Getting Ready

I'm now one month fully removed from the end of the ski season here in Vermont and it's less than two weeks before I depart for New Zealand. The short "off-season" has posed some interesting challenges in terms of my physical health and fitness. I've become a very big believer in the need to allow my body to get sufficient rest and recuperation once the season ends. This year, that strategy simply isn't an option (no summer for me) and my fitness goals are a little more unclear.

As in the case after each ski season, I have been "over trained" for skiing, a little over weight, and definitely a little banged-up from the long winter. As a result, my Spring road biking regimen is always more relaxed than most dedicated cyclists as I try to strike the tough balance of recovery and reestablishing fitness. The challenge this year is to retain my ski fitness, rest my body quickly, develop a little better cardio base, and at the same time enjoy my one month of off-season. If I win the lottery and don't have to work in the off-season, I'll do daily yoga, eat nothing but organic foods, spend a few months cycling and hiking in [name your favorite mountain range], and work with a personal coach. Until then, well, my regimen is a little more pedestrian in nature and involves cycling in the Greens and the Berkshires and eating the power meal known as PB&J.