Skiing at Jackson

Today I cross country skied about 20K with two wonderful fit forty-something women, Mary and Gail. We skied the familiar trails of Jackson Ski Touring. The trail conditions were very good, considering that the actual amount of snow on the ground isn't more than 6 inches in spots. It was well groomed and the skiing was great.Mid week at Jackson is very nice. There were only a few other skiers on the trails.

In past years I have shown up early and put in some miles of hard skiing before meeting Mary or I've gone out for a run before our ski. That way I could ski at Mary's slower pace and not feel restless and impatient. Because of poor time management this morning, I didn't do either of those things today. It's a good thing, because Mary has put in a lot of time on the skis late last year and early this year and she has improved immensely! She has been skiing with Gail, who I just met today. Gail is a very skilled skier and a very fit woman. The three of us middle aged women flew over the trails today! Skiing alone is wonderful, skiing with friends of any ability is wonderful, but skiing with people of similar ability and fitness is more than wonderful! Our small group just flowed along, taking turns leading without any discussion or any waiting for each other.

This was my first time out on the skis this year. It was nice to see that my fitness from running, snow shoeing, and working out carried me through the outing very well. I might be a little sore in the upper arms and chest tomorrow, that's where it usually gets me the first time out each year. But I have been working out regularly with P90X, so maybe I won't feel it so much this year. I had a really good fun time and can't wait to get back out there again!