This week, Halloween week, my birthday week, was a grand week. I am up to 13 days of skiing this year, and I hiked straight up Double Dipper and skied every day. My inning schedule went out the window, but sneaker spiking up the mountain every day has me in pretty great shape, I am certain. I skied right up until they put up the no trespassing sign (frowny face).
I’ve been keeping up with my lifting, my nutrition, my stretching, my yoga, and concentrating on humping up the mountain daily. I learned that the steep direct route to the top takes the same amount of time, but is far more challenging. On the way down it is faster, and hurts my hips and back less than the service road, which is hard like concrete, but uneven, making it perfect for ankle twisting.
I learned that on wet and frosty mornings, micro-spikes (I call them sneaker spikes) are extremely helpful, even when there is no ice, enabling a much grippier and faster climb than my trail sneakers or even my boots.
One thing you do want to watch out for if you buy sneaker spikes is sizing. I was very poor when I bought mine, and I found a really inexpensive pair from China. Not only are they non-stainless steel and prone to rust, but the rings sometimes bend. Furthermore, the Chinese do not have a concept of a size 13 shoe. The micro-spikes barely fit on my size 13 shoe, because they are designed for feet that are, for a Viking like myself, diminutive.
The long and short of it is, if there is skiing available, I just don’t care about running.
In other news, though, Pip the Impaler is coming along nicely. I have learned the time of day when he snuggles best (he seems to be jumpy later at night), and so we are getting some good snuggles. I am working hard at socializing him, but he continues to bite. I can see that I am breaking through the abuse and neglect, though. He has started to purr when I scratch him on the chin or the shoulder, and he has started to offer me his chin regularly. Sometimes, in the middle of a scratch and purr, he will start to freak out and try to bite me and get away, but all the while he is leaning on my finger and purring. He is clearly fighting his alarm responses, and my socializing him is working. Patience and time. This is the best relationship training I have ever had. Show up, do the work, the results come.
