Weekly Review through 1/20

Hey Everyone!

Hope you had an awesome weekend!

I'm here with my weekly review of last week in all the Fitness, Farm, and Life news!

We had a great week, which included some awesome family time and winter recreation!

Fitness
Reviewing a bit longer "week" this time, since my last post for week-in-review was on a Thursday. This week was filled with varied adventures, as the weather at home started off in the upper 40s and nearing 50 degrees on Friday through Monday! It was great to get outside. Genevieve loved it, too! Then, this past Friday we packed up for our annual trip to the Cabin near West Glacier, for some fun winter activities!

My ankle continues to feel better, but my hip is sort of staying the same. I think I injured it in overcompensating in my running gait while my ankle was sore. I should have taken time off sooner, rather than letting my hip get so out of whack! I'm continuing to take it really easy on running, and trying to work in yoga and strength activities to get my hip back on line.

Friday 1/11 ~ Stroller Walk/Jog outside! About 2 miles.
Saturday 1/12 ~ Virtual Ride on Rouvy in Lava Beds National Monument, CA.  Great ride for my current fitness level.
Sunday 1/13 ~ Fun family pasture hike outside! Nearly 50 degrees!!!  If you missed it, I did an entire post last week with pics from the hike. So much fun!
Monday 1/14 ~ 20 minutes "Flow for Balance" Yoga
Tuesday 1/15 ~ 35 minutes treadmill hike with minimal jogging
Wednesday 1/16 ~ Rest!
Thursday 1/17 ~ Rest. Hosted a Harry Potter themed baby shower for a dear friend! So fun!

Isn't this cake amazing?! 

Friday 1/18 ~ 30 min treadmill incline walk in the morning.
Saturday 1/19 ~ Downhill skiing at Whitefish all day!
Sunday 1/20 ~ about 2 hours of Nordic skiing at Izaak Walton in Essex!

In sum, I did about 10 miles of walk/slowjog/hiking this week, one ride on Rouvy, 20 minutes of yoga, one full day of downhill skiing, and about 2 hours on my Nordic skis. A pretty varied and FUN week!

We have a "big" ski trip planned to Canada in a couple weeks ("big" meaning just a long weekend), and Jeff and I are very motivated to be in good shape for that so we can really make the most of our time on the mountain! My goals are to do more strength workouts and some more biking in the next few weeks to try to get my legs in better shape, especially my quads, for skiing!

Farm
This was a slow week of farm-related happenings. Jeff had spent the previous two weeks hauling a lot of wheat, and took this week "off" to work on processing some of his wild game harvest. He made tons of jerky and summer sausage! This year, Jeff tried a bunch of new recipes and techniques and I think overall was very happy with the end results. My favorites are the maple-bourbon jerky and the Jalapeno-Cheddar summer sausage.

Life
The major highlight of this past week was the time spent at the cabin! Jeff's parents have a timeshare near Glacier National Park and were gracious enough to share their week with us! We stayed three nights at the cabin, and satellited our activities from there.

Our Home for the Weekend! 

Jeff and I went downhill skiing at Whitefish on Saturday and had one of the best days of skiing we've ever had together! We are both challenging ourselves and improving a lot. We skied a lot more technical runs than we have in the past, and it was really fun! The most satisfying part of the day was ending on a run called "Mully's Moguls," which is an advanced blue (intermediate) with moguls basically from top to bottom. A few years ago, we spent the better part of a day skiing that run over and over, just trying to get better at attacking moguls. This time, we just zipped right down like it was nothing. It was very illustrative of the advancement in skill for both of us!

This doesn't show all of Whitefish by any means, but gives you an idea. We skiedmost of the day off the Great Northern Chair, skiing on the black diamonds near the chair-- Langley, Friends of Langley, Powder Trap, etc. 

On Sunday, Jeff's parents joined us for some Nordic skiing at Izaak Walton in Essex. We always love this little cross country ski resort tucked into the side of a mountain, at an historic train stop and inn. We took one outing as a group and Jeff wore Genevieve in the backpack carrier. She liked it for the most part-- as long as she could see where everyone in our group was! After a warm up in the lodge bar, Tom and Carol took Genevieve back to the cabin for a nap, while Jeff and I took another loop. It was a perfect afternoon!

We took allllllll the winter gear with us! 

I didn't take any pictures of our ski activities. Call me a bad blogger, but I guess we were just too busy having fun!  I did take a few photos right around the cabin, literally as we were packing up to leave...

In a completely different vein, Genevieve has figured out how to climb out of her pack-n-play at nap time within the past few weeks and this has lead her to also teach herself how to climb out of her crib, which she did for the first time at home last night. Needless to say, our evening routine is about to change!  Stay tuned...

Thankful Thursday ~ SNOW!

I've decided to bring back my weekly Thankful Thursday posts!

This week I'm thinking a lot about SNOW and how thankful I am for an appreciation of winter. Honestly, when I hear people complain about winter, I wonder if they've ever tried skiing or snowshoeing. When was the last time they went outside and enjoyed watching snowflakes fall onto their eyelashes? Was it not since childhood when they felt the wonder and magic of snow? When I hear things like, "I wish it wouldn't snow," in my mind I'm thinking, "What is the matter with you!? We want MORE snow!" This is because I have developed not only an appreciation but a love of winter recreation. If you've been following along in the blog, you've probably noticed I've been doing a lot of skiing and getting outside in the snow, so this won't be a surprise.

To be fair, there was a time when I was entrenched in the "Winter Sucks" camp. This was when I was still in college, living in Iowa, and snow and cold weather was nothing more than a nuisance I had to scrape off the windshield when I was running late for work. Yes, snow was pretty to look at, but more often than not, it was in the way.

It wasn't until moving to Wyoming in 2007, to the mountain paradise of Jackson Hole, that a true appreciation of snow and winter weather struck me. That winter was a record snowfall winter with something like 500 inches of snowfall. It started snowing one day in October and it didn't quit until spring. I'm not lying when I say that it literally snowed every. single. day.

What was a girl to do but ask for snowshoes for Christmas and learn how to ski? That first pair of snowshoes my parents gave me got a lot of use tromping around the mountain trails of Grand Teton National Park. You don't know peacefulness until you've been alone in nature on a snowy day.

Learning to ski took more effort. I began on the bunny hill at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, piggy-backing on lesson groups and trying to pick things up here and there. Thankfully, I'd been graced with strong thunder thighs and a natural athleticism that definitely came in handy. I'd ask friends for help and advice, and even some of my Couchsurfing guests. Gradually, things began to click, and I'd notice small improvements each time I went out. One time, a Couchsurfing guest told me that if I could learn to ski any run at Jackson Hole, I'd have no problem skiing anywhere else. So, I made it my mission to do that. Each day off of work, you'd find me on the mountain, working on becoming a better skier.

Riding the chairlift on a recent trip to Whitefish.

I've had my ups and downs with skiing since then. I had a classic ski injury in tearing my ACL, requiring surgery, in 2009. But that didn't keep me from enjoying winter. I rehab-ed my knee over the spring and summer, transitioning to hiking mountain trails in Bozeman. I kept my knee and legs strong and started winter recreation more simply with snowshoeing and Jeff also introduced me to cross country skiing. Eventually, I went back to Alpine skiing. Though I'm still working through the hit to my confidence that knee surgery left me with, every time I go to the mountain, a little bit more of it comes back, one run at a time.

Today, Jeff and I own our own snowshoes, Alpine, and cross country skis. Even though we don't get a ton of snow where we live, when we do get it, it's so great to have equipment on hand to go out and enjoy it, and we're only a few hours drive from several downhill ski resorts in the state. I've grown to adore my cross country skis as I've gotten better at remaining upright on them. I had a mental block that they were "so different" from my Alpine skis and I "couldn't do this," but in the end, I think the balance and basic maneuvering is more similar than I once thought. Credit also a basic mindset switch I've been working on in myself in the past several years.

Taking a break while skiing at Essex.

So, yes, I'm thankful for snow. I'm thankful for it as a means to have fun in a season that used to be drudgery for me. Snow provides a way to get outside, be active, and find joy. Remember the feeling you used to get as a kid when you'd play outside in the snow? Building forts? Making snow angels? Snowball fights? It also lends itself so naturally to feelings of peacefulness and contentedness.  If you take a hike on freshly fallen snow, you'll feel it. You can still have that! All you have to do is get outside and enjoy the snow.

Jeff and I on the trail at Essex.

And if you say something about wishing it wouldn't snow and then you notice me giving you a funny look...well, now you know why! :) I'm on the other side of the fence, praying for more snow, and wondering how many more days I'll have on skis this winter.

Lastly, this quote is only tangentially related to this post, but I liked it. It makes me think about the fears that creep into my mind post-surgery when I'm on skis. What if I fall again? What if I get out of control? A dear friend of mine recently posted this on her Facebook: "Always regulate your fears according to the situation, and then you will not go into the valley of the shadow of death when you are only lost in the mountains." ~ Grace Seton, A Woman Tenderfoot. You have to learn to be comfortable with discomfort and know that even if you are uncomfortable, it doesn't mean you're not in control. Don't give up. Being lost in the mountains can be pretty transforming.

What are you thankful for this week? 
Do you love snow? 
What fears can you better regulate?

Could be a poster for Coors Light, no? Born in the Rockies!
What can I say. Beer tastes great after a ski! :)

Fitness Update

I haven't written about fitness in a while and I do have some readers who follow this blog mainly for that reason. So, today I thought I'd give a little fitness update!

I don't have any races scheduled until late May, when I'm hoping to do the Ulm Buffalo Jump 10K on May 17.  I have still been running, however! My mileage isn't very high right now and I'm only getting in about three days a week, especially since we've been doing more skiing this winter, and travelling. But, when I do get a run in, it has been going well. Yesterday I did 4.6 on our gravel road and it went better than expected, especially since I haven't done anything that long in quite a while. If you're curious about my racing intentions for this year, you can read my post titled Tentative 2015 Race Schedule. 

I am also continuing to work in strength training a few times a week and yoga a few times a week, in addition to planks almost daily. I can REALLY see a difference in my running since I've dedicated myself to additional core work. I'm a complete believer in the plank.

We have ramped up our participation in winter sports this year a bit. Jeff and I have gone skiing five days (six for Jeff) this winter and loved it each and every time! We are both having a ton of fun exploring this winter snowsport hobby and are improving our skills each time we ski. You can read some of my ski posts below:

Getting ready to head down the mountain at Whitefish!
Photo courtesy of Skyler Pester. 

Glacier New Year-- Nordic Skiing in and around Glacier Park.
Snow Fun -- Snowshoeing and Nordic Skiing at our own home!!!
More from Glacier-- Alpine skiing at Whitefish, Nordic skiing at Essex.
Downhill Skiing Like a Local-- Alpine skiing at Showdown and Bridger Bowl.
Red Lodge Weekend-- Alpine skiing with our friends from North Dakota.

So far this winter, Days on Downhill Skis = 5, Days on Nordic Skis = 4, Days on Snowshoes = only 1.

Caught in the action of Nordic skiing at Essex!
Photos courtesy of Skyler Pester.

Something else that's new this year for me is a weekly workout group I have joined with some friends. It was started by my beautiful friend Adria probably about six weeks ago. The idea was to give one another some accountability and social incentive to exercise. We're getting in better shape, but also having a blast together, laughing and joking around the whole time. Since there are no actual gyms within many, many miles of where we live, Adria had to get a little creative. We are meeting in the gymnasium of one of the old school buildings in our small town. The school is no longer in use, thanks to school consolidations, but the gym is still used occasionally as a sort of community hall for weddings and events. For us, it is being used as an actual gym to workout once a week! Adria devised five different stations, with two exercises at each station. Each station focuses on a different part of the body-- core, arms, more arms, legs/cardo, legs. We rotate between the stations and jog two laps around the gym between each one, while rockin' out to 80s music on Pandora! It takes us about 40 minutes to get through the whole workout. It's really a blast and a good workout, too!

Lastly, again this year, Jeff and I are participating in Shape Up Montana.  SUM runs for three months, February -April. This is our third year on a team. We are with his parents, his sister and her husband, my friend Adria, one of her friends from her hometown, and another local friend named Sarah. With this being the third year, we really knew what to expect from the program and how we can maximize our success. Basically, each person on a team earns points for the activity they do. As a team, we are actually competing against other teams from all over the state, based on how many points per person our team scores. The competition aspect does create a bit more motivation, but for me, my goals are thus:

- Score more points each week than in the previous week.
- Score more total points this year than I did last year (Last year I scored 492 points).
- Continue to motivate our team as a Team Captain.
- Have fun and find new ways to be active and healthy!

SUM also has weekly does weekly challenges that are either activity based or focused on healthy eating. If a person completes the challenge, they earn a bonus 10 points for that week and are entered into a drawing for prizes. Last week our challenge was to get together with some teammates for a healthy potluck. I did the challenge, and guess what.... I won a prize!

In my third year doing SUM I finally won a prize! ha!

So, that's the skinny on what I'm doing to stay in shape as 2015 begins to unfurl! As my 10K race in May gets closer, I'll make a specific training plan probably when it gets to be about 8 weeks out.

What all do you have planned to be active in 2015?

Land of No Use

Today's post is all about skiing! This time of year is a great time for Jeff and I to get away from the farm a bit. There are no crops to tend and the cow chores are manageable for one person, so Tom handled the feeding for the weekend while Jeff and I got out of town for a quick ski trip.

Riding up the main triple chair at Showdown.
I love ski silhouette photos!

View from our parking spot at Showdown.
You can pretty much see the entire ski area (it's small) in this photo.

 

This weekend, Jeff and I were off skiing and playing in the mountains.  We love to ski and love getting outside in the wintertime. We spent Friday skiing at Showdown, near Great Falls, then Saturday, our brother in law Josh skied with us at Bridger Bowl just north of Bozeman. Both are great, local, small Montana resorts. The snow was icy at both resorts, both days, and considered to be "hardpack," so staying on the groomed runs was pretty much the ticket to success for our skiing abilities. Anywhere else was really slippery and hard to manage.

View from our parking spot at Bridger Bowl.
Significantly larger resort 

Jeff and I both agree that in-bounds skiing at designated resorts is within our comfort level for skiing, but there are many people in Montana and beyond who love to ski backcountry. Jeff's cousin Chris is one such person. Chris was involved in creating this really awesome ski film that's also on the subject of designated Wilderness Areas in Montana. They skied and filmed in each of the Wilderness Areas in the state, and the film is really about the question of what should these lands be used for?

If you're into skiing, wilderness and/or outdoor recreation and land use, I definitely recommend the film that Chris is involved with. It's pretty awesome. It's called Land of No Use, and you can watch it on Vimeo by clicking HERE.  It's about 40 minutes long, and I recommend that you let it buffer a bit before starting if you have a slow internet connection. It's pretty impressive though, and worth the time to watch it.

Photo from the Land of No Use Vimeo site.
Can you see the person standing on top of the ridge, preparing to ski down?

We have one more planned ski weekend coming up over Valentine's Day weekend. We're meeting some of our friends from North Dakota at Red Lodge. Jeff has been tracking that resort's snowfall like a maniac since our trip was planned, and we are happy to report there has been quite a bit of recent snowfall. Hopefully the new snow will stick around over the next ten days or so before we get there! Either way, we are really excited to see our friends and visit someplace we have never been before. 

Did anyone else get any weekend recreation in?