Ain’t That The Truth?

Ellen Noble is one of the most physically fit women in the world. A winner of numerous professional cyclocross races, Noble was runner-up to Katie Compton in last month’s national championship. Currently she is 16th in the Telenet UCI World Cup, the highest level of international cyclocross. Noble is a top mountain biker too, with Olympic ambitions next year. If she’s humbled by a flight of stairs, then what hope is there for the rest of us?

I have written before about how specific it is to be bike-fit. There are plenty of people who could crush you on the bike but are hopeless in any other athletic endeavor. Back in 2010 I turned to stair climbing as a cross-training exercise. It was a good experiment, but eventually I abandoned it. For one thing, I switched jobs and I don’t think my current employer would appreciate my stairwell workouts. I work overnight now, so my after-work stair climbing would be happening during normal business hours for the rest of the staff. Mostly, though, I’m getting outside more frequently in the winter. I started snowshoeing in 2011. In more recent winters, a shortage of snow has led to more days on the bike.

This past weekend was a little too cold for a ride, so on Sunday I returned to Ridge Run Park for another 2-hour, out-and-back Ice Age Trail hike. That’s no gentle stroll through the woods, and I wouldn’t want it to be. It’s cross-training: a complementary activity designed to strengthen a couple of weak spots that cycling doesn’t reach. In challenging myself a little bit I think I have been hurting my hiking companions. I’m going to handicap myself next time by wearing a weighted backpack. It’s either that or go solo, faster.

Today was just warm enough for a ride … but not a very ambitious one. The hour I spent outside was better than the hour I would have spent on the turbo trainer. Tomorrow looks OK too. Do I dare to hope for three consecutive days of outdoor activity in mid-January? It’ll be back inside for a while after that, though, due to a cold front that will leave us in the teens by the weekend.