Silent sporting into a new year
Another long, silent sports weekend was had, if not by all, by myself and a couple family members.
Sunday, my brother-in-law and I spent a great couple hours skiing the Zillmer trails in the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest near Campbellsport, Wis. I broke out my waxable classics for the first time this season but didn’t get the grip wax right. I had to resort to the flying herringbone – a dying art, according to Lee Borowski on one of his videos – on all the inclines.
Speaking of Borowski, he considers the Zillmer ski trails among the best in the state. After skiing there Dec. 20, the Silent Sports columnist reported on Skinnyski.com, “The inner brown loop is perfect for youngsters and beginners. The southern loops have rolling terrain that is not too severe and the northern yellow loop has all the climbing any Birkie trainer could want.”
Needless to say, Adam and I did two laps of yellow and a lap of green for 12 miles even. There were lots of cars and skiers coming and going in the parking lot but the trails were uncongested. A snowmobile-mounted groomer passed us twice, first to improve the classic tracks then to grade the wider skate lane.
On Monday morning, my Madison-based sister bravely ventured unaccompanied to Neenah to run the New Year’s Day 5K. Called in to work, my wife was unable to join her as planned. (They both received calls the night before from no less than race director Gloria West asking them if they would accept a race hat in a color other than what they ordered. Talk about hands on.) My sister returned to report that it was a well organized event with a great post-race spread – which, as a professional cook, she would know.
Her run inspired me to venture outdoors late that afternoon. But I was a bit crazier for donning snowshoes and trying to high step on down the local high school cross country course. Within a quarter mile of leaving the parking lot, I was gasping for breath. The temp had dropped to about 12 degrees and I was not yet into the woods and out of the even colder wind. Footing was tricky and exhausting thanks to drifting snow a foot deep in places and uneven where others had previously hiked. I had barely covered three miles in 40 minutes when I called it quits. My calves are still complaining this morning.
Still, there’s no better way to welcome a new year than by challenging yourself by something out of the ordinary. I hope it sets the stage for a physically varied and adventurous 2008.
I wish no less for you, too, my fellow silent sporters.
– Joel Patenaude