After The Ice Age

The Ice Age finally ended today so John Wyland and I went classic skiing at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. We put on Swix VF50 kick wax which works well in temps above freezing but is tough to put on. We got in 1 1/2 hours. Check out the picture of the trail.

Anonymous Posters

You have to love those anonymous commentators on your blog page... I've got one who's been attacking my posts lately. I could eliminate the comment feature on my page but I won't for now. Obviously, the person who has been posting on my page has a lot of time on his hands. He won't identify himself because he knows I would kick his ass... So, I'm assuming this guy doesn't work or is off during the winter. He might have delusional tendencies and he could make his living by day trading stocks or landscape work... I would also guess that he is not married and has a hard time getting dates or keeping a relationship going. His clues lead me in that direction. I assume he might get bored at some point and move on to something else when he realizes how pathetic his life is...

Another Como Training Session

I got in 1 1/2 hours of skate skiing at Como Park today. The high school conference races were just wrapping up as I arrived. Among the schools were Roseville, Stillwater and Moundsview plus a few others. There were a lot of people out skiing including Jay Wenner.

Highland At Highland

The Highland High Ski Team was out skiing on the Highland 9 Hole Golf Course today. The kids were flying around the loop doing intervals. I wasn't going too fast though. My ski of choice was the pair that was in the truck, my old Peltonens. They were slow mostly because I waxed them in November and haven't done it since. In fact, the bases were white from oxidation... Plus, I was dressed too warm. As a result, I only skated for 50 minutes.

Nice Tracks

Lake Elmo Park Reserve is doing a nice job of grooming this winter. Jerry Engen, Lori Belz, John Wyland and I checked it out today as we classic skied for 1 1/2 hours. The tracks were great except where they were windblown the last couple of days. The picture is of the woods as you drive to the parking area.

Colder Than It Needs To Be...

It was a cold Saturday and much colder than it needs to be. Winter can survive just fine on temps in the 20sF so I don't know why it has to be so cold. I stopped at Now Bikes and talked to Bob, Tracy, Mike and Ambrose. Then, I went skiing at Sunfish Lake Park in Lake Elmo at 1pm. The place is in the woods so wind isn't a factor. I classic skied with Tom Bengel, Lori Belz, Jerry Engen, Barry Torgerson and Bill Stuber. We got in 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Sun Dog Millionaire

You've heard of the movie Slum Dog Millionaire? It's a good movie and I recommend it. Anyway, today I was out in Hutchinson, MN and caught this picture of a sun dog. It's a little different than a slum dog...

Highland 9

I skied at the Highland 9 Hole Golf Course in Saint Paul today. It's the closest ski area to my house. The city of Saint Paul does a nice job of grooming the place but puts more effort into Como Park. Anyway, a loop at Highland takes about 15 minutes. I did a warm-up lap, race pace circuit and cool-down loop for a total of 41 minutes.

Ski Central

Another day at the famed storied Comenkollen, aka, Como Park. Como is basically ski central in Saint Paul. What a nice day it was on Wednesday January 21st. The sun was out and the temp was in the mid 20sF. Among the many skiers were kids from both the Central and Moundsview ski teams. I got in 1 1/2 hours and four loops of the course. Check out the setting sun over Como.

Skiing In Circles

It seems most skiing is done in circles. Yeah, out and back is an option. Sometimes a race will start in one place and then finish in another. Mostly though, whether racing or training, skiing is done in circles. I went in circles today as I did four loops of the famed and storied Como Golf Course. The total time was 1 1/2 hours. Many others were skiing including the Central and Roseville high school teams.

3:10 To Lake Elmo

Bill Stuber, John Wyland and I classic skied for 3 hours and 10 minutes today at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. It's a great place for classic because one loop is about an hour and a half. Red kick wax was the call of the day. There was a big eagle sitting in a tree on the west side of the course. That was pretty cool.

Back On The Boards

After a week of meg- cold weather, I got back on the skis today at William O'Brien State Park. Bill Stuber, John Wyalnd, Rob Belz and I got in some skate skiing. John and Rob had to leave early but Bill and I skied 2 1/2 hours.

Too Cold...

I haven't done much since last Sunday because of the cold. Today, I got in another mile mile riding my bike around the basement. After that, I did squats...

Going The Distance

I needed some bigger hours on snow. Most of my ski sessions have been 1 1/2 hours. That's pretty good but not enough to get you into shape for the big ski marathons. Today I went for a 2 1/2 hour classic ski at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. I did two complete laps of the course which includes both the east and west sides of the park road. It's an easy decision to classic ski when the snow is fresh and the tracks are in great shape.

Cronometro Swap '09

Bill Stuber and I took the 3 1/2 hour drive down to Madison, Wisconsin for the annual Cronometro Bike Swap. This was the year of deep section carbon wheels. Tons of sets including FSA, Cane Creek, Spinergy and Flashpoint among them going for between $350 and $450. New Dura Ace 10 Speed STI Shifters for $150 per set. It was also the year of the carbon crankset. There were FSA and Bontrager versions going for $70 to $75. There were lots of shoes too including new Specailized for $50 and new Lake for $15. Plus, there were a lot of Ritchey WCS stems and Pro Handlebars. One guy had three Ritchey Pro Ergo 44cm Handlebars in 26.0 for $5. Dag Selander and Paul Schoening had a booth set up too. They were the only Minnesota guys I know that were there.

Como Again

Hey! It's close! I got in 1 1/2 hours of skate skiing with Tom Bengel.

Registration Is Open For The NTC Bike Swap

With registration open for the NTC Bike Swap, I thought I'd take this picture from their website and find out who can find the following people in the pic; Paul Schoening, Skibby, Dan Cleary and me...

First Bike Ride Of The Year

I did my first bike ride of the year today. After recent work in the basement taking out walls, I was able to make a loop of the place. I got in 1 mile on my trainer bike before my lifting routine. I did crash once when I carried too much speed around the squat rack... Speaking of speed, I think I topped out at 6mph. Check out the picture of the course.

Tough Skiing

Como Park was windblown as I classic skied for 1 hour 40 minutes after work. The tracks were blown over in a few spots and the windblown snow that filled them was dry and slow. I got good kick though. Jay Wenner was out skiing as well. Anyway, we need a new, indoor velodrome so we can get quality bike training during the winter.

Snow Traveler

Check out this 1962 Polaris Snow Traveler. I was at one of my customers today and the guy on the sled bought this from someone he knew. He collects antique snowmobiles. The top speed is probably around 20mph. It has a five horsepower engine, no brakes and only a forward throttle. Anyway, when I got home from work, I went to Como Park for an hour of skate skiing. Since I didn't have a lot of time to ski, I skied one lap at close to race pace. I skied a couple of laps with Mike Brumbaugh and Danny Kueffer too.

Howling!

The coyotes were howling in all directions as Jerry Engen and I hunted some land in the east metro Monday night. Jerry had his Fox Pro predator caller and the thing was fantastic. We got responses from the north and the southeast from where we set up. The north pack was pretty far away and they didn't show up. The southeast pack was really close but with the wind out of the northwest, they probably knew we were there. We found a better place to set up next time. It was a long hike back to the area but there was good light with half the moon showing and tons of stars out.

Ridge Running

Sunday was a cold day so I waited for the weather to warm-up before I went out skiing. Bill Stuber joined me as we classic skied at a new place I hadn't been to before. We skied at Saint Croix Bluffs which is part of the Washington County Parks system. The place is entirely on top of the ridge overlooking the Saint Croix River Valley. It's about 1/4th the size of Afton State Park and the trails are fairly flat. Lake Elmo Park Reserve is a closer and better place to ski. The total time was 1 1/2 hours.

Storm Clouds On The Horizon

I got out to Lake Elmo Park Reserve for 1 1/2 hours of skate skiing today. That was three laps of the skating loop. The weather peeps said snow was coming in so I was there at 11am. With a fairly full parking lot, many people were out enjoying the day. As I left, storm clouds were on the horizon. Check out the picture.

Through The Woods

Another day on skis and back to Lake Elmo Park Reserve. I classic skied with Jerry Engen. Although, half the time, Jerry kept stopping to check out coyote tracks. We even followed some tracks to a den. The problem; Hunting is not allowed in a park reserve. I told him we need to find a den on some property we can hunt, set up the coyote call right outside the den, turn it on and blast away! They deserve it since they eat dogs, cats and small children... Check out the picture of the trail.

Skiing At The Comenkollen

New Year's Day featured a 1 hour 20 minute skate ski at the famed and storied Comenkollen, aka, Como Park Golf Course. Home to numerous ski races over the years from high school to citizen to USSA, the Comenkollen is the perfect place for skiing on New Year's Day. Tons of people were on the course including Tom Bengel and me. Also, four separate hills had sledders all over them. While a nasty northwest wind was blowing the snow around, the skiing was still decent by my standards (which are pretty low, I'll ski on anything). Check out the picture.