Blowing & Drifting

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Entries Tagged as 'skiing'

Food and Working Out (Three Random Thoughts)

April 12th, 2012 · No Comments

When I’m skiing, I fantasize about having a big mug of hot cocoa and a donut. When I’m running, I think about eating potato chips and drinking Coke. When I’m biking, I want a hamburger and a chocolate shake.

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Tags: cycling · diversions · miscellany · skiing · sport

Snow Depression

December 23rd, 2011 · 1 Comment

Exactly one year ago – on December 23, 2010 – I skied for 45 minutes in the Carleton Arb. According to last winter’s training log, I’d skied a total of 12:27:48 by then, beginning on November 14. So far this winter, I’ve skied one hour, a couple weeks ago, just after we received our only [...]

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Tags: Carleton · diversions · Minnesota · miscellany · nature · Northfield · photos · skiing · winter

See You in the Fall, Fischers

March 18th, 2011 · 1 Comment

Skiers are supposed to fetishize their skis, but I love my ski boots as much or more than my skis. No matter which skis I’m on, I’m wearing these beauties. But today I put them away for the off-season. I hope I can get them back out around Thanksgiving…

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Tags: diversions · Minnesota · nature · photos · skiing · sport · spring · winter

Ski Racing in Norway

February 28th, 2011 · No Comments

The nordic skiing world championship in Oslo are well under way now, with five great races down. Even better (after lackluster crowds at the 2009 and 2007 worlds), the Norwegians are turning out in force: 70,000 turned up on Sunday to watch one of the premiere events, which was won by Norwegian Petter Northug: The [...]

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Tags: borrowed content · diversions · media · miscellany · photos · skiing · sport · winter

World Championships

February 23rd, 2011 · No Comments

On Wednesday, the 2011 Nordic Ski World Championships begin in Oslo, Norway – the city that almost literally invented nordic skiing, and the country that still dominates international elite cross-country skiing. I’ve been eagerly anticipating the Oslo Worlds since Oslo was named as host a few years ago, and now that they’re (almost) here, I’m [...]

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Tags: borrowed content · diversions · miscellany · narcissism · photos · skiing · sport · winter

Raced Out at the City of Lakes Loppet

February 6th, 2011 · 1 Comment

The City of Lakes Loppet was, as usual, fun and tough. I put together a pretty good ski, suffering the whole way but working hard and ultimately enjoying it. This year’s result can be interpreted in two ways. By time, I did a tiny bit worse this year, finishing in 1:46:16, five seconds slower than [...]

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Tags: diversions · Minnesota · miscellany · narcissism · skiing · sport · winter

City of Lakes Excitement

February 5th, 2011 · No Comments

Twelve hours from now, I’ll be about a half-hour into the 25km “Hoigaard’s Classic” event of the City of Lakes Loppet ski festival. I’m pretty excited about the race, which is my only real ski race of the year. (One of these years, I’ll do two or even more – but not this year.) I skied the classic [...]

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Tags: diversions · Minnesota · miscellany · narcissism · skiing · sport · winter

Ski Racing

January 29th, 2011 · No Comments

Today the Northfield High School nordic ski team held its annual fundraiser race in the Carleton Arboretum. I think I’ve raced this event four years in a row now, and I’ve always had fun – a 5 or 6 kilometer run through the Upper Arb, hitting pretty much every hill and skiing past groups of [...]

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Tags: diversions · miscellany · narcissism · Northfield · skiing · winter

Digging Jessie Diggins: A Great Minnesota Athlete

January 25th, 2011 · No Comments

Beginning tomorrow, the snowy, far-off land of Estonia (squished between Russia and the Baltic Sea) will host the Nordic Junior & U 23 World Ski Championships – basically, the Olympics for top-level skiers under age 23. The United States is sending a very good group of 22 skiers which includes Jessie Diggins, a 19-year-old from Stillwater, Minnesota, [...]

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Tags: borrowed content · diversions · Minnesota · skiing · winter

No Bad Weather

January 21st, 2011 · No Comments

According to Carleton’s weather station, the temperature at two this afternoon was about +5°F, with windchills in dipping down past -10°F. This is undeniably cold, but with the City of Lakes Loppet coming up in a week and a half, I needed to do one last long ski this afternoon – at least a couple [...]

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Tags: diversions · miscellany · narcissism · nature · Northfield · skiing · sport · winter

Dragging My Carcass Around

January 10th, 2011 · No Comments

I went for a long ski tonight. Thanks to the exertion and an oddly wet snowfall, things got blurry just a few minutes into the session  and continued to get blurrier until I finished. At one point, I noticed what seemed to be a glove or mitten half-buried in the snow alongside the trail. On [...]

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Tags: diversions · miscellany · nature · Northfield · skiing · stupidities · winter

Ski Camp

December 29th, 2010 · No Comments

Over the Christmas break, I took advantage of a week away from work and plentiful, excellent snow to hold my own little ski-training camp. Not only was the “camp” a great way to burn off the Christmas calories, but it turned to be a decent way to get into something like ski shape as I [...]

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Tags: Carleton · diversions · Minnesota · narcissism · Northfield · photos · skiing · sport · winter

Signs That the World Is Not Going to Hell

December 21st, 2010 · No Comments

A family friend dropped by right before dinner to give the girls chocolate-dipped Oreos. Both girls can brush their hair extremely well and very quickly. An hour’s ski lesson helped me improve my skiing and immediately eliminated my back pain. The girls think that our last name is normal, but that “Callaghan” is beyond-the-pale weird. [...]

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Tags: borrowed content · girls · miscellany · Northfield · parenting · skiing · winter

Heaven on Earth

December 10th, 2010 · No Comments

Some people believe heaven is in the sky. Myself, I know that it can come down to earth, as today’s National Weather Service forecast suggests: Tonight: Snow, mainly after 9pm. Low around 21. East wind between 8 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. [...]

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Tags: borrowed content · diversions · miscellany · nature · Northfield · skiing · winter

Wear Your Breath

December 8th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Go cross-country skiing and wear your breath.

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Tags: Carleton · diversions · Minnesota · narcissism · nature · Northfield · photos · skiing · sport · winter