Rediscovering old hobbies

One of my favourite things that I learned in Thunder Bay was how to skate ski. I remember the serene kid-free weekends I used to spend up there, where my only plan for the day was to go skate skiing with Jane. We would meet at noon and take as long as we wanted, admiring the vastly beautiful landscape and the sweet behinds of the tall Finnish population of Thunder Bay as we tortured our lungs and legs with the great new sport I had discovered.

Towards the end of our 3-year stint up north I purchased a pair of skate skis in the hopes that I would continue to enjoy my newfound sport after my return to southern Ontario.

But alas, moving away from Thunder Bay I became busy with work and new friends. Before I knew it I had entered the first stages of parenthood; the symbiotic 9months of alien inhabitation that took over my body followed by the equally grueling 9 months of breastfeeding-not-sleeping-no-time-to-myself chaos that ensued. Needless to say, as my belly expanded with new life, so too did the cobwebs on my beloved pair of skate skis.

And then, just when life started to slow down a little we decided to do it all over again.

And so here I find myself, SIX YEARS post Thunder Bay, in the irrational excitement of Mia’s soon to be first birthday, eagerly fooling myself into thinking that I have life under enough control that I can finally rekindle the friendship I had with my skis last century.

My mission was ALMOST FOILED by an unexpected scheduling change at work and an impromptu snow squall, but I forged ahead and completed my mission.

I was the only one at the ski hills that day; apparently the “southern skiers” are easily deterred by bad weather. I scoffed to think what the tall Finnish Thunder Bay-ites would think of the feeble resolve of us lowly southerners. The ladies in the shop were QUITE pleased to finally have a customer on this particularly blustering minus 20 degree day and even offered some free trail advice.

And off I went.

Resuming the long lost sport of skate skiing after an unplanned 6 year hiatus is similar to going into labour for the second time; after two contractions it all comes FLOODING BACK to you and you suddenly REMEMBER as if it was only yesterday.

THIS.

SUCKS.

It is a GOOD THING I was all alone in the woods this week when I “rediscovered” the sport. Even then, I was SO BADLY out of shape and SO BRUTALLY unprepared that I was EMBARASSED.

It’s like the time old conundrum “If a tree falls in the middle of the woods, does anyone hear it?“ only changed up a little to read, “If Alyssa skate ski’s TERRIBLY in the middle of the woods and no one sees should she be embarrassed?”

The answer is yes.

In anticipation of the snow storm I had put on leggings, tights, pants AND show pants along with a long sleeve shirt, sweater, hoodie and bomber ski jacket, complete with scarf, ski mitts, hat and neck-warmer.

I looked like I could take on the abominable snowman but to put me on a pair of slender skate skis and ask me to sleekly glide through the woods was ludicrous.

And so I trudged along, huffing and puffing with my nose running profusely, every pore of my scalp sweating so much that my big ski hat kept falling off my head and an audible GROAN escaped my lips with every painful stride.

It was a LONG 2 km but FINALLY I made it back to the lodge without dying. As I stepped back in to the safety of the ski chalet a cloud of evaporating sweat ERUPTED over my head which told everyone there just how out of shape I was. But I forged on through the last few steps of utter embarrassment and managed to get to my car and out the driveway without a second glance.

I am proud to report that my skate skis are no longer covered in dust and cobwebs.

I may not be able walk without the telltale limp of a timely beating of unfamiliar muscles, but I am proud to say that Alyssa the Skate- Skier is back on the tracks. I may be the slowest one out there but hey; I do my Thunder Bay peeps proud…. I think…