doing better :)! x-country skiing, then 10166m at the Olympic Oval

Yesterday: cross-country skiing in SugarHouse Park while the kids sledded and my mom snowshoed. Excellent!!! I am really a terrible skier but I do enjoy it a lot. I hate downhill (too fast, too cold!) but love x-country, because I don't get cold, and the technique is quite similar to racewalking in some ways. I skied for about 45 min; went around the park but then went up and down the hill by the sledding hill while I watched the kids sled.

Today: 23 laps at the Olympic Oval for 10166m. Ashley met me there because it was super cold out at 13F (-10.5C) and she had some speed work while I did my easy 10K. I did do one fast lap with her and it felt OK :). I feel like things are starting to click. However, I did have her take some video and I'm hoping I look better. I think my posture looks better but my arms are still too far in front and my right arm (as usual) is very tense. Geez. It's always something. But the key question is: am I using my glutes more? I sure feel like I am, and I do think I can see it on the video. I am hoping my coach agrees. My piriformis seems much better - it only bothered me a little; I stopped every 6 laps to massage it with the rubber ball torture device, which helped :).

It took me 1:08:00 to do the 10166m, for 6:41/km. Really slow, but MUCH faster than I have been, so I am encouraged that I am starting to get it...as long as the video looks good.

Here's a link to the video in my dropbox.

Here are some photos of yesterday & today.