Workout Type: Intervals
Exertion Level: Moderate
Skier Level: Any
Technique: N/A
Season: Competitive
Terrain: Varied

Suggested Trails: Ah, if only there were snow covered trails!

Equipment: Running shoes, rollerskis, poles and weights.

Description:

I think skiers all over Ontario can justifiably borrow a phrase from Queen Victoria; "We are not amused".

What is a skier to do with poor-to-no snow to ski on? When we can't ski, we will likely do many of the dryland activities that are specific to skiing. Here are the main things we do that don't involve skis, but can help for training:

- Rollerskiing (this can be tricky if there is ice on the pavement)

- Some variety of strength...

• Strengthening the Arms for Faster Pole Recovery
• Core strength with a friend
• Circuit Strength
• Roller Boarding
• Pekka Strength

- Ski striding up a steep hill with poles or another bounding suggestion. Striding or bounding are now often called Nordic Walking in fitness circles.

- If we get really desperate, we may do some grass skiing!

Try to resume some of the dryland excersices you were doing in the fall. You've kept your running mileage up right? Most importantly try to keep up your regularly scheduled intensity workouts, dropping these will leave you feeling out of shape when show returns when really your just not used to skiing.

Also take extra care with recovery and stretching. It's hard to go back to dryland traing both mentally and physically. Going back to full dryland training without a period of adaptation will cause lots
of stiff and sore muscles. So you'll want to keep the first few sessions a bit shorter, and always keep in mind how you feel so as to avoid injury. Better to skip that last hill repeat than to do it and miss the next week of training.

Comments:

What's with the warm rainy weather? Sure, Toronto has had the occasional green Christmas but Thunder Bay or Quebec City or every city in the entire province of Ontario? That's unheard of in recorded history! Obviously even politicians will have to start giving credibility to the idea of global warming.

So what defines a Green or White Christmas exactly? According to Environment Canada a White Christmas is defined as "Any December 25th where there is at least 2cm of snow on the ground at 7am." If the snow melts at 7:05am, it was still a White Christmas! However, less than 2cm and it was a Green Christmas.

I spent my first ever Green Christmas at my parents' home in Sudbury. It was shocking really. Normally I watch The Weather Network to see when it will warm up from -30°C and be comfortable to ski, not when the first snowfall will be. Big difference.

Just to add insult to injury, there was some freezing rain and a little light snow, which just left the roads wet and icy on the days I was planning to rollerski. I tried to relax, do some running and hill intervals and strength. I also took a few days off to enjoy the holiday and recover from the to extreme soreness of my muscles!

Finally, remember the skiing is much better in the park that people think. That is the main reason we post detailed Gatineau Park trail reports, since most people have a hard time believing that you can ski when it looks like there is no snow in the city! So, most of us have been skiing fairly regularly, except fot the week before Christmas, and it looks like we're in for another spell without skiing. Let hope we have skiing next week!