17.8 km; 1:39:40; 36 m elevation; 10.7 km/h avg; FriSki
As a brand new member of the Vasa Ski Club, I started the Vasa Ski Club page on strava.
92 days? Really? Oh, my.
2018/01/27 -078 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/10 -092 days North American Vasa
-094 days: 15.6 km; 1:26:11; 027 m elevation; 10.9 km/h avg; WedSki;
-093 days: 13.2 km; 0:57:59; 070 m elevation; 09.8 km/h avg; ThuSki bridge climb 2x;
Blame it on the heat. America’s Swampland is belching forth its last noxious bubbles of warm, fetid, dank humidity, and it just doesn’t feel like ski season. It was “cooler” two weeks ago, followed by this stinkin’ heat wave.
#NearRecordHighs #NearRecordSlowness
2018/01/27 -079 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/10 -093 days North American Vasa
14.4 km; 1:16:27; 116 m elevation; 11.3 km/h avg; elapsed time = moving time; TueSki bridge climb 2x
I try to remember Forward Body Lean and Double Knee Flex. I am coming around to the Double Knee Flex thing. Overdone, it could be a waste of energy, like skating too much side-to-side from one side of the trail to the other. But landing on a bent knee gives your body that much further to “fall.” #FallingWithStyle When I am getting it all together, it feels good and is faster.
2018/01/27 -081 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/10 -095 days North American Vasa
MonSki bridge climb 2x: 13.2 km; 1:314:09; 126 m elevation; 10.7 km/h avg;
After my 53 km day on Saturday, tonight’s two little climbs seemed as hard than ever. Perhaps, I am still recovering. Never had a 53 km day before. #UnchartedWaters
Requested to place a classified ad on the Vasa Ski Club site [#CannotWaitToSkiWithYouGuys]:
Hi!
I have the below classified for the VasaSkiClub.org site. I could shorten it or break it up into multiple ads, but it all fits together, in my mind.
WANTED: skate skis (nnn) (5’10”, 220 pounds); skate poles; have not skied on snow for 30+ years, but have been training in Florida on roller skis since Jan. [see my WordPress blog ]; training and race partner(s) [ #WhySkiAlone #MoreFunAsATeam #HopeIGoFasterOnSnow ] to help prep for:
2018/01/27 Noquemanon Ski Marathon 50k
2018/02/10 North American Vasa 51k
Also looking to share ride/hotel in Marquette for the Noque;
Have OK from Florida employer to work remotely from T.C. Jan-Feb (and beyond?), but NEED ACOMODATIONS. Rent? Board?
Born in Michigan, ready to come home.
Guernsey55@outlook.com
p.s.
One more question:
Is there a Vasa Ski Club “club” on STRAVA? I’d love to join in.
Paul Guernsey Player
I came up with a new sport: Biathlon crossed with Orienteering. You ski around through the woods with a contour map, looking for markers. When you find one, you get to shoot something. Was this the original biathlon?
2018/01/27 -082 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/10 -096 days North American Vasa
-099 days [yesterday]: rest day
SatSki1: 16.5 km; 1:30:00; 041 m elevation; 11.0 km/h avg; SatSki2: 20.1 km; 1:46:28; 054 m elevation; 11.4 km/h avg; SatSki3: 16.6 km; 1:30:44; 041 m elevation; 11.0 km/h avg; total: 53.2 km; 4:47:12; 136 m elevation; 11.2 km/h avg;
PR total 1 day roller ski distance
PR total 1 day roller ski duration
Target 1: do my 50 km ski marathon distance within a single day, broken into multiple workouts;
Target 2 [gradually] reduce the “rest” periods;
Target 3 [gradually] add significant climbing;
Target 4 [suddenly!] add snow and remove the wheels;
SatSki1 was begun before sunrise in the cool of the morning. I did not even take water;
SatSki2 was done in the heat of the afternoon. Wore my waist pack with two cans of LaCroix carbonated water, because my big 24 ounce bottles are too tall and feel unbalanced (top heavy) and uncomfortable while skiing. Two 12 ounce soda cans are not enough water for 20 km during a Florida afternoon, even in November. Temperature in the high 70’s F (mid 20’s C). I have ordered two 17 ounce (500 ml) stainless steel bottles ($6.25 each from Amazon), which should be a good size.
The Osprey were very active during my return leg. Between Michigan Boulevard and the Cedar Creek bridge I got a small taste of Shane French’s experiences in Perth of being dive bombed by the Magpie.
The Osprey were NOT dive bombing me, nor I have ever seen one behave agressively toward any human. But I heard the scree of a large low flying raptor just above and behind my head as I approached Cedar Creek. A number of birds were taking flight and beginning to circle over Cedar Creek and the next inlet North, Curlew Creek. I love Osprey. They should be Florida’s State Bird, not the Northern Mocking Bird.
SatSki3 in the relative cool of the evening, brought two cans of LaCroix this time.
2018/01/27 -084 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon 2018/02/10 -098 days North American Vasa
13.6 km; 1:27:14; 203 m elevation; 09.4 km/h avg; 31.3 km/h max; ThuSki bridge climb 4x
PR roller ski elevation
Bridge climbs with shorter recoveries on the flats start to look like Rolling Hills on the elevation chart.
First full bridge descent with no hand rail assistance. AHHHHHHH! Ok, that wasn’t so bad.
[Woman walking 2 dogs – same woman I had passed at speed at the other end of the bridge. The big dog was fine and seemed to have heard me coming, but the little dog was just barely pulled to safety as I blew by] That kind of looks like a lot of fun. Is it down-hill skiing that you are trying to imitate?
[Skier 1] No, cross country skiing.
[Woman walking 2 dogs] Oh. I was just in a great place for that.
[Skier 1] Really, where?
[Woman walking 2 dogs] Up-state, a couple hous out of the city, near a town called ?????.
[Skier 1] That sounds beautiful.
[Woman walking 2 dogs] Of course I didn’t do any skiing, because there was no snow, but it was a perfect place for cross country.
[Skier 1 stumbles slightly, trying to go down hill slowly enough to converse]
[Woman walking 2 dogs] Careful. Falling on concrete is not like falling on snow.
[Skier 1] I know. I have not skied on snow for 30 years, but I am training for two ski marathons in Michigan in January and February.
[Woman walking 2 dogs] You should go up there early to ski on snow.
[Skier 1] That’s exactly what I am going to do. I will be in Michigan for four weeks, skiing on real snow to get used to it.
[Woman walking 2 dogs] What made you start back up?
[Skier 1] A friend of mine from Australia who was an exchange student stayed with my family back in the mid 1970’s. He came back last year for a cross-continental bike ride with his son. #TeamFrench I drove Up North with my bike last summer to join them for the Michigan part of their ride. It was such a great trip and I had so much FUN that I had to start planning how to get back Up North. Skiing was the perfect excuse.
[Woman walking 2 dogs] Ah, that’s good. Do you RollerBlade?
Skier 1] Nope. I just RollerSki!
[Woman walking 2 dogs] Good luck!
[Skier 1] Thank you!
2018/01/27 -086 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/10 -100 days! North American Vasa
-101 days: 10.5 km; 0:55:29; 020 m elevation; 11.5 km/h; WedSki
-102 days: 19.1 km; 1:51:01; 176 m elevation; 10.3 km/h; HallowSkiing
PR roller ski elevation
[Biker 1] Yes!
[Skier 1] Yes!
[Clearwater drunk 1] You need to get some snow.
[Clearwater drunk 2] You should be in the Swiss Alps! Ha-ha.
Skiing on semi-rough or uneven pavement is its own kind of strength training. Add the occasional pebble or stick, and you’ve got agility training, as well. Skiing on uneven pavement with the occasional stick in the dark of night is it own special kind of event. Twice tonight I recovered from what would earlier this year been a certain fall. Once I sort of hopped out of my unbalanced condition. Another time I hit a stick but managed to “fall” onto the next ski.
I also did a couple circles pushing with a single leg, once in each direction.
Yesterday’s PR roller ski elevation came about from four Memorial Causeway Bridge climbs. Based on my Strava recording [ SunSki2 climbing corkscrew ], the climb from the bottom of the corkscrew to the top of the center span averages 3.3% grade. Seems like more. Confidence in the gps altitude readings is low. Still, I can’t imagine climbing a 12% grade.
2018/01/27 -087 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/10 -101 days North American Vasa
11.0 km; 1:01:47; 029 m elevation; avg 5:49/km; MonSki Dunedin circles
The history of the Birkebeiner’s founder reminds me of my Dad’s story of bringing cross country skiing to Michigan’s Thumb. Both men had a vision of what the sport could bring to their areas, as well as the gumption to make things happen. From the Worldloppet.com American Birkebeiner page:
American Birkebeiner was founded in 1973 by Tony Wise, alpine ski resort owner of village Cable. In the beginning of the 1970s he understood that surrounding rolling hills and wooden trails were ideal for cross-country skiing, which was not yet popular in America. Wise, who had roots from Norway, brought to life the American version of the Birkebeinerrennet to attract more customers to his resort. Within a few years thousands of skiers were participating and his dream of becoming an international race came true. With the American Birkebeiner well on its way, Wise started to work on his dream of an international cross country ski series, which finalized in the founding of the Worldloppet. Today the American Birkebeiner ski event hosts over 10000 participants.
And from the Cass City Chronicle’s article, referenced earlier in my blog entry:
Guernsey is one of the pioneer cross-country skiers in Cass City and loves it just as much today as he did when he strapped on his first set of skis about six years ago.
Since then, the sport has grown from relative obscurity to a family sport enjoyed by an estimated 200 Cass City residents. And by all indications the boom has only begun.
It wasn’t’ always that way. Less than a decade ago, no one had seen a cross-country skier around Cass City, much less knew anything about the sport.
“I remember when I first started. I’d ski down the street and people would stop what they were doing to look,” Guernsey recalled.
Today, things are different. Just five years ago, 20,000 pairs of cross-country skis were imported to the United States. Last year, that number jumped to a half-million.
What’s the fascination with a sport knows to Scandinavians for hundreds of years? Simplicity, Guernsey says.
“It’s inexpensive compared to downhill skiing,” he says. “Your equipment is simpler, and it costs you less. And you can do it locally. You don’t have a long trip to make to a ski resort.
“And once you’ve bought your equipment, that’s it. You don’t have the expense of a rope tow each time you want to go skiing.”
Guernsey took up the sport after reading an article in a newspaper. He saw his first pair of cross-country skis at Marshall Fields in Chicago and decided to give a presentation on the differences between cross-country and Alpine skiing for Gavel Club.
“I borrowed a pair of skis from a shop in Bay City for the lecture and from there I talked myself into it,” he says.
You have got to hand it to people who can make things happen and start others moving in a positive direction. Where would we be without them?
THANKS, VIC!
2018/01/27 -089 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/10 -103 days North American Vasa
SunSki1 17.2 km; 1:30:21; 035 m elevation; 11.4 km/h; SatSki bridge climb 4x
SunSki2 03.4 km; 0:17:58; 016 m elevation; 11.6 km/h; FriSki bridge climb 2x
SunSki2 00.5 km; 0:05:20; 019 m elevation; 06.4 km/h; ThuSki bluff climb 6x
SunSki2 00.5 km; 0:03:07; 000 m elevation; 10.2 km/h; ThuSki bluff climb 6x
SunSki2 03.8 km; 0:20:40; 020 m elevation; 11.3 km/h; ThuSki bluff climb 6x
total 25.4 km; 2:17:26; 090 m elevation; 11.9 km/h; not sure why these don’t add up, but I will leave it to the number crunchers;
Grand Rapids Rollerski Race, Nov 5.
..with twist! All participants must compete pulling … a car tire.
Cross Country skiers dragging tires around? What are you people thinking? This does not enhance the sport and belongs nowhere the word NORDIC. You do not take something graceful and aesthetic and beautifully fluid and drag a tire behind it! We have seen this tire dragging thing elsewhere.
Someone has convinced this young, otherwise nubile Italian woman to ski while dragging a tire. This is not becoming, neither to a nubile young Italian, nor to the sport of Nordic Skiing, in general. Don’t get me wrong, Victoria Padial can climb. In this video she attacks a mountain with average 12% grade (max 22%) with a tire). Very impressive, but Stop It!
I’m talking to people like you, Andy Liebner. Please, think what complete strangers to the sport will think of us. It is bad enough getting jeered with comments like, “Where’s the snow? HaHa!” Where is the inspiration? What self-respecting kid who has never seen someone roller ski before is going to want be like that guy dragging the tire?
2018/01/27 -090 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/03 -097 days White Pine
2018/02/10 -104 days North American Vasa
2018/02/24 -118 days Birkebeiner????
–105 days [Sat] 23.1 km; 2:26:11; 173 m elevation; 09.5 km/h; SatSki bridge climb 4x
–106 days [Fri] 13.0 km; 1:17:23; 087 m elevation; 10.1 km/h; FriSki bridge climb 2x
–107 days [Thu] 10.3 km; 1:03:31; 098 m elevation; 09.8 km/h; ThuSki bluff climb 6x
Today’s ski was 1/2 the ski marathon distance With moderate elevation gain [173 m is a PR for me!]; challenging, but not de·bil·i·tat·ing. It has been cooler out this week and I got out early enough to avoid the heating of the day. Slowly gaining confidence.
Sidewalk Cracks
Do not plant your pole tip into the sidewalk cracks. Just onto the Clearwater Beach “board walk” at Pier 60 [no boards, just concrete sidewalk, with cracks], I “did a Toula”. Remember that scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when Ian walks into Toula’s travel agency office and Toula’s head gets held back by her headset cable while her body continues forward until she is flat on her back? [twit·ter·pat·ed]
Just so with me today. [ #NotTwitterpated ] The woman seated nearby, after the standard, “Are you OK?” said, “Just when I was about to say that looks like so much fun!” Yep. After a brief moment at near horizontal with my right arm stretched out behind and my skis (up where my poles should be), I went down on my right hip, mostly on the gluteus maximus. So, No Damage!
Sand Key Bridge.
Older than the Memorial Causeway Bridge and way less ski-friendly. Mind the expansion joints, nearly as wide and deep as a roller ski wheel. Prepare to stop and step over or jump completely over at speed. I did the slow step over method for all but one, which I did not see in time to jump completely over. Nearly. Got the front wheels over, but the rear whells took a good “thud.” Fortunately, I was also holding on to the rail, so No Fall, No Damage!
Also, the pedestrian pathways on the bridge are too narrow for climbing. Better to step over into the bike lane for climbing, then hop over the barrier and ski down on the pedestrian path. The sidewalk is Ok for descending while sliding a hand down the hand rail for stability and braking. #MindTheJoints Not sure I am ready for descending in the bike lane with the expansion joints and no rails, especially with No Brakes!
Sand Key Park.
Don’t bother skiing, pavement too rough for small wheels.
2018/01/27 -091 days Noquemanon Ski Marathon
2018/02/03 -098 days White Pine
2018/02/10 -105 days North American Vasa
2018/02/24 -119 days Birkebeiner
Am I about to enter a third ski marathon, the Birke?! It will be a long drive across the Upper Peninsula, but it looks like a Great Event, even part of WorldLoppet, whatever that is. Hey, will that help me qualify for the 2020 VasaLoppet?
TheGuern 