Winter Wonderland

Wow!!! I can't express how excited I've been the last week with all the snow we've been getting. Last winter I remember blogging about not skiing in January and it being so warm I seriously considered getting out on my bike - outside - first week of that month. Well, old man winter has arrived early this year and it looks like he's setting up house. Tonight we're going to have a big snowstorm. And guess what I did today??? Well, I almost titled this post "hip flexors", because man, they are tight tonight. Yes, I went for my first xc ski of the season today. Even though the wind chill was minus 20 or something, it was actually quite nice out. There was light snow most of the time, and I only felt the wind a few times really. I'm conquering my fear of going downhill this season. Starting today. With a nice wipe-out due to my hesitation and attempt at slowing down. Got back up and continued down, reminding myself the whole time to relax and not hesitate (the hill was quite long - funny how I'm willing to climb it far more than descend... exactly the opposite of being on a bike!). It was super fun!! I absolutely love being outside in the fresh air. With so much cycling in the summer, I'm so accustomed to fresh air on a daily basis. Being couped up inside really gets to you. Breathing recycled air. Spending a few hours outside, being active - you can't imagine what it does for the soul. Now it's time to stretch I think, because you also can't imagine what it does to the shoulders and hip flexors! ;)