Well, barring a huge snow storm in the Sierra sometime in the next month, I think we are done skiing for the year. Our last weekend (two weeks ago) was the best of the season -- light snow all day Saturday, bright sun and warm all day Sunday, and warm on Monday (when we skied two hours in the morning before heading home). I actually skied a few "blue/blacks" (advanced intermediate) and had fun on them (after the first panic of seeing the steeper slope -- DB takes me down my first time on different slopes and I'm usually good after that). I'm proud of me! ;-)
That weekend we also were able to afford a condo right at the lift so all we had to do was walk 100 yards and we were skiing. I can't begin to tell you what a great luxury that is -- to not have to lug all your equipment into a car, then park, then lug into a lodge to change then stomp to the lift. We can't usually afford to stay so close but since the snow has been minimal this year the rentals are much cheaper than usual. Oh oh, now we are spoiled.
Our last run that Monday definitely told us it was time to stop for the season -- it was so warm it was like skiing through slush or mud. Not fun. The "snow" is so wet, you can't turn. And if you can't turn, you can't stop. DB and I both almost crashed on that run -- a very familiar and easy one for both of us. We went into the lodge and said "ok, that's it for this season!".
So now we have our weekend back and, while I LOVE ski season, I must admit it's nice not to have to crowd two weekends' worth of chores, social life, etc. into one. Last weekend was wonderful. Saturday, after we supervised visitation with The Molester, I went to yoga, then we had a date to see "American Idiot" live show downtown. The next day, we had NO plans. It was AWESOME. We walked for hours at the beach and around our neighborhood. Luxury.
We have a similarly unscheduled weekend this weekend - yay!
My weight is still maintaining. I am back at yoga with minimal pain in my ankle, but I still have to be careful. Walking seems fine, but yoga still is kind of ouchy. I still want to lose at least 10 pounds before the wedding in July, but I am feeling pretty good in my body right now...and that is rare.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
April might be the end of ski season
So I might have some more time to be here! When gone one work day out of every 10 for a few months (and three "real" days out of every 14), things get backed up. But I am doing well. I am consistently 15 pounds or more less than I was last ski season and it makes a real difference in my ability, I think.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a ski accident. I was coming in slowly at the bottom of the hill after only a couple of runs. It was one of the first real "powder days" of the season (California has had a winter drought this year = not the ton of snow we usually get in the mountains) so the mountain was crowded (which I dislike...and I am spoiled because it rarely gets this way). There were two snowboarders stopped right past the "gate" (where you radically slow to get into the lift lines) and there was a ton of space between them so I went to ski between them to get to the lift line. Just as I was ON TOP of them, one scooted toward the other, completely closing off my route. I could not stop and crashed into them. Twisted my left ankle badly and my left ski popped off...
At first I was just very mad at them (you MUST be aware of yourself no matter where you are on the hill...even stopped at the bottom...you can't move without looking/being aware of people around you). DB was right behind me and helped me up. The idiot snowboarders asked if I was ok and I said I didn't know. I didn't. DB encouraged me to walk around a bit before going back up to ski. As I did, I realized that my ankle REALLY hurt. So we headed to ski patrol...
When we got my boot off, it didn't look too bad. Definitely did not look broken so I just laid down on one of their cots for 1/2 hour and iced it and took some ibuprofen. At that point, I felt like the ankle was just bruised from impact with the interior of the ski boot (thank goodness they are so stiff...I am convinced I would have broken my ankle if they weren't). So I headed back up the beginner run to see how it felt. Not good...I was done for the day.
I sat and waited for DB to finish a few more runs, then we headed to our hotel. After I took the ski boot off, my ankle really began to swell. I laid down on the bed with my leg elevated and with ice. DB went out in the (by this time) blizzard to get some ibuprofen (he had to hike across a parking lot and take a gondola to get some for me!). By dinner time, I could hardly walk downstairs for dinner. Not good.
The next day I realized I couldn't ski. I stayed in bed with ice and elevation and a movie (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...excellent). When DB was finished skiing, I hobbled to the car and we went to the pharmacy to get an ankle brace. With that and my stiff snow boot at least I could walk. But no more skiing for me that weekend.
When we got home, I knew I couldn't go to yoga for at least a week...the ankle was dark purple all over and still hurt. I knew I had to be very careful with food and I was. I was off all formal exercise (including no morning beach walks) for a week. Then I started walking again. This last weekend, I skied and, with a little pain, was ok. Today I went back to yoga and had a similar result. I am looking at yoga as physical therapy to finish my healing.
I didn't gain weight during the non-exercise time. I was very careful with food. In fact, I weighed slightly less when we went away for skiing last weekend than I did two weeks prior before the accident.
Our ski weekend last weekend was a ball because we went with PD2 and our 4 granddaughters! Two had never skied before and we put them all in lessons on Saturday. They were the only ones that got to ski that day because wind gusts were up to 75 MPH so all the grown-up lifts were shut down. It was an adventure! Sunday the weather was beautiful and we all had a ball skiing.
So, moral of the story: you can survive enforced non-exercise if you are very very careful with food. But it sure feels great to be back at it! :-)
A couple of weeks ago, I had a ski accident. I was coming in slowly at the bottom of the hill after only a couple of runs. It was one of the first real "powder days" of the season (California has had a winter drought this year = not the ton of snow we usually get in the mountains) so the mountain was crowded (which I dislike...and I am spoiled because it rarely gets this way). There were two snowboarders stopped right past the "gate" (where you radically slow to get into the lift lines) and there was a ton of space between them so I went to ski between them to get to the lift line. Just as I was ON TOP of them, one scooted toward the other, completely closing off my route. I could not stop and crashed into them. Twisted my left ankle badly and my left ski popped off...
At first I was just very mad at them (you MUST be aware of yourself no matter where you are on the hill...even stopped at the bottom...you can't move without looking/being aware of people around you). DB was right behind me and helped me up. The idiot snowboarders asked if I was ok and I said I didn't know. I didn't. DB encouraged me to walk around a bit before going back up to ski. As I did, I realized that my ankle REALLY hurt. So we headed to ski patrol...
When we got my boot off, it didn't look too bad. Definitely did not look broken so I just laid down on one of their cots for 1/2 hour and iced it and took some ibuprofen. At that point, I felt like the ankle was just bruised from impact with the interior of the ski boot (thank goodness they are so stiff...I am convinced I would have broken my ankle if they weren't). So I headed back up the beginner run to see how it felt. Not good...I was done for the day.
I sat and waited for DB to finish a few more runs, then we headed to our hotel. After I took the ski boot off, my ankle really began to swell. I laid down on the bed with my leg elevated and with ice. DB went out in the (by this time) blizzard to get some ibuprofen (he had to hike across a parking lot and take a gondola to get some for me!). By dinner time, I could hardly walk downstairs for dinner. Not good.
The next day I realized I couldn't ski. I stayed in bed with ice and elevation and a movie (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...excellent). When DB was finished skiing, I hobbled to the car and we went to the pharmacy to get an ankle brace. With that and my stiff snow boot at least I could walk. But no more skiing for me that weekend.
When we got home, I knew I couldn't go to yoga for at least a week...the ankle was dark purple all over and still hurt. I knew I had to be very careful with food and I was. I was off all formal exercise (including no morning beach walks) for a week. Then I started walking again. This last weekend, I skied and, with a little pain, was ok. Today I went back to yoga and had a similar result. I am looking at yoga as physical therapy to finish my healing.
I didn't gain weight during the non-exercise time. I was very careful with food. In fact, I weighed slightly less when we went away for skiing last weekend than I did two weeks prior before the accident.
Our ski weekend last weekend was a ball because we went with PD2 and our 4 granddaughters! Two had never skied before and we put them all in lessons on Saturday. They were the only ones that got to ski that day because wind gusts were up to 75 MPH so all the grown-up lifts were shut down. It was an adventure! Sunday the weather was beautiful and we all had a ball skiing.
So, moral of the story: you can survive enforced non-exercise if you are very very careful with food. But it sure feels great to be back at it! :-)
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