Cross training

Skiing at Shawnee Peak, 1-hour master spin instructor class at the NSJCC
It was inevitable that I would run out of steam, both on this blog and my ability to train. Friday, nothing was happening, and work at the paper crushed me. Saturday night, I took the girls and one of my daughter's friends skiing at Shawnee Peak. My youngest wasn't feeling well, so I took the teenagers up the hill after a late breakfast.

We took a total of 5 runs, which at $177 for three lift tickets, does not sound so economical. But after four runs from the top, and a run from the Pine lift down Main slope, we were wiped. The teens had had had enough, so we packed up and came home. I want to keep skiing in life, but I don't want to overdo it. Like many skiers my age, I'm a confirmed intermediate.

One thing that was sad was there were not a lot of skiers or riders at the mountain, and not a lot of people at Ricky's Diner in downtown Bridgton, Maine.

At Shawnee, four of the five lifts were running, thanks to the resort's ability to make snow like crazy. The conditions were pretty good, though there was some slippery conditions on the back side of the mountain. The Sunnyside Triple was closed, but much of the terrain off the top was open. The easy trail from the top, Sunset Boulevard, had great snow.

On Sunday, I rode 24 miles during the more than 1-hour master spin class taught by master spinning instructor Michael Ferrante of Gloucester. There were 40 people in class, and I got to ride one of the new Spinning bikes at last.

The bike I rode, No. 8, had a left pedal that was iffy and a seat angle that was off, but helmets off to the J! These Spinning bikes are great, and the Spinner Pro, and a great model. There is even a readout for cadence, miles, calories and, if you own a strap by Polar, you can get your heart rate. You can micro adjust the seat and the handlebar stem. Height adjustment requires you to unscrew a knob at the back of the stem and pull out the handle, but there are plenty of notches on the seat stem to get the height just right.

Ferrante took us through a good work out, slowly building in intensity and then pushing us at the end. I was spent, but I was also fearful about overdoing it. To top it off, I won a spinning towel. Now, if I can only keep this level of activity up for the next three months.

One good thing about people not heading north with the lack of snow here: no lift lines. The bad thing, crowded spin classes.