Back to the Canadian Ski Marathon - 2021 Virtual Edition

 I haven't cross-country skied since 2015. Or so my Garmin tells me. All I remember is doing the 2014 CSM Touring with friend Andrew (2x50km days) in absolutely perfect conditions, and completing the 51km Gatineau Loppet the week after. No Chateau Montebello, no 3am wakeup, standing in the cold for hours waiting for the Bronze start, no fretting about whether the snow would be intact for the event. I think I was mildly traumatized from my two Bronze attempts. Cold weather, tough weeks in advance of the event trying to find time to train, it was all too much. 

Finishing day 1, CSM 2013

I decided to focus on running, which has been a lot of fun. I broke my arm in 2015, tripping on a trail run in August. So the thought of slipping my wrist into a ski pole and then busting it all up again falling scared the crap out of me. So all my skis, gear, wax etc rested in the basement.

Fast forward to 2021. Two of my running friends (Olaf Knutson, CdB Gold and Bryan Amyot, local athletic legend)  started skiing almost every morning at 6am. The Town of Hudson started laying real x-country tracks at Whitlock Golf. So one afternoon in January I found a pair of skis that appeared to be in decent shape in my basement and drove over to a little park near my house that accesses the golf course. 

I had fun! My technique isn't horrible, and my fitness is better than it was in 2012-14. A lot better, even though I was 52 years old then and I'm 59 now.

I forgot how to connect my boots to the bindings. Yes. AND, I spread grip wax in the glide zone. They still worked!

It was brought to my attention that the Canadian Ski Marathon is going virtual this year (like every other outdoor race!), and I could get a Bronze Coureur des Bois medal by skiing two 50 kilometre days back to back. For $79. Any day within a one month window, as long as the days are subsequent. Well, I took the bait (while drinking alcohol!).

I have decided to do my loops at l'Escapade in Rigaud, to at least have some semblance of a challenge. Refuelling will be easy out of the trunk of my car, every 14kms. 

Since returning to the sport I have gone out 5 times so far, for a total of only 35kms, but I'm running also, and stretching a lot.

Here is my Strava page:  https://www.strava.com/athletes/6235221