Today I Begin My Intensive Mountain Training

How I envisioned our
tobogganing hill last year

Today, at my clinic's gym, I began my training for accomplishing my winter goal: Tobogganing!

I've never gone sledding with my eight year old son even though I've always wanted to. I would simply watch from the bottom of the hill or slowly make my way to the middle. Getting up the hill was too much of a struggle to do in public (heavy gasping of breath, moving very, very slowly to get there.)

I walked up the hill in question (known as Mount Pleasant, an old landfill site) a few weeks ago before the snow came. I seemed to do okay although I started to get out of breath and had to take it slow. It'll be more of a challenge finding my footing as I go up the snowy slopes with my son.

Today I did my first workout on the treadmill with a significant incline. I pumped that bad boy up until my heart rate reached 85%, about 8% incline for those keeping score. I look forward to gauging my improvement on this task by watching the incline get higher over time while my heart rate stays at the same level as it was today.

The other important part of my preparations for the upcoming tobogganing season is selecting a sled, one that won't break when I sit on it. The first thing that came to mind was a Krazy Karpet style sled because they're so thin, there's nothing to break. However, I've never been a fan of Krazy Karpets because you can't steer them and bumps can be painful underneath.

I think I'll go with something in a saucer.