowshoeing I realised I have a need for speed.

Madshus Metis U - Women's Combi Ski Boot
Madshus Lillehammer MGV+ Skis with NISWhy walk when you can run?  Why not include ski's again?  Well, why not????  Last Sunday I went over to the Quebec side to Greg Christies bike and ski shop.  What a treat this place is!  As soon as I walked in I was greated by Glen who ended up helping me select the perfect cross country ski package.  We talked about expectations, skill level (or lack thereof) and where I would be doing most of my skiing.   I ended up getting Madshus boots and ski's and of course poles (even though I have a pair).  I even talked to Glen about upgrading my bike (ssshhh, don't tell Ruby), so I'll be going over in the next couple of weeks and seeing what he suggests...so far the Opus, Alto looks good.  But I really have to do my homework and go to Bushtukah and talk with Erin and Zack...

I've also joined the Kanata Nordic Ski Club which is 5 minutes from my office, so for the past couple of days I've ski'd the trails right after work and I'm gaining my confidence back.  I'm hoping to go to the Gatineau's in Quebec on Saturday for a little more of a challenging ski.  Look out, clear the trails!!!

On the running front, well, let's just say I'm cross training right now, I am going to run on Sunday with Jen and the Richmond Road Race 5K and 10K race the following week will be more of a fun run.  I have to admit, I'm enjoying not having to get ready for a particular race right at the moment. 

Good Luck to everyone running in Disney this weekend, bundle up your buns...who knew it would just a few degrees warmer there than what we are experiencing here!!!  Have fun you guys....and have fun being GOOFY!!

Life's fun if you don't weaken,

Lily

14 comments:

Jenn said...

I love cross country skiing but I haven't gone in a couple of years! It is such a great workout and a nice change of pace!! Have fun on your run on Sunday!

Carolina John said...

bundle up out there. cc skiing is supposed to be quite the workout and tons of fun!

TNTcoach Ken said...

SAD already????? It's just January...

Wes said...

This would be the only reason I like snow. Snow, ski, go away. Snow, ski, go away :-)

Unknown said...

You go girl!

Bert said...

Nice looking boot(s)! Have fun on the trails - right after work sounds like a good time; stress relief + warding off SAD. And I'm sure it will help with the running too.

Gotta Run..... said...

Doing something different now to make it through the winter will only make your running fresher come spring.

Pictures please :)

Mike Russell said...

Cross country skiing is a fantastic way to cross train. Your hip flexors will thank you in the spring when the temps creep up!

Aka Alice said...

I tried cc skiing once. Hardest GD thing I've ever done (although at the time I was quite the couch potato. I assume it'd be different now...or at least I hope it would).

I'm so glad that you're taking the SAD bull by the horns (so to speak) good for you! I remember how it affected you last winter.

You go girl!

Alexandra said...

I applaud you for recognizing what needs to be done to maintain a healthy frame of mind and putting your plans in place. I find even the planning can make me smile and the anticipation of being out there in the fresh air and sunshine lifts my spirits! One day I will try cross country skiing!

Judi said...

so so lucky. post some cute ski pix lilly!!

i am supposed to try skiing on monday nite. should be interesting.

Mel-2nd Chances said...

Ooooh! You're going to have some exciting stuff going on in 2010! Enjoy the skiing! :) Can't wait to see which bike you pick out!

Groover said...

Cross country skiing is perfect cross training. It works your cardio fitness and similar muscle groups (the big ones that girls don't actually like very big much ... hahaha)

Love the upbeat tone of your post - can't detect any SAD in it so your recipe must be working! Keep it up!

Datagod said...
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