Altitude Sickness

A wonderful surprise, the slopes have opened!

Another boring week in the world of Brady, with the exception of one wonderful surprise. I have to say that not having a daunting race to train for makes the world a little more dull. Fewer reasons to get up in the morning and do masochistic things to myself.

I have kept running and walking daily, abs, pullups, burpees, etc. I even got out on the trail again on the Sherburne Pass for 4 miles, and found some glorious snow at the top, harbinger of things to come.

I have been transitioning into lifting weights, doing sprint interval workouts, and trying to go as fast as I can with my legs. It is important in the transition to faster miles to try to both build a little strength (fast miles are much harder on the body) and a higher percentage of quick twitch muscle fibers. This will aid with my running, my skiing, and my reemergence into the world of Taekwondo.

The wonderful surprise this week was, of course, being able to ski! This is what it’s really all about. Skiing is the reason I am here, and the reason I stay. Skiing is the reason that I made less money than I ever have in my 23 years since college, and skiing was the reason I have been happier than any time I have since college, when I would ski only an average of about 80 days a year. Last year I made it to the big leagues, doubling my best amateur year.

For my first day on the slopes, I took out my old Black Diamond Warrants because last year’s skis had started to delaminate due to the 160 days of hard work that I put on them. But the Warrants were terrible and unsociable just as I always remembered them. So for my second day of skiing I took out last year’s Head Motorhead skis. The delamination notwithstanding, it was as glorious skiing them as I remember it being.

The combination of Motorhead twin tip and 22 Designs Hammerhead bindings was far more responsive and tighter turning than my Black Diamond bindings and Warrant skis. All I had to do was think of a turn and the skis would make it. I can’t wait for my new combo this year, last year’s Sir Francis Bacon skis, and the new 22 Designs Outlaw step-in NTN bindings. I would be skiing them now, but the new bindings haven’t hit the shelves yet. I am literally bouncing with anticipation both for the new package and tomorrow’s skiing!

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