Cross-Training Is Fun!

A few weeks ago, my kids and I went cross-country skiing with members of The Ohio Runners Network.  I had only tried cross-country skiing once when I was about twelve, and my kids had never tried it, and honestly, none of us is particularly graceful, but I thought, "What the hell!  Let's give it a shot.  I already have a broken foot; what else can go wrong?"

We went to the Kendall Lake Winter Sports Center in Cuyahoga Valley.  There were lessons there ($15.00 for three hours, skis included), but I had not registered us ahead of time, so we decided to wing it.  Without lessons it costs $7.50 for three hours.  Let me tell you that this was the best money I have spent in a long time!

We are lined up and ready to go!

The eleven-year-old took off with my running peeps as soon as we booted up, leaving me with the six-year-old, who decided to practice falling down and eating snow.  Eventually he got tired of laying in the snow, and we were able to ski in a one-mile loop around a meadow.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I am a serious cross-country skier.

We even saw deer beds in the middle of the meadow.   How do we know there were deer lying in the snow all night?  I would say the prodigious amounts of deer droppings were a hint.  This, of course, was incentive enough for my son to get up out of the snow and try some faster skiing.

The Ohio Runners Network, looking badass and pretty and the same time!

We skied for about two hours, and believe me, that was plenty.  Myfitnesspal.com told me that I burned about 1,000 calories, and I believe it!  My glutes, thighs, and arms felt like Jello when I finished, but you know, Jello in a good way.  Not the Jello-mold-your-aunt-brings-to-your-house-filled-with -disgusting-bits-of-fruit way.  I was so exhausted at the end of the day that I didn't even eat dinner, and I  was in bed and asleep by 8:00 pm.  Bonus!

Every day that I manage to get outside, I am so thankful to live in an area that has so many opportunities for healthy, outdoor fun.  Even in the damned snow.