Winter activities

I used to be a runner, decades ago, but transitioned to daily walking as my feet and hips complained.

I’ve upped my walking in recent years, often to an hour or so. While traveling, I’ve often walked up to 8-10 miles a day, in non-car-centric places.  But, it’s usually dropped back to 3-5 miles at home, more if I try to walk to the grocery for odds and ends.

in a Rimouski park, next to an ice-skating trail

crossing the Pont du Glace (across the frozen river)

So, I’ve loved the opportunity to swap walking for X-C skiing on our Altai-Hok hybrid skis.  But the difference, I’ve found, is that the muscles involved — legs and arms — are vastly different than my walking and hiking muscles.  Yes, my return-to-biking forays last summer had me returning to the Y for weight machine work (my arm strength was pitiful), so thankfully that’s helped.

But I’m still a bit whooped after a regular skiing excursion, largely, as I’m realizing this evening, is that they’re so much longer than my “normal” walks back in Asheville.

An hour and a half to two hours seems to be our current norm. Hmm.

At least I’m getting fitter.  My buddy is a swimmer and bicyclist (up on 2+ hour rides up towards the Blue Ridge Parkway and back — that’s considerably uphill from where we live) so he’s plenty strong and fit enough to be a happy camper on skis here in Quebec.

I’ll keep working on it — it’s beautiful to be out there.