This post is directed to those who, like me, are training without a coach and do many of your workouts alone. There is nothing new here. I just find, especially at my age, that I need a reminder every now and then, of the things that I know. This came to me yesterday as I started a 12 mile uphill rollerski workout. br /br /Reminder # 1: Get up at least 3 hours before your event. I was up at about 6:45 and went through my normal early morning routine. Grind coffee beans and get the java going and then about 20 minutes of loosening my back and hips so I can move in a somewhat human like manner. Since I was eating alone at this time Sunday morning, it was just a couple English muffins with peanut butter and jelly. I drove to the top of the route and locked my bike to a tree off the road in the woods and drove to the bottom. So now at 9:00 I am ready to start, I thought. br /br /Reminder #2: It takes a long time to warm up. The temp was about 50 and it was sunny. I decided that it would be hot soon, since the sky was clear and there was no wind. So I started out wearing shorts, tech-T and my obnoxiously yellow, high-vis vest, helmet, gloves. Boy, did I feel awful. What was up? I have been rollerskiing all summer and it felt like the first time. My rhythm was off, struggling for balance and O2 . I tried no pole skiing, tried double poling, and then after 30 minutes everything came together. I had worked up a sweat, all physiological systems had been started and all of a sudden I felt good. The balance was there and the V2 was just as smooth as could be. I forget how long it really takes to get warm and how much better I ski when I am warmed up. I have to remember this on race day.br /br /Reminder #3: 1 water bottle for every hour of workout. Some people go for long rollerski workouts where they can stop at a store. Between Sunriver and Mt Bachelor there are no stores, nothing but trees, road, sky and sun, and uphill slope. I was right about it getting warm. My one bottle of water with HEED was not enough. I got on my bike at the top wishing I had more fluids for the 45 minute ride back down to my truck. br /br /I was pretty wiped out by the time I arrived back at the house where my wife was expecting me to build stone walls for next spring’s garden beds. That was my afternoon strength workout. Reminder #4: Don’t plan strength workout right after two hours of rollersking and 45 minutes of spinning on the bike. br /br /Older and hopefully a little wiser.br /br /Have a good one,br /Bertdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6589659500745667109-6389831226675543816?l=www.webskis.com%2Fwebskisblog.html’ alt=” //div
